Gents,
I thought I would share my little adventure with you guys. I am not sure if this belongs in the engine or dealership section so I will let Willpower decide!
We are just about to pick up our Mazda 6 which has been in the dealership for the last three weeks.
To start from the beginning, the dreaded DPF light started to flash on the vehicle in early March. I contacted the dealership and they informed me that the car "just needs a service". They said that the DPF light is also used as a service indicator (I mentioned this on an earlier thread). The dealership said it is okay to keep driving even though it was less 10k since the last service. I thought this was odd but booked the car in for a service at the end of March.
After they carried out the service they informed me that the DPF light was still flashing and they have run a diagnostics check and they couldn't locate the fault. I told them that my partner needed the car to go to Cornwall for a couple of weeks. They said no problem, I can book it in when my partner returns.
Upon doing this I received the dreaded news - the Timing Chain had stretched and it will cost £1400 to fix. My 6 is a 2010 plate with 62k on the clock. I have only owned the vehicle for 8 months and paid for a Warranty which covers mechanical & electrical faults. Anyway, the warranty company declined the claim as it wasn't a "sudden mechanical failure" (I seem to recall a fellow member being concerned about the Timing Chain & Warranty, I think it was MDon1984??)
I went mad at the dealer and they said that they will apply to Mazda UK for a goodwill gesture. They returned with 60% towards the bill. The dealership then offered a further 15% goodwill gesture. I was left to pay the remaining 25%.
After reluctantly agreeing to this, the car then spent another week at the dealership as the ECU needed reprogramming and the DPF light was still flashing. After this was all fixed I asked for the bill and they responded with £500+ which included an "investigation charge". I couldn't believe it! I politely asked them to have a rethink considering what we have been through and they returned with £297.
I am glad this whole saga is finally over but it has left a sour taste in my mouth. I know that £297 is probably a reasonable outcome but I can't help but be annoyed considering the dealership let my partner drive to Cornwall with my two kids in the back with a stretched Timing Chain. As you all know, this is a common fault with these models. I would of expected them to know what the problem was a lot sooner than they did.
This reinforces my opinion (and other members) that Mazda's are cracking cars when they are running well but the expensive repair bills and poor customer service quickly erodes the driving & equipment qualities.
Farnsy