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Bucket is empty...now passing out warm, fluffy towels and hot chocolate. :-)
I don't believe "the fix" is going to do much but slow down the problem but you gotta give Mazda a shot at fixing it. So my first new car in 13 years is in the shop for a rust problem before I've made a years worth of payments on it. Mazda screwed up.
And the reason for this post (aside from the required sob story and the "I can't believe its happening on a new car" rant)?
They lent me a 626 with about 20k on it.
Driving the 626 has given me a *whole* new appreciation of the M6. While there is nothing wrong with the 626 it also has none of the dynamics that make the M6 such a wonderful car to drive. There isn't anything particularly wrong with the 626 but it is *not* a spirited drive.
This is the 2nd time in a week I've driven another car. Each time I get back in the M6 it rewards me with a great drive.
How could Mazda have created such a sublime car and then screwed up the assembly?
I've never had a car with auto climate control before and I leave mine on all the time.
Do you know this to be a fact, or are you guessing? If it's true, then yes, it is a good feature. I wish all cars had that feature, especially when I used to work at Jiffy Lube....but I suspect that the dealership just told him that so that he wouldn't be worried about engine damage. If the engine shut down because of friction, you need a new engine.
Incoming!!!
Mark.
Mark.
He also painted over the seam sealer, even though the TSB specifically says not to do so. I am pissed.
The job was done fairly well and the folks at the dealer were straightforward and decent about the issue. Frankly, a couple of the service techs were sort of stunned that a Mazda would be having this issue so soon. It was pretty evident they are pretty damn proud of the M6 and pretty proud of Mazda for trying to get back to its sporty roots.
We'll see if it stops the rust. If so, Mazda is back to being OK in my book.
Still love driving the thing, too.
It is a very audible clunking noise. I'm just waiting for the whole suspension to just drop out of the body while driving. I will keep you posted.
Stafford
Did you happen to check the build date of that showroom copy?
If I'm not mistaken, some 2004's will show the "stain" because they began building them within the range. We also know that the range isn't 100% accurate right now so the problem might be fixed at the factory but Mazda would still need to update their affected VIN range.
- Though I do not have an M6, I know with early models in the WRX a couple of them experienced this noice when dirt/grime got into the suspension springs. This might be why you only experienced it durring going over bumps. The fix was cleaning the springs/suspension. This seemed to take care of the problem, and have not heard of this problem comming back again.
1) Why did this happen? and 2) How does this "fix" eliminate the rust?
She couldn't answer either and couldn't even describe the fix. She just kept saying take it to the dealer and they'll deal with it. It was like talking to a brick wall. She did admit that other cars have the same problem after I told them I know for a fact that other Canadian owners have contacted them.
I strongly suggested they get someone in H.O. to contact me to answer those 2 questions this week or I'll take that as an admission on their part that they don't know the cause and don't know how to correctly fix it in which case I may be forced to do something Mazda is not gonna like. I'm trying to be reasonable about this but I think I've just about had enough. The more I think about it the more ridiculous it is that my new car is rusting and I can't even get a straight answer out of Mazda.
O, man.
If not for Ford Mazda would seize to exist by now.
Only the Mazda6 built by the Auto Alliance plant exhibits the problem.
The 626, MX6 and Ford Probe which used to be build at the same plant - don't.
Let Mazda USA deal with that.
It's like talking to a wall!
There also isn't a single Ford vehicle which exhibits the "stain" either.
Someone messed up somewhere and these folks around here need it to be fixed ASAP. I think they deserve it.
Also, Mazda may not exist as Mazda currently, if ford didn't buy their 1/3 owning stake. But I'm sure another big automaker would've bought Mazda for cheaper. A great company like Mazda does not jsut seize to exist. They get bought up by other companies that look at it as a bargain. So the question is, would Mazda have been better off if they were bought by another automaker?
- And you have taken chemistry in college?? An experiment, take an iron nail and place it in a cup of water. See how long rust occures on it, I will guarentee you it will take much less than a Month, acutally less than a week! Steel can rust (on the surface) in less time than a month if exposed to the elements at a constant basis.
"I don't know if this has been mentioned before but....it appears that some models in the mitsubishi line are having some staining issues...Has anyone else heard or seen this??? "
- The Evo is having this problem, but I thought it was only in a specific area.
I was drawn to the Mazda 6s because of the incentives. Now, I'm not so sure. I do hope the 3 is going to be built in Japan so maybe that will make a difference in build quality.
Although, this specific issue hasn't shown up with Ford builds, Ford builds in general has a lot of issues. I read reviews on the Focus, Windstar and Taurus. They all have some sort of issues. Therefore I smell Ford Build quality...
I usually don't correct people in forums when it comes to spelling and grammar, but seize is the wrong word. It's "cease to exist".
My dealer still hasn't called me yet about the "fix". What do I have to do? Wait till my doors rust off, cause I'm not calling them again?
Good News:
I looked under the weather stripping on 10 cars. No rust. They were moving cars around so all of their 04 MZ6's were open. They had 34 on the lot. No build dates that I saw prior to 9/03.
Bad News: They still have 30 2003 MZ6's. All i's with AT. Some sport, some not.
Also, I really do not care for that new antenna. It's not some small aero device off the back of the roof. It is HUGE. Really kills the roof line IMO. I've never seen one so large.
Mark.
As far as the VIN range goes... according to the TSB, the last VIN affected is *M47672, which corresponds to vehicles built in late May. Mazda has previously stated that the problem was fixed on 7/22/03. However, there have been several sightings of rust/staining on vehicles with build dates as recent as 10/03. My take is that the problem has not been fixed at the factory.
kevin111... here is a link to the TSB:
Mazda TSB 09-020/03
In the Mitsu Evo's, they are finding rust on the rear bumper beam. The difference between our's and their's? Once you remove the bumper on the Evo, you can remove the rust and reprime/paint. In the door sash cavities on the 6, you can't get to the rust without tearing the door apart.
I wouldn't mind having Mitsubishi's rust warranty. Mazda's warranty only covers perforation (rust-through). Mitsubishi's warranty will cover "corrosion other than perforation (metal rust-through) due to defects in material or workmanship."
Those might end up as rental cars.
Bear in mind that corrosion is occuring well before you can see it, and it only takes minimal amounts of O2 and moisture for rust to begin on metal that has been compromised. As jstandefer mentioned, what we're seeing is the bleeding from where the rusting is taking place. It would have taken some time before it became visible to us, so it must have started very early on.
"but my point was, all the mazda 6s are the same design anywhere in the world, why are the only ones being built in US are having the problem?"
That's the million dollar question, isn't it? It's also why I don't believe Mazda's explanation about the soapy solution. Why is this particular solution only used in the North American plant? Why aren't ALL 6s affected by it? Why weren't the other cars produced there before the 6 affected? Etc, etc.
"that seems like the problem is here in the assembly not the design"
Exactly. This is not a defective part that can be swapped out. It is a defect in the manufacturing process that affected our cars from the moment they rolled off of the assembly line. They were sold to us as "new" cars, but were not in new condition. Mazda's reaction so far has been "take your fix and like it". Hmmm, wonder if I'll ever buy another Mazda...
"Try telescoping your steering column in and out a few times while moving it up and down. See if this has any effect?
Mark"
Thanks, Mark, that seems to have gotten rid of the problem! Hopefully that was all there was to it.
Rust bleed sounds like a good explanation, since what is visible on my car seems to wipe off. I have been worried about there being any rust I can't see, which is why i have many reservations regarding the "fix".
Just an update. I have finally been able to talk to a so called Mazda "specialist" by phone a number of times now. She assured me that sometime in the next week mazda will be contacting affected owners. I also mentioned compensation issues for loss of resale value and extended rust warrany which she didn't shut down but didn't say i'd get either. She has also contacted my dealer and told them they could take whatever steps necessary to make sure my car is fixed.
I get my car back today for yet another cel light at which time i will find out when and what they propose to do to fix the rust. I will keep everyone updated.
Car is running great and I still love it!!