captain mercury

Hello everyone,

took my rx-8 in to the dealer today to check out and fix some grinding and violent vibrating that was occuring in 1st and Reverse when accelerating. I assumed it was a problem with the brakes, since i would often smell the burning brakes smell after a particularly harsh grind/vibration. When i took the service guy for a short spin to demonstrate, he said it felt like the rear brakes were catching or rubbing when they shouldnt be...great, i was right.

well, i got a call a few hours later and the guy says he was wrong. turns out either the previous owner or CarMax replaced the rear-slip differential fluid with the wrong fluid, or put in some sort of additive that is now, over time, causing the problem. so they've done their best to completely drain out the fluid, and replaced it with 'good stuff.' i'm going back over tomorrow to take it for a spin to make sure the problem is gone first of all.

truth is, my knowledge of cars is limited, so its hard for me to sift through bullshit from guys who's job it is to sound like they know what theyre talking about. The reason I'm skeptical is because the guy says that it is near impossible to completely drain this fluid, so problems may come back...sounds like BS to me. Any help would be appreciated before i go in and pay for a service that may have NOT been the solution to my problem.

zoom44

if the wrong fluid was used and caused harsh rubbing/damage to the dif then it prbably needs replaced. putiing in the right fluid could just mask the problem awhile

captain mercury

so at this point, if the wrong fluid was used, and the differential is screwed, is there any way it is still covered under warranty?

this dealership has provided ALL service thus far under my ownership.

captain mercury

i think i'm going to throw up

zoom44

who put the wrong fluid in? thats who should pay if that is the cause

captain mercury

someone before i got the car apparently...CarMax? the guy said on the phone that the tech noticed yellow paint around the fluid uuuh entry hole(?) which generally means it was taken to jiffy lube etc and that is a way for them to "check off" fluids they are changing etc.

interestingly though, i had my car in for the 30k checkup a few months ago, so i asked the guy why they hadnt noticed when they were doing their inspection, and i guess they merely top off all the fluids. seems kinda lame. i also mentioned that the problems started not long after having it in for the checkup. he said that often an inappropriate fluid will take time to cause noticeable trouble.

captain mercury

what kind of an ******* would use the wrong fluid in the first place. arg im furious right now.

Zaknel'il

Jiffylube would. There are so many lawsuits out against JL that its a wonder they still stay in business. Its because they have an army of lawyers, pay their techs minimum (or close) wage, and offer the fastest cheapest service on the market. Moral of the story- I wouldn't take any vehicle I own from a lawnmower to a $50k car within 100 feet of those places.

I know this doesn't help you now, but if it was JL that F'ed up the differential, you are in for a long hard fight to get them to pay for it.

swoope

iTrader: (5)

first of all, who whould change the fluid in the diff before it was scheduled???? that is at 30 k...

if someone just topped it of that is unlikely the problem...

beers

mysql101

heh. My transmission/diff were swapped with RL at about 5,000 miles. At 30,000 they were swapped again with RP. So you must be talking about people like me...

dillsrotary

mazda just replacing it with the right fluid seems weird. the correct fluid will not fix the problem that is present cuz its just a liquid. maybe they're trying to get around from actually replacing the complete diff. plus who knows who put the wrong fluid in, if that is even the case to begin with. i'd investigate this a little more bro.

{post edit bro, i was just talking to my mechanic and he said you'll need a new diff cuz the weight was probably wrong from the old diff fluid}

swoope

iTrader: (5)

but you did it yourself and put in the right fluids.... i change my stuff to rp at 30k miles....

this is a different story..

beers

BlueRenesis82

i sure did, with full on RL stuff too. Prevent more gear wear such

Clavius

Ok now I'm not a mechanic but **** I know a decent amount of the basic's (Thank you Speed Channel and several mechanic friends). Now a Diff is what.. a huge set of gears right?... now if your hearing rubbing and grinding.. and a guy says "oh we will just replace the fluid and it will be fine" erm.. yeah major no-go. If they are grinding it means they are being worn out. I say read through your warrenty see if it covers the diff and talk to a service rep and just have the sucker replaced. Make up some b.s. story about how you drive handicap children and mental challenged kids sometimes in the car and you'd hate to have to explain to the parents how your rearend blew up because Mazda wouldnt replace a diff. If all else bring a mechanic friend and between the both of you raise holy high hell, doing that shyt is always fun.

Overall I say the guy is hoping the problem will partial go away till "after" the warrenty expires and hence they make a huge buck off of you.

DOMINION

Yup. I smell a lawsuite