Dealer service department question

[JStump]

My car is having an issue where shifting from 1st to 2nd quickly causes the syncros to grind. Even if you have the clutch on the floor, if you shift too quick above 4k it will grind. Every other gear is fine except from 1st to 2nd. I have found several forum posts from different sites all with people having shifting problems from 1st to 2nd. I took it into the dealer once when it first started happening like 6 months ago but it didnt do it very often then and I really didnt start having fun with my car until recently when I stopped caring about gas milage so I never noticed this problem and of course the dealer could not replicate the problem. Well now it is really starting to piss me off because I like quick shifting and it happens almost daily now, I guarantee the dealer will not be able to replicate the problem or they will say I should not be driving the car that aggressive and will claim I dont know how to drive stick.

How do I go about this if this happens? Take them for a ride and show them? I just want a battle plan for when they call and say I am a liar even though I just drove around the block and was able to do it 5 out of 6 times I tried.

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=e78fdc62dabf5a4adeb1f987fc9ad113&topic=176417.0

http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/2010-mazda-3-engine-performance/4733-help-2nd-gear.html

http://www.fyidriving.com/article/mazda3-grinds-when-shifting-into-second-gear/

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Mazda/MAZDA3/2011/clutch/grinding_sound_between_first_and_second_gear.shtml

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?64733-1-2-shift-grind

[serpentracer]

all I know is my buddy's mazda 3 is kind of a pile. it's had several warranty fixes. the speed sensor steering thing went out like 2 times already. they can never fix it so they replace everything. lol

and to me it sound like it has busted struts. hit a bump and it clunks in the front.

but his is a auto with the stick shift thing. forget the name right now. autostick? I don't know...

[JStump]

Mine doesn't to that, in fact, mine rides quieter and is more solid feeling than most other things I have driven. This is really the only problem I have and it seems fixable, just have to convince the dealer.

Also, what year is his? Because the previous gen was kinda a piece.

Edited August 20, 2012 by JStump

[serpentracer]

I think it's a 06 or a 07.

I love it's brakes though. wow.

[Helmutt]

You could demonstrate the issue, but the tech may convey to his foreman that its abusive operation and that would give them an opportunity to either (a) void any possible warranty coverage or (b) try to unethically upsell a larger repair bill Guess it would depend on the dealer's behavior in a scenario like this.

What year, engine, mileage are we talking about here?

[BikerBoy]

I took my Jetta to a service place once when i bought it and they advised me to change all fluids including tranny so i listened, after they did that , 2nd to third will grind everytime i shift to it down shift or up shift, so the mechanic told me i need a tranny , not a clutch , not need to check it , no, it needed a new transmission , as back then i couldn't afford new tranny , and i just bought the car , i wasn't going to change it and was going to drive it till i afford the parts, for some reason tho , i took it to a different branch of the same service company , and they found out that the prior location had forgotten a clip on after they change the tranny fluid and that was the reason of it grinding, the point of the story , the dealership isn't always the best place to go check your car , if it grinds from 1 to 2nd but nothing else, i'd have so many people check it before i take the dealer's " we need to change .... " word.

[JStump]

It's a 2011 Mazda 3 with a 2.5L and 6 speed and has 23,000 miles. I am going to give them a chance to fix it because it better be under warrantee, I'll take it for second opinions if they tell me other wise.

Edited August 21, 2012 by JStump

[Helmutt]

It's a 2011 Mazda 3 with a 2.5L and 6 speed and has 23,000 miles. I am going to give them a chance to fix it because it better be under warrantee, I'll take it for second opinions if they tell me other wise.

Probably your best bet as its still covered. Personally, I would let them diagnose it on their own first. And, unless they copout with "its clutch related and not warrantable" and cant replicate the issue, take the tech for a spin and show him. Maybe luck will have it that they'll simply chalk it up as a trans issue and replace it for ya :crossedfingers:

[2talltim]

Might wanna take that hitch off before you start demanding warranty work done, when the tranny on our explorer was going bad that was the first thing they ask is what were we towing with it because i had a aftermarket plug on it that they noticed.

Edited August 21, 2012 by 2talltim

[Habi]

^ this, but what is it rated to tow?

Never had an issue with mine at 27,000 but its might be a different setup in the speed.

Edited August 21, 2012 by Habi

[JStump]

OH SHIT! Good call on the wire harness, my plan the whole time was to say I have a bike rack but you don't really need a wire harness for a bike rack but this started happening way before I started towing so that's not the issue. In fact, in other countries the 3 is rated to tow like 1000lbs or something around there, not sure why they said no to North America :/

[Helmutt]

Even if you remove the hitch, they'll see it was mounted. Got any flat black spray laying around?

[JStump]

I'm leaving the hitch, it's used for a "bike rack" and by bike I mean motorcycle, and by rack I mean trailer

[Disclaimer]

Hey IP ---

You know how I know you're baked?

"The harness came with the hitch' date=' so I plugged it in. What? You gonna not eat the peanut buttery goodness of a Reese Cup, because all you really wanted was the chocolate shell? Fuck no, you're gonna' eat the bullshit out of that motherfucker and love every second of it. That's what you're gonna' goddamn do! Well, that's why I installed the harness. I ain't wasting that finger-lickin' peanut buttery goodness!"[/quote']

[JStump]

Edit: oh I thought you meant me lol

[Helmutt]

Hey IP ---

You know how I know you're baked?

This should be good

[Disclaimer]

I didn't do the installation, but Scruit just gave me the password

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j7sAPGtTcY

[2talltim]

I didn't do the installation, but Scruit just gave me the password

[jporter12]

I have learned a few things working at a dealership. One of them being that the guys at the dealership want to fix your car, but they also want to get paid for it. They have to have everything in order to get paid by the manufacturer for warranty repairs. I don't know about Mazda, but I know GM makes the dealership keep the old parts, and can call for those parts at any time with like 90 days.

[Helmutt]

I have learned a few things working at a dealership. One of them being that the guys at the dealership want to fix your car, but they also want to get paid for it. They have to have everything in order to get paid by the manufacturer for warranty repairs. I don't know about Mazda, but I know GM makes the dealership keep the old parts, and can call for those parts at any time with like 90 days.

Think that's protocol at most dealerships. Flatrate the repairs, hold the warrantable parts until the claim's processed and parts are recalled for inspection, decisions are made based on repair order stories and condition of the parts, then the claim is paid back to the dealer. We do more warranty work than anything else the majority of the time. Seems techs that get stuck doing warranty can sometimes beat the flatrate time, but there are those times when its virtually impossible to even meet the alotted time for the repair. But that could also be the tech's failure of skill working against him;)

[JStump]

So I emailed them requesting a service appointment and this is what they said.

JOSH WE ARE SCHEDULING FOR NEXT WEEK,PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT DAY WORKS FOR YOU...PLEASE NOTE THERE MAY BE AN INITIAL DIAGNOSTIC FEE WITH THE INSPECTION..NORMALLY THE CLUTCH IS ONLY WARRANTABLE FOR 12MONTHS 12,000 MILES..IF THE CLUTCH IS SHOWING SIGNS OF WEAR YOU WILL GET THIS TYPE OF ACTION...ESPECIALLY AT THOSE HIGH OF RPM'S...BUT WE WILL HAVE TO GET IT IN HERE TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION FIRST..ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE LET ME KNOW... THANKS KEVIN

I do NOT want to pay this fee, how do I get around it? I don't think there should be a fee at all for diag since it is under warrantee. I just emailed saying I don't expect to pay the fee but we shall see what he says about that. Looking up the corporate number now in preparation for the shit storm I am about to walk into since they are already subtly hinting I can't drive stick.

[jester3681]

I have to say after working at a dealership, this is pretty much par for the course. Like JPorter said, the tech needs to be paid for his time. If he spends an hour looking at your car and it IS the clutch and you say you don't want it fixed, then he's out that time and money. His kids don't eat. If it is something else, he fixes it under warranty and Mazda pays for everything. Kind of a calculated risk. You can probably bitch to the right people and they'll look at it for free, but now you've got a tech looking at it for free. I know the guys I'd work with would give it about 30 seconds of their time. Right? Wrong? Who knows, but it's human nature. Dealer techs are almost always flat rate and only get paid if they get paid.

That being said, I'm not too familiar with Mazda, but with Nissan, if there was an issue, any issue, with the manual transmission, 99.999% of the time it was the clutch. Not that you don't know how to drive stick, but also keep in mind that the Mazda3 is not an RX8. It's not designed for 5000rpm shifts and launches. Is the clutch hosed? Probably not. Might it make a noise you don't like? It might. I'm going to be the voice of reason here, maybe a little Devil's advocate. I know you paid good money for the car, but maybe you're expecting more from it than it can give you. You can have a knock-down, drag out fight with Mazda over it, and you might get some help on the clutch. The people working on the car will be pissed. The people writing you up will be pissed. And given the same treatment, the problem will likely come back in a similar period of time. How much does it bother you - is it worth the grey hairs?

You may also get some better treatment if you're a multiple car owner who always has service done at the dealership. If you have a sticker from Jiffy Lube on the windshield that's 1500 miles past due and you go in there banging on the counters talking about what a piece of crap your Mazda is demanding they fix it, you'll be lucky if they don't piss in the gas tank.

[JStump]

That's the thing, I have always taken it to the dealer I bought it at for oil changes and service on the Mazda recommended schedule. I even took it there for a new tire and alignment even though I could have saved $100 at firestone. I have a complete history with them from day one so I would like that to be taken into consideration when dealing with them. Also, I do not "launch" the car, I have never taken off with the engine speed above 1500rpms. I do go quick from there but never pedal to the floor quick and the speed I am shifting seems completely reasonable to me considering I am putting the clutch to the floor.

Just got this back

JOSH I UNDERSTAND THAT THE VEHICLE MAY BE STILL UNDER THE NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY, BUT THE CLUTCH ITSELF IS ONLY WARRANTED FOR 12/12... IN THE EVENT WE FIND PREMATURE WEAR ON THE CLUTCH THAT BY MAZDA IS CONSIDERED OUTSIDE INFLUENCE THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO QOUTE A CHECKOUT FEE..BUT WE NEED TO GET IT IN HERE TO INSPECT AND DETERMINE WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON WITH THE ISSUE...THANKS AGAIN KEVIN

[jester3681]

Complete history with them should mean something. I'd talk with the service manager and tell them that - "Hey, buddy. Bought my car from you guys. Had everything done there. Just want someone to take a drive with me and listen to this noise. If it's the clutch, so be it. If not, you take over from there. I really don't want to pay up front." I bet at the very least the service manager rides with you. And if you're going to a decent dealer, I bet he knows what's going on with it.

[jporter12]

Complete history with them should mean something. I'd talk with the service manager and tell them that - "Hey, buddy. Bought my car from you guys. Had everything done there. Just want someone to take a drive with me and listen to this noise. If it's the clutch, so be it. If not, you take over from there. I really don't want to pay up front." I bet at the very least the service manager rides with you. And if you're going to a decent dealer, I bet he knows what's going on with it.

This. ALL shops are more likely to go out of their way for a loyal customer, and it sounds like you are. If you were the guy that did roll in there with the jiffy lube sticker that's 1500 miles overdue, with little to no history with them, AND you come in with a demanding tone, good luck with getting anything more than the minimum level of customer service. I would hope that the techs are smart enough to do the best job they can regardless of the customer.