Don't even waste your time and (more importantly) your feelings on this garage. It could be a genuine oversight or a symptom of a poor outfit - you will never know, so just vote with your feet next time you need a service, preferably by going to a good established, interested independent garage.
Years ago, I used to work for a firm which made the fuelling equipment for heavy diesels (Aprilia will know which one). I was called upon to solve many problems and look at lots of engines, some with the most obscure defects, some smashed to bits.
One day at a well known 'bus garage in Chiswick I was shown an AEC diesel from a Routmaster which had covered 3 million miles. Before getting excited, I should tell you that the crank had been reground 8 times, and the cylinder liners renewed seveal times. The fitter was moaning about the non-availability of undersize shells! The point of the story is that at that time, London Transport never fitted air cleaner elements to these engines because tests had shown them to be not cost effective. In London, bore wear was never an issue.
Obviously this was pre-MAF (probably all the better for it), but unless you live in a very adverse location, I wouldn't worry. Most muck goes straight through an engine - very little hits the bore and even less of that which does is abrasive. Sand in particular generally sits in the bottom of the casing if it's not trapped in the pleats of a paper element, or stuck in an oil bath cleaner. Unlike a specialised 'bus, car makers have to design their products to work anywhere.
659.
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i find it hard to believe that two people can say that running a car in britain today with no means of filtering the air is not going to have a detrimental affect on the long term future of a combustion engine.On that knowledge seing as filters are not needed should we all do away with them and depend on the trunking as a filter? sorry but i dont go along with your train of thought at all,nor would any manufacturer of any type of engine agree,they all need some type of filter
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Ever seen vehicles working in "third world" conditions?
659.
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if that is at me no, but ive seen enough in england and its getting pretty much "third world" here .
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I live in a fairly rural area and there is a lot of dust blowing about in the summer. If I take out my aircleaner or pollen filter I find quite a bit of muck trapped in them. I wouldn't like to run without an airfilter. Not saying it will kill the engine, but won't do it any good either.
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I live on the edge of fields and the local farmers drive up and down with loads of hay, muck, more muck and mud. When I replace air filters I find :
leaves.
sand
straw
mud
Any suggestion that these will not harm:
the MAF sensor
the valves
or the bores
seems incredible to me.
I continue to change air filters every 10k miles or yearly..(whichever is soonest)...
madf
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What about the amount of dust that comes out of the back of a combine during harvest time, that'll do the engine no good at all.
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What about the amount of dust that comes out of the back of a combine during harvest time, that'll do the engine no good at all.
You want to see the air filter on a combine, it's quite big and we have to blow it out every couple of days. You can't believe how much dust is trapped in it.
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Did the last service actually include an air filter change? I know all recent Ford's only get the air filter done on a major service which is every 36k/3yrs, after which time they look absolutely filthy.
If your last service was a minor one, it may not be anything to do with the garage.
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good luck for 2moro at the service desk...keep us posted
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www.storme.co.uk
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Did the last service actually include an air filter change? I know all recent Ford's only get the air filter done on a major service which is every 36k/3yrs, after which time they look absolutely filthy. If your last service was a minor one, it may not be anything to do with the garage.
Yes, it was 37.5 000 mile service so air filter was due to be changed and I have a tick sheet that confirms this. They must have taken the old one out and no put the new one in. I remember they were very rushed that day and we had to wait ages to pick the car up. Thanks for all your help -Cyd{p} I will go with your approach and let you know how I get on...
JonL
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IMO much of what has been written above is unhelpful, verging on ranting - and I would recommend you do not rant at the service manager.
>>
Yep - what he said!
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read all the posts again neil and i havent seen any ranting ,i have seen a broad range of different views all of them in my umble positive and helpful to give a full dimensional view of the situation.
sorry,,,,,,,,,,
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read all the posts again neil and i havent seen any ranting ,i have seen a broad range of different views all of them in my umble positive and helpful to give a full dimensional view of the situation. sorry,,,,,,,,,,
Oldman - No need to be sorry! As you say, a full range of views - some of them, in my opinion, plain silly and verging on hysterical. Have you seen Monty Python's film, Holy Grail? If you substitute 'service manager' for 'witch' it seems to me you'd have the reaction of some of the less philosophical members of the forum on every occasion a garage gets it wrong. If I could bring myself to believe that none of THEM ever get anything wrong in their work, I'd be more convinced by their desire to 'burn the witch'.
Just a thought. I'm not defending the garage, here - but the reality of PROVING its their fault and the likelyhood of MEASUREABLE damage and therefore realistic compensation for the mistake is very small, I'd have thought.
regards,
Neil
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I'm happy to report a satisfactory outcome. Service manager took the matter very seriously- took car to technician who had done the service and let him open the air box to see first hand. Complete service was repeated and disc pads replaced foc (this had been identified at last service - I was going to take it to a independent. Gave me his personal company car while this was being done and gave 50% discount on next service. Also gave me two numbers for Mazda UK so I can seek their opinion. He phoned Mazda UK himself to report the incident. The calm approach coupled with smart appearance seemed to pay dividends. I will go outside with a torch to check the filter!
Thanks all for your advice and comments.
JonL
PS - Tried Halfords Super Brilliance H1 halogen bulbs and initial impression is good, will have to see how they last
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Thanks all for your advice and comments.
And thank you for updating us all so quickly re the outcome.
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Well there you are logic and diplomacy won the day.
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yey,,,,brought a smile to my face
nice outcome...and good approach
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www.storme.co.uk
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Yep - good result. Customer reasonable, garage reasonable. Is it just me, or could there be a bit of a pattern emerging here! ;-)
Burn the witch!
Neil
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