To think a car 2 months outside warranty shouldn't need £5k+ repairs

[Idontwanttotalk]

Our car was registered new in March 2016. We bought it on 25 Apr 2016 from Arnold Clark with 9 miles on the clock.

On Friday evening my DH was driving home from work when it went into 'limp mode'. It went to the Mazda garage today. First DH was told £95 + vat to diagnose what's wrong. They then phoned a little later and said that was inconclusive as the engine was loud and further tests were needed so it would cost £330 (not sure if incl or excl vat).

They phoned not long ago telling my DH that the oil pump chain has snapped causing scoring and the guide for the chain has broken. This has caused big end bearing scarring. We need a short engine and gaskets and it will take 24 hours labour which will cost £5,533.47.

I know it is just out of warranty but the garage said even if they phone Mazda that is all they will say. He also said Mazda won't cover it as they haven't done all the services (they have either been done by Mazda or Arnold Clark and we have receipts and service records).

We just don't know what to do. Are there any circumstances where car manufacturers do pay for work just outside the warranty? Anyone know our legal position?
Surely there must have been something wrong with the chain before the 3 years/60,000 miles warranty expired? (We have 64,000 miles on the clock).

Any advice? - we're totally shell-shocked.

No wonder you're shell shocked - nobody should expect an out the blue 5k repair on a 3 year old car. You must be gutted.

Just to say a very similar situation happened to me - but £7k repair!! - also 2 months out of warranty. The service history was a mixture of main dealer and local, and I was advised initially there was little chance of any help because of this. But the manufacturer agreed quite quickly to supply the part as goodwill, and I only covered labour of about £600. Still a chunky bill but nowhere near "write-off" territory! Resolved within about 24 hours with minimal hassle (just worry!). So there is hope!

There was a lot of helpful chat on an online owners club forum, and I found out mine was a bit of a 'known issue' in the US. No official policy on it here. So I'd check if there's a similar forum for your car model. Really hope Mazda helps you out on this. Good luck.

Ps the issue was handled by the local main dealer (who we did not purchase the car from), who liaised directly with their head office. I made sure to push the 'known issue' aspect in my dealings with the staff member at the dealership.

It's a bit late, but maybe it's worth taking out an extended warranty. Not sure what conditions they put on servicing, and whether this particular damage would have been included though.

Just another point - a pre-registered car isn't a new car, and you most likely had a big discount against the new cost. It gives them less money to play with to try and help.

@shirleyschmidt
Thank you. That has given me a bit of hope. I'm sorry you had to go through this too but glad your manufacturer covered most of the cost. To think that this morning I was complaining it costs £95 +vat just to diagnose and thinking the total cost would probably be about £300.

I've just been watching hagans autos on utube and it looks like Mazda may have a problem with the skyactive engines in a variety of their models. The video they show is for the same problem we have. This must be an issue that is known to Mazda.

I'll update the thread when I know more just in case it is useful to anyone else.

My Dad has a problem with a Mazda a few months out of warranty. After some pushing they gave him a 50% “goodwill” discount.
Even if you’re offered that I’d still get some quotes from a trusted independent garage, it may still be cheaper. Dealers are notorious rip off merchants.

My friends VW had a major problem just outside warranty. She contacted the SMMT who liaised with the garage for her and got the fault paid for. I've just had a look at their website and it seems they don't do this themselves anymore, but instead there is a motor ombudsman who they support, and who aim to resolve disputes between car buyers and member garages. Might be worth a try if you don't have any luck dealing directly with Mazda,

www.themotorombudsman.org/consumers/make-a-complaint

re extended warranty. I didn't mean you could get one for this incident. I meant it's worth all of us considering the value of an extended warranty.

Might be a bit late. This is common problem on all Mazda 6 models. The online forums are full of complaints, apparently caused by faulty seals around the injectors. The result is no fresh oil going to the pump chain.

If the big end was worn sufficiently then you'd know all about it. The scoring would have been a gradual process.

You CAN get your car serviced at any garage, but you will lose any goodwill gesture by the manufacturer. Average mileage for a petrol ISN'T the same as for a diesel. 20,000miles p/a is reasonable for a diesel and in no way excessive.

You are at the absolute limit of the original manufacturers warranty though.

Try for a goodwill gesture and mention the known fault. There is a technical service bulletin for this on line. Basically that means it's a known fault and should strengthen your case a little.

I would confirm the damage to the bearing, if not terminal, put a new pump chain on and sell the car. Otherwise a new/recon/salvaged engine will probably be a few grand cheaper. So maybe 3 as opposed to 5.

Good luck.

I meant it's worth all of us considering the value of an extended warranty

I own a garage and I wouldn’t pay for an extended warranty. The hourly rate they offer for repairs is just laughable. They try everything they can to get out of paying, and the amount of stuff that isn’t covered can be ridiculous.

My recommendation would be to try to have husband DIY if at all possible. Do either of you have a father or friend moderately competent mechanically? I say this as a couple of years ago we had a timing belt slip, knackering 12 of 20 valves. We were quoted around 5k to have it fixed by an indie shop. I know my way around a car a bit (not a mechanic), but hadn't contemplated doing something that complex. I disassembled the top of the engine, brought it into the house, plugged away at it for a few days, and ultimately put it back together. Two years later, the car still purrs. Total expense was about 300 quid, but I changed a bunch of other parts while I had the car apart.

I looked up the oil pump chain issue you have. Mazda set up the access to the area well. The parts are only 100 quid online. I'd expect I could have it done in about a day. If your husband is mechanically inclined, I would bet he could have it done in a weekend. There is probably a video online that shows someone doing the project. Have your husband watch one and see if he feels it is possible to accomplish.

Anyway, it could be a fun project. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Arnold Clarke customer service are an absolute joke. They don’t know the meaning of the word customer service

I avoid them now at all costs and advise anyone who will listen to do the same

Check on line to see if it's a known problem, there will be Mazda forums. We had a problem with our VW, the ESP light stayed on, we were quoted about £350 by our local, very good, garage. However a check found it was a known problem and VW were doing free fixes, which is what we did, we just paid the local garage £35 for the diagnostic test. The car mush have been about 6 years old then, we'd bought it at 1 year old,

Sorry just noticed your later post where you have looked on-line, Honest John is a good source of advice.

Sorry I didn't reply to you yesterday, op. Speaking to mazda directly is your best bet as they would've handled in-warranty claims, not Arnold Clark. It usually makes sense to go back to where you bought it from but with warranty issues (which this is almost, and is likely to be treated as such if mazda do their part) it's the manufacturer you need. I hope they use some common sense and help you out. They'll have a whole team of people handling claims like this so it certainly won't be unusual to them.