Possible Dealer Issue

Hello Guys and Gals,

I have had an issue recently which I think is caused by an error by Mazda service. I have a Gen2 MPS 3 and would get it serviced by my local mechanic however the last two services I have had done by my closest dealer due to my local guy being down a mechanic and too busy.

The first service at the dealer went well by all impressions however a few thousand kay’s along and the car was not sounding right. It started to get a noise much like pinging/pre-detonating at odd revs. I took it back a couple of thousand kays earlier than needed for service to get it looked at. They found that the oil level was really low and the hydraulic valves where not getting enough pressure to work properly. I hadn’t seen the oil warning light come on at all but was told that “well if the light comes on its too late” hmmmm. They completed the service and I asked if there could have been damaged caused by running low and they said it’s possible.

I have run the car for less than two thousand kays since the service and decided to check the oil level and have found it is not even on the stick. It took two litres of oil to get it back showing on the gauge. I was told last service that it might burr oil if driven hard but I think 2 litres in under 2k klms is a bit odd. I have not seen any oil smoke from the car nor any oil stains from a leak.

I am wondering if the service centre is filling the oil to capacity as the MPS has a higher oil amount than the normal Mazda 3, by suspiciously close to 2 litres. Has anyone else experienced or heard of similar and is there a real risk of damage from running low but not to the point that the light comes on? I want to get some opinions before I talk to the dealer also as it is getting close to 3 years old I want to get any issue resolved under warrantee.

Cheers all,

Doug.

Doug, my Gen 1 MPS is over 5 years old, nearing 100k km and never needs oil top ups between services (I change oil every 5,000km).

2 litres down is not a good thing. I'd definitely be hounding the subject dealer like a mad dog to get the problem sorted. Also contact Mazda head office and officially make it know that you have these problems now whilst still under warranty.

A former OzMPS club member here in Cairns took his MPS in for a service and the car was running like crap afterward. On checking the car over, it turns out they put 5 litres of fresh oil in and forgot to drain the old 5 litres. Needless to say he went postal on that Mazda dealer and let it be known they would be accountable for any damage that came because of it.

I hope your issues are easily resolved mate.

hi there,i find when i first check the oil it shows very little oil on the dipstick in the low region. i wipe it clean & re check it & it shows its correct full level.how many kms has the car done & what brand & viscosity oil are you using?.2 litres in 2000 kms is very high,should not use any oil between services.mazda would be using 5w/30 castrol i would suggest which is the normal viscosity.as we are in winter i use the castrol titanium edge 5w/40 fully synthetic with no issues at all.it could be a host of things if there are no visible oil leaks,turbo,valves etc.is you coolant green & on max level when warmed up?.no coffee colour in it(oil).just some suggestions that may help.pk mps309.

Same as above. Make sure you put the dipstick back in after the first check and then check again. I have been using MOTUL 300V Chrono which is 10W40. Full synthetic.

Like I`ve said before (and been hounded down for it by other contributors) stay away from these service guys at dealerships.

Thank you all for the replies.

I am fairly skilled in checking the right oil level so am confident that it is not that (National Rally License holder with many rally kay's under the belt). Have spoken to the dealer and they assure me their records show that they did the full 5.7ltr fill. I have asked for them to explain what else could it be and have to take it to them for a full check to sort it out. My gut still tells me they did not fill it correctly but it would be a hard thing to prove.

Thanks again,

Doug.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DougMPS

Thank you all for the replies.

I am fairly skilled in checking the right oil level so am confident that it is not that (National Rally License holder with many rally kay's under the belt). Have spoken to the dealer and they assure me their records show that they did the full 5.7ltr fill. I have asked for them to explain what else could it be and have to take it to them for a full check to sort it out. My gut still tells me they did not fill it correctly but it would be a hard thing to prove.

Thanks again,

Doug.

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It is rare to find honest mechanics even at dealerships

Very dissapointing


Peter "SLIXX"

The MZR motor can randomly use a good chunk of oil, for a reason that has never been really explained.

The consequences of it frequently using that much oil can be disastrous though.

A reasonable number of zoom zoom boom cases had a massive usage of oil discovered when stripped down.

I would be asking the Mazda dealership to check the crankcase venting system, the intake manifold for large amounts of oil build up, and also looking at the turbo, and intercooler, for signs of oil pooling.

This doesnt mean that is definitely the cause of your oil loss...but it has to go somewhere...and in some cases, thats where it ended up.

A compression and leak down test would be a good idea too.

Basically its your word against theirs, they believe the oil has gone in only because you have paid for 5.7 litres of it on the invoice. It is possible that damage of some degree has been done. If 5.7 litres of oil went in and now your 2 litres short you have 1 of 2 issues, its leaking out or its being internally consumed. Its also very possible that only 3.7L went in causing lack of lubrication and excessive heat which may have infact caused your now current oil consumption problem. I would pressure the dealer to prove to you they didn't damage your engine from a service mistake and get really involved in the diagnosis. Dealers hate it when they get to service their own product but dont give in to them! I take it the car now has a few trouble free k's on it before this. Its to easy for the dealer to cover their tracks now your car is using oil regularly, keep that in mind. Good luck!

Hello All,

Just thought I would drop you a further to this post to let you know of my experiences this last year with the MPS. The oil usage issue was eventually (two trips to dealer) traced back to a oil seal in the Turbo which Mazda replaced under warrantee. this was fortunate as the warrantee was just about to expire. However it took about three months for the turbo to arrive from Japan so I went through a bit of oil during that time as I had no option but to use it. Once the Turbo was done all seemed fine until just recently when it started to make a very suspicious knocking sound in the engine. It sounded pretty bad as I am pretty familiar with terminal engine noises. It turns out that the big end bearing had gone and that as you probably know is no short amount of work. At this stage the car is now out of warrantee and I prepared for the worst when taking the car to the dealer. However I was quite relieved when the phone call came through that they were going to do a full new long motor under the existing warrantee issue. I have to stay that made me pretty happy as the sticker price for that is above $10k. I hope no one else has had the same issues that I have with their MPS and If they do you hopefully will be looked after by Mazda as I have. Mind you the window switches still get pushed into the door, the tyre alignment still goes out early and wears the inside of the front tyres, the parcel shelf string clips always break and the paint chips when anything harder than sunlight touches it but those are minor issues knowing that I have dodged a $10k plus bill. :2thumb:


Thanks for listening. Doug.

Good outcome there mate!

Sent from my S4 while I'm tappin dat' glass.