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Comments
However, I want everyone to know that if we spend money on this proof, and the test comes back positive that the discoloration contains a significant amount of rust in it, and if the test also confirms that the "soapy solution" residue doesn't contain any substance that will harm the paint, then the media is going to have a field day with Mazda. Also, we will initiate legal proceedings to, at the very least, recover the cost of the laboratory analysis.
No if's, no but's, no exceptions.
1wiseguy: I'm not surprised. I'm sure Mazda wants to convey to owners that it's a minor problem.
"rates the Mazda6 as having the best reliablity and is a RECOMMENDED pick."
Rating a car that's a year old as having the best reliability is kind of funny. If they say this 5 years from now then I'll be impressed but I guess Mazda needs all of the positive press they can get right now.
Simple example: Even though the world disagreed with US on it's war on Iraq, nobody boycotted US and stopped doing business with US. Guess why?
As far as "kicking our own investment (car)", I don't need to, Mazda already did.
Not your theories, guesses or maybe's...but something scientifically rock solid that I can take to mazda and show them they are wrong???? Like you I want to get it right...I'm willing to go to bat for you but regretfully I can't just say to them...."newcar said so"
The only thing I KNOW is that there is rust on my brand new car. Identifing rust isn't rocket science, especially if you grew up in MN and took autobody classes at vo-tech during high school like I did. Mazda knows it's rust, but they refer to it as "staining" or "corrosion". It's rust, and that's not a guess or a theory or a maybe.
The only thing I want is a Mazda6 with a 100% rust free body and I am not confident that I will get that. I would absolutely LOVE to be proved wrong there. The problem is, that's hard to prove, especially if you cover up the area with seam sealer.
"As far as "kicking our own investment (car)", I don't need to, Mazda already did."
I don't want to kick the whole car, just the doors and the trunk. Might make me feel better.
jstandafer: Thanx for the effort. If your results are what I expect them to be then it will invaluable info to all owners. If the results are not what I expect then....Oh boy I just love my Mazda 6.
You look like you have it the worst and you are trying your best to keep your head up. You of all people have the biggest reason to gripe, however you like me will continue to drive the hell out of a remarkable automobile.
One conclusion we are starting to realize is we are stuck with our cars, as it is VERY unlikely a buyback will occur. I know I will not be getting rid of my 6 anytine soon. I will probably have it when the new air conditioning system kicks in from the perferation 10 years down the road. I will get a personalized licence plate "HOLYDOOR"
Will the depreciation or resale matter then, probably not as more problems than the doors will start to crop up.
I guess to each their own. Good luck to all who are trying "the fix".
Basically all affected owners are screwed one way or another and it's actually very sad unless we trade in to get a new one and take the depreciation hit which is sounding better and better.
Folks, didn't you have a weird feeling when we all bought our cars that it just seemed too perfect and something was going to go wrong. I'm thinking of going to court to change my last name to Murphy.
grove4: I hope you get your money back or at least a new car. It will give us some hope that Mazda will be reasonable with the most affected cars. Keep us posted. Good luck!
Craig
Personally, I wouldn't buy one or recommend buying one until we are reasonable sure the problem is fixed. It sounds like we have VINs that are out of the range that Mazda thought were affected, so it's anyone's guess as to what VINs or build dates are "safe".
The Mazda6 was #1 on my short list, but won't return to that position until/unless Mazda gets this resolved. I suspect it will be several months until we know, so I'm likely to buy something else before that happens.
Just by $.02
http://money.excite.com/ht/nw/bus/20031112/hle_bus-l12040438.html
Agent J.
"This is probably the most expected action, and the least disruptive to Ford's debt and the overall market," said Mitchell Stapley, chief fixed-income officer at Fifth Third Investment Advisors.
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Yes, please start a rust discussion group so the rest of us can continue discussing the car without having to have every other message start with, "Well, that's nice, but my car is still rusting!"
2. I believe the rust stains are caused becuase primer+paint did not reach the insides of the extremely thin gap between the weatherstrip channel and the door sash. It should have been sealed and then painted, right at the factory. They could have saved a lot of owners a lot of grief. This process is not unusual. It is carried outin all vehicles where there is metal to metal contact which is inaccesible during the primer + paint process.
Just follow that link to get there.
And Edmunds prolly can't for obvious reasons, anyway
Its a Problem, and a Solution is in the works. Lets handle it there.
Back to topic - drove my Mazda 6 to lunch today, and its so incredibly planted even on wet, slippery roads. Even with the icky (not-sticky!) Michelin tires. A joy to drive in this kind of otherwise-depressing weather.
Gotta agree on that. The '89 Civic with 189,000 and about 68hp is the usual commute vehicle to work. Trouble is when it rains and everyone is driving like a slug you can't get passed them in the Civic. So the M6 came out to play today.
It is simply amazing in the wet weather.
Having bought this car in March and went thru 2 snowstorms befor spring hit, I was simply amazed how stable this car is in rough weather. Feels like you could put 20" inch rims and still feel secure in winter. Feel as safe as I did in my old Subaru.
The MZ6 is one of the most researched cars on the internet, including edmunds...so people are aware... but it does not seem to be hurting our sales at this point...I also have the current month to date mazda sales in the northeast region and the MZ6 is the volume leader over all other product.
Today, I saw a Lapis Blue 6s with the sport package and chromed 17" factory wheels. Wow! That looked awesome. My poor little base 6i doesn't even look close to that car... without a sport package and alloy wheels, the 6i is actually quite ugly, especially in white like mine. I was going to put wheels and tint, and the accessory sport package on mine, but all that changed when the problems started (about week 2). I miss my beautiful Classic Red Protege ES... I used to get compliments on that car on a daily basis.
I thought about discussing the rust issue with a rep there, but I didn't want to ruin a good time.
The other thing Mazda doesn't do, but some manufacturers like Lexus do, is light up the instrument display. Man, that helps! It gives you a better feel for the excitement of sitting in the car and driving it. A completely dark display in the 6s is just, umm, disappointing? "Nothing to see here, move along..." I mean, really, how much money would it cost Mazda NA to alter these cars to show a lit-up display?
The last nit was in the 6s, as with many cars there, the driver seat adjustments are electronically controlled. Cool, but useless with the car off. So the car there had the seat adjusted for a 6'5" guy with really long arms, making it useless for any ordinary person (like myself) to sit in it and imagine. There has to be a way to make the seat functions work too.
People come there to imagine themselves driving in the car, sit in the interior and get a real good feel for it. When car manufacturers spend so much time disabling their cars for these shows, it really takes away from the imaginative experience (IMO).
Of course, they could just pull the fuses on everything but the internal lights and power seats, but I think it's easier for the convention hall staff to just disconnect the car battery than figure out what fuses to pull on each and every car. I think the codes are meant to prevent fuel from being pumped, cars getting started, and so on.
No doubt that it's better but fire codes have a lot to do with it as do rates for electrical service and labor. Having to pay $150 per outlet or paying an hour's worth of labor for a licensed electrician to plug something in makes shows very expensive. I've learned that a roll of $20's gets the work done faster.
Something totally surprised me the other day at the dealership. Has anyone seen the 2004 MPV? Wow... now that's a sporty minivan, and one that will wear the Mazdaspeed badge very well. I wish they would update the MazdaUSA website with pics of the 2004s.
I have been to several shows where Mazda had external power wired up to certain cars. Usually they were the Millenia with it's electroluminescent gauges and the MPV with the video entertainment system. I'm sure it depends on the show.
As for the knobs, Mazda leaves them in, but they disappear very fast. Anything that is removable is pretty much guaranteed to be stolen. I've worked at a few auto shows in the Mazda area, and there is just no way to keep an eye on every vehicle.
Accord7, I'm with you. I never even considered the Sport Packedge. However, I do feel the OEM 17" look nicer. My personal favorite would be the base car with the OEM 17". I have a set from mazdastuff that I picked up in September. I'm going to run them in the spring with a set of Kumhos and keep the 16" for winter. Hopefully I will still own the car this time next year.
Alloys are a must especially 17" wheels. Don't think I've ever seen a car with hubcaps that looks good.It's like the difference between a woman with a nice dress wearing sneakers instead of high heels. Just doesn't seem right.