So, after my last visit to Mazda I got the following info back from them:

* The power steering wires seem to be "corroded" and would cost ~$400 to clean them, warranty won't cover them because they do not cover corrosion; Mazda refuses to check power steering stack until the wires are replaced.

* My O2 sensor is out, warranty will cover some but apparently the Mazda part is more expensive then what the warranty will pay? So I would have to fork over ~$140 ($100 deductible with $40 extra)

* My tire pressure sensor is leaking?

* My rear stabalizer bar is leaking????

* I asked them to check my starter, they noted the following: "well it started right up for us, so it seems ok"

After all of that, I ended up having them do the O2 sensor, as it cost about the same amount to just pull it out without any work done (~$120 for the "look over").

I am mad, because they didn't even bother doing the one other thing I asked them to do (check the starter)! All in all, they "replaced" my O2 sensor, I took the car home, "cleaned" what seemed to be BEAUTIFULLY golden connectors for the power steering. I extended the overflow hose down - didn't have any more problems.

My tire pressure light has yet to turn back on, starting is... ehh still.

Though, what surprises me, is while driving my 8 would have a weird sound coming from the tires (I figured it was the rear passenger, and thought it was my wheel bearing going). Turns out to my surprise, that my front passenger sway bar link is GONE. Like, the bolts are still there, but the whole link is gone.

This makes me wonder why NONE of the 3 Mazda dealerships even mentioned this with their whole "20/20 inspections" and everything else I have requested from them.

I feel that they are just lazy as hell, plug in an OBDII meter (which they probably just used the one I had in my car anyways for all I know) and gave me a report of what it said.

Why do I think this? I didn't have any CEL errors on my dash (besides the tire pressure being "low"), so no O2 error, no "rear stabalizer bar (I don't even know what that is)" error, nothing. Kinda surprising how they figured that stuff out.

I really need to find a good mechanic / rotary person in the Chicago area, anyone know of anyone?

 

I complained about my starter, hoping to get the upgraded starter under warranty. Dealership's answer: "Starts better than most Mazdas we have in here."

 

Mazda dealers are the same as any dealer, marked up prices for marginal work. But, all dealerships are not created equal. In my area of PA there are about 3 to choose from within a 1 hour radius, try a different one next time and see if it is any better. I used to drive my car about an hour to get to one of the better dealers before I moved closer.

 

I seriously laughed my *** off at this. Your "stabilizer bar" CAN'T leak - there's no water in it. AT ALL. It's just a bent metal tube/bar with holes at the end for your endlinks. AVOID this Mazda dealership in the future, please.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question432.htm

 

bull ****.... show the form..... thats a little to unreal

 

Here is a pair of stabilizer bars, more commonly known as anti-roll bars and sway bars:

The thicker one is the front, the thinner is the rear. Most are solid metal, some are hollow. Any that are hollow are most assuredly NOT filled with any type of liquid.



The dealership knows this, so you can assume that they were straight up lying to you. If they are lying about this, you can bet that they are lying about other stuff. Avoid at all cost.

In fact, if they actually gave you that diagnosis in writing, you have grounds to file a complaint with MNAO. You can bet that they won't be pleased to hear that a dealer is blatantly scamming customers out of money.

 

maybe ... just maybe ... they said it's "leaking" because they saw "grease" coming out from the mounts for the bar? LOL ! OMG IT"S LEAKINNNNGGGG ! NOOOOOOO RUNNN FOR UR LIVESSSS !

 

Dealership BS...

 

There is also the possibility that we aren't really getting the accurate info here. Like Lvis said, the story is a little too unreal.

Some other observations:

• James, your RX-8 is a 2004, so you must be dealing with some sort of aftermarket warranty.
• If you have corroded wires for the power steering, then that is a cause that must be remedied. It's perfectly reasonable for the mechanic to want to fix that before checking the "stack" (whatever that is.) Besides, isn't this the same remedy that was suggested to you on these forums a few months ago?
• If the warranty won't cover the entire O2 sensor repair, that's not the dealership's fault.
• If your tire pressure light isn't on now, that's because the tire still has plenty of air in it. If the sensor is leaking, then that light will surely come on eventually (because the tire lost air.)
• A missing end link will sound absolutely nothing like a bad wheel bearing. Actually, unless the sway bar is hitting something, it would make no sound at all. So, it's very possible that the link was not broken when you brought it in for previous inspections.
• What does your paperwork say EXACTLY about the rear sway bar? (Btw, there is no trouble code / check engine light for a sway bar.)

 

wat

either something got lost in translation, or that dealer is outright scamming you.

I hope that they're not scamming you, as not only would that waste your time and money, and potentially cause further problems for your 8 if shoddy repairs are done, but would look bad on Mazda's part.

Luckily I haven't had any sort of trouble with my dealership...they've all been great and I know many of the people that work there by name. I'm even good friends with the Rotary technician that works there.

I'd check for clarification on the issues you're having. (The ones that sounded weird anyways...that Stabilizer Bar issue can't be right.) I think something is getting mixed up here in your frustration.

 

yup, driving home on the highway the nut that held in my endlink backed off and rattled around my fender liner getting hit with the tire a few times before bouncing out.

other than that, i didnt hear anything and was too lazy to buy a nut to go back on for about 2k miles.

 

And as we've indicated, most aftermarket warranties are not worth the paper they are written on, nevermind the several thousands of dollars you put into buying them. You would have been better served by putting that money into an account, and either paying for maintenance items, or using it as repair funds instead.


It's called a deductible. If you have to pay one, you have to pay one, period.


You should grab/buy a tire stem tool, and see if the valve stem in the TPMS sensor just needs to be tightened up. If not, go to your local Discount Tire, and ask them to rebuild the kit for cheap.


BC.