bassy

I received in e-mail an offer for a complimentary multi-point inspection from a local Mazda dealership. I thought I've taken pretty good care of my car, but I was still curious as to what kind of condition my car was in. So, I decided to make an appointment to bring my car in for a bill of health.

My car is a 2004 6-speed GT with 54199 miles. I bought it used with 8,500 miles on it 5 years ago.

After about an hour, the service advisor came back with this list:

-Water pump leaking $425
-Rear sway bar links broken $250
-Oil pan leaking and gasket $550
-Tail shaft seal leaking $175
-Driver rear shock leaking $425
-Crankshaft seal leaking $1,150 (must disassemble motor--can cause damage if not timed correctly during repairs)
-Driver side rear wheel bearing very loose/noisy--safety concern $475
-Oil metering pump leaking $1,675
All parts must be ordered (pre-payment needed for all ordered parts

The whole thing comes to a total of $5,125! I was speechless.

I never abused my car. The only mods I currently have on my car are Racing Beat exhaust, AEM intake, and Tein H-Tech springs.

The only thing I may agree with is the rear wheel bearing because it's very loud. All the other items are supposed to be wear and tear or what? I haven't noticed any signs or symptoms...Is it normal for so many items to go at once and at the mileage I currently have on my car?

All 2004 RX-8 owners with similar or more mileage please chime in and give me some advice. I am suspecting that they just want to employ some scare tactics to make some nice chunk of money off me. Again, the car seems and looks (no oil/coolant puddle or anything) and drives normal to me--well, except for the wheel bearing.

I will actually pick up a 2008 Infiniti G37 Journey coupe with 20,400 miles tomorrow. My RX-8 will go to my nephew, who's a third year pharmacy student. I just hope the car will last him another 3 years before he finishes college.

YoshiFD3S

iTrader: (4)

Wow....those are some of the most blown-up parts/labor prices I've ever seen.

I hope that you don't intend to actually follow through with any of those repairs? At least not for that much.

Other than the supposed "crankshaft seal leaking" job, everything else could be done by a universally competent mechanic.

MattC867

I'm just asking out of curiosity, maybe someone with a lot more knowledge could chime in on this...

Isn't it weird for a Mazda dealership, of all places, to refer to the e-shaft as the crankshaft? I would imagine that a dealership that knew about rotaries, especially a Mazda dealership, would correctly list the item on invoices as an eccentric shaft. Also, the "damage if not timed correctly" what does that refer to? Timed relative to what? Its a rotary.

They seem like very inflated prices, plus what I've mentioned above makes me skeptical of the dealerships competence. It is quite possible I am wrong however.

Wind Dance

iTrader: (7)

Complimentary inspection? Never knew they offered those...

Oil pan seals isn't hard to do and rear shock is easy to replace and definitely cheaper than those prices..

monchie

Damn! All those in one time?! Never knew you could have all those problems without knowing it.

Joe-the_tattoo_artist

Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous businesses that offer free services as a scam to increase revenue. They get you in there thinking that they are looking out for your best interests, then intentionally mess something up so that they can "fix" it. Sometimes, they don't even do anything to the car or check it at all and just tell their customers that something is wrong when, in fact, the car is perfectly fine.

There was a service manager at a local (Richmond, VA) Merchant Tire shop that was offering "free alignment check" coupons to customers who had new tires installed. Little did those customers realize, the mechanics had intentionally altered the alignment. So, after leaving, the customers noticed their steering wheels would be turned as they drive straight and their cars pulled to one side. Thinking it fortunate that they had received a coupon for a free alignment check, they would bring their cars back to be fixed. This scam went on for some time before it was reported to authorities.

I'm not saying this is what is going on in your case. But, if I were you, I would have the car checked out by a different shop before forking over that much dough.

Wingznut

iTrader: (1)

If you aren't knowledgeable about how to check those things they listed, find a friend who is. It's not hard to look and see if you really do have oil or coolant leaks... Or to see if your sway bar links are broken, etc.

And there's a difference between an incredibly minor issue, and one that needs to be addressed immediately. Sure, your oil pan might be leaking. But is it barely noticeable, or truly significant? The chances of all of those things leaking oil is incredibly slim. My guess is that they saw a film of oil on the bottom of the engine, and then just threw together an estimate for all possible culprits. One would have to clean the engine very well, and perhaps add a dye to the oil, to truly find a leak that isn't even leaking enough to hit the driveway.

I used to be an auto technician, and I worked at both independent shops and dealerships. And this is how techs make money. They look for things that they can sell.

What I would advise is to get the wheel bearing fixed at a shop you trust. It doesn't have to be the dealership, any competent technician can replace a wheel bearing. And have them check the items listed. Have them point out their findings to you while it's on the rack. And again, bring a friend if you aren't confident in what you are looking at.

pistonhater

Agree with the statements above.

Sounds like they are just trying to sell services you might not really need.

Novoken

iTrader: (7)

^yep, check it for yourself. Search the diy section here on most of the "problems" you have. I have a 2004 and never had any of the issues you listed and I have about 114k miles.

bassy

Thanks, guys, for all of your comments and advice. I feel a little better, knowing that what you're saying is also what my gut feelings were telling me. I just needed to hear it from someone else.

I do my own oil change and it's always messy. I always drip oil all over the area where the oil filter goes. I changed my oil almost eight weeks ago. I also topped off my coolant the same time. I managed to spill some coolant around the reservoir as well. That's probably why they saw what they saw.

Anyway, I'll still have the rear wheel bearing replaced at a local shop where I know the techs and owner. While I'm there, I'll ask them to check those things out for me.

Thanks again, guys!

Btw, which brand wheel bearing should I get? OEM (more pricey), SKF, Koyo, Beck Arnley, etc?

Novoken

iTrader: (7)

Yeah dont bother with dealers. Check it yourself.

When changing out the oil filter put a rag before taking it out. That way any oil that drops it will drip on the rag. Wait about 5 minutes then take out the rag and clean the area. You can use a cone for the coolant.

ken-x8

They do. It's called a "Full Circle" inspection. I get that every time I go in for an oil change. Lots of shops do similar inspections, and it's the kind of look-see you should do if you take care of service yourself.

But that list is over the top. Doesn't that dealer know to never push a mark that hard? I wonder if they do complimentary chimney and furnace inspections when they're not working on cars.

Ken

Colorcode

iTrader: (1)

Ya mazda dealerships suck. Try to find a local rotary mechanic who will help you out if you have problems.

I have 104k on my 2004 and i never take it to the dealership.

bassy

So, I took the car to this local shop to change out the bad rear wheel bearing yesterday. Turns out the allegedly bad rear wheel bearing was still good. What caused the noisy howling was the brake dust shield coming into contact with the brake rotor. The shop owner just ground down the built-up rust on the shield and it was good. But I decided to swap out the rear wheel bearing with a new one anyway since it was already taken out.

Besides that and a broken sway bar link on the right, everything else was fine. So much for a $5,000+ writeup by a stealership from a "complimentary" inspection.

They got the ***** to keep calling me, asking me to bring my car in for service and giving them high marks on some survey.

Effing crooks.

Wind Dance

iTrader: (7)

But full circle from what I've seen is usually like belts, fluids, and minor thing. I've never seen them go all out like his list.

ItsMikeeyy

I just got a service inspection in my car and the dealership said i got a front crank seal leak (minor seepage) for 245$ and torn front endlinks for 217$ . I know i can do the end links myself but i have a warranty company that covers it with a 100 deductible. But ill probably upgrade my endlinks myself. Now should i get the seal repaired or not because im scared that after they repair it my car might come back even worse after a couple months of driving. Im not sure.

j9fd3s

our local lexus dealer is the same way, i've had a few friends bring their lexus's in and come out with like 10-14k estimates.

when you look through it its like 4 shocks, tires, major services, etc... its pretty crazy.

and of course on the big pictorial explanation of what things are the picture of the water pump is an FC....

and $1600 to fix a metering pump oil leak? its a $10 o ring...

the water pump is $125 for the part, so the other $300 is labor? that is one expensive hour!

Razz1

Wait until you get the letter in the mail:
Your car is very valuable and in high demand.
Bring it in and we will give you top dollar.

Those are all acams to sell you a new car.

b2fast007

In 32 years of driving I have heard quite a few dealer scams but this one seems pretty brash. It ranks up there with $450 timing belt replacement on my wifes jeep liberty from our local dealer. Did not have that service done as the engine in the liberty has a timing chain. Replaced serpentine belt my self took 15 min and cost $25. Dealers really seem to like to take advantage of women and those who seem to be lacking in knowledge of their car. Find a mechanic that has reasonable prices that you feel you can trust and stick with them. The only other thing I can say is know your car. Learn those things like does the engine have a timing chain or belt and have them show you the problems when the car is on the lift. It helps to keep them honest.