Ok i dont know if this is an ok thread to start, but here is my situation. My first engine blew mazda said it was my fault becuase i put the camshafts in myself. This happend 3500 to 4000k miles later. So I said ok and busted my bank accound and my credit card maxed at 3000 dollers just to pay for the new engine to be put in. Now almost 7000k miles later my transmition has a hole in it about six inches in diameter somehow igniting my fuel lines causing quit a bit of fire damage. Now the head tech at Frema Mazda in Goldsboro NC said that there where some various nuts and bolts missing from the engine that where missing when the new one was put in. Now keep in mind the transmition was never touched. I cant afford to pay for the new transmition to be put in, the work on that alone is an estimated 7500 $$ not includeing fire damage. Now because mazda putting the engine in they probably goofed something up near the transmition causing it to blow near 7000 miles later. I think this work should be done by mazda. I love my car but if they turn me down on this I will not be able to afford to pay for the work and my car will sit there. This car is my families only means of transportation. We have to ask our friends and neighbors for there car so we can get milk. Now i plan on bringing this thread to mazda so they can see how strong the (behind the scenes protege owners are.) So if you support my cause please leave your comment or post. thank you everyone for your help. You guys are the greatest!
Justin

 

IMHO, if they did the work on the car before the tranny blew, then it should be their dollar if it's under warranty. If you've done modifications to the engine or tranny, and its your fault, then i say don't bother wasting Mazda's money on fixing your problems. But definately hold them responsible for work they've done if that's what the problem is.

 

Oh man, do I feel for you!

Just to get this straight...

You buy your P5. You install camshafts, basically right after you get your car. Your engine blows, and they say they won't cover it because you DIY - sucks, but ok, I can buy that.

You pay $3G to have a new engine put in, which you find out now was 'missing' some nuts and bolts when they installed it. Why? Did they get up and walk away? Why didn't the techs pick through parts to replace the ones that were missing? Or better yet, get Mazda to send them a another new, this time complete, engine.

Now your transmission blows - something you personally haven't touched, right? And which, in some way or another they HAVE to work on to some extent when installing the new engine. And they want to pin the bill on you? WTF?!!

Who's to say that the new engine, the one mysteriously 'missing' some potentially vital pieces, didn't cause the tranny to go? If they were that sloppy and careless when installing the new engine, who's to say they didn't mess something up in your tranny? I mean, if you were to replace a tire, and find that you were suddenly missing a bolt when remounting the rim onto the car - you don't just say 'oh well, that won't be a problem'. You go out a buy a new one to replace it!

I absolutely agree with you that Mazda should pay the full cost of the tranny, and any other damage caused to your vehicle. The only way I would say that they weren't in any way responsible is if, like with the cams, you installed the new engine yourself.

Good Luck, and keep us posted.

 

well so far it looks better. the tech at mazda said that they think that the tranny might be covered. As for the harness that burned in the fire. He said they dont know about that yet so i am going to keep fighting. Thanks guys ill keep you posted.

 

Why did you change out your cams?

another good reason that i've not done anything major to my car that i can't change back in 30min,,,,,if anything goes wrong it's a headache,,,

but if all that's true,,,and you never messed with the tranny,,,,it should be covered cause when you replace of a f/f the tranny is bolted to the engine and if it is not installed correctly everything else down the line will fail,,,,

something i've learned,,,yeah i'll have my project car that i mess around with ,,,but i'll always have a car that is basically stock that i can get my family around and get to and from work with,,,not to lecture you or anything ,,,,alot of people don't realize what happens to these cars when you mod them

 

I believe he got the J-spec cams... more power.

 

I basically agree with you and everyone else...

If you did something to cause the problem, it's your a$$.

If the dealership screwed up the engine install that caused the tranny to go... they pay.

If the tranny went because of a defect, Mazda should pick up the tab.

Crazy concept but whoever is responsible for the problem should be responsible for the fix.

 

i did take on the responsability for the cams. My fault, paid for it lots of $$$$ now i never messed around with the tranny at all. Nor the new engine. As a mater of fact scince the new engine i have not dont anything to her but change the oil.

 

How did they know you even replaced the cams in the first place?

 

the techs at the mazda dealer are not idiots
all day, they work on mazda's and a suprising amount
of protege's everyday
(i know becuase i hang out there alot)

they could tell either by different size or welding or some way
basically, they could tell if it is stock or not

so, if he didn't tell them upfront, they will figure it out and tell him, "hey buddy, you didn't tell us about this, we don't appreciate it when you try to scam us" he did the right thing for taking responsibility

mazda should cover all the work they did
and by that, they should cover any damages to the original work and/or any damage which might be caused from the work done on the car to another part of the car. they SHOULD take responsibility. now that goes to all dealer, mechanics, shops out there, not only mazda. that is a known widespread policy

fight them man, and tell them to look at the parts of the tranny
show them that you did not mess with any of the parts since the new engine

hope everything goes well, I know excatly how you fell
*broke my own cluster when trying to install a new aftermarket lights in the protege*

 

If they'll cover the tranny failure and the tranny failure started the fire, it stands to reason that the fire damage should be covered too.

 

If the tranny was not touched, and Mazda did not make any disclaimers when they found his switched cams (such as; "The extra 10 horsepower from the cams may have an adverse effect on the transmission" - which we all know would be bullshit) - then the tranny should STILL be covered under the ORIGINAL 50,000 mile warranty.

It's not even a matter of whether they screwed it up in the engine replacement - who cares? If there were no contributing mods done to the car (PROVEABLE mods), the tranny should be fixed under warranty. As should any incidentals - like the fire damage.

No question.

~HH

 

if all else fails you do have insurance that will cover it too don't you?

 

Since when does auto insurance cover mechanical failure?

If your insurance company does, I'd like their name and number so I can sign up.

I think someone is a bit confuzzled.....

~HH

 

certain auto insurance plans cover fire damage... however this will cause your premium to increase...