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I now have a burnt oil smell coming from my engine bay after a few miles of driving. It's not b/c of an oil change either. It never goes away. Fluids are ok, although the brake fluid cap is heavily stained with fluid.
Any advice?
My advice is to AVOID this by buying elsewhere. I will never buy another Mazda product.
Ray
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Meade
But the problems listed sound like assembly problems, not something allegedly caused by the dealership. I don't think there IS another side to this story, other than, "Well sir, apparently your car came off the line late on Friday afternoon!"
I had similar experiences with a Mazda truck built by Ford; mine was a 1994 B2300 pickup. I won't go into details since I already feel the breath of maltb blowing down my neck. He's a Mazda employee too, so we have to keep that in mind when we dare criticize their rock-solid quality.
Ford seems to be having a lot of trouble with quality control lately. Case in point:
http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0210/13/a01-611243.htm
Mazda fans, please note (it's in my profile) that I'm one too. I'm on my third Protege since 1992, and it's been trouble-free for 48,800 miles (probably since it was built by Mazda in Japan with no Ford input). And we purchased my wife a new Protege5 last year. It seems to be only the Mazdas that Ford's gotten its greasy paws into that are problematic. Too bad for Mazda.
What kind of ignorant comment is that?? just because I am interested in BOTH sides of a story you make a comment like that? I guess in the real world your only interested in hearing one side to make up your mind on a topic. I didnt say the guy lied, I didnt say he was wrong, I didnt say the dealer or mazda was right. just wanted to hear both sides.
...maybe you think we should always believe one side of a story 100% and just ignore the other side because you say so.
tidester, host
- A Ford Engineering Supervisor, quoted from the article I posted earlier today
Just bought a Mazda Millenia S and I love it but it built was in Japan and isn't a clone of the Escape.
I have purchased Mazda products several times in the past and have been very pleased. I have a 1992 Miata that I hope to keep until I can physically no longer drive it.
Ray
My advice is try going to a different service dept.
Odie
The letter was filled with misinformation which tells me it was just a put-off. Steve Duran is the consumer complaint person and he will NOT call you back or answer you directly.
I was under the impression that Mazda would attempt a final repair like it says in their owner's manual. That was not offered to me at any time. I have contacted the BBB and will go on to an attorney if they cannot help me.
Buyer Beware!
Ray
Our '01 LX now has 27K on it. No problems in past 15K. It did have 1 stall, had some sensor replaced, had a creaky tailgate. Our Mazda dealer fixed em all cheerfull, the 1st time. I had fewer problems with my 85 Protege, all 5 Honda Civics my family has owned, and my new Hyundai Elantra. Still we like it for its looks, practical size & comfort relative to its perfomance.
Is it a perfect rig? N)! Are the all horrible? NO!
If I were to buy another mini-ute, I would look real hard at the new Honda CRV and Subbie Forester (almost bought one in 01, but liked Trib better, but now believe we could have done fine with the smaller Subbie).
Appreciate any advice.
Thanks
I have read all of the various horror stories on this board but so far my only complaint is the gas mileage. I can gas mileage. I can get 21 if the whole tank is highway miles, but any city driving and 18 is more common.
I am not experiencing the loud highway or wind noise that I have read so much about, nor is the engine loud. I read a number of comments about hard shifting, that the trans slams into the next gear etc. I find just the opposite, I cannot tell when it shifts other than looking at the tach.
I did notice that a lot of the complaints on the 2001 model were addressed with the 2002. Little things like the tuning, (or non-tuning), knob of the stereo now actually functions to tune the radio etc. The weird shift lever is still there. I wonder what vehicle they frankenstined that off of to save $6.
I know it's early in the life of this vehicle but hopefully, I can share some good experieces on this board since typically, only the minority who have had a bad experience post. (OK, I know that sound naive but I'm crossing my fingers)
Steve, Host
I just purchased 03 Tribute ES with list price of 25,089. I made deal with dealer to purchase $200 over invoice price. I paid 23,600 and change. Also got dealer to throw in a cargo tray for nothing. So far I'm very happy with the vehicle.
And yes this was for th 0% for 5 years!!! I love the way it drives - ZOOM ZOOM
Hope this helps alittle in your decision
Thanks. It helped very much. Talked with one dealer who made me the same offer over the phone. Shopped at another close by who added $1088 to the invoice price for advertising, etc. Said everyone does it. Result was a $27,819 vehicle would cost me $26,900 instead of the $26,150 I thought I'd need to pay. Will see the other dealer Saturday to determine if they all do it in this area (Southeastern VA). If they do, I'll need to find a different SUV to purchase.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
Thanks again!
officeroz
we pick it up monday after the inservice
Ray
Right now I’m being steered toward many different types by various dealers, which basically seems to be whatever type they have in stock and/or have the most of (and even different sizes, which I’m really not sure about). Some of the brands I’ve never even heard of before.
Right now I’m leaning toward the Yokahama Geolander HT or Michelins – either the LTX M/S or Cross Terrains, all of which I’d have to order since none are in stock anywhere near me. This is based on the reviews I’ve read at TireRack.com, which believe it or not has a lot of consumer reviews, good and bad, for all of the many tires they sell. It’s amazing so many people take time to write about their tire experiences.
Any advice on these two types, or any other recommendations? Now that these vehicles have been around for a few years, what types have you other Tribute/Escape owners used for replacements, and with what results?
~Josie~
Thoughts?
It could be that the brake pads are softer than average, which means shorter braking distances (and more frequent pad replacement).
officeroz
officeroz
As for the wire being there, hard to say without asking the dealer's shop folk. I tried to have the rear-view mirror with compass and thermometer installed and was informed the parts would be i60.00 but the labor would be about 360.00 because the wiring is not stubbed into the headliner...
1) have the timing check and maybe increased
2) watch you tach and make sure when you let off the gas (usually when the stall happens) make sure the tach doesn't drop to low.
if it does happen again, easy way to remedy without pulling over is to drop to neutral and do a rolling restart and pop back into drive.
any other questions just ask.
Odie
If memory serves, it was a TSB.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Odie
Over the weekend we bought an 03 Tribute LX for invoice less the dealer holdback plus $49 and got 0% financing. The dealer stated that there was no dealer cash available (otherwise the deal was that I would get it) Including 7.7% tax I walked out below $23K!
How do they stay in business. Did I miss something.
In any case, congrats on the new Tribute!
Steve, Host
Im in this discussion cause my Pathfinder lease is up soon and i'm trying to decide if i wanna buy it or get a new Tribute for the same monthly cost.