Another One Bites the Dust! - Motor Mount Failure! = Oh NOES!

[M3_Zoom]

damn man, keep us posted. We need to get a petition together or something to send to mazda. This s*** CAN kill people! I didnt buy this car to putz around. I bought it for the 265hp 280 TQ DAMMIT!

Noted! I would love a dealer to tell me "you drove your car to hard." Hello have you seen the Mazda advertised performance specs? You don't get there that fast pushing the car.......

This must be addressed and it's an easy solution. Replace it with a redesigned mount or a new bolt etc.

 

[justa4banger]

OK now that i have seen pics of the SNapped bolt , there is a slight need for concern. A snapping bolt can happen any time And it usually never happens when you push the car hard , it happens AFTER you pushed the car.

Hmm was the bolt head still there or did it fall out. ? thats wild for a bolt to just snap, then again if the rear mount isn't strong enough and allows to much for/aft movement, this could stress the bolt and then cause it to snap.
Was there other damaged caused? WHat the repair bill up too now?

IMo this definetly is a problem, i don't care what car it is motor mount bolts and motor mounts shouldn't break.
Hell i have the stock Mounts in my SVO and i'm making over double the factory trq and they haven't done anything but hang in there and take the abuse. Keep us updated..........

 

[Jeph]

Holy s*** subbing to see the outcome

 

[redspeed]

You know, I was thinking the same thing, about the movement of the rear mount. HHHMMMM wonder if that's part of the problem.

 

[fourthmeal]

Holy s***...This has been a DAY.

Cedric from the dealership called me midday, and SAID THE CAR WAS READY!!

Now, I was at a crossroads, because I fully expected time to send out a letter to Mazda, get a response back, and deal with this as it happened. But, before I could even finish the letter, the car's done, and I need to pick it up, so I didn't get charged for the rental. So, I just decided to trust Mazda again, and pick it up.

I'll post the repair order when I get a chance to scan it. In addition to the new parts that upgrade the mount, a lot of other parts had to be replaced because they were crushed, stretched, cut, etc. Essentially the part that broke failed for a specific reason. Cedric explained it this way:

The factory bolt had a piece of rubber that it mounted to, and was torqued to a certain spec on the car. Unfortunately, this was miscalculated by Mazda, and the bolt will back out of the mount and then shear forces will snap it, as it is now loose and can move enough to put stress on it. The new part is a little longer, a LOT stronger, and it mounts differently, using a washer as well. I think someone mentioned that part around here already. And, its true, its bolted way better. It also has loctite on it...the red stuff. Bottom line, is this part isn't going to fail like that again. Well, thats what Cedric says, and he's a good, honest service writer, to say the least. This was the guy that found a flash update WAAAY back when we were all debating whether that was actually happening or not.

So, got the car back, got my kickass sound system back (cuz it was in the car, duh), and I have a half finished letter to Mazda that now seems slightly pointless. <shrug>

Oh, BTW, this upgrade seems to have improved the shifting a lot.

 

[whitey4311]

What upgrade are you speaking of?

Did he just do his own thing or is Mazda providing a upgraded mount for the issue you had?

 

[zoom-zoomhatch]

I know when they fixed mine it was fast too, but they mentioned nothing of a stronger piece or anything.

 

[fourthmeal]

I'll scan the repair order tonight. It has different parts. The newer Speeds have this already onboard. Because this car was one of the first sold (November-December), it didn't have this "upgrade"

He used Mazda's repair, not his own. could you imagine the liability on him if it broke again?

 

[gsrtype1]

no s*** this car is made to be driven not to be luged around like an old person. the mount should not break and you shouldnt have to be inconveinced!! i called best mazda where i got mine and they said they check the mounts on all of them to make sure thier is no problem. anyway i love my car , feel sorry for you bro

 

[Equinox]

Hmm, interesting fix. I'll have to see if my recently purchased MS3 has it, and if not, if I can get it.

 

[zoom-zoomhatch]

no s*** this car is made to be driven not to be luged around like an old person. the mount should not break and you shouldnt have to be inconveinced!! i called best mazda where i got mine and they said they check the mounts on all of them to make sure thier is no problem. anyway i love my car , feel sorry for you bro

They told me when I picked it up to drive it like you would any other car, just cause it was pretty quick didn't mean it was to be driven quick, my techs exact words.

 

[Jeph]

They told me when I picked it up to drive it like you would any other car, just cause it was pretty quick didn't mean it was to be driven quick, my techs exact words.

LOL you market it as the "Wildchild" and sell to performance minded enthusiasts.

how do you think they are going to drive it (rockon)

 

[Olestra]

What are all those shavings that are around where the bolt is supposed to be? (pic4)
Are those metal shavings?? (eek2)

 

[M3_Zoom]

LOL you market it as the "Wildchild" and sell to performance minded enthusiasts.

how do you think they are going to drive it (rockon)

THANK YOU! Man oh man, I'm just not sure why some don't get it. Just like any performance car, this one is meant to be driven hense "Wild Child."

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

So it sounds like a known defect.

I'll scan the repair order tonight. It has different parts. The newer Speeds have this already onboard. Because this car was one of the first sold (November-December), it didn't have this "upgrade"

He used Mazda's repair, not his own. could you imagine the liability on him if it broke again?

I wouldn't be surprised to see a TSB in a week or so. The real question is if the other two members with failures had cars of the same vintage. Do we know? I cna't remeber the two names. I thing one was non-dual.

 

[civic si hb]

I'd like to see some kind of TSB for this being a new MS3 owner myself

 

[firedawgs]

Is the motor mount different between the MS3 and the MS6?

 

[civic si hb]

I'll scan the repair order tonight. It has different parts. The newer Speeds have this already onboard. Because this car was one of the first sold (November-December), it didn't have this "upgrade"

He used Mazda's repair, not his own. could you imagine the liability on him if it broke again?

what is you MFG date(inside the door jam) of your car? The MS3 that i just picked up yesterday is 11/06. Also how do you know if you have the fix or not? Thanks.

Rob

 

[whitey4311]

I'll scan the repair order tonight. It has different parts. The newer Speeds have this already onboard. Because this car was one of the first sold (November-December), it didn't have this "upgrade"

He used Mazda's repair, not his own. could you imagine the liability on him if it broke again?

It seems I was lucky enough to have got a feb 07 MS3 so I havent had CEL's and it looks as if from what you are saying that I have the newer parts installed for the motor mount.

My buddy bought the MS3 the same night and he has 200 test drive miles on it and its dated 08-06. Apparently it was used for a commercial at mazda but he has a CEL already.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Holy s***...This has been a DAY.

Cedric from the dealership called me midday, and SAID THE CAR WAS READY!!

Now, I was at a crossroads, because I fully expected time to send out a letter to Mazda, get a response back, and deal with this as it happened. But, before I could even finish the letter, the car's done, and I need to pick it up, so I didn't get charged for the rental. So, I just decided to trust Mazda again, and pick it up.

I'll post the repair order when I get a chance to scan it. In addition to the new parts that upgrade the mount, a lot of other parts had to be replaced because they were crushed, stretched, cut, etc. Essentially the part that broke failed for a specific reason. Cedric explained it this way:

The factory bolt had a piece of rubber that it mounted to, and was torqued to a certain spec on the car. Unfortunately, this was miscalculated by Mazda, and the bolt will back out of the mount and then shear forces will snap it, as it is now loose and can move enough to put stress on it. The new part is a little longer, a LOT stronger, and it mounts differently, using a washer as well. I think someone mentioned that part around here already. And, its true, its bolted way better. It also has loctite on it...the red stuff. Bottom line, is this part isn't going to fail like that again. Well, thats what Cedric says, and he's a good, honest service writer, to say the least. This was the guy that found a flash update WAAAY back when we were all debating whether that was actually happening or not.

So, got the car back, got my kickass sound system back (cuz it was in the car, duh), and I have a half finished letter to Mazda that now seems slightly pointless. <shrug>

Oh, BTW, this upgrade seems to have improved the shifting a lot.

Glad you got the car back and you feel better about it. Seems like your situation reinforces the idea that the bolts are indeed backing out or 'loosening' and that people should definitely check it even if their dealer says it's ok. I have a question though. Did you notice any noise from the driver's side front while driving?