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You were charged way too much, sounds like it was just your master and/or slave cylinder which is less than a $100 in parts for both of them.
Ya, no clue. This is the problem with not being mechanically inclined. I work Emergency Medicine and build computers as a hobby. Cars, way too much. Also, the other issue of living in Bloomington, for a College town, there isn't really crap here. Been living here since 1985. Thought I was out when the Navy sent me to CA but the wife made me come back! You guys should open a Satellite garage down here,
If your wife took it, I wouldn't be surprised if they ripped you off.
There have been many stories here about stealerships taking advantage of female owners.
Silly question after all this. Why does it feel odd that I had 1 flood, dealer says engine is toast and it isn't drivable? I know the compression was super low, down in the 2s but did I just get lucky driving it until now?
Also, isn't it also weird that Mazda is charging me $100 to deflood it and another $100 for the compression test to tell me my engine is dead? Most places do the inspection and estimate for free, they don't half *** fix it and charge a fortune.
Sorry, thought the compression results were on the previous pages.
I feel strongly that you need a second opinion on this. How does it drive and idle right now? I've not flooded either 8 I've had/have, but flooded a couple of my rx7s and it's a really easy fix and does not break your engine; so it seems a very odd coincidence if it was fine, you didn't overheat or run lean, and it just went bad.
Any car is an investment though, you were reamed on the clutch work, that isn't the car's fault the job was that expensive, and next time make sure work isn't done until you approve it after research on any car you have when the quote seems unreasonable. Tires is also general maintenance and any car is going to cost you at least 3-500 in tires no matter the size of you aren't buying off the questionable quality rack, if you had an SUV you'd pay similar or more. A battery is also going to cost you at least 80, and I think even the most expensive optima is only around 200 on amazon, so you chose one of the most expensive batteries on the market and are blaming the car for it.
Warranties aren't a schedule for failure. You won't find any rebuild, even of a honda engine, that will have much more than a 12/12k warranty. Hell, new cars barely have 36/36k on them. Not sure what you expect, as the variables from the customer mean everything for longevity, if it's lasted a year, the build quality is fine, if it fails at 15 months, it's probably your maintenance, care, etc ... for any engine rebuild.
Vehicles in general are high cost, hybrid batteries, if replaced by consumer, can cost 3-7k and that doesn't involve manual labor to tear down and rebuild, it's a replacement part.
Ultimately, you have to decide what you are willing to invest in the car, which is not something we can decide for you. yes, 6-7k rebuild is pricey, but it's not an every year cost, if you do it, make sure you have the knowledge to treat the engine with the care and love it needs, even if you aren't mechanically inclined, you can still check the oil and top it off regularly. You can take it for a drive that gets the rpms up near redline for a few seconds a few times a week. You can make sure the car gets regular service for the lubrication and engine cooling systems. Even a Honda isn't a drive and forget it, everything needs regular upkeep to stay reliable. I had an RX-7 with almost 200k on it, original engine, ran great until someone ran a stop sign and totaled it. The only real 'extra' the rx8 has, is checking the oil every fill up or few and adding a bit of oil as it uses some for lubrication. Every other thing is the same as any other car.
Also, let's be clear, you are being quoted high end prices for rebuild considering the rear rotor assembly is currently assumed to be really bad; a piston engine with a badly damaged bank is going to cost you 3k+ as well, 1200-2k if there isn't a ton of damage. Crate engines can easily cost you 3-6k. This is a high performance engine, you can't compare it to the cheapest rebuild and crate engine prices realistically. A quick google search came up with a JEGS blueprint budget stomper for 3800, that does not include shipping, labor, miscellaneous gaskets and parts.
I know it feels overwhelming for you, but you need to be grounded. You can't overreact in emergency medicine, so try to take some of that clear headedness and realistic approach to this as well. You also need to take a bit more responsibility and understanding for your decisions. You could've spent way less on a clutch repair if you were patient and more invested in the repair. You could've gotten tires that were half the price and a battery that was 1/3 the price ... but the engine, if it is even bad, is not something you can skimp on, the rotary is rare and high performance, neither which equates to inexpensive.
Have you even attempted to start and drive the car? Sounds like you have just taken their word for it and left it there. If you do just have it shipped to on of the rotary specialist shops, maybe they can document the tear down and find some evidence of tampering if everything was fine before the flood and it suddenly has terrible compression. And in the future, learn to deflood, learn to not shut it down before fully warmed up, teach yourself and your wife about the car and its minor extra needs and you should be golden for a long time. The engines/cars are not ticking time bombs if you care for them properly; that is a myth from people who usually bash the car/motor from things they did, even if they didn't realize it.
I feel strongly that you need a second opinion on this. How does it drive and idle right now? I've not flooded either 8 I've had/have, but flooded a couple of my rx7s and it's a really easy fix and does not break your engine; so it seems a very odd coincidence if it was fine, you didn't overheat or run lean, and it just went bad.
Any car is an investment though, you were reamed on the clutch work, that isn't the car's fault the job was that expensive, and next time make sure work isn't done until you approve it after research on any car you have when the quote seems unreasonable. Tires is also general maintenance and any car is going to cost you at least 3-500 in tires no matter the size of you aren't buying off the questionable quality rack, if you had an SUV you'd pay similar or more. A battery is also going to cost you at least 80, and I think even the most expensive optima is only around 200 on amazon, so you chose one of the most expensive batteries on the market and are blaming the car for it.
Warranties aren't a schedule for failure. You won't find any rebuild, even of a honda engine, that will have much more than a 12/12k warranty. Hell, new cars barely have 36/36k on them. Not sure what you expect, as the variables from the customer mean everything for longevity, if it's lasted a year, the build quality is fine, if it fails at 15 months, it's probably your maintenance, care, etc ... for any engine rebuild.
Vehicles in general are high cost, hybrid batteries, if replaced by consumer, can cost 3-7k and that doesn't involve manual labor to tear down and rebuild, it's a replacement part.
Ultimately, you have to decide what you are willing to invest in the car, which is not something we can decide for you. yes, 6-7k rebuild is pricey, but it's not an every year cost, if you do it, make sure you have the knowledge to treat the engine with the care and love it needs, even if you aren't mechanically inclined, you can still check the oil and top it off regularly. You can take it for a drive that gets the rpms up near redline for a few seconds a few times a week. You can make sure the car gets regular service for the lubrication and engine cooling systems. Even a Honda isn't a drive and forget it, everything needs regular upkeep to stay reliable. I had an RX-7 with almost 200k on it, original engine, ran great until someone ran a stop sign and totaled it. The only real 'extra' the rx8 has, is checking the oil every fill up or few and adding a bit of oil as it uses some for lubrication. Every other thing is the same as any other car.
Also, let's be clear, you are being quoted high end prices for rebuild considering the rear rotor assembly is currently assumed to be really bad; a piston engine with a badly damaged bank is going to cost you 3k+ as well, 1200-2k if there isn't a ton of damage. Crate engines can easily cost you 3-6k. This is a high performance engine, you can't compare it to the cheapest rebuild and crate engine prices realistically. A quick google search came up with a JEGS blueprint budget stomper for 3800, that does not include shipping, labor, miscellaneous gaskets and parts.
I know it feels overwhelming for you, but you need to be grounded. You can't overreact in emergency medicine, so try to take some of that clear headedness and realistic approach to this as well. You also need to take a bit more responsibility and understanding for your decisions. You could've spent way less on a clutch repair if you were patient and more invested in the repair. You could've gotten tires that were half the price and a battery that was 1/3 the price ... but the engine, if it is even bad, is not something you can skimp on, the rotary is rare and high performance, neither which equates to inexpensive.
Have you even attempted to start and drive the car? Sounds like you have just taken their word for it and left it there. If you do just have it shipped to on of the rotary specialist shops, maybe they can document the tear down and find some evidence of tampering if everything was fine before the flood and it suddenly has terrible compression. And in the future, learn to deflood, learn to not shut it down before fully warmed up, teach yourself and your wife about the car and its minor extra needs and you should be golden for a long time. The engines/cars are not ticking time bombs if you care for them properly; that is a myth from people who usually bash the car/motor from things they did, even if they didn't realize it.
Thanks. I research a lot on this car. I've been on this site since I bought it. I watch a lot of videos, etc. Replaced the coils with BHR coils. Swapped out the battery for a better one. New tires cause, ya, it probably had the original tires on it. I'm not blaming any of that on the car. Normal wear and tear. Shoot one of my last cars had just gotten new breaks when it got totaled. I plan on fixing it. I was trying to decide on another low mile 8 with good numbers vs rebuild on mine. Decided I like mine better than that route. Clutch, ya, had no clue what he was even fixing, he didn't talk to me since I was working in the ER, night shift. Talked to my wife and she paid it before I even knew what was going on.
How's this for odd. Service manager says the car is toast, can't drive it. So, have it towed back to my house. Just for the heck of it, I try to start it. It cranked longer than normal but it started. I drove it around the block so that I could repark it in the driveway better. Drove fine. Shut it off and tried to restart it. Didn't really want to restart but I didn't push it cause I didn't want to kill the battery or flood it. Then today u get this email from mazda:
Michael,
We see that you recently visited our service department on 04/08/2017.Thank you for the opportunity to service your vehicle with us! Market analysis indicates that your 2007 MAZDA RX-8 is in high demand and Royal South Mazda Volvo would like the opportunity to either purchase or trade your current vehicle above the current book value.
Many times you can trade your vehicle with no money down and possibly lower your monthly payment! Even if your car is paid off, we also have great incentives for cash buyers! We have the best selection, the lowest prices, and the greatest customer service in the region.
To participate in this unique program, please reply to this email to schedule a VIP Appointment with your Vehicle Exchange Coordinator or simply call Royal South Mazda Volvo at (812) 339-1161 and ask to speak to a Sales Manager.
Sincerely,
Brian Campbell
Sales and Finance Manager
Royal South Mazda Volvo
(812) 339-1161
If you'd like to stop receiving these emails click here.
The sales department computer system watches the service department and fires off e-mails to people who have had their over 40k mile cars serviced recently. It may be more accurate to say that it's the same computer system. regardless, it's probably automated.
I got these every time I brought my 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe and 2009 Infiniti G37x Sedan in for service. It's part of the reason why I started doing all of my own maintenance.
Your engine definitely sounds like it could have a low-compression issue but check the coils/plugs/wires/start/battery to be sure that it isn't something else.
03-24-2017, 07:52 AM
