problems with mazda 3.. what to do

[trixstar]

My passenger side suspension makes some grinding crunchy sound when going over a speedbump. It's only the passenger side that does this. Upon visual inspection, the struts and springs look fine and the car itself drives fine.

If I book an appointment with Mazda, they will most likely tell me the car is fine and ding me $100 for diagnostic. Should I take it to an independent dealer to have it looked at and replace the components if neccessary? I don't mind spending the money if it gets fixed. I just have an issue with someone telling me nothing is wrong and charging a fee (when obviously there is a problem)

I also have this rattle underneath the trunk area. I suspect it may be coming from underneath the car.

Something from the front headlight assembly area is also making this very loud high pitched buzz.. It get's louder every month..

The car is still under warranty it's 11 months old 2011 mazda 3 with 45,000km.

When cruising on 5th gear (auto tranny) as I apply acceleration, I can feel a slight knock from the transmission. It started happening recently too. It doesnt happen in any other gear. I tried it using the fake manual mode

take it to the dealer? or take it to a small reputable shop?

[KorruptioN]

Well... if it's still under warranty, why are you even asking this question?

If you need it spelled out for you: how's the small reputable shop going to honour your warranty?

[trixstar]

Well... if it's still under warranty, why are you even asking this question?

If you need it spelled out for you: how's the small reputable shop going to honour your warranty?

They won't honour the warranty obviously, since I would be more then happy to pay for it to be fixed.. It's just an issue with mazda pretending there is no problem yet charging me a fee to tell me that. They don't like doing warranty work unless its a severe problem

[ichpen]

Ah? First I've heard of this. Dealers 'looovee' warranty work. It's their bread and butter and what keeps them in business. Now by the sound of it you may have been there once or twice already. If you're not happy with the dealer go to another one.

I've never heard of a dealer charging a diagnostic fee for a car under manufacturer's warranty.

Crunchy sound could be one of the following:
1. Hub/bearing
2. Broken endlink (for front roll/sway bar)
3. Loose roll/sway bar or bushing/retainers that have gone bad
4. Shock collapsed/damaged, shock bushing gone etc.
5. CV gone on one side

[booblehead]

Mazda 3 fans love this independent shop.

You may have heard of this shop in the TM3 forum thousands of times.

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/sh...et-Performance

STREET PERFORMANCE
7605 Woodbine Ave, Unit #16
(Shared space with T/M Automotive)
Markham, ON L3R-5V3
416-450-6161


Right across the street from Mandarin Buffet

[Matrixvibe]

Get rid of it?

[navyseals]

Take it to an independent shop.

[squall458]

45,000K in 11 months? Did I read that right? WOAH!

[yao416]

45,000K in 11 months? Did I read that right? WOAH!

that's nothing

my cumpare, who is a OG. he did 100k / year

[trixstar]

that's nothing

my cumpare, who is a OG. he did 100k / year

LOL if i did that on my mazda it would have been outta warranty on the 9th month

[Busybuyer888]

Is OP prepared to spend $2,500 in repairs? (I am just saying because these items don't sound like a $500 repair.)

We do understand frustration with a cheap car ... making noise (we all have that problem).

I would take it to another dealer, another $100 is not an issue. Make sure the care is safe and drive it until these problems become big problem that will be fixed under warrantee.

If OP is willing to spend $2,500 in repairs ... maybe sell the car, take the lost and get a new one instead.

It is only a car. It is not perfect. Even BMW/MB have issues.

Also, If OP is willing to spend some money, perhaps it can be taken to an independent or even a dealer to find out 100% what the sound is. Just tell them you will pay them for 3-5 hours to find & insolate cause of the noise. I'm sure a mechanic wouldn't mind being paid for 3 hours to dig into the issue. Then the faulty part can be replaced under warrantee.

For OP's info .. the noise can be misleading. It could be caused by something else, a lot things are happening when going over a speed bump.

[zzz3]

They won't honour the warranty obviously, since I would be more then happy to pay for it to be fixed.. It's just an issue with mazda pretending there is no problem yet charging me a fee to tell me that. They don't like doing warranty work unless its a severe problem

let me guess, by "mazda" you mean mazda of markham or mazda of toronto? when it comes to service, neither have the best rep. try john (booter22 on tm3) the service manager at budd's mazda (formerly qew mazda); hands down best mazda dealer for service in the GTA, aside from jimmy @ street performance.

diagnostic of rattles, broken parts etc is supposed to be free under warranty, at least that has been my experience thus far.

[trixstar]

let me guess, by "mazda" you mean mazda of markham or mazda of toronto? when it comes to service, neither have the best rep. try john (booter22 on tm3) the service manager at budd's mazda (formerly qew mazda); hands down best mazda dealer for service in the GTA, aside from jimmy @ street performance.

diagnostic of rattles, broken parts etc is supposed to be free under warranty, at least that has been my experience thus far.

okay, i'll try QEW mazda. agincourt and markham mazda have been pretty bad on all occasions.. I just heard stories where they charge diagnostic even when they cant find the problem or know there is one but denies it.. Thanks

[macnut]

Ah? First I've heard of this. Dealers 'looovee' warranty work. It's their bread and butter and what keeps them in business. Now by the sound of it you may have been there once or twice already. If you're not happy with the dealer go to another one.

I've never heard of a dealer charging a diagnostic fee for a car under manufacturer's warranty.

I agree that warranty work provides steady cash flow, but I think they prefer out-of-warranty repairs where the customer pays. Better profit margin and less paperwork.

The advice to try another dealer is well founded. The way dealerships handle warranty claims can vary quite a bit.

Strictly speaking, the manufacturer warrants their product against defective components and excludes wear and tear items.

Sometimes that distinction is quite clear, other times not. So there are grey areas that Dealer A will treat differently from Dealer B.

If the repair, for something like a squeak or rattle is just an adjustment, with no defective part needing replacement, Dealer A may be more adept than Dealer B in successfully billing the manufacturer for the time spent.

So dealer B may adopt the practice of advising customers upfront of a diagnostic fee/ 1 hr. labour charge that may be waived if it is fully covered under warranty.

Dealer A may have a different policy of trying to keep all customers happy, whether they are long term loyal ones, or irregular ones - so no diagnostic fees. But they will aim to make it up in other ways.

Your relationship with the dealership, who you know, and how many other of their vehicles your family members own all enter into the grey area.

Unlike government agencies, there is nothing in their mandate or business licence to encourage them to treat everyone equally, or even fairly.

But these types of fees and charges are often negotiable. Unless the customer is already yelling that they are never going to set foot in the dealership again.

If you honestly understand how the warranty process works, and you think the SA is making a mistake - by all means, calmly explain why you shouldn't have to pay anything.

But be aware that they also have to deal with customers who try to get maintenance/wear-and-tear/misuse items done under warranty.

The SA may not be very good at putting people and problems in the right slots, and you may need to nudge them in the right direction.

This includes providing them with detailed written observations of your problem, and information taken from owner forums of the same symptoms maybe with related TSB numbers.

Most SAs probably want to achieve a balance between enjoying their work, providing good customer service and meeting the expectations of management in padding the bottom line.

[Bronson Charley]

anyone knows where can I get a cheap rear bumper for 2006 Mazda 3 sedan?

Thanks