Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Thu 9 Jan 2014 20:25
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - Smileymilesy

My TS2 1.6 diesel had a conrod go through the engine in Dec 13. The car was 3 years old in Mar 13. It has been serviced by Mazda each year but not inline with the Mazda mileages specified (Jan 11 with 10,061, Feb 12 with 24,416 and Mar 13 with 47,754). The car has been inspected by Magna Mazda in Salisbury and it needs a new engine, vacuum pump and turbo charger. I have been quoted £5,845 for all work incl labour and VAT.

Mazda have said they will not help with the cost of repair because the car was not serviced very 12,500 miles. I understand that they have a servicing policy but think they should help out because the last service was less than 12,500 miles ago and only 9 months before the failure. Changing oils, filters etc on a service only gives basic maintenance. The servicing schedule for my car would not have caused the catastrophic failure.

The Mazda garage does not know what caused the failure. Mazda will not pay for fault diagnosis. I thus have a nice newish car that is probably going to be scrapped because the cost of repair is almost as much as the resale value (presuming I could sell an old car with a new engine for the going rate). How do I convince Mazda that they have a goodwill obligation to me? Should I consider a second-hand engine?

Many thanks.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Jan 2014 20:50
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - Collos25

The car is outside its warranty period and you have not followed Mazdas servicing schedule I thing it will be hard to make Mazda change their mind.

Modern diesels have to be serviced as scheduled to stop these very problems and to give the agents chance to catch any problems having said that Mazda seem to have their fair share of diesel engine problems.As far as the car is concerned you can scrap it or put in another engine but good engines are going to be hard to find.If this was mine I would recover it to my garage strip the engine down salvage what I could then cost the replacement parts and if it was at all economical I would repair it.the moment you include third pary labour then your costs will esculate .

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Jan 2014 21:36
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - craig-pd130

If the mileages you posted are correct, the car did over 23,000 miles between the second and third oil change, which is nearly double the recommended mileage between changes - I'd think your chance of getting any goodwill from Mazda is zero.

After a catastrophic engine failure like that, it's almost impossible to diagnose exactly what component failed first and led to the rod going through the block. But doing so many miles between that 2nd and 3rd oil change will have risked reducing the lubricating & protective capabilities of the oil, which in turn can cause wear / damage to a crank- or small-end bearing. This may not fail straight away, but develop over a few thousand miles until it fails.

Sorry, but I think your best bet is to try and source a used engine, I think you'll be on a hiding to nothing pursuing Mazda.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 9 Jan 2014 22:07
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - injection doc
Sorry but you are on a hiding to nothing.
Manufactures insist servicing is bang on schedule ! Most people ignore it so happy days for the manufacture.
In fact Mazda have an additional get out clause where if you do what THEY consider too lower mileage per year the. Additional oil changes are required.

When you own a car it Must be serviced , especially diesels, neglect will cause failure.

If the engine failed at speed it may of been captured in EOBD in freeze frame date and the load, engine speed, throttle position and engine temp will all be logged.

Had it been through water before the failure ? Even some days before ?

I have seen so many cars damaged buy the flooding in the last few days , many with water damage to wiring looms where water is forced into looms and up to connectors where people will drive at speed through water !
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 12 Jan 2014 23:27
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - Smileymilesy

Thank you for your replies. Looks like I'll be scrapping the car which is a real shame.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 12 Jan 2014 23:36
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - gordonbennet

Thank you for your replies. Looks like I'll be scrapping the car which is a real shame.

Amazing i would have thought, no used engine to be found?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 13 Jan 2014 00:32
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - Smileymilesy

The car hadn't been through water

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 13 Jan 2014 10:09
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - lordwoody

Mazda 3 engine on eBay...

http://tinyurl.com/qa25rht

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 15 Jan 2014 23:25
Mazda 3 TS2 1.6 D - Conrod through Engine - Morris Marina 1.3 Super

I would press the dealer to at least remove the sump and check the state of the big end (particularly on the con rod that failed) and main bearings. If the failure was caused by low/sludgy oil it will be pretty obvious by the state of the bearing(s). It's a few hours job to remove the sump , oil pump, bearings caps etc. The engine doesn't have to come out.

I think you need to determoine if the rod failed because of a defect in the rod itself (Mazda are then liable) or bearing seizure caused by poor lubrication. If it's the latter I don't think you have much of a case IMHO.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Choosing a child seat can be a quite baffling experience – there are so many sizes, types, brands and price points available that you might not know where to start.

How to choose the right child seat