Hi,
I have recently bought a 2000 MX5, 1.6. It (now) has 65,000 on the clock. Has full service history at mazda, and I only had it serviced about 3 weeks ago.
About a week ago I noticed the engine was "ticking" over quite slowly, then a few days later when I started it up (after about a 30-40 min drive) it started juddering and coughing, and then stalled. The next day it was fine.
I have had it taken back to the Mazda garage where it was serviced, as I was so annoyed the service cost so much yet there was obviously something wrong. After keeping it all day they charged me £85 for "diagnosing" that it "probably was the coil pack". They said it would cost me £250 to replace this.
2 questions:
1. Can I buy the part new for cheaper elsewhere? I have a friend who was a mechanic so they could fit it for me.
2. I have read similar problems on here where it was mentioned it may be the HT leads, could it be this and not the coil pack?
This is my first car and I am not an expert, and naively assumed that as long as I had it serviced regularly that it would be fine, as people keep quoting at me that "Mazda's are so reliable". At the moment the thought of spending another £250 on it, after paying a fortune for the service, is quite painful. The tax and MOT are also due in a couple of weeks and it seems that this car is drinking money!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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Failing HT leads not uncommon on MX5's, or failing coil packs for that matter.
mx5parts.co.uk are good for spares and cheaper than the main dealer, I've no connection with them other than being a happy previous customer.
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Just thinking that for £85 I would have wanted an accurate diagnosis not a "probably..." result. I agree with Rover 25 that mx5parts.co.uk are a good source of decently priced parts. However before you buy from them I would approach the Mazda garage for a far more accurate diagnosis--"probably" just ain't good enough for £85.
As Rover says HT leads and coil packs are two of the few weak points of an MX5 so it would be worthwhile budgeting for these in the future.
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This is my first car and I am not an expert, and naively assumed that as long as I had it serviced regularly that it would be fine, as people keep quoting at me that "Mazda's are so reliable". At the moment the thought of spending another £250 on it, after paying a fortune for the service, is quite painful.
..
hi. welcome to the joys!! of motoring....
life starts with a trainers,,,and moan about the cost of those...
we then get a push bike, and tyres cost £20+ each and moan about those...
we then buy a car...and tyres cost £100ish. and labour rates £40-100 per hour...
.
you then buy a house......ha ha ha ha......
.
you said Mazda's are so reliable". but its still an 8 year old car, my wife runs a volvo and thats also a year 2000 / w reg, but with 72,000 on the clock still on the original car battery and even the orignal exhaust buts its only a matter of time...
.
i chap at work sold his 9 year old car last year because he wanted a "reliable new car" with a warrenty....his vauhall broke down 3 days after delivery with about 80miles on the clock with a faulty coil pack....
good luck with the driving..(how much is your insurance having a sports car for a first car?)
.
I sold my own car 2 years ago, and went back to cycling and running....
to try and reduce outlays with having kids.....tell you what a house can be cheap when running 2 kids and a wife....ha ha ha....
ran 52miles last week....(trainers cost £70 and last up to 400 miles!!!)
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Update:
After rightly thinking that £85 was ridiculous for a "maybe", I rang the garage again. I spoke to someone for about 40 mins and explained I wasn't happy because: a) There was no definite diagnosis, and b) If I got the coil pack changed on their "gut feeling" (that's what they said it was!!!!) and it wasn't that, I'd be out of pocket, and c) I don't know if the car is safe to drive.
The mechanic did not answer any questions, and did NOT say, at any point in the conversation or initially when the car was in the garage, that it shouldn't be driven. Now my partner has driven it since Tuesday when he picked it up from them.
He took it to an independent garage today, who diagnosed in 10 minutes (for free) that it DEFINITELY was the coil pack, and said DO NOT drive it.
I then rang back Mazda, justifiably irritated, and explained that 1) why couldn't they diagnose it after having it all day? And why on earth did I pay them for something I knew already? 2) If they had reasonable enough cause to suggest on a "gut feeling" (how professional!) that it was the coil pack, why not say "I think it may be the coil pack, and if it is, it shouldn't be driven"?
I got no answers to these questions - as it wasn't a "real diagnosis" the guy said he wouldn't suggest anything - so why suggest it was the coil pack in the first place?!
I essentially told them that if further damage occured due to driving it with a faulty coil pack, then I was holding them responsible. They said they wouldn't be because they put "no faults" on the invoice.
So, surely if I take it to a registered dealer, pay £85 and they say there are "no faults" and there obviously are, surely they have not done their job or what they have been paid for, and ARE responsible for damage that occurs as a result?
The way they are playing it at the moment is that the coil pack suggestion was unofficial, so the way I see it is they have failed to pick up on a major fault on my car after having it for a whole day, and as a consequence it may now be damaged further.
Also, the not-so-nice "gentleman" I spoke to, when I asked him what I had paid for, said "the diagnosis" - at which point I said "are you familiar with the meaning of the word diagnosis? It means establishing a problem or a fault", he didn't like this and got very rude towards me.
I can't help feeling I am being fobbed of as I am young and female. Short of going into the showroom at their busiest time and making a huge scene, I don't know what will get me a result. Surely they should repair, free of charge, any faults which may have occured as a result of driving the car on a faulty coil pack?
I was also told that they couldn't tell me for sure what it was when I took it in because the fault was intermittent, so I asked whether I would need to run it into the ground and possibly cause further damage to other parts (knowing there was some fault) before they could "confidently" tell me what was wrong? - unsurprisingly they couldn't answer this either.
I feel I have been totally ripped off, and have now had to pay another £50 to have a tow truck take it to the garage, because I have finally been told by the other garage not to drive it. (I think they should pay for the tow truck too, if they had kept it in the garage in the first place and correctly established the fault it wouldn't have come to this).
Surely I have some rights here, and garages cannot just go charging you for gut feelings and non-advice, then shrug off all responsibility if something goes wrong.
Any suggestions on a course of action would be greatly appreciated.
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A number of remedies are available:
1. A letter to Mazda UK explaining what has happened
2. A word with your local Trading Standards
3. As a last resort The Small Claims Court.
However, much of what occurred was by word of mouth so easily denied by the garage. I would suggest that a letter to the garage explaining that you will shortly be referring the matter to Trading Standards may get them moving. Address the letter to the Dealer Principal.
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I'm having the same problems with starting my Mazda MX5 2000 model. Same thing - starts first thing in the morning, but after driving it even a short distance and leaving it for a short period of time it struggles to start. Sometimes it floods so I have to leave it for a couple of hours to "dry out" and sometimes it starts but sounds like it's firing on two or three cylinders. It's really hard to replicate the problem to a mechanic. Did the fitting of a new coil pack actually fix the problem? I'm being told the same thing although i've had a number of parts fitted first that "should have solved the problem" as the diagnostic test apparently can't pick up a faulty coil pack. Obviously I don't want to part with another couple of hundred quid if it's not the coil pack. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
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My son's (1998 1,6, 60k) always starts but ticks over roughly for a few minutes before running cleanly. Before changing the coil pack I would do plugs and ht leads. (Not very expensive from mx5parts). Nothing showed up on the diagnostics. It was narrowed down to either the coil pack or a sticky cam follower. An engine flush hasn't done it so it looks like the coil pack is next. Can you find a freindly owner and "borrow" a coil pack to see if it works?
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sounds like you have got the same problem as me.have a read of my post and let me know if you have tried the same things to solve it.also have you checked to see if you are getting a spark on the occasions when it wont start or does it always start but sometimes only on 2-3 cylinders?have a read at my post (intermittent fault 1.8 -billmx5).and let me know if it sounds the same ?between us we might come up the solution.I have already spent over £300 trying to sort it and no joy!
Regards
Bill
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lot to answer but lets cut it short
garage did service took leads off to change plugs ,they may have cranked engine and damaged coil pack because technician was on something else (it happens)
however to charge you £85 and not find even an intermittant coil pack is beyond comprehension
im not a fan of garage bashing but even with a set of hair clips and a strong pulse a monkey could diagnose a faulty coil
another simple test is a co test like an mot station uses
or even stick your ear up the exhaust
bad show,thankfully local independant comes to your rescue,make sure you recommend him and use him in future
message ends
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