spun bearing 2xxx miles

[08ms3bm]

Because my 55 year old father is not internet saavy, I am reporting the current situation with his MS3.

He gets on the on-ramp to merge with traffic and when he takes the car over 3000 rpm the motor begins to knock slightly. He is not an aggressive driver and rarely ever exceeds the speed limit. My father does not know very much about cars, but he did know the noise was unusual.

He immediately took the car to the dealer, in which they found the sound to be rod knock from a spun bearing. It is an obvious case of a defective part but the dealership had insisted he abused the motor. He explained that he was an old man and usually drove under the speed limit.

After various tests the dealer had run, they concluded that it was a defective part. A new motor is on its way after much frustration and fighting with 3-4 different big wigs. They didn't even want to give him a rental car, but finally agreed.

He bought a brand new car to have a reliable daily driver. To say the least, he is pissed, but still making payments on a "junky 4- cylinder" with a shot motor that only has 2xxx miles which he purchased brand new a couple months ago.

 

[CosmoMS3]

I would not buy a Mazdaspeed just to commute every day "under the speed limit". There are plenty other cars with a softer suspension and a better fuel economy. Anyway, sorry to hear about the problem your dad has with this car.

 

[Betelgeuse]

^^I have to echo the above. Why buy a Mazdaspeed to drive it like an old lady all day? Also why buy a turboed car (which requires more care) for reliability? I'm not saying the ms3 isn't reliable, imo it is, but for someone who's clueless about cars, a regular 3 might've been better.

A spun bearing is very unusual for an unmodded car with such low miles but is not totally out of the question statistically. Defects are just a part of life, that's what the warranty is for.

Just curious, was the oil level normal?

 

[SwampAss]

I drive mine 95% of the time like an old lady. It's not always using what you have, it's knowing it's there when you want to use it. Which for me is not very often.

It's my money.

 

[Sacrilicious]

I drive mine 95% of the time like an old lady. It's not always using what you have, it's knowing it's there when you want to use it. Which for me is not very often.

It's my money.

+1

 

[Pirana]

I just can't understand why Mazda and its dealers have to be such assholes when it comes to warranty, specially in a stock car. I believe its in their best interest to take care of their customers in order to do more services and sell more cars in the future.

 

[dparm1984]

This car was meant to be driven hard. Dealers know it, and Mazda knows it. This is why they're reluctant to allow warranty claims for stuff like this.

Frankly if Mazda doesn't want to deal with the problems associated with high-output motors, they shouldn't be selling them, or they should work on improving the reliability. My old Honda would spin to 8200rpm just about every day and still had perfect compression after 8 years.

 

[SPEED3TYPE2]

a few other people have had this issue, it has nothing to do with how the car is driven, the enigine just was a bad apple , bad part. it would have happend no matter how it was driven.. The mazdaspeed3 was rated by consumer reports with a full red reliabilty rateing this is the best offered, my enigine doesn't use any oil i run 18psi and drive hard for 30k so far. this is just an unfortate situation and mazda should fix it..

 

[chacon101]

I dont' think I have ever heard of a motor company that didn't try to screw one of it's customers from one time or another. Usually it's just a dealership thing which then puts a bad name on a company.

+1 on that Mazda are on the top of the list for reliability.

 

[///M Compact]

I don't have any personal knowledge of it, but I have heard that Mitsubishi has voided EVO warranties because the owners hit the rev limiter too many times. Not for over-revs- just bouncing off the limiter.
OTOH, I DO know about a former Oldsmobile owner who bought a new 1995 M3 and had an engine failure. The doofus claimed that he was driving down the interstate when the motor "just quit". When the dealer interrogated the ECU, the last recorded rpm was 9000(!). Can you say "money shift"?
As for the OP, his dad's problem is what the biz calls an "infant mortality". It happens with every make, and he shouldn't sweat it. That said, Mazda-dealer and corporate-won't create much customer goodwill when they play hardball with an issue that obviously isn't the fault of the owner.

 

[Pirana]

That said, Mazda-dealer and corporate-won't create much customer goodwill when they play hardball with an issue that obviously isn't the fault of the owner.

Exactly...specially if a grown adult shows up to your shop.

 

[Ben Nast]

This car was meant to be driven hard. Dealers know it, and Mazda knows it. This is why they're reluctant to allow warranty claims for stuff like this.

Frankly if Mazda doesn't want to deal with the problems associated with high-output motors, they shouldn't be selling them, or they should work on improving the reliability. My old Honda would spin to 8200rpm just about every day and still had perfect compression after 8 years.

x2

This is why i am afraid to mod my car. If something were to happen pre maturely to my engine it wouldnt be due to mods, it would be due to a defect of some form. I have always had performance cars the 16 years I have been driving and have never blown an engine, tranny or clutch. I am religous with maintenance and baby my cars 95% of the time.

 

[Ben Nast]

I drive mine 95% of the time like an old lady. It's not always using what you have, it's knowing it's there when you want to use it. Which for me is not very often.

It's my money.

x2 (drinks)

 

[08ms3bm]

Car was bone stock and had perfect oil level. They also brought up oil starvation as one of the reasons, until they pulled the dipstick to see it was at the normal level.

 

[tru-boost]

thats why it broke !! that car was begging to be driven properly !
no seriously.... that sucks, but it seems like an isolated incedent. at least it is being taken care of.

 

[Betelgeuse]

I drive mine 95% of the time like an old lady. It's not always using what you have, it's knowing it's there when you want to use it. Which for me is not very often.

It's my money.

IMO, if you drive like an old lady 95% of the time, then you don't need a car with 260 hp. 170 hp should do just fine. Whether it's your money or not is irrelevant. I buy things I don't need or use all the time, yeah it's 'my money', however that still doesn't make them a wise purchase.

Regardless, I agree, the above point has little to do with the fact the engine failed. Whether it was driven like an old lady or not shouldn't have caused a spun bearing. And if we're getting the entire story, then the dealer was just being asses like many do in situations involving expensive parts. At least they're getting a replacement.

 

[08ms3bm]

He had to fight like hell to get a new motor. They wanted to do a bottom end rebuild and send him on his way, but he totally flipped out and they finally agreed to order in a motor

 

[Dream]

This story sounds fishy, but good luck to you.

 

[trufanatic]

Before i bought my 08' there was an 07 that got traded in a few days b4, guy said it was from an older couple in their 60-70...car was prestine with almost no miles...he then told me they traded it for an 07' Speed6. I guess sometimes we would like to think we kno it all but we dont.

And i also drive like a damn granpa but every now and then enjoy spirited driving. I guess the more mature souls dont romp and their car 24/7

 

[boosted3]

IMO, if you drive like an old lady 95% of the time, then you don't need a car with 260 hp. 170 hp should do just fine. Whether it's your money or not is irrelevant.

At what point does my choice of purchase and method of payment become relevant?