To follow up, I exchanged letters for a while with someone at Mazda, who eventually offered to repay the cost of the regen and oil as 'a goodwill gesture'. Seeing as taking a massive cooperation like Mazda to court would be a hassle and cost I don't think I can cope with, I accepted with the usual guff about how I was disappointed they wouldn't take responsibility, blah, blah, blah.
I now go for the Italian tune-up/using 6th less option in the hope that the automatic regen does work, but tbh, I'm getting ready for another round of letter writing in a few months as I don't believe it will. As people have said, if this is just a motorway car and is totally unsuitable for town driving, then Mazda should have made this very clear when I bought it.
To answer things from above, the new Mazda6 doesn't have a light on when it is regenerating (you can sometimes smell it if you've been driving for a while then stop at traffic lights) so you can't really tell when it's in the middle of something so you can keep driving.
Also, other than this, I absolutely love the car and can't think of anything I would change (that said, I am comparing it to the old style Astra I had before, so technology wise it's like going from Stephenson's Rocket to the Starship Enterprise) and have had a really helpful response from two of three Mazda dealers I dealt with, so I'm not having a go at manufacturers/dealers, just complaining about a fairly major design problem with this car that Mazda seem to want to ignore.
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The DPF in the new 2.2d models is different and regens less often and quicker. So they did learn from the early cars.
Recently I've done thousands of miles in a few months of motorway driving and less local driving. The oil level has not gone up and the oil has gone blacker as you'd expect in a diesel. So they do need driving like this a bit of the time and not just local trips. I still do a lot of local/short trips as well though.
Nobody mentioned this to me either when choosing the car.
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Apologies if you see this post twice but wasn't sure which was the most appropriate thread to add it to. Just to add a bit from comments on this thread, we had no idea the car was only suitable for certain types of driving. If we had been told that it was not suitable for short journeys (it's a people carrier - shopping cart and school run car!!) and/or it dumps diesel in the sump I would have run a mile. I think Mazda and some car enthusiasts with 'mechanical knowledge' have convinced themselves this is acceptable. It is far from acceptable.
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3 weeks ago our 56 plate Mazda 5 Furano 2.0D suffered an engine failure. It was similar to those described elsewhere (e.g. smoke, over-running and loss of power). We have just heard back from Mazda Customer Services to say that there is a hole in one of the pistons but it will not be covered by the warranty as the failure was due to the oil level being too high. Also, they say the ECU shows the DPF light came on (correct, it came on when the engine failed). I am waiting for them to fully explain how this has happened and what they are going to do about it but their communications so far suggest they will not be accepting it as a warranty claim. Since being told about the diagnosis, I have been waiting several days whilst Mazda skirt around the costs and what they are going to do so I phoned the dealer after hours and asked the receptionist to look it up on the screen. They have prepared an estimate for about £7,500. If you check the 2nd hand value, the car is not far from a write off. Note to Nick1969: you have paid the full retail cost for your repair so not only have Mazda not covered the cost, they have actually profited from the repairs as well.
We have had a terrible run of trouble with this car, starting with a turbo failure in the first year. I won't bore you with all the details (yet) but we have had all the problems I am reading about on the forum - excessive tyre wear, unexplained loss of power etc. We have had appalling service from our local dealer, who were on one occasion caught talking about placing a kipper in our heating system (presumably because we had the audacity to return the car with a number of faults), not realising my wife had arrived at reception and heard every word.
The dealer was subsequently reorganised after other customer complaints and then later shut down, I am told after failing a financial audit when Mazda changed provider to Santander. On the advice of a senior member of Mazda management, we had already changed dealer to one 25 miles away as my wife got very upset at the thought of going into our local dealer.
I have been doing a lot of homework since the engine failure and I am gob-smacked. This is a people carrier i.e. designed to take the kids to school and do the shopping and so it is obviously going to be used for some short journeys. Our use of the car has been very average - short and regular longer journeys on main roads and motorways. We didn't know anything about DPF filters and rising oil levels until doing this research after the engine failure. It's all very well some of the car enthusiasts on this forum stating it's owner stupidity, but manufacturers are quite aware that 99% of people just buy a car because it has, in this case sliding doors and handy seating arrangement. The average owner knows nothing about the engineering problems associated with DPF and couldn't care less - they just want a reliable car that gets them from a to b. If I bought a Lamborghini then I would expect some ownership compromises but this is a bog standard saloon car-based people carrier. In our case we are very diligent and look after our possessions. We have regularly checked the fluid levels and didn't notice any increase. Neither did the dealer at any of the services which were all carried out exactly on time, or at any other of the numerous times the car was in the dealer (according to my diary about 10% of ownership it has been sat in the dealer).
I am waiting for Mazda to return to me officially with details of the repair and their proposals. Reading this forum I am rather worried as to the outcome. Any owners with similar problems are welcome to contact me.
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It's appalling how Mazda have failed to recify these issues, utterly shocking. If their diesel models, as fitted with a DPF, can't cope with any mix of driving then they aren't fit for purpose and should be withdrawn from the market and all customers should be fully compensated.
Mazda should either produce fully developed no maintenance DPF technology, inline with customer requirements and expectations, or drop diesel engines from their range or buy in another manufactures proven DPF technology.
Mazda wake up, you're losing customers, both existing and potentially new ones by not honouring the spirit of the warranty.
Mazda should offer to replace this particular problem vehicle with a completely new one (petrol engine) and a fresh warranty plus a compensation package as a goodwill gesture for all the stress & trouble their product has caused this customer, then maybe just maybe they would regain some respect.
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My VOLVO C30 D5 has this problem. Blew up on the motorway. All this is sadly familiar. My dealer is currently faffing around trying to identify a solution to this clearly manufacturor wide issue. It sucks
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I've posted on another thread about our Mazda 6 diesel DPF problems which were repaired under guarantee with no quibbles - www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=70...7. Are we the only lucky ones?
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Sure enough lucky for you - we'll im happy that you got it and im sure everyone else is.. At least Mazda are giving some credit to people. This is my post:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=77...5
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Hi all,
I have a 06 plate Mazda6 143ps 2.0 Diesel and the DPF light has started to flash. Can anyone tell me what to do? Reading through Forums there seems to be some conflicting stories about whether a dealer visit is needed. Appreciate anyones help.
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What does it say in the handbook? If it's the same as mine then the light would have been on steady first to say DPF needs clearing by driving with high revs. If you continue to ignore this then it will flash which means take it to the dealer for them to do a regeneration. Do not drive this car apart from getting it to the dealer.
Failure to do anything could require a new DPF. It might already.
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Went to look at a a Mazda5 2.0d Sport at a dealer today, the DPF light was on and was flashing, it felt a little gutless in the test drive too (though was only "allowed to go for 2-miles in a 30-zone!!) He wanted £6900 against £7995 PArkers guide price, it was without service for 14,500 miles, had dond 83k miles so I think it might be due a cam belt too.
I desperately need a car so was still quite keen as my wife really likes the look of these and the dealer agreed a price of £6350, in the end I found it only had 1-months MOT too so drew teh line there and have not bought it.
Looks like with the costs mentioned on this thread and the continuing problems people have had I may have made the right choice, but out of interest what "amount" would people allow to 1. Service, 2. Replace Cambelt, 3. Regen DPF..
And what is the likelihood the turbo is gone? My audi A4has a nice little whine when the turbo kicks in, should the Mazda5 have somethign similar?
Cheers
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An unfair test. The DPFs need to be understood but the test drive you mention was in one that needed regeneration and therefore in reduced performance mode!
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Hi all
I'm new to this forum though in no way new to the Mazda DPF problems. I have a Mazda6 2.0 TD 143, 2007, bought in January 2010 as second owner. Full Mazda Service History. Excellent car to drive - I like it more than my 318 I traded it in for.
I had almost identical problems to yorksroyal. The car has been in for the engine overrun in Feb 2010 as a Factory Recall remapping and has now been in 3 more times; oil/filter change after DPF light came on flashing with TCS and Check Engine lights - there was no DPF warning before this happened. Then again a week later for a Manual DPF Regen after similar warning light issues (with no prior DPF warnings). The tird time its a new DPF after the lights came on again. I raised a Formal Investigation with Mazda UK.
Checked oil level before any long journey - never moved above Full, so if Regen is happening, it is happening completely with no drain back into the sump.
My local dealer is really helpful but I get the feeling they are left in the dark by Mazda UK. I also get the feeling I am paying for all these repairs while they learn what the problem really is.
Surely if the DPF got to the point it needed replacing, I should have had a DPF warning light before total failure, to tell me to do an auto regen by driving it. (I do about 350 miles a week, mostly motorways with appropriate engine speeds for auto regento happen).
I am not an auto engineer but I can analyse things! Surely all these oil/filter changes, DPF regens etc are only treating the symptoms of a fundamental and inherrent problem in the engine?
I have today written to Mazda UK to see if I can get any response from them. If anyone else has had Mazda acknowledge this problem, and had a satisfactory outcome from Mazda UK, I'd be pleased to hear from you.
Edited by velocityblade on 16/03/2010 at 12:57
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hi to all, i'm also a new member to this forum and feel the need to add my experience with the awful DPF system fitted to mazdas. i own a 2006 Mazda 5 diesel that has now covered approximately 34,000 miles. i have been forced to change the oil and filter 4 times in the course of 5000 miles. My Mazda is driven on 50/50 motorway and town journeys. The DPF light seems to have been on, flashing for most of those 5000 miles.
The Mazdas diesel particulate filter is cleaned periodically by a proccess that i find, quite simply, ridiculous. For those of you who don't know how the DPF is cleaned. When the DPF starts to become blocked with soot from burnt diesel, the engines 'electronic control unit' (ecU) picks up a signal to inject extra fuel into the engine. This is the beginning of the regeneration proccess. The extra fuel is suppose to make its way out of the engine via the exhaust manifold and eventually soak the blocked sooty internals of the DPF. if you are lucky enough at to be travelling at a constant speed with engine revs at 2500 rpm or above, for 10 to 15 minutes, the DPF will get hot enough to burn the soot and blast it out and the regeneration proccess should be completed successfully. Unfortunately if you are not, the soaked sooty DPF will become even sootier and the majority of the extra injected diesel into the engine will leak past each of the 4 pistons and combine with the engine oil. obviously after several of these failed regenerations, the engine oil level increases to a critical level which is marked by an X on the dip stick. With the oil volume increased by as much as 40% above its normal safe level the engines internal pressure is excessively increased . The dilluted oil is now forced into the engines air intake system via breathers and back into the combustion chambers, burnt and into the blocked DPF adding to the initial problem. The engine oil is also so dilluted by the diesel fuel it is not lubricating the engine as it should. i have found that once the DPF light starts flashing the only way to successfully regenerate the DPF is by changing the oil and filter and then taking the car for 20 minute stint on the motorway ( 70mph in 4th gear).
i really can't believe Mazda have chosen to ignore this major problem and to add insult to injury, actually profit considerably by charging for; code reading the problem, changing the oil and filters and then putting the cars through a static regeneration cycle with their own diagnotic machinery. People with these diesel Mazdas need to be aware that failure to act when the DPF light is flashing or constantly illuminated. could lead to major engine failure, to an eventual bill of thousands of pounds.
This particular DPF system is very badly thought through and obviosly not tested properly before being put into production.
owners need to complain the Mazda direct.
it appears it's not only Mazdas that 's have problems with their DPF system !
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hi mate!
Yet another one. i had an engine over-run because of this DPF system but never had any warning lights. check out this: http://www.mazda6forums.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,435.0.html (this is my post)
i have many others posts on here too regarding this. i am slowly taking mazda to court and my mazda 6 2008+ has been sitting on my drive useless for 8 months now. i stopped paying 3 months back and i got the finance people on my back because mazda ignore everything and blame it all on me... So your going to blame the engine going out of control after i do my weekly oil checks, no warning lights appearing and me nearly dying.... they responded, it says in the handbook to check you oil levels weekly so you obviously did not!! aRGh!
i am startnig a public awareness campaign on this matter because it seems like a vast majority of people don't even know what a DPF is or does & how it can affect their engine. the system has not been thought through and its been rushed! Give me an email so we can chat more, maybe i can get some advice on this campaign as any help is much appreciated. contact@modxpc.com
Look forward to hear from you!
Edited by Med on 22/03/2010 at 18:00
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hi Mad@mazda. as Med says, join the queue.
a few of us have gone along the steps you propose. and as suggested, if you check out this web site for other threads on DPF you will find a few more complainants. and there are other Forums you can look at (Mazda6 formum and Mazda Forum spring to mind) where you will find many more.
None seem to have reported much success with getting Mazda to recognise the problem or do anything about it.
Med's idea is a good one - we should not only pursue our individual issues with Mada we should band together too. if you would like to contact me after you have emailed Med, i can bring you up to date with what i have been up to which goes to support Med's actions. i'm also trying to track down a forum member that said he had a court case against Mazda last august, to find out what the outcome was.
Good luck
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has anyone heard of the "lemon law" in the USa? i am wondering if there is such law over here in the UK?
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Im sure there must be something similar as it is very very hard to claim anything connected to the DPF under warranty. Have you had any luck finding anything out about it?
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Spooky how similar our purchase stories are...I purchased my 56 plate (2007) Mazda 6 diesal estate (143 bhp) 22nd Jan (Trade purchase in Preston). Full dealer service history. High miles but running sweet as a nut.
In February (19.02.10) the DPF light came on (not flashing). My local Mazda dealer advised that this "occasionally happens - but not often - when some diesal gets into the egine oil" ? They did an oil change, replaced the oil filter and reset the system...job done, all seemed fine...£100 lighter but OK.
In March (24.03.10) 85 miles into a 380 round trip golfing in Wales, the DPF light came on again (flashing this time). To be honest, I was completely unaware of these DPF issues with Mazdas and not aware of the option to run at over 2000 revs to 'burn off' the particles !
Why build a car with 6 gears to cruise in at under 2000 revs, when Mazda want us to drive it harder ? Why should we have to ?
Anyway, 30 miles later - still cruising along with the DPF light flashing - the Traction Control and Engine Management System lights came on (solid) to join the flashing DPF light...and a sudden loss in power into 'limp home mode'. Not good in the outside lane of a motorway in the rain !
After 'limping home' the following day, I took it along to my local Mazda dealer to hopefully do another reset and get some reasurrance that all should be OK...to be informed that I might need to replace the DPF unit at a personal cost of £1700 plus labour !!!!!
Not best pleased, I chose to 'limp it home' and think about it. Their parting shot was to suggest I looked on the Office of Fair Trading website for advice on raising a 'Not fit for purpose' claim for satisfaction against the Trader I bought the car from under the Sale of Goods act...but...is the trader an innocent victim in all this aswell ?
Should we all be lodging a complaint/not fit for purpose claim against MAZDA ?
Your thoughts on that suggestion, and any support or advice for the predicament I am in ?
I the mean time I hae lodged an email with BBC Watchdog...and recommend everyone does that as well.
Mazda seem to know hey have a fault, but expect us all to go out of our way to accommodate a fault that they have not resolved...and are making a tidy profit from us in the process (£100 resets...£1700 DPF units...£8000 engines !!!)
Mazdoff
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Mazdaoff,
Welcome to the problems galore! You may have read my posts but although i had a similiar problem it was different. My engine over-ran like mad because of this but without any warning lights but was blamed on me for not checking my oils and ignoring the DPF.
You can go on my campaign site, there is no design there but i have uploaded my campaign flyer. www.mazda-campaign.co.uk
Give me an email and we can chat about this further, i dont know if i should say it but watchdog are useless, i have been without my car for 9 months and every week had been emailing watchdog & many many other companies like VOSA. But, you should report this to VOSA as they can hopefully gather all this information from us all and do a safety recall!
I'll await your email.
Mehdi - Mazda-campaign.co.uk
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Hi Everyone,
I am just coming back to this quite thread to hopefully come to light on any new information? If you are still having the problems are are extremely unhappy please keep me/us updated on how your getting on & what results if any you have had.
I am still fighting my case & am going to watchdog Monday afternoon with all my documents to get this noticed once and for all.
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hows it going I have the same problems but add to this the engine totally seized up at 94000 miles on my 4 year old mazda6 what a great car
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hey strobe,
wow sorry! what did mazda say about it?
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You are advertising on this site to remove DPF filters which affects peoples health which you don't mention.Iam sure what you are doing will be illegal soon or maybe it is now.
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There seems to be a mountain of problems with Mazda diesel injector seals and particulate filters which should have merited a recall in order to rectify this/these problem/s, whether it was diesel leaking into the engine oil or the filter getting clogged.
As they (Mazda Ltd.) have not done anything to alleviate this/these problem/s, then those of you who are out of pocket as a direct result of Mazda's inaction should pursue a claim in the County Court, and include sending the details of your case to the local newspaper.
Oh, and inform Mazda Ltd. of your intended course of action, along with media highlighting, and it may have the desired results from this company that normal, standard complaints haven't produced from them to date.
If you do nothing apart from just complain, then you will get nothing in return.
Edward Murphy.
2006 - Mazda 6: 143, Estate owner.
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Hello Edward,
There are a mountain of problems with Mazda's DPF system & others related to the DPF.
You see, if Mazda Motors UK sort out their customer service then the problems would be as harsh as they are....My self am one owner who is extremely let down with their service! I am fighting my case and have been for coming up-to 2 years now. Have got a solicitor on board and have had an internal inspection done.
I agree with your points in full, people should complain as one large group to get noticed.
Mehdi - www.mazda-campaign.co.uk
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