Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

I just got off the phone with the service manager at Dick Barker Mazda. He told me Mazda is trying to fight them regarding the clutch. I have about 12,500 miles on my car, but the clutch problem started at about 8,000 miles. I'm a little surprised because Mazda knows about the problem and there are people on here that have had clutches replaced well after 12,000 miles under warranty.

Mazda is clearly on the hook under Article 2 of the UCC and Chapter 9, Code III of the Louisiana Civil Code. The dealer agrees with me and they are moving up the chain of command, but I told them to tell me if there are any problems. I will get involved if I have to, although I would rather Mazda do what they know is the right thing. It's not like the car has been abused, or even that the problems started after the 12,000 mile mark. I think this is a no-brainer for Mazda.

Developing story...

 

Reading Topic: Took My 6s in Today

hey i think i might have the same problem as you, on mine when i am in a gear and the rpms are relatively low. lets say 2nd gear at 2000 rpms, when i give it gas it starts clunking, it's like taking a set of keys and shaking them. i am having my upper drivers seat cushion and cloth replaced on friday, and they are also going to look at the tranny sound and dripping oil which is to be found right above the oil filter.

 

Reading Topic: Took My 6s in Today

Good luck
I am having the same problem but no dealer wants to work with me. I Called Mazda they said "GO to a different dealer" thats all they got for a paying customer.

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

Originally posted by GiZiM


            Good luck
I am having the same problem but no dealer wants to work with me. I Called Mazda they said "GO to a different dealer" thats all they got for a paying customer.

After talking to the dealership, I called Mazda Customer Service and talked to someone there. I told him of the situation, and he agreed that I have a very good case to get my clutch fixed under warranty. A factory rep is supposed to make the decision sometime tomorrow. I don't think it's worth it to them to fight off a possible Mag-Moss claim especially considering they are clearly liable. It's a dumb gamble for them since under Mag-Moss I can get my attorney fees from them if I have to take them to court. And you don't get loyal repeat business by screwing your customers.

The downside is I will have to leave my car with the dealer another week. At least the Sable is a comfortable, if not inspired, ride

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

this is my first clutch and i have around 12,000 miles on it how do I know if i'm having problems with it , what is it not supossed to do ? I had a friend drive it she has a mazda3 (clutch) and she didn't find anything wrong

what should I do to test it out before i bring it to the dealership or at least even consider bringing it to the dealership ?

I guess what i'm most afraid about is them telling me I'm riding the clutch to much which i don't think i am doing but again i drive mostly by myself and when i'm with others they have all driven auto's their whole lives and wouldn't know. Unfortunately my friend with the 3 just moved arizona right before I got my 6 (august 03) since then I put around 13,000 miles on it

any recommendations on what to do ?

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

Originally posted by too2buff


            this is my first clutch and i have around 12,000 miles on it how do I know if i'm having problems with it , what is it not supossed to do ? I had a friend drive it she has a mazda3 (clutch) and she didn't find anything wrong  

what should I do to test it out before i bring it to the dealership or at least even consider bringing it to the dealership ?  

I guess what i'm most afraid about is them telling me I'm riding the clutch to much which i don't think i am doing but again i drive mostly by myself and when i'm with others they have all driven auto's their whole lives and wouldn't know.  Unfortunately my friend with the 3 just moved arizona right before I got my 6 (august 03) since then I put around 13,000 miles on it  

any recommendations on what to do ?

The clutch problems seem to plague mostly the older 6's. I have not heard of anyone with an '04 having problems, or one of the newer '03's. Me, GiZiM, and Npwhite6s are old schoolers that probably got into a bad batch of clutch parts. Who knows. If you were having problems with your clutch, you'd know. You would be able to feel the pedal pulsing, and it would make strange noises. I wouldn't worry about it. The best way to not ride a clutch is to completely take your foot off of the clutch pedal when you are not shifting. I've seen people that use the clutch pedal as a footrest. That is what burns out clutches quickly.

I'm going to call the dealership Friday morning if I have not yet heard from them and find out what the factory rep said. God, I hate having to have this kind of work done on a new car. If it was an old beater, that's one thing. But to have to get your transmission pulled apart, and some stranger driving your car probably covered in grease and oil tracking it on my seats and interior....ughhhh. And there's the specter of the techs not doing the work correctly. The whole thing is a just a steaming, awful, annoying, massive PIA.

 

Reading Topic: Took My 6s in Today

I guess we are getting a new batch of clutch cause I'm having mine changed and the dealer told me that 1 part needed was on backorder.
And the ETA was 1 month...

Anyway! Let us know how is it going!

Peace!

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

my was an 03 and I got the last one in jersey (in blue) I clutch in and don't touch the thing unless i'm shifting the only other time i have my foot on it is when i'm pulling it off when i'm shifting and i gradually tap the gas as i'm lifting it off of the clutch its on there literally for a second or two when i'm pressing the gas down after i have shifted gears

if i don't do it that way the car will jerk or shutter i don't know how to correct the timing i have tried taking a lot of stop and go ways to work rather than the highway

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

Originally posted by WiDeFiRE


            I guess we are getting a new batch of clutch cause I'm having mine changed and the dealer told me that 1 part needed was on backorder.
And the ETA was 1 month...

Anyway! Let us know how is it going!

Peace!

One month backorder on the clutch parts?! Where they gettin' 'em from, Mars? I talked to the dealer again this morning, and apparently the factory rep still has not given the service department authorization to order parts yet. Looks like another week with the Sable. Nice car but the brakes on this thing are terrible. Of course, if there is a backorder that long, it'd gonna be a lot longer than another week

Very disappointing. I wonder how Npwhite6s likes his Audi. Maybe I need to follow his lead? :seeya :seeya

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

So it's Tuesday afternoon and still no word from the Mazda Factory Rep. I was supposed to get the word last Thursday. I'm ready to have my car back. I guess I am going to have to pester the dealership some more :biggun

What could be taking the rep so long to decide?

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

Okay, got the word from Bodie at Dick Barker. Mazda has agreed to replace my clutch under warranty. I'm going to get the whole scoop on the problem, as well as all of the updated part numbers for anyone else on here to use in case their dealership service department tries to give them the runaround.

 

Reading Topic: Took My 6s in Today

Thanks for all the great info and updates, Louisiana. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I've got 18k on my clutch already (purchased late July '03) with no problems...

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

Originally posted by bossman


            Thanks for all the great info and updates, Louisiana.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I've got 18k on my clutch already (purchased late July '03) with no problems...

You're welcome :cool

The problem seems to be limited to the early '03 models, and usually at around 8K miles. The dealer told me the parts are not on backorder, so hopefully I will have my car back by the end of next week. The Sable is driving me nuts. The a/c blower only works occasionally (when I hit a bump) and down here, a/c is as necessary as breathable air. The brakes suck, and now there is a puddle of water in the passenger foot well. I think the car actually has anti-game.

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

Just got the call from the service manager, my 6 is ready to be picked up. I have to wait until tomorrow since the dealership is about 90 minutes away. He couldn't tell me specifically what was wrong, although they replaced only the clutch disk, the sleeve, and the sleeve cover, for what that was worth. I am going to pick the tech's brains when I get there to try to find out what he saw when he pulled my transmission. They were cleaning it when I called. I hope the tech cleaned up a little before he test drove it. I hate the thought of grease and oil in the interior of my baby.

I'll have the part numbers on here by tomorrow night for everyone's reference.

 

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Yah i have the REALLY early model like 2 weeks after it came out.
But Mazda wont even touch the clutch

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

I got my car back today. The clutch noise and slip is gone now. The clutch feels tighter now and the shifts seem crisp. Much better.

My ticket says they replaced the clutch, pressure plate, and release bearing. The parts list is as follows:

AJ01-16-460 Clutch Disc
AJ01-16-410 Clutch Cover
G561-16-510C Clutch Rel. Collar
B002-37-160A Hub Nut

I have not checked to see if these parts numbers match the other disc number that someone else posted. I think it does, but I am not sure. If you are having clutch problems, these are the part numbers you need to give to the service manager. My clutch feels a lot better now!

One thing I don't see mentioned on my ticket is MTX fluid. Everyone else that has had clutch work done has had their fluid replaced along with the clutch. Is it necessary to replace the fluid when you change the clutch?

 

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I guess ill try and take it to a different dealership.

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

Originally posted by GiZiM


            I guess ill try and take it to a different dealership.

I would try to take it somewhere else if I were you. I think Mark checked to see if your car was still warranty and didn't he say it was? It's worth a shot. The car drives so much better with a new clutch.

How many miles do you have on your car now?

 

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just for reference, I have an 04 (purchased in Nov 03) with this problem. Started at 6-7k on it. I am closing into 11k now. I have maint at the dealer and each time i tell them to log that the problem is still there. I will be taking it in BEFORE 12k to have it replaced, but i am waiting as long as possible so that the problem is WELL known by mazda at that point.

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

I started having this problem late last year, around 7000 miles. I posted a thread on this problem several months ago and one person person responded and said it didn't seem like a clutch problem. Now I just passed the 13000 mile mark, past the 12k warranty... :rant

Now I am undoubtedly going to have to argue to get this fixed at the dealer :rant

Here is my original thread on March 31...

http://www.mazda6club.com/forums/read.php?TID=17438

 

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not sure if Ive ever had this problem, I get a slight shudder sometimes if I pop the clutch a little harder while giving it a good amout of gas, it lasts for just a second, you feel it in the seat of your pants.

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

This "clutch issue" has existed on the forum for as long as I can remember. It almost became such common sight that I began to... well, ignore them - that is until good ol' swamp came in.

Now I have read of this "clutch shudder" and while I don't fully know what it is, I took comfort in gathering that "if you had it, you would know it". Well now, I don't know. Maybe I've become so used to it that I don't realize it? It seems like everyone has a complaint or two about the clutch but that makes it even more difficult to gauge it being something you don't like about it from something being seriously wrong.

For myself, I have always complained that taking off from standstill is more difficult in this car than any other, but that seems to be the general consensus. The problem, I believe, was concluded as being due to the throttle lag. Other than that, the 1-2 shift is generally tough to make smoothly without riding the clutch just a tad. As with any car, however, if your timing during the shift is a little off between letting off the clutch and accelerating, you get that quick stutter. I get that almost as often as I don't :rant .

Now, one of the major reasons that I am revisiting this issue is because swamp mentions funny sounds. Since early on, it sounded like my clutch was "zipping" - like the sounds of sealing a zip lock bag. This doesn't really have to do with driving as it happens from pressing the clutch - car on or off. I took it in, they "oiled" it, sound went away. Now it's back, but worse. While the clutch pedal is traveling to the floor, I can feel a kind of grinding... as if a cable being pulled through it's housing is meeting resistance here and there (again with the car on or off). Does this sound like it has anything to do with the clutch issues everyone has been talking about? I apologize because I am not all that knowledgeable about the workings of the stick shift.

I am getting anxious about bringing the car in for this because of how people have been reporting that Mazda is stand-offish about dealing with this issue. Also, I drive a lot, so while the car is only 10 months old, I have almost 21,000 miles on it. If I have a problem, this isn't looking good...

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

First Mazda,

The problem you are describing does not sound like the clutch shudder problem. My clutch uptake when not shifting has always been as smooth as butter. The problem with our cars has been taking off in first gear. We could feel a dramatic slipping sensation with a sound that mimics pigeons. The problem has to do with the bonding material and clutch disc that Mazda used in the first batch of 6s and 6i cars.

I think your clutch linkage is probably snagged on something. That is not wear related and it should be covered under the 36 month bumper to bumper warranty. That is how I would present it to the dealer. There should not be any grinding from pressing the clutch pedal!

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

Originally posted by Cyber_Drone


            just for reference, I have an 04 (purchased in Nov 03) with this problem. Started at 6-7k on it. I am closing into 11k now. I have maint at the dealer and each time i tell them to log that the problem is still there. I will be taking it in BEFORE 12k to have it replaced, but i am waiting as long as possible so that the problem is WELL known by mazda at that point.

same case here... i have an 04 purchased in november 03. it started exactly at 6k...and i took it to the dealership. they think its just "wear and tear" and overuse of the clutch. they were indirectly trying to say it was due to my lack of experience with a manual transmission. what a joke.

i just got my car back after gettin the clutch disk replaced...its fine now...

quite frankly, my father and i are upset...wayy to many minor/major problems with the 6. as much as i love this car, i envy those acura or honda owners who don't have to worry about these minor problems.

damn, can't i just get a car that i can just get in and drive without havin' to worry about this shat.

i still love my car.

 

Replying to Topic 'Took My 6s in Today'

my clutch used to squeal when I shifted in R when the car was new. After 2000 miles, it has gone. But I can hear it if I try to start in 2nd gear.
Obviously I cannot take that to the dealer. He is going to whack my ass for not driving correctly.