Mazda Problems

This is indeed a known problem on these transmissions and one for which Mazda issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB; like a recall but not safety related) back in 2014. Apparently, a problem with the valve-body (that controls the gearbox’s shifts) caused a scraping or buzzing noise usually when shifting form Park to Drive or Reverse. That’s not exactly what you’re reporting, but it’s almost too similar not to be related. Depending on the build date of the vehicle, Mazda either replaced part of the entire valve-body assembly.

The other problem you’ve alluded to; that of a faulty output speed sensor is a different issue to the one that sounds like it’s causing your problem. In the case of the dud sensor, the gearbox could suddenly decide to shift back to first gear unannounced. If that happened at speed, it could cause the vehicle’s wheels to lock up with some very interesting consequences.

There are a few things going on with insured values. The first is that insurance companies will – generally – do everything they can to pay out as little as possible against a claim. That means, they will usually take the lower number from a range of values, and that appears to be exactly what has happened here. If you take a look at the classifieds right now, you’ll see 2015 Mazda 3 Maxxes priced anywhere from $12,000 to the low-20s. Clearly, your insurance company has adopted the lower of those values as the one that represents market value for your car. Don’t forget, either, that the asking price in the advert is not always the actual price that will be paid.

There can be other influences, too. What condition was your car in before the crash that wrote it off? If it had existing damage or wear, that could have led your insurer to adjust downwards the pay-out price it was offering. And what about kilometres travelled? Generally speaking, every extra thousand kilometres over the average for that make and model reduces its value in the eyes of insurance companies.

As for a replacement vehicle, I’d be looking at some of the South Korean (Hyundai and Kia) offerings. These brands now have a jump on some of the opposition when it comes to technology and standard safety equipment. They also represent solid engineering and reliability, not to mention terrific factory warranties.

It sounds like there’s a bit of confusion here over what actually caused the glass to break. It’s not entirely unknown for sunroof glass to shatter in extremes of heat or vibration, and other times, a car that has been poorly repaired after a crash can put stresses on the glass it was never designed for. The glass could simply have been struck by a flying rock or piece of debris. How you interpret those things will determine whether you think the breakage is a valid warranty claim or not. The fact that the dealership that examined your car can’t say what those 'external factors' were, only deepens the mystery.

In the end, I approached Mazda Australia with your case, who agreed to take a second look at the circumstances. The good news is that Mazda has applied the benefit-of-the-doubt judgment and agreed to fix your car under warranty.

But it’s worth mentioning that any car owner unhappy with the service or consideration given by a dealership doesn’t have to let it rest there. All car brands have a customer service department, and this should be your next port of call. From there it’s on to the ACCC. In some cases it’s worth getting an independent inspection of any damage to try to come to a conclusion over what really happened. The State motoring clubs are a good starting point for this service.

Even though this is a light commercial vehicle aimed at working folks, these later utilities are quite sophisticated in terms of their drivelines. Which is another way of saying that there are dozens of sensors and electronic control modules, all of which can give trouble. The powertrain light is trying to tell you that something is amiss under the bonnet and the lack of power is the symptom that goes with it.

An electronic scan of the car’s on-board computer is the first step in determining precisely what’s wrong and, as well as throwing up the root cause of the problem, is very likely to save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Replacing random parts in the hope that you’ve identified the correct one is a great way to waste hours and hours and lots of dollars.

The Mazda 3 timing belt or chain question is a common one, but one with a fairly simple answer. Unless the Mazda 3 in question is the very first turbo-diesel model (sold in Australia between 2007 and 2009) then the engine powering it uses a timing chain rather than a rubber belt.

The exception was the 2.0-lire turbo-diesel which used a rubber, toothed timing belt. The design seems sound, however, and Mazda’s recommended replacement interval for the belt and its tensioner is every 120,000km. Make sure this has been carried out promptly, as a snapped belt will probably destroy the engine. A small sticker somewhere in the engine bay should record the most recent belt change. The complete kit to replace the timing belt on this engine is available for around $200 and you should budget another few hundred dollars to have the job carried out by a workshop. Best practice is to also change the water pump and thermostat at the same time as these live in the same area of the engine.

The task of the timing chain or timing belt is exactly the same: They take drive from the engine’s crankshaft to the camshaft and, in the process, keep all the moving parts in harmony. Many car makers moved away from a timing chain to the rubber, toothed drive belt as a way of simplifying engine design and driving down the cost of each engine. The rubber timing belt is also quieter in its operation and is also less prone to stretching (as a timing chain can) so the camshaft (commonly referred to as the cam) stays in perfect synch with the rest of the engine’s rotating parts. The rubber belt is a simpler design because it doesn’t need to be tensioned via oil pressure from the engine as many timing chain systems are.

The timing chain, meanwhile, is preferred by some manufacturers because it should last the lifetime of the engine and never need replacement. This isn’t always the case, however, and some engines designs from a variety of manufacturers suffer problems in this regard. But, in a properly maintained engine of sound design, the timing chain should never need attention, while the rubber timing belt generally has a replacement interval of between 60,000km and 120,000km, depending on make and model.

This sounds like a classic case of checking and rechecking everything you did to find out where the job went wrong. I’ll assume the engine was running before the spark-plug change and, if so, then it’s likely that you’ve done something really simple that has brought the vehicle to a halt.

The first thing to check is that you have replaced the spark-plug leads in their correct order. This is a really simple mistake to make but it will definitely put an end to play if you get it wrong. Even experienced wise heads often tackle this job one spark plug and one lead at a time to avoid a tangle of leads and the ensuing mix up. While you’re there, check that the high-tension lead from the coil to the distributor cap hasn’t fallen out or become loose. Sometimes it will look as though it’s in place, but needs a push down on to its contact. Still at the coil end of things, check that none of the little spade terminals have been accidentally dislodged from the coil’s terminals.

Another common mistake is to simply buy new spark plugs and install them. In many cases, they need to be gapped correctly, that is, they need to have the gap between the two electrodes set at the correct distance for your engine. In the case of your car, the correct gap is 1.1mm (44 thou, for the old mechanics out there). Without the correct gap, the engine won’t run properly and, if the gap is out far enough, the engine may not run at all. Don’t assume the spark plugs will have the correct gap on the shelf at the spare part shop.

All this pre-supposes, of course, that the problem has occurred as part of the spark-plug change. The truth is that it could also be a coincidence where something with the fuel system has gone wrong at the same time as you decided to change the plugs. If that’s the case, it’s back to the drawing board in terms of a diagnosis, but the good news is that the engine in your car is quite a simple one and is a great engine on which to learn about mechanics. Above all else, don’t be discouraged and keep at it; home maintenance of a vehicle can be very rewarding and save lots of money.

Mazda 3s have a pretty terrible record with power-steering faults. Some cars built between 2007 and 2008 were actually part of a nationwide Technical Service Program by Mazda to fix a problem that could leave you suddenly without power assistance for the steering. The program was not a recall as Mazda argued that even if the assistance failed, you’d still be able to steer the car, albeit with much greater input from the driver.

Mazda reckoned that cars outside those build dates weren’t affected, but yours is not the first later-model 3 I’ve heard of that has suffered similar problems. From what I can gather, the power steering assistance in your car uses a conventional hydraulic rack but instead of the assistance pump being driven by the engine (via a belt) it’s driven by an electric motor. So here’s my question: Do you notice any other symptoms when the assistance fails?

Any warning light on the dashboard or the radio cutting in or out are symptoms that other owners have mentioned at the same time as the steering has lost its assistance. Scanning the car electronically might throw up a few answers, but the instinct of many mechanics is that the problem is potentially as simple as a poor earth connection. A bad earth can occur in lots of places on a modern car and can create havoc with the car’s electrical systems (of which the power-steering on your car is one). Sometimes it can be as simple as a loose battery terminal, other times you might have to search for the bad earth. But that’s where I’d start looking.

To get a vehicle with meaningful (as opposed to a theoretical) towing ability of 2.5 tonnes, you really need to shop for a relatively late-model dual-cab 4X4 ute. The reason for that is that many vehicles that claim a 2.5-tonne limit in the brochure fail to explain that there’s also a Gross Vehicle Combination Mass in play and, by the time you’ve added passengers, gear and a full tank of fuel to the towing vehicle, there might not be much of that GCM to devote to a towed load.

Going for a vehicle with 3000kg or even 35000kg towing capacity in the first place is a good way to ensure you do accidentally start driving around in an overloaded vehicle with all the legal and insurance connotations that involves.

A lot of the current shape dual-cab utes fall within your budget on a second-hand basis, but there are caveats. Make sure you only buy a ute with a full service history. Some of these vehicles were worked hard by their original owners, so be very careful before handing over the cash. Avoid ex-mine fleet vehicles and don’t be afraid to buy a base-model vehicle if it offers better value. Even a single-cab version of these utes will be a lot cheaper than the dual-cab and, if you don’t need the rear seat, are often a more practical solution. Makes and models include the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Mazda BT50, Mitsubishi Triton and Isuzu D-Max. For real value for money, vehicles like the Ssangyong Musso can tow 3.5 tonnes, are well equipped and can be had for less than $35,000 drive-away, brand-new. That also gets you a seven-year factory warranty. All of these options are available with the automatic transmission you want and, indeed, this is the best option for a tow vehicle.

This is one of the problems with the way the prices of band-new vehicles are haggled over. Had there been just a simple checkout price (as there is with nearly everything else we buy) this confusion probably wouldn't have crept in. I take that, having asked for the tray upgrade, you then paid attention only to the final price being offered by the dealer.

Regardless of whether the dealer is trying to stall you with talk of a two month wait is a side issue. And perhaps you can hold out and force the dealer to supply the vehicle as per your contract of sale. Then again, if the mistake was a genuine one by a member of the sales staff (who could conceivably lose their job over such a blunder) then what's the moral solution? Perhaps there's a compromise to be made by both parties. I can understand you not wanting to pay an extra $7000 for a different type of tray, but surely that's not the best result for anybody. In an ideal world, perhaps one solution would be for the dealer to provide the tray at their cost price (so they don't lose money on the deal) and you get a cheap(er) tray because you're not paying retail. Yes, it's complicated. But that's what happens when commerce meets karma.

This is one of the problems with the way the prices of band-new vehicles are haggled over. Had there been just a simple checkout price (as there is with nearly everything else we buy) this confusion probably wouldn’t have crept in. I take that, having asked for the tray upgrade, you then paid attention only to the final price being offered by the dealer.

Regardless of whether the dealer is trying to stall you with talk of a two month wait is a side issue. And perhaps you can hold out and force the dealer to supply the vehicle as per your contract of sale. Then again, if the mistake was a genuine one by a member of the sales staff (who could conceivably lose their job over such a blunder) then what’s the moral solution? Perhaps there’s a compromise to be made by both parties. I can understand you not wanting to pay an extra $7000 for a different type of tray, but surely that’s not the best result for anybody. In an ideal world, perhaps one solution would be for the dealer to provide the tray at their cost price (so they don’t lose money on the deal) and you get a cheap(er) tray because you’re not paying retail. Yes, it’s complicated. But that’s what happens when commerce meets karma.