Exchanging E-Mails with Mazda Tech
 

I emailed a Mazda tech about if I do my own oil changes will I void the 8yr/100k mile warranty on the engine core and doing basic engine maintanence and this is how the conversation went.

Mazda Tech:

"the renises is a very strang engine, and it is best if you do not know what you are doing, DO NOT TOUCH. I have seen many rotory engines come in for repair where the owner was doing basic mantinace and destroed the engine, from using the wrong tools, wrong parts, or wrong torque specs. The rotory engine does not run like a regular engine, nor does it get serviced like one. It is best to go to the dealer to have this car serviced, you will save money in the long run.


As for the warranty, I do not believe that it is transferible from one owner to the next. I can look into this for you first thing in the morning and let you know, but most often DIY oil changes void the warranty."

I almost died laughing when he told me this. He acted like I knew absolutely nothing about this car and sounds to me like he has never really worked on a RX-8.

Mazda Tech:

"Yes the warranty will be voided if you do your own oil changes. It does not matter how well you keep recordes of the oil changes, the dealer can not verify that the work was done. If you do choise to do all the maintanance on this car yourself, including tune ups, oil changes, and general repairs, make sure you only use original mazda parts. DO not use any aftermarket parts on this engine. I would not use aftermarket filters even.



You have to remeber that aftermarket parts are designed to work on several differant cars, and donot always meet oem specs. the rotory engine is a very touchy engine. If you use the wrong spark plug in the wrong hole youcan destroy the engine."

I don't know about you guys but he made me want to jump threw my computer screen and punch him in the face. Since when does doing your own oil changes void your warranty? Instead of this guy giving me honest information he sounded more like a salesman for Mazda. I even told him I was knowledgable on all the basic maintanence on the car and he insisted that I do not touch the car period. Maybe I should ask him if the car burns off oil :).

Geesh. Honestly most Mazda techs I have met are clueless. Hell most mechanics in general honestly. That guy makes it sound like the rotary is a gas turbine engine or something :lol:

I wonder if it will void my warranty if I install an aftermarket air freshener? Maybe I should just take it to a dealer so they can professionally install an oem air freshener on my mirror for me. Better safe than sorry.

Wow that's stupid. I can't believe that!

are you sure you are not talking to a dude in India reading off a script?

Yeah I'm extremely mad at this guy. I don't know how true all this is but I'm gonna try to get in touch with a few other Mazda techs and all the local Mazda dealerships in my area and see what they have to say about that. If all the other people say that it is indeed true then I will be calling Mazda USA HQ and complaining! I have changed the oil and done basic tune ups on cars that still had a warranty and I never had any troubles with voiding my warranty. From what I was told by friends who are mechanics at various dealerships is that it's ok to perform your own maintanence and even add aftermarket parts as long as the mechanics can't prove that the maintanence or parts you added caused the problem. I'm so furious over this that I'm considering just voiding my warranty and doing my own maintanence and if the engine ever fails just ditch the car and buy something else. Don't get me wrong I love my 8 but the cost of replacing an engine just isn't worth it in my opinion.

I'm positive. He is absolutely American and is a Mazda tech who works at a Mazda dealership. I know his grammar is pretty crappy. I wouldn't take what he says serious though cause he doesn't sound all too familiar with these cars or anything Mazda for that matter.

Does this guy even have a high school degree? It looks like he can't write...
Besides a mazda tech that can't spell the name of the engine (renesis) or engine type (rotAry) whell would scare the crap out of me.
And then... since when is our engine any different from an otto cycle? The cycle is exactly the same, so is the maintenance needed: change oil, spark plugs and filters. Lol.

He must not be familiar with the Magnuson-Moss act.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnu...s_Warranty_Act

Well, since we all know that pretty much everything he said was pure bs, why don't you forward his emails to Mazda USA, and see what they have to say about them.

I'm sure they would correct his opinion on the matter.

BC.

Here you go, best reason not to go to stealership.

Don't twist any screws; don't change the oil; don't use aftermarket filters.....You know what? Don't even look at it...The "rotory" engine is THAT touchy.

UPDATE: I called a couple of the local Mazda dealerships and they told me I can do any work I want on the car and it will not void the warranty. They told me the only way I will void that warranty is if I don't use 5w-20 non-synthetic oil. They even told me I can do aftermarket parts (cold air intake, so on so forth) on the car as long as the mechanics don't diagnose those parts to be the problem it will not void your warranty. They did tell me that if I wanted to do any internal engine work on the car that it would void the warranty but that's pretty much a given. The one guy I talked to on the phone was pretty cool and he said to do whatever you want (turbo, air intake, etc). He said that to be safe that he would take all those parts off before I come to the dealership if I think the engine is starting to fail and don't tell any of the mechanics that I had aftermarket parts on the car.

Thats almost as bad as the first advice :)

If you are going to turbo or add NOx..you should pay if the motor blows up...it is the price of admission :)

Only for warranty reasons.

A mechanic is in he service bay turning wrenches...


you were talking to a "service writer" more than likely (and their sole reason to exist is to sellyou ervices that you don't need, & discourage you from even looking at your engine bay... (just fork over the cash & let us worry about the "magical squirrels" turning the wheels under th ehood)

Who exactly is this that you are emailing? A local dealership? If so, how do you know it's a technician?

WDR is probably right, that it's a service writer. I've worked in dealerships, as both a technician and a service writer. I was an excellent tech (if I do say so, myself), but a horrible service writer. I just couldn't sell people things that I honestly knew they didn't need. The majority of service writers don't know much at all about cars, but they do know how to sell.

good point.

I doubt the tech was the one writing emails.

Bingo......we have a winner! :bowdown:

I don't know who the guy was but he claimed to be a a Mazda tech. When I called my local dealerships I talked to the service manager and they all where honest with me and didn't try to sell me anything or discourage me from using aftermarket parts.

I dont see the point of this thread really.

I have pretty good relationship with my local Mazda dealer. I even take my BMW to them, and they are very honest people.
I guess that's how you make business by being honest these days.
plus they have cheaper price than any non-dealer places (Jensen tires, Firestone...).

Then don't post here.

Yeah the Mazda dealership seems like they are good people. I hopefully won't have to visit them ever.

Also, as incompetent as the "tech" sounds (or whoever was writing those emails), there are some elements of truth in the messages.

To the average person that does not care about cars but happens to own/drive an RX-8, then yes, it is certainly better to let the dealer do the maintenance - as opposed to taking the car to whatever ghetto-quick-lube-place in town. I wouldn't take any car to one of those places to begin with, lol. Dealer should be better than those anyway I guess:scratchhe