Hymee

iTrader: (1)

Here are some picture of my first prototype...

Un-painted:


Painted, off car:


Painted, on car:


That will keep the nasties out!

Lensman

Hey, that's really nice work! Impressive.

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

Thanks dude. If the job is worth doing, it is worth doing properly. Once I have sorted out a minor glitch I plan to offer these to fellow forumers as a complete kit, with full instructions and everything needed to mount and protect that vulnerable A/C condensor.

Mesh is grade 304 Stainless Steel, as well as SS screws, nuts and bolts.

Cheers,
Hymee.

Texagi95

Hymee,

I am definately interested in the grill. Could you also make one for the oil coolers as well?? They are the ones located on the left and right of the bumper. Please keep me in mind. I drove my car to Dallas this weekend, and you have no idea how paranoid I was about following any and all trucks.

Thanks again

dawurst

I had the same thing happen last week. The dealer told me the same thing about not being covered by warranty. Price quote was $668.00

I have called Mazda Customer Assistance at 1-800-222-5500 and reported the problem, and told them that with 2,600 miles and less than 2 months ownership, I didn't feel it was right to have to fork out the cash. The lady was very helpful and stated that she would get back to me later today or tomorrow.

This isn't a windshield or bird crap...those are obvious items that must be exposed to the elements. A 3-4 inch gap with a direct line to the AC condensor just 6 +/- inches from the ground is NOT a good design and is the direct cause of the fault...not ours. To think otherwise is ludicrous and closed minded. I love the homemade grill design and certainly may be interested if you're going to price it out.

Another note: I also had to have mine towed to the dealership this morning...before the condensor part even arrived. I started backing out of the garage and it just died. It will crank, but it's missing fuel or spark.

This is my first Mazda, and after these incidents, may very well be my last.

dawurst

They say the car was flooded and that's why it died. Doesn't make sense to me that a started car would die due to flooding. I'm sure some of the flooding occured by me trying to crank the car afterwards.

The service rep actually mentioned that they had another one towed in this morning with the same symptoms. Sounds rather fishy to me!!

Texagi95

Sorry about your problems with your A/C. You may want to file it under your insurance. I did. and the insurance paid for 2 weeks of rental car while I waited for my part. However, my deductible is only 100.00 and I was guaranteed that my rates will NOT go up. Thats why I did it. Before you ask, now I am VERY parnoid every time I get close to a semi, and or checking my A/C even when I don't need it just to make sure that it still works.

Texagi95

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

My "deductable" (we call it an "Excess") is $650, and my premium won't go up if I claim on it.

dawurst

Got the word today...after almost a week. There is a national (US) backorder until November 4th.

I told them I would be more than happy to accept one from one of the cars in their lot. They laughed...but I didn't. ;-)

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

Mine was replaced on Monday (did I post that already??) at a cost of near $800 Australian.

The Condensor and Drier/Receiver is all one unit. Fairly straight forward to remove and refit, then re-gass.

Cheers,
Hymee.

dawurst

Glad to hear it's working for you!

I just got off the phone with Mazda. In the US, they will escalate it to a regional service manager who makes the final decision. There is nowhere to go from there according to customer assistance. I am also going to inquire how installing a custom grille might affect the warranty for the remainder of the car prior to attempting a retrofit.

Nubo

Because the damage to the condenser would not have happened if the obvious need for a grille had been addressed in the design. This will probably be the first thing I do to the car. It was the first thing I did with my '91 Miata, which also inexplicably came without a grille. A bit of stainless-steel mesh is all it took.

A bit dirty, but still doing the job. In fact, It'll probably outlast the car; I might save it for my '8

dawurst

Spoke to the service manager, and they are willing to pay the comprehensive insurance deductible!

Awesome outcome, my faith has been restored.

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

That is very good news. What is your deductable? Mine was $650 so it hardly seemed worth it. Plus Mazda were not interested in paying anyway.

dawurst

My deductible is $500...so insurance will pick up the remaining $168 without an increase of my premium....that means nothing out of my pocket, other than time and frustration.

It certainly turned me 180 degrees on my feelings.

The service manager was great to work with. I also questioned them about the mesh grill and whether that would affect the warranty. He was going to pass the info to the regional manager to verify, but didn't think it should affect the warranty.

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

It's great that they are looking after you!