Mazda Mazda 3 (2004 - 2009) - Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon?

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Sat 2 Jan 2010 21:41
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - BackOfTheNet
Had a look at a Mazda3 2.0 petrol today 56 plate. Was for sale at a big independent franchise chain and was in good condition with just over 50k on the clock.

Something weird caught my eye under the bonnet which made me walk away:

At the back of the engine block was a silver coloured metal cover that initially ran horizontally with the engine block, before heading downwards, perhaps as if it was covering exhaust pipes (sorry I'm not mechanically minded if that wasn't obvious!)

Now, this metal cover was lumpy and buckled and in some places looked 'creased'. Was it damaged? Or was it normal? Or was it normal wear and tear due to engine heat?

Unfortunately, I haven't found a similar car locally to compare it to.

Any help would be much appreciated.
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Sat 2 Jan 2010 21:45
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - bathtub tom
Sounds like it could be an exhaust heat shield. A thin metal plate.

Anything under the bonnet is practical, not decorative, so appearance isn't important.

Did you notice if the exhaust manifold was at the front or back of the engine?
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Sat 2 Jan 2010 21:51
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - BackOfTheNet
Thanks bathtub tom

I must admit my first thoughts were it was just a heat shield of some sort but didn't want to risk it!

What would the manifold look like? I didn't notice anything coming out of the front of the block if that's what you mean.
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Sat 2 Jan 2010 22:10
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - Jcoventry
The Mazda 3 has one of those stupid plastic engine covers so its hard to see most things without removing that cover first.

www.parkers.co.uk/imagecache/file/650/archive/Mazd...d
a3_37.jpg


On this one you can see a bit of the manifold just by the oil dipstick.

There's also this one:
www.parkers.co.uk/imagecache/file/650/archive/Mazd...0
0791.JPG


Not sure which engines those are.

{links made non clickable - rival website and all that}

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 03/01/2010 at 04:02

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Sat 2 Jan 2010 22:22
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - BackOfTheNet
Thanks Jcoventry!

I've spent most of this evening trying to find decent images of the engine!

The FIRST image is the one. The silver cover in question is around (and down) the back of the black plastic cover (if that makes sense), so re. bathub tom's manifold question, the mysterious silver cover ISN'T covering the manifold.


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Sun 3 Jan 2010 08:41
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - cheddar
The FIRST image is the one. The silver cover in question is around (and down)
the back of the black plastic cover (if that makes sense) so re. bathub tom's
manifold question the mysterious silver cover ISN'T covering the manifold.


Not sure which engine this is though it looks to me like the inlet is at the front of the engine so the exhaust would be at the rear hence the heat shield.

Though why didnt you just ask the salesman?

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Sun 3 Jan 2010 08:48
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - dxp55
You could try posting on here

www.mazda3forums.co.uk/
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Sun 3 Jan 2010 10:37
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - bathtub tom
>>it looks to me like the inlet is at the front of the engine

I think so too. Look at that cable just to the left of the dipstick, I think it's touching the manifold. Even if it isn't, it seems too close and wouldn't do it a lot of good if it was an exhaust manifold.
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Sun 3 Jan 2010 10:46
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - M.M
These days heatshields are often made of very light metal and can look crinkled from new... not seen the Mazda one to know though.

However.... I once noticed a similar minor bit of damage in the back of the engine compartment on a Citroen I bought.... it seemed something and nothing but enough to remain in my mind. After a few weeks I found the marks were from the engine having been recently changed after a conrod had gone through the sump.

It had been repaired with some shortcuts including the sump repaired with a metal patch mostly fixed on with silicone sealant!

So it does pay to stop and think if anything looks odd.
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Sun 3 Jan 2010 11:52
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - dieselfitter
>>So it does pay to stop and think if anything looks odd.

Agreed. Went to look at a MkII Focus a few months ago, which appeared to be spotless and well looked after, but I noticed an old piece of rubber floor mat had been screwed to the top of the engine. The owner said it was to prevent the plug recesses from filling up with "condensation" and corroding the plugs. I suspect the water was coming from a screenwash leak, but it turned out that the car was a rebuilt Cat D, having been written off when only a few months old.
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Sun 3 Jan 2010 11:55
Something odd caught my eye - is it a lemon? - BackOfTheNet
Thanks everyone for your comments - much appreciated.

Having slept on it, I feel satisfied in my own mind that I did the right thing by walking away. As you say M.M, it would have been enough to play on my mind.

Oh, I did ask the salesman cheddar! He was honest enough to say he didn't know but did try to find out without any luck - he looked under the bonnet of a new shape 3 which looked very different so couldn't make a comparison.

The hunt for a new car continues...!
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