nycgps

iTrader: (1)

****, I can do it for u for 1K, used tranny is everywhere. no point buying a new one.

warranty? for me i don't need that.

oh well. you're in Chicago.

LittleZ360

I know, I was back and forth on putting in a used tranny myself.
It's one of the few things I haven't tackled on cars yet and I want to get
the experience in. But I'm a sucker for a warranty, and I'd feel more comfortable
having the old tranny in my buddies garage that I can sit and learn on, salvage, or
just rob parts from in future repairs.

There was a lot of factors going around that led to my decision.
In the end I just want my baby back on the streets tossin gravel and life will be good...
Cheers.

LittleZ360

Nothing done yet, they just got started today... But some big news to throw in the mix---

They called and asked why I requested a decarb on my engine.
I let them know I've been having the hot start issue, even though I recently passed a compression test.
They said, they'll go ahead and change the coils and plugs and run a compression test on the engine and they wont charge me for the test, pass/fail. I agreed and said no harm in that...
Later they call me back... Compression failed, and Mazda already approved the replacement under the extended warranty! Go figure!

So yeah, I'm taking a hit on the tranny. But hey, I'll be hitting the road with a brand new engine, and brand new transmission! I'm like getting a new car... okay not really. But you know what I mean.

I'm just wondering, are there any components I should consider replacing that may help ease in the new engine and tranny?
Btw, I said I was considering the synchro saver... I'm kinda sketched out about it... it seems like rollin the dice a bit with the gearbox, especially a new one that will have some breaking in to go through. Anybody else feel this way? Plus it doesn't seem 100% adjustable for each individual gear.
Feel free to throw in your 2 cents.

Karack

ask if they'll suck up the difference in pulling the transmission. since the engine is coming out anyways it should be at least a few hours of labor knocked off.

LittleZ360

Funny you say that. They called me again today to let me know they're still waiting on the motor to come in. And... That there will be a deduction to labor costs for the reason you specified... Much of the labor for engine replacement covered by warranty will eliminate some of the labor costs for removing the transmission.
They're going to get back to me with a more accurate figure.

I appreciate you trying to cover my back though. Thanx

Karack

no problem, sounds like you're scraping by to afford the work done so any little help on their end will go a ways to reducing the debt.

LittleZ360

Just an update here:
Today I was finally able to pick her up from the dealership.
Work done...
ENGINE replaced (warranty)
TRANSMISSION replaced (my pocket) (no labor)
CLUTCH replaced, not by requirement but by choice (no labor)
MOTOR MOUNTS (no labor)
PLUGS, WIRES, & COILS (no labor)

Gearbox feels cleaner and more precise than I've ever felt it. I bought it used and I'm
almost certain the previous owner must have abused it.

Engine runs quiet and holds a rock solid idle.

The stick hardly has any vibration to it at all.

My only complaints are these...
The tech that did the work apparently didn't take note of the terminal locations on my engine grounding kit. In two spots he just left the wire hanging there, and he took the ground that goes to the alternator bracket and put it on some random PAINTED part of the frame... wtf?
I'll give him a break, as he would probably have to take pictures and isn't routine.

But what really pushes my buttons, is they clearly didn't have any concerns with keeping my engine bay clean... There's dirty fingerprints and hand prints all over the engine bay!
My battery box, air box, fusebox, engine cover, ALL of the components man!
I was always a stickler for keeping things under the hood nice and wiped down.
I've never had my engine bay so dirty since I've owned it!
I intend on giving them a call tomorrow on my lunch break.

Darkning

Glad to hear you're up and running again... Must be awesome having basically a new car! Cleaning the bay shouldn't be too much trouble, we all love working on our babies anyways.

How much out of pocket did you end up owing after the labor reductions + coils/plugs/wires + engine mounts + clutch/transmission?

Karack

wouldn't put too much blame on the tech, warranty labor to replace the engine is probably about 12 hours, that is 1 and 1/2 days to drop the whole front half of the car down on a cradle, undo everything, reconnect it all, reinstall it into the chassis add fluids, burp the cooling system and get it running properly as well as all the other little adjustments. i too wouldn't spend alot of time making sure auxiliary items added to the engine that were not OEM were in 100% correct order unless additional labor was charged to specifically put attention onto it.

in all honesty, i doubt the tech made time on the job, he likely wound up making less than doing most other jobs. warranty book times for most big jobs are rediculous, averaged from someone in a room with all the tools laid out, job set in front of them averaged from doing the job 5 times with no time given going to the parts room, dealing with the service advisor, break times or time getting and parking the car.

warranty rates were one reason why i left working for the dealers, most people don't even take their cars into the dealer anymore for routine maintenance which is where techs make most of their money and almost get an average paycheck from. the majority of the work is warranty, bleeding knuckles and forehead to try and make 8 hours of pay from 8 hours of labor, no one pays by the hour anymore that i know of.

LittleZ360

Sry fellas, my computer was under construction for a while.
Total out of pocket was $3,175
Yes, it's wonderful having almost a new car.
The gearbox feels great and I'm being really ginger on it.
I got it up to 750 miles, and haven't gotten it past 6k rpms yet (except maybe once or twice)
I'm keeping the racing beat "break in" procedure in mind but obviously rotarys stir up a lot of personal opinions. I naturally feel hesitant on "babying" the rotary, but at the same time understand the concerns of working the engine through its paces before running it hard. LOL then again... a slow cut is often worse than a fast cut. Left and Right brain battle it out a lot.

Karack- I definately understand the tech not putting the ground wires back in the original spots. What really had me upset (at the time) was the mess of an engine bay he left me. Not one thing had been wiped off... A little clean-up would have gone a long way for somebody over $3,000 in the hole. Although like Darkning pointed out, it's not that bad... Pampering the engine bay of a Mazda Rx8 isn't like pulling teeth or anything. I spent an afternoon detailing everying with a few buds and a couple beers.