Water Valve and Replacement (2021 CX-5)

[MaxDP1987]

My check engine light went on in my 2021 Mazda CX5 so I brought it into the dealership and the water valve, water pump gasket were replaced as part of the warranty. 2 weeks later I got sent a speeding ticket for my car, the day the car was in the shop. The ticket was taken about 12 miles away from the dealership.

I spoke to someone at the dealership and they claim that anytime work like this is done on the coolant system they need to drive the car to get the water temperature gauge down and eliminate any air pockets. At first he said 10 miles, then it kept creeping up to 30 miles. They are going to pay my speeding ticket, but i'm also trying to figure out if what he said is legitimate.

Does this sound right? Thank You In Advance!

 

[Busch]

This sounds right. You may also hear the same thing after an emissions error code was reset or the battery was disconnected. The testing machines require the car to be run to allow the computer to show emission test to be run. This could be up to a hundred miles or so.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

Can they burp the air without driving? Yes, it's possible
Is it normal for them to test drive after repair? Yes
Do they need to test drive so many miles? Not really

 

[Koko_Bandit]

What about the points on your record and the pending increase in insurance premiums?

The engine does need to reach operating temperature to open the thermostat and circulate coolant through the engine to get air pockets out. Most places do not drive the car on the road for this.

 

[RedBaron]

What about the points on your record and the pending increase in insurance premiums?

At least in Maryland, speed cameras do not incur points, so not a worry.

 

[MaxDP1987]

Thank you all... I agree it seems excessive for the dealership to do this and there's a much better way to go about this and achieve the same goals.

 

[wlong01]

What about the points on your record and the pending increase in insurance premiums?

The engine does need to reach operating temperature to open the thermostat and circulate coolant through the engine to get air pockets out. Most places do not drive the car on the road for this.

If there were points it would be on the one driving, not the OP. Speed cameras are like red light cameras, you just get a bill.

Interesting to see how fast the tech was driving.

 

[cz5gt]

depends on the state and city/town.
Where I live they will chase you till the end of the world unless you give the drivers license and all full details of the other party you are toasted. They even got modified code for what can be considered official notice of "service"

 

[P-51 Lover]

That’s pretty sleazy for the dealership to test drive your car, get a speeding ticket, then leave it up to you to pay it hoping you don’t realize it was their guy who incurred the ticket. I’d find a different dealership, or at least get a free oil change for trying to pull a fast one on you.

I had my water valve (aka - expensive electronic thermostat) changed on my 2021 CX-5 (with 25,000 miles) about a month ago under warranty. I don’t know if the mechanic drove it afterwards, but the temperature guage now goes up to 190°-200° and stays there just as it should after the engine warms up. No residual problems were encountered after the repair.

The part costs about $450 retail, and is probably a 1-2 hr job for a shade tree mechanic. It doesn’t look to be a difficult job, but just time consuming because a lot of junk has to be removed to get to it.

My engine wasn’t warming up properly prior to the repair. The temperature guage stopped at about 160°. The heater didn’t work too good either since the engine wasn’t warming up all the way. I complained to the dealership many months ago, but the they said no codes were stored in my cars’s computer and the check engine light was not on. However, when the dealership finally agreed something was wrong with the car a month ago, the service manager said they found some old codes in the cars’s computer showing it was not running hot enough (assuming I understood what I was being told). So I assume the dealership either didn’t check for codes the first time I complained, or else they didn’t dig deep enough. But it’s fixed now. That’s all I care about.

 

[Tchman2016]

I could just see those degenerate stealership employees doing a ferris bueller with your car joyriding it to get some Wendy's before heading back claiming it was a "road test".

Glad it was fixed but get a dash cam if you don't have one.

 

[Koko_Bandit]

I could just see those degenerate stealership employees doing a ferris bueller with your car joyriding it to get some Wendy's before heading back claiming it was a "road test".

Glad it was fixed but get a dash cam if you don't have one.

I caught the service techs in my Mustang Convertible in the drive thru at Whataburger one time when it was having the water pump replaced under warranty. The service manager and I had a lengthy discussion about it.

 

[sm1ke]

Agree with @Tchman2016, a dashcam is a relatively cheap way to monitor what happens in and around your vehicle. There have been plenty of instances of dealership employees joyriding owner's vehicles, stealing their possessions and/or money stored in the glovebox or armrests, not performing scheduled services, etc. And those were only the instances where they were caught.

 

[cz5gt]

gps tracker with speed tracking probably the only that may help. or a hidden airtag at least.
I had a cam and they disconnected it Thankfully no tickets but there were extra 10 miles.... also always remove the insurance card and may be the registration card.
In my state its the car insurance that matters mostly not the drivers.

 

[Tchman2016]

gps tracker probably the only that may help. or a hidden airtag.
I had a cam and they disconnected it Thankfully no tickets but there were extra 10 miles..

Rukm? They have no right to touch anything of yours other than the issue with your vehicle. That's a lawsuit right there

 

[cz5gt]

If you can prove it yes. Plus mazda has a tsb that says if a concern during servicing some specific issues disconnect all addons like cams, radars,etc. Makes you wonder why they made this tsb... I bet its lawyers involved.
Usually most customers get a freebie when complaining or like the OP start asking in the forum vs taking it up with the dealer. I do what I can myself for car work except warranty work.

If there was an incident then its another story.