Question about TSB's
 

from a n00b.

is mazda obligated to fix TSB's free of charge? or are TSB's just sort of a "hey, just so you know..." type of thing?

i'm getting mixed messages from the dealer, and they've tried to screw me once, so.... i'm curious.

for example, my sun visor is cracked just like the TSB for it indicates. is mazda obligated to fix this free of charge if i take it there and show them the problem and the TSB for it?

Obligated is a little strong. Should the dealer repair or replace a component that has failed? Yes, especially if the car is still under warranty and especially if the problem is known to Mazda and the dealer has been provided with a related service bulletin.

If your dealer refuses to replace the sunvisor even after you inform him of the service bulletin, find another dealer and then call the Mazda Customer Service number in your owner's manual and let them know about that dealer. Do not go back to that dealer--ever.

If you're under warranty, yes. Even if there wasn't a TSB for the sun visor, if it breaks during the bumper-to-bumper they have to cover it. The TSB is good in that it shows there's a known problem.

TSBs are not recalls. They're information on how to deal with particular problems. For example, there's a TSB that describes how to remove the console cover without breaking off the tabs.

Some are instructions to do to every car. The ECU flash ones are like that - they say to reflash every RX-8 that comes into their hands.

For ones that wind up as improvements, like the starter/battery TSB, they'll perform that only on cars that exhibit particular symptoms. Know what to say when you go in with a problem!

Ken

here's one for ya.i had complained slightly about my sun visor breaking just out of wro period and was told the new style would cost me $253.00 !!!!!!i said thanks but no thanks got back to work pissed off and took it apart and superglued the damm thing back together.now remember i ner ever use the thing i wear sun glasses when i need to i just pulled it down for the fist time to put a few papers away and it came apart like a broken plastic box.since i have glued it no more problems.!

My understanding is TSB are instructions to the service department about known issues and how to fix them. Often they'll be worded like "If the customer complains about such-and-such, then you can do this or that to fix it....". Mazda seems to give their dealers a lot of (too much) leeway in how to interpret things. I don't think the TSB obligates the dealership to fix anything; your warranty does that. The only sure way to get free repair when out of warranty is an actual recall.

On the other hand, the TSB itself is often pretty good evidence of a manufacturing defect or deficiency and having a copy *should* give you added leverage. A good dealer is not going to want to make you pay for a known defect. But I've heard of it going both ways. Some service departments get indignant and feel like you shouldn't even have access to the TSB. If this happens, hopefully you can find another dealership that doesn't employ assholes.

I'm with Go48 on this one.