2018 CX-9 Overheating

Update: GEICO is working with the dealer on this Mechanical Breakdown Claim. GEICO is unfortunately requiring the cylinder head to be removed and sent to a machine shop to be torn down and measured, even though the price to do so is (according to my service advisor) $200 less expensive than simply ordering a new cylinder head from Mazda and replacing it.

I have to authorize $1575 for 9 hours of machine shop services to have the cylinder head torn down, which if GEICO determines was a "covered repair" I won't be on the hook for. I sure hope GEICO does me right.
WTF are they doing?
Imo, sounds like they are trying to find any reason to deny the claim. Then your gonna be stuck paying a huge disassembly cost and if they deny the claim, stuck without an engine. Then pay additonal $$ on top of that. If they want to evaluate the engine, let them do it at their cost.
Ask them if you can just pay the difference for a new cylinder head...
I would gladly pay $200 for a new head.

Also, check on new engine install pricing and see what that difference is.
 
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They won’t do it. I’m worried that if the head turns out to be “in spec” GEICO will try and deny the $1,575. I asked GEICO if it wasn’t standard practice to send a head to be spec’d at a machine shop even if it is just a head gasket failure and didn’t get a clear response. Dealer says if GEICO doesn’t pay we can reach out to Mazda.
 
They won’t do it. I’m worried that if the head turns out to be “in spec” GEICO will try and deny the $1,575. I asked GEICO if it wasn’t standard practice to send a head to be spec’d at a machine shop even if it is just a head gasket failure and didn’t get a clear response. Dealer says if GEICO doesn’t pay we can reach out to Mazda.
If they want it evaluated then it has to be on thier dime. Get some quotes for reman engines in your area and see how much to install a reman. Also you need to re-read your entire geico warranty to see what it says
 
Geico is a scam company who screwed me out of $1100 when I filed a claim with them for a 16 year old driver who rear ended my brand new cx-5 when I was at a stop light. Caused $11k worth of damage. The other party had nationwide who was dragging their feet and didn't want to even acknowledge their driver was at fault until they received the police report basically stating the guy rear ended me and was their fault 100 pct. They didn't even want to give me a rental car during the interim. So I was forced to file with GEICO myself to get my car fixed asap and they basically refused to pay the well known 5 star certified reputable shop their higher rates for parts, labor stating that other shops were cheaper but of course I could use any shop I wanted BS line. They left me with the balance of a bill to pay the shop EVEN THOUGH they were legally going to subrogate the claim to the other insurance party and get every dime back. They promised they would do that and lied to me about getting my out of pocket amount back when they had no intention of doing since they didn't want to pay the full bill from the higher prices shop so they intentionally fked me.

Don't trust them one bit. Have the dealer contact Mazda first, not the other way around because the head has been revised to fix the cracking issue. You don't want your original head reused. It has a design defect that should be mentioned with the TSB given to your insurance and you demand your vehicle be repaired properly with the new revised head or they will be paying for the job again real soon ( if Mazda doesn't take care of it first)
 
Geico is a scam company who screwed me out of $1100 when I filed a claim with them for a 16 year old driver who rear ended my brand new cx-5 when I was at a stop light. Caused $11k worth of damage. The other party had nationwide who was dragging their feet and didn't want to even acknowledge their driver was at fault until they received the police report basically stating the guy rear ended me and was their fault 100 pct. They didn't even want to give me a rental car during the interim. So I was forced to file with GEICO myself to get my car fixed asap and they basically refused to pay the well known 5 star certified reputable shop their higher rates for parts, labor stating that other shops were cheaper but of course I could use any shop I wanted BS line. They left me with the balance of a bill to pay the shop EVEN THOUGH they were legally going to subrogate the claim to the other insurance party and get every dime back. They promised they would do that and lied to me about getting my out of pocket amount back when they had no intention of doing since they didn't want to pay the full bill from the higher prices shop so they intentionally fked me.

Don't trust them one bit. Have the dealer contact Mazda first, not the other way around because the head has been revised to fix the cracking issue. You don't want your original head reused. It has a design defect that should be mentioned with the TSB given to your insurance and you demand your vehicle be repaired properly with the new revised head or they will be paying for the job again real soon ( if Mazda doesn't take care of it first)
Yeah. They all do that.
It's one big club of insurance back scratchers. Thats why you keep your right to sue.
 
You could try to get the dealer to confirm in writing the cause is the one identified in the TSB, then send both the mazda confirmation and the TSB to Geico. If it is a cracked cylinder head as per the TSB there is no way they can fix that head. Or even better, get the independent shop to go to the dealer to confirm the fault is the same as the TSB. A cracked head is pretty obvious without tearing down the whole thing. May not work but it is worth a shot.

The thing with insurance company is their first response is always no by default. Read your contract in detail and fight for what’s written in your contract.
 
Update: GEICO is working with the dealer on this Mechanical Breakdown Claim. GEICO is unfortunately requiring the cylinder head to be removed and sent to a machine shop to be torn down and measured, even though the price to do so is (according to my service advisor) $200 less expensive than simply ordering a new cylinder head from Mazda and replacing it.

I have to authorize $1575 for 9 hours of machine shop services to have the cylinder head torn down, which if GEICO determines was a "covered repair" I won't be on the hook for. I sure hope GEICO does me right.
I really hope you're going to totally reject this, and demand instead that the head be visually examined for cracks, at the time it's removed from the block. The TSB has pictures of where the cracking should be located and, if present, should be visible without the need for any (NINE HOUR o_O) tear down by a machine shop.

As others have already said, this is pure BS, and you should not allow them to jerk you around with a scam job like this. If they don't want to cooperate, then I recommend opening a case with Mazda Corporate and try to get some help from them with this mess. They issued the detailed TSB about this problem for a reason, and all you're asking is that it be followed, instead of some scheme designed to pick your pocket.
 
Dealer says they are going to examine head closely once removed and will let me know if any evidence of cracking.
 
Correct, you cannot fix a cracked head
The problem for all of us on a forum like this is that we're not in the room with the OP, and so the only things we know is what gets posted. And post #20 by the OP makes it sound (to me anyway) that the authorization for $1575 is unconditional, and that these scammers from Geico can send the head out for this "inspection", regardless if a crack is found or not. The whole thing stinks like a pile of rotten fish, and I hope the OP does not agree to this or anything else they try to pull on him.
 
Geico adjusters are notorious for disputing work estimates, there are stories all over the internet about them.

My personal experience with Geico has also not been pleasant - I've had a few fender benders over the years where the other party was 100% at fault. The most unpleasant insurance company I've ever dealt with was Geico, by far. From the first interaction over the phone, to the adjuster, and the final inspection after the work was done, they were very confrontational - constant pressure to understate damage, accept knock off parts, repaint instead of replace, it was unrelenting. On top of that, the tone of the interactions all felt like they were blaming me for getting run into by the driver they insured.
 
Correct, you cannot fix a cracked head
So if a crack is found, then no additional examination of the head will be done?
Correct, if the dealer notices any visible cracking upon removal, they will let everyone know. Have to say, I'm kind of disappointed with GEICO. It's supposed to be the equivalent of a manufacturer's warranty. GEICO requires the customer to play for all "diagnosis" fees, but the problem has already been diagnosed (coolant intrusion into the cylinders) as evidenced by borescope camera. So now GEICO wants to institute additional layers of "diagnosis" (they are the sole determiner of what needs to be "diagnosed") instead of just replacing the cylinder head per Mazda procedure and getting the car back to me in a timely manner. The only plausible reason GEICO would do that is if they thought they could get out of paying the $1,575 for 9 hours of "diagnostic" labor, since the dealer has already confirmed that the price difference is only about $200 between reusing the old head and replacing it with new. I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Imagine having a transmission failure and they require you to authorize 50 hours of labor to tear apart and measure every single gear, with no guarantee that it will be a "covered breakdown" until doing so.
 
Correct, if the dealer notices any visible cracking upon removal, they will let everyone know. ...
Well then I hope for the sake of your wallet that the typical cracking in the head is present in yours, because the alternative sounds like it would be really bad news for you.
 
I do as well. Alternative is to put the old head back on with a new gasket, if no cracking present and it is within spec, and sell or trade the vehicle.
 
I do as well. Alternative is to put the old head back on with a new gasket, if no cracking present and it is within spec, and sell or trade the vehicle.
Wait. The Geico warranty you bought doesnt covers gaskets? And only covers the actual mechanical engine? You really need to read the warranty to see if gaskets and seals were excluded. I would argue head gaskets failure is a mechanical failure. If they refuse to pay, you should at least consult a lawyer for a free consult..most attorney will free consult for at least the 1st 1/2 hour or hour. Then you can decide on whether to throw more $$ at a lawsuit. Sometimes its worth it.
Sometimes not.
 
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No it covers gaskets. Dealer wanted to replace the entire head without further diagnosis because of the likelihood of future issues and $200 price difference as opposed to teardown. GEICO wants tull tear down of the head before anything else happens, couldn’t care less about $200 price difference since If head checks out they’ll claim “working order” and stick me with machine shop bill, and only pay for the gasket labor (at least that’s what I’m suspecting.)
 
Reading through this thread makes me wonder why the industry standard for drivetrain warranties is just 60,000 miles. These days, a vehicle is still in its early stage in life at 60K. The norm should match Hyundai/KIA's 100,000 miles. Every car buyer's expectation is that the engine will run fine well past that.

The example in this post is a good example of what is unacceptable. In no case should someone who spent over $40K on a vehicle 4 years ago be left hanging out to dry because the automaker made an engineering mistake.
 
UPDATE: Cylinder head not resuable because it has evidence of cracking. Brand new Mazda factory cylinder head being replaced. Technicians checked the bottom half of the engine and pulled the oil pan, no evidence of any contamination or metal flakes in the oil. GEICO picking up the tab for all of the repair except my $250.00 deductible.
 

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