Newbie Mazda Owner

[Joel]

Good afternoon,

Thanks for approving me to the forum. I purchased a '14 Mazda 6 Sport Nav a few days ago on a four year finance. My previous car was a Honda Accord Executive 2.4 i-VTEC. The 6 was used as a company vehicle and has racked up over 82,000 miles so I am the second owner and I already have a few queries:

Sixth gear vibrates when applying 40%+ acceleration. I can rid the vibration if I come out of gear and shift back in; it happens about 75% of the time. I'm hoping this doesn't cause any detremental effects on the DMF/transmission. I never rest my hand on the shifter, only using it to change gears.

The window switch and mirror panel on the driver's door doesn't illuminate, only the driver's window switch is illuminated. Is this normal?

The latches for the rear seat release have both broken and I cannot find any answers on how to fix this anywhere via a Google search.

There's also a constant chirping noise in the engine bay. It's present and becomes quicker when I build the revs up as well. I am assuming this is the serpentine/drive belt. I have not diagnosed it to be just a belt misalignment or bearing fault in one of the pulleys, but I have heard that to replace it, you have to at least remove the front O/S wheel which sounds quite intensive, especially with the abscence of a Haynes Manual or similar.

Once again, thanks and I hope to have many years of enjoying my 6!

[stevem100]

Hi i just traded in my 14 plate 175 auto for a 2017 model did 30000 in it in two years loved it.
To avoid any DPF problems i have the oil and filter changed every 6000 miles or 6 months if you don't do the miles Oil never moves on the dip stick and i check that every 1000 miles and don't rely on the computer to tell you. LONG RUNS /SHORT RUNS NO PROBLEMS.
Only the one window switch does light up on that model. That changed on the face lift.
Not sure about the viberation in 6th gear maybe you should have that looked at by a Mazda main dealer or specialist incase it's some thing more serious. Also get the chirping noise checked at the same time as it could be any number of things and if it is a problem have you got any warranty if not i would see about purchasing one as parts and repairs cen be very expensive on these cars. Hope this helps.
Cheers Steve 

[apav]

Congratulations for the new car.

40% acceleration in 6th gear sounds a lot. You will be probably be on low rpm to need that much acceleration. If you do not want to shift down, you will need to accelerate gently. An Avensis I had tested before buying mine, had a very naive shift indicator that it would let you cruise at low rpm but it would suggest a down shift for even a gentle acceleration. Also, keep in mind that hard acceleration on a diesel car, is not good for the DPF.

You should investigate the engine noise as you mention that it gets louder as you build up revs. Your car has done the mileage that will demand some attention in bearings and belts. Probably you will need to remove a lot of parts to reach the source of the noise. This is not unusual.

[Joel]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies. I have booked into a Mazda specialist for the engine issues next week just to get it diagnosed. If they can diagnose, I may be able to change the part(s) myself. Specifically on the 6th gear issue, it vibrates even if I'm going up a slight hill at 70mph just to keep speed or if the cruise control is on. As I said before, I can stop it by re-shifting back into 6th but I'll take the advice and also get that checked out. It is out of warranty and wasn't bought with extended warranty so Mazda won't be able to help. I just gave the car a clean and noticed the touched up stone chips all over the bonnet. I have read on the forum about the horrendously thin paint, so I'll have to deal with that and possibly even get a ceramic paint protection covering if it's worth it.
I hope to be keeping this vehicle for 8+ years; I moved out of home recently with the missus and bought the car for its assumingly excellent reputation in mechanical reliability, fuel economy and the possibility of using it as a family car if a baby arises (well, comparing it to my previous car, an '05 Honda Accord 2.4 VTEC Ex).
I would also consider giving it a remap at some point this year. I don't want the DPF deleted as I have heard a lot of horror stories about failing the MOT etc. What sort of economy/power gains will I be looking at? I know all remaps are different, but I have read that flashremapping.co.uk are reputable. I have never had a car remapped so I wouldn't have a clue on how to go about it.

Again, thanks for the replies.

[Tall333]

It is out of warranty and wasn't bought with extended warranty

If you bought the car from a dealer then you have a basic warranty by law.  If the gearbox has a fault it should go back to the dealer for repairs.

[apav]

I am not sure how clever your cruise control is but facing a motorway at 70mph the cruise control can go quite brutal on the throttle especially if you were going downhill previously. The more abuse the transmission has gone through, the more the vibrations will kick in. I have read stories of slipping clutches with the cruise control on while there was no slipping without it.

If you are going to keep the car long term and use it as a family bus, it will be wiser to keep it stock.

[Joel]

Unfortunately, I bought the vehicle from an independent dealer which has no affiliation with Mazda, so I don't know where I stand other than that it won't be under warranty. Mazda wanted to charge me £95 just for an inspection fee, plus any parts/labour for anything they might find. As much as I think the dealer should know what they're doing, I just don't have the money to do that at this time. I'll stick with keeping it stock with no remapping. I am, however, going to get the rear screen tinted; the rear door windows are factory tinted but I am baffled as to why the rear screens are left out. I reside in the Rochester area of Kent. I've been recommended Freelance Honda and Mazda in Luton (Chatham) so I'll see what they can do about it. Their prices seem reasonable. The vibration in 6th gear cannot be felt through the accelerator or steering. It all seems normal. The only discrepancy is that the shifter vibrates and is noticeable, even when just looking at it. Not that I rest my hand on it because that can have bad effects on the selector forks long term. I never really do much accelerating in 6th, that's what shifting down is for. I'm used to all that coming from my old Accord; torque was only there if I shifted down two gears. I hardly use the cruise control for that reason; hard acceleration in a high gear strains components when not in the optimal gear.

I am still stumped about the rear seat releases not working though. The pull toggles seem broken. I've arranged the springs and notches back into heir original positions but to no avail. I don't know anywhere apart from a Mazda dealer who will be able to fix it.

Regards.

[apav]

Ask the dealer for the warranty. You should have asked what your money was buying before you bought it but it is never too late to find out what you got. You will get some consumer rights at least.

The rear windscreen probably is less tinted for improved visibility. Are other cars like yours or do they have it tinted?

Compare the vibrations of your car to another car. It may be something simple like a rubber mount.

The rear seat folding mechanism may need further tuning to make sure it does something at the other side of the mechanism.

[Joel]

I have three months worth of AA warranty with the car included in the price. I will have the money to repair the car but I won't have enough to get me through the month if it goes into the high hundreds. Since I've never had warranty repairs, how does it work? I assume I have to pay for the repairs myself and then claim it back off the warranty. Let me know if I'm wrong though. I'll see if the rear seats can be done under warranty as well. Nothing's gone wrong with the 6 since I've had it. The problems were there before I purchased it. I'm on a five day coach tour at the moment so I won't be back until Friday. I'm pretty sure that all the 6 models have lesser tinted rear windows. As you said, probably for better rear visibility.

[apav]

Enjoy the holidays and call the dealer when you come back. If it is covered by warranty, you will not pay for the repairs.