Mazda 6 (2002 - 2007)
2.0 Sport Diesel
Nice car totally let down by clutch problems.
I bought a 3 years old Mazda 6 Sport diesel with a full Mazda dealer service history, with an admittedly high 108,000 miles on the odometer.
After I had the car for a few months, the clutch started slipping, so I had to have a new clutch assembly fitted by my local Mazda dealer, who kindly relieved me of £760. At the time I thought OK, it's done a lot of miles, I don't expect clutches to last forever.
What I did not expect was a complete clutch failure two months later! Which as one would expect, was replaced under warranty free of charge.
Approximately two years and 13,000 miles later, the clutch started slipping again. I was told by the Mazda dealer the problem was the dual mass flywheel, which along with another clutch assembly, was fitted for an eye watering £1,560.
Now two years down the line, and another 13,000 miles, I find the clutch is slipping again.
On going back to the Mazda dealer, to ask what was wrong with the clutch components they were fitting to my car, that they only lasted 13,000 miles, I was asked "have you thought of changing your car". Brilliant!!!
So in just over four years of ownership and less than 30,000 miles, I've experienced four clutch failures, including the original.
It was suggested to me, at the dealers, the problem was "pilot error", like, after driving for fifty years I'm incapable of driving without burning clutches out at an alarming rate. Even the most inexperienced, inept, incompetent learner driver, would do better than I have.
The last car I owned, for fourteen years from new, only had one clutch replacement at about the 90,000 mile mark.
They have just fitted another dual mass flywheel and clutch assembly, again costing me another £1500. But this time the dealer has sent the flywheel and clutch back to Mazda UK in hope of a warranty claim. Surely they must realise this time, something must be wrong with the components, if the flywheel needed replacing as well as the clutch, at such a ridiculously low mileage. Here's hoping.