Warning About An Agent And Some Advice

[jdnet]

Not sure if this type of post is allowed but I thought I'd post it anyway just to help you guys out. Mods if it's not allowed please delete it. Thanks.

Anyway as some of you may know I have a little mechanical knowledge and am an avid DIYer when it somes to cars. So yesterday after working on the IO a little more I had to take a drive to buy a timing belt and such for and and on my way to panchicawatte my tribute started shaking violently at idle and stalled a couple of times. Since I was on the road and didn't want to drive home and figure out the problem myself, with the car in that state, I decided to take it to the nearest garage which said its probably a timming issue and the agents would be able to scan my car for codes.

I took it to the mazda agent in union place and had it checked, I've previously had my car checked here and they came up with an outrageous diagnosis so I thought I would never visit them again. Stupid me, I decided to go back just because I didn't want to risk driving the car home.

After inspecting the tribute they diagnosed the problem as a bad engine misfire (i've worked on cars with misfires before and they did not shake like that.I did know my plugs were bad and they were randomly misfiring that's kinda why I ordered them online and I'm waiting to recieve the shipment. Anyway their solution to the problem was that I install brand new coil packs, new spark plugs, egr valve and the iac valve. They said the parts will take 3 weeks to get here. They even suggested I replace the entire engine because I also have a small leak in the timing chain cover (the only thing that needs to be done is put in a new gasket and I haven't got around to it).

After working at a garage for a few years one thing I know is that when a mechanic says you need to change so many parts, he probably does not know what he's talking about. Nine times out of ten if you have a problem that suddenly appears, it's only one part that causes it.

Well after driving it back home and finishing the work on the io I decided to have a go at the tribute today. Checked everything and finally found the problem. It was simple qoutre simple to say the least. A vacuum hose had come loose. I should've known this before but without actually inspecting the car till today I really wasn't sure. I simply put the hose back in place and the car runs fine.

Now my reason for posting this is to help you all avoid outrageous costs to fix a car thanks to the makabasses in this country. The garage down the street and the agents have the same idiots working for them and neither place is better. What I want you to know is this short list

1. You may not have time in your life to study about cars or fix problems yourself, but try atleast a bit to use the search feature on sites like autolanka or even google to find out what the symptoms in your vehicle mean. This could save you from much unneeded repairs. If you are at a loss about what the problem you have is then make a post on this website, there are plenty of people here with plenty of experience who will be more than happy to answer non-tax related questions and help you atleast get an idea of what your problem could be.

2. Try to atleast get a basic understanding of your car and the common problems it faces. You may not always get these problems but if they do show up atleast you would be aware of them.

3. Always get a second opinion on a major repair or any repair that costs more than a couple of thousand rupees.

4. Coil packs don't need to be replaced every 100,000 or so as most mechanics would have you believe. What you need to replace are the boots. When they become damaged over time or have build up they have the tendency to cause misfires and if the rubber seal goes bad they will leak water in causing further problems. Changing the boots it a whole lot cheaper than changing an entire coil plug. If an entire coil pack goes bad, just replace the one that's bad. Chances are, most of you will probably go put in a used one anyway so putting in 6 used coil packs doesn't mean they will all start working like they are brand new.

5. The agents may not always be correct on their diagnosis as when a problem is common in a certain model and your car starts to have it they may think that the same applies to you even though it maybe be completely different.

6. I want to stress this point again. You should always try to educate yourself on the specific of the car you drive. If you are willing to get your hands dirty invest in a small ratchet and socket set and try changing the spark plugs yourself. If it's a four cylinder car it should be the easiest job in the world. You will actually start to feel alot better about your car once you get your hands dirty. Although there are plenty of problems that niether you and I will be able to solve ourselves, even something as simple as changing a spark plug is a good start to gain some awareness and interest in the automotive world.

Anyway this is just my two cents.

Edited November 27, 2010 by jdnet

[SeanD]

Good work, suggest you go back and talk to the guy and also the management and give them a piece of your mind...Could say you're some connected chap whose goin to take them to court or something That should scare them a bit.

[isurujosh]

thanks for very valuable info.

but on another note mazda agent's service is by no way comparable to any other agent. the agent in questions here (mazda/peugeot) is so bad that not even their company's big/biggest/owner wigs are said to be getting their car sorted there.

Edited November 27, 2010 by isurujosh

[jdnet]

Good work, suggest you go back and talk to the guy and also the management and give them a piece of your mind...Could say you're some connected chap whose goin to take them to court or something That should scare them a bit.

Well I'm not even going to waste my time talking to them again. Just posted this here so someone can lern from this. There are probably people out there who may just take their word for it and end up doing needless repairs so I just wanted to offer my advice on how they could save their hard earned money.

[jdnet]

thanks for very valuable info.

but on another note mazda agent's service is by no way comparable to any other agent. the agent in questions here (mazda/peugeot) is so bad that not even their company's big/biggest/owner wigs are said to be getting their car sorted there.

You're welcome. Just thought i'd offer some notes for the new members of the automotive cult.

About the agent; I really don't think it's even worth spending time discussing. I know they are probably the worst out there at the moment, but, I've seen similar problems arise when my father has taken his vehicles to other agents or mechanics. When I get a problem in my car I usually try to diagnose it before letting someone else touch it. I've been working on cars ever since I bought my first car so unless it's a big problem which I don't have the equipment for, it's rare that I let anyone else fix my car for me.

[Buddhika M H]

Thats really true. Thanks for the info.

[Sylvi]

Not sure if this type of post is allowed but I thought I'd post it anyway just to help you guys out. Mods if it's not allowed please delete it. Thanks.

6. I want to stress this point again. You should always try to educate yourself on the specific of the car you drive. If you are willing to get your hands dirty invest in a small ratchet and socket set and try changing the spark plugs yourself. If it's a four cylinder car it should be the easiest job in the world. You will actually start to feel a lot better about your car once you get your hands dirty. Although there are plenty of problems that neither you and I will be able to solve ourselves, even something as simple as changing a spark plug is a good start to gain some awareness and interest in the automotive world.

Anyway this is just my two cents.

jdnet,

Please pardon me for removing some parts of your post for my reply. As i find your last para (6) is the most valuable part on your post for Automobile owners to read and store in their mind.

You had put every thing in black and white how many motorists had faced this problem with the agents today almost all reputed agents who represent Manufactures do not have competent staff to find out the correct problem they all do trail and error changing components in a automobile although they will have a engine analyzer they simply guess and start changing components of your engine ultimately the problem will correct when you had changed the correct faulty component. By this time they had changed one or more unwanted usable components.

Two years ago I had to buy a front wheel suspension part for my Vehicle agents did not have that part page of the catalog I explained and told the sales department I want this part but they did not understand then I had to visit their work shop with one sales man to show the part from a vehicle which had come for a repair in the work shop I had to go under the vehicle and show the part which I wanted to buy.

In your last Para you had emphasized is better to do it yourself that is a GOLDER ADVICE YOU HAD GIVEN FOR MOTORISTS.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

[dhana8706]

Im not surprised dats mazda agents.

[harshansenadhir]

Thanks for sharing this and knew this fact for a long time and never had any experience with a Mazda at them though. These two brands are suffering in Sri Lanka thanks to them. It's my personal opinion but I'm sure there are many who would agree on that. They're very very famous for asking to replace everything. Peugeot 406 2ltr engines develop a similar random miss and it could be one of injector rail, ECU, ignition coil pack or the fuel pump. If a customer get there with this issue, they propose to change everything I've mentioned above. Same happened to jd it seems.

I pray that these dealerships will get transferred to either a different company or different management who believes in sustaining long term business relationships, customer satisfaction and branding rather than making a quick buck and bugger off.

[heavyD]

Super post machang. This thread should be be stickied!

[SeanD]

In your last Para you had emphasized is better to do it yourself that is a GOLDER ADVICE YOU HAD GIVEN FOR MOTORISTS.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

Well you're one to talk, considering it's less than a week since you highly recommended said agent and even told me to ask their CEO for a reference on you

[Watchman]

Well you're one to talk, considering it's less than a week since you highly recommended said agent and even told me to ask their CEO for a reference on you

hahahhaaaa!!! you just made my day.

And funny how sylvi uncle (in his initial post before he removed the part) was bitching about local mechanics who do all sorts of crazy stuff to cars when uncle himself claims to so so much stupid shit that Chinese van of his by removing parts and replacing them with 'japanese' parts.

Uncle what happened, old age leading to memory loss eh?

[SeanD]

hahahhaaaa!!! you just made my day.

And funny how sylvi uncle (in his initial post before he removed the part) was bitching about local mechanics who do all sorts of crazy stuff to cars when uncle himself claims to so so much stupid shit that Chinese van of his by removing parts and replacing them with 'japanese' parts.

Uncle what happened, old age leading to memory loss eh?

Gannako unkel, memory PLUS

Btw, forgot to mention that said discussion was via PM.

[jdnet]

Can we please not make this thread about sylvi? I for one am a bit tired of reading sylvi's misinformation and the posts against him.

And sylvi, in this thread I did not tell anyone that fixing a car themselves is better. I merely said that they could save some money if they could educate themselves about how a car works and the problems specifc to their vehicle and start by learning how to fix little things like spark plugs first, No one is capable of doing everything themselves.

Now please keep this on track and please stop crapping on this thread.

Edited November 28, 2010 by jdnet

[isurujosh]

sorry jdnet but this must be said OT. i think uncle is taking everyone on a ride. i think he's having a great laugh over all people who get all worked up by his posts. as they say, best antidote is "IGNORE".

[Ripper]

Thanks for the info mate. and sorry about the experience...

I suppose this is what happens when some monkeys are given high tech equipment but no knowledge to figure out a problem beyond codes machines throw out.

Codes get thrown around for different issues as well and to date isn't the most accurate system to diagnose

like you said...some mechanics will try to replace everything that the scanner spots as a possible problem

Then those who listen to these morons and replace everything then goes around bashing the brand saying mazda's are un-reliable...

We should maybe find a way to contact Mazda itself and complaint about these jokers...

[hakjay]

I just want to know, the cars you guys mention are they brand new which have been imported and sold by the said agents? From what I can infer is that most of the brand new cars are bought by companies for their chairman, CEO .... and when something goes wrong thay just send it for repairs to the agent. Then Agent does a nice number on them since the company will just pay the bill. It's us individuals who will check everything since its our hard earned $$$. But from experience Stafford and Toyota Lanka have and eaven UM ( except that the huy said I have to change oil every 3000KM for my IO) have been reasonable.

[heavyD]

I just want to know, the cars you guys mention are they brand new which have been imported and sold by the said agents? From what I can infer is that most of the brand new cars are bought by companies for their chairman, CEO .... and when something goes wrong thay just send it for repairs to the agent. Then Agent does a nice number on them since the company will just pay the bill. It's us individuals who will check everything since its our hard earned $$$. But from experience Stafford and Toyota Lanka have and eaven UM ( except that the huy said I have to change oil every 3000KM for my IO) have been reasonable.

It doesn't really matter whether it's brand new or not does it? People who have the cash to spend might even encourage the agent to do more repairs than is needed simply for peace of mind.

[Sifaan]

Is it worth to try complaining about this to the carmart management?

[harshansenadhir]

Answering both Sifaan and Ripper: So far it wasn't useful or worked. Went to the extend of writing to mother company (not Mazda ) but nothing seemed to have changed, but we must continue to do it.

When the management does not treat employees well and care about sustainability, customer satisfaction and brand development, results of this nature would be expected.

[aamarakoon]

Cant we avoid the agents altogether?

[jdnet]

I suppose this is what happens when some monkeys are given high tech equipment but no

Agreed.

Hey atleast it's comforting to know that the agents are there if you ever run out of blinker fluid.

[jdnet]

Cant we avoid the agents altogether?

why not?

[SpeedyAsA]

Not sure if this type of post is allowed but I thought I'd post it anyway just to help you guys out. Mods if it's not allowed please delete it. Thanks.

Anyway as some of you may know I have a little mechanical knowledge and am an avid DIYer when it somes to cars. So yesterday after working on the IO a little more I had to take a drive to buy a timing belt and such for and and on my way to panchicawatte my tribute started shaking violently at idle and stalled a couple of times. Since I was on the road and didn't want to drive home and figure out the problem myself, with the car in that state, I decided to take it to the nearest garage which said its probably a timming issue and the agents would be able to scan my car for codes.

I took it to the mazda agent in union place and had it checked, I've previously had my car checked here and they came up with an outrageous diagnosis so I thought I would never visit them again. Stupid me, I decided to go back just because I didn't want to risk driving the car home.

After inspecting the tribute they diagnosed the problem as a bad engine misfire (i've worked on cars with misfires before and they did not shake like that.I did know my plugs were bad and they were randomly misfiring that's kinda why I ordered them online and I'm waiting to recieve the shipment. Anyway their solution to the problem was that I install brand new coil packs, new spark plugs, egr valve and the iac valve. They said the parts will take 3 weeks to get here. They even suggested I replace the entire engine because I also have a small leak in the timing chain cover (the only thing that needs to be done is put in a new gasket and I haven't got around to it).

After working at a garage for a few years one thing I know is that when a mechanic says you need to change so many parts, he probably does not know what he's talking about. Nine times out of ten if you have a problem that suddenly appears, it's only one part that causes it.

Well after driving it back home and finishing the work on the io I decided to have a go at the tribute today. Checked everything and finally found the problem. It was simple qoutre simple to say the least. A vacuum hose had come loose. I should've known this before but without actually inspecting the car till today I really wasn't sure. I simply put the hose back in place and the car runs fine.

Now my reason for posting this is to help you all avoid outrageous costs to fix a car thanks to the makabasses in this country. The garage down the street and the agents have the same idiots working for them and neither place is better. What I want you to know is this short list

1. You may not have time in your life to study about cars or fix problems yourself, but try atleast a bit to use the search feature on sites like autolanka or even google to find out what the symptoms in your vehicle mean. This could save you from much unneeded repairs. If you are at a loss about what the problem you have is then make a post on this website, there are plenty of people here with plenty of experience who will be more than happy to answer non-tax related questions and help you atleast get an idea of what your problem could be.

2. Try to atleast get a basic understanding of your car and the common problems it faces. You may not always get these problems but if they do show up atleast you would be aware of them.

3. Always get a second opinion on a major repair or any repair that costs more than a couple of thousand rupees.

4. Coil packs don't need to be replaced every 100,000 or so as most mechanics would have you believe. What you need to replace are the boots. When they become damaged over time or have build up they have the tendency to cause misfires and if the rubber seal goes bad they will leak water in causing further problems. Changing the boots it a whole lot cheaper than changing an entire coil plug. If an entire coil pack goes bad, just replace the one that's bad. Chances are, most of you will probably go put in a used one anyway so putting in 6 used coil packs doesn't mean they will all start working like they are brand new.

5. The agents may not always be correct on their diagnosis as when a problem is common in a certain model and your car starts to have it they may think that the same applies to you even though it maybe be completely different.

6. I want to stress this point again. You should always try to educate yourself on the specific of the car you drive. If you are willing to get your hands dirty invest in a small ratchet and socket set and try changing the spark plugs yourself. If it's a four cylinder car it should be the easiest job in the world. You will actually start to feel alot better about your car once you get your hands dirty. Although there are plenty of problems that niether you and I will be able to solve ourselves, even something as simple as changing a spark plug is a good start to gain some awareness and interest in the automotive world.

Anyway this is just my two cents.

Thanks Much for sharing the valuable info jdnet. We should always be careful with this kind of idiots. Thanks again.

[LaZyBoY]

why not?

The incompetence and overall poor standard of service at Carmart is legendary. It's a real shame too, given the company has such a long and illustrious past. As a hapless owner of a Mazda, where might one look for salvation? Mazna Motors? are they largely considered to be the best 3rd party garage for Mazdas?