Interesting to run into this thread as I just got off the phone with my local dealer's service manager.

I've got a 2004 4AT and know that there's a TSB for getting rid of my frothy dipstick by them using the previously plugged intake holes.

So I gave him a call, told him I'm seeing a murky milk like substance on my dipstick, informed him that I'm an 04 w/ 19000 miles, out of b2b warranty, but would like to know what all my options are.

He took down my VIN, commented that it was going to require some research and that he'd get back to me tomorrow.

This should be good

I was also tempted to request a quote for a 2009 in attempt to bait them but ultimately decided to land on the side of good ethics and see where the process takes me.

I made sure to wish him a happy holiday and thanked him for his time.

Shell

 

Who said anyhting about not being nice? Sorry if my post came off as if derogatory. I agree that it's appropriate to build polite and respectful relations with your service dept. at all costs.

However, we've all been run around by service centers(dealer and otherwise).

I have found that politely offering a print out of a TSB for a symptom or even a concern is a good way to demsonstrate that you are familiar with your vehicle and its poential problems and solutions, and that, if applicable, you expect that TSB to be performed.

 

Yes, you work for Toyota, not Mazda.[/QUOTE]

Whats your point? A cars a car if you understand the systems their equipped with......This statement also shows that most people don't know what ASE's are and understand their for ALL vehicles in the field(I apologize if you do know what they are). The only downfall of ASE's are there isn't a rotary specific test which would greatly impact the knowledge out there. Before someone says anything negative about that I'm sure plenty of repair manuals and specialist are out there to help people who are knowledgeable in the subject. If I did just transmissions all day and I could read them like a book on what to fix....I would consider that person a specialist.

Glad to hear their addressing your issue properly. The problem you may have with denying the clutch work is that they could charge you the tear down time, unless they said other about it to you personally.

 

they havent said much on the teardown time.. i politely advised them that at this point i could not afford to pay for it. that when they advised that there is a warranty on my car for an unspecified period of time and iuleage just becaus ei bougt it used from that mazda dealer. at this point, the service manager told me not to worry about the costs and that he would do his best to take care of the problem. i hope he holds true to his word. i was being very polite and friendly the entire time and was treating everyone with patience and respect. i figured i have to give it to get it.plus its really not their fault the t/o bearing wails like a dog in heat..

 

So I had a message on my voicemail at work Tuesday from Bob the service guy at my local dealership informing me that there is in fact a TSB for "milky substance" on your dipstick, gave me the TSB number, and then wrapped up the message stating that only current b2b warranty holders are covered.

I called him back a couple hours later and asked if there was a kit Mazda provides for the TSB and if so was it a consumer purchasable item. I had seen the TSB numerous times in the past so I know it's a bunch of vacuum hoses and what not.

So today I had another message from Bob and he sounded very happy to inform me that the TSB kit was indeed available to the consumer for a mere, get this... here it comes.... $320

 

$320 is awful steep for a new pcv hose and a few other lines/gaskets. perhaps checking withthe parts dept can yeild you better results. perhaps you can buy the parts cheaper individually(strong maybe).

 

Maybe a catch can would help? anyone know?

 

not sure that would help much in this case..

 

TSB's are one of those wonderful "gray areas" that dealerships have absolutely no liability to be do. As a service manager told me...."it simply means that mazda thinks some cars have had those problems. Most don't. If we don't think it calls for a repair, we don't have to do anything".

Basically, it means that if the dealership doesn't like you, they can turn you down simply for the reason that they don't like you alone. They don't even need a reason to.

Anytime i've went in with TSB stuff, I've sucked up like there's no tomorrow.

 

^^bingo. i was trying to be their best friend on everyting. they said that they couldn't get me in for a week. no problem i said, even though i wanted them to take care of the problems sooner. being patient and understanding really helps. the 8 goes in on wednesday.

 

leaving for the dealership now. i made an appointment to have the techs lookk that the car. round two starts. i'll keep you guys posted on how this unfolds

 

car was dropped off. they gave me an 09 mazda 3 as a loaner for the day. i'll let you guys know what they find.

 

rofl

320 ?

I think I prefer to fill my oil at the right level, change it often, warm my car up(or run it hard enough to boil the oil), and save those 320 bux for something else.

 

Wasn't there an earlier fix for this, that involved something like a plastic liner for the dipstick tube? Should be a cheaper fix. See if you can find that TSB.

Ken

 

A plastic liner should probably work!!

 

There's no way I'd pay $320 for a bunch of tubing... simply not gonna happen. I'll go with nycgps's recommendation and spend it on something worthwhile.

 

dealer is keeping the car overnight. i'll pick it up tomorrow. they'll let me know what they find wrong and they said that if there's a tsb covering any particular problem they will fix the problem. thats good news. we'll see what they find.

 

overnight? it should not take that long i know they have probably seen all of it before anway and should know

 

they said that they were short handed and that they ran into problems on cars that were schedeuled before mine. my only complaint is that i had to call them to find out when my car would be done instead of them calling me to tell me tht it wouldnt be ready until the next day. but if the were really that busy, then its understandable.

 

LOL

That's the BIGGEST problem I had with my Mazdas. I had a Mazdaspeed6 that needed a new tranny...took SIX weeks to get done. There was maybe TWO times that whole time where I was called to inform me what's goin on. I called up at LEAST a dozen times to check up on it...one time at which they told me "oh yeah we meant to talk to you...they're gonna just give you a new transmission. sorry I forgot" Yeah...minute details really

I can't STAND our local Mazda dealership (Reineke Mazda).

 

trust me i know they take forever i had a tranny in my 8 at 18,xxx miles and it took 27days ridiculous!!! but it got fixed so that's all that mattered

 

overall a plesant experience at the dealer today. i got the car back and they will fix everything except for the t/o bearing, no questions asked. they did say that the t/o bearing sound was normal but i can deal with that later as it is not normal. at any rate, the first pics is the sheet of items they have ordered parts for and are going to fix. the second is a nice sheet that they printed out for me that tells a lot of great info about my car and all of the recalls/warranty work that has been done over its lifespan. i'm not 100% sure what a couple of the codes mean but i can live with it as it was a nice gesture.

 

yeah the T/O bearing noise is normal for 8's but I believe that BHR has made a bearing or acquired something to get rid of the noise....if it really bothers u u could check that out

 

^^ something to look into, thank you for the info. it bothers me only because it sounds like its worn.

 

I hate that noise too man... drives me crazy!