I think there is no change. The sparkplugs were rusted in. Th garage can claim that’s evidence of the car not being maintained, and why are they responsible for poor prior maintanence, resulting in debris from seized spark plugs dropping into the bores.
The Mazda dealer hasn’t seemed to recover anything, besides a supposition that “something” dropped in, did the damage, but could no longer be found as it was burnt off.
The OP will need to cmmission a report from an accredited engineer to determine the fault and likely cause.
The pragmatic approach might be to appeal for some goodwill; can the garage fit a used engine for free or at a discounted rate, if the OP sourced one (MX5city send them out on pallets, but only give a 28 day warranty if not fitted by them).
I assume the car is at the Mazda dealer with the engine in pieces, so it will need trailering, a couple of hundred pounds.
Now there are no photos of the damage. How does Mazda know its due to debris? Has the intake been checked for missing bits? Has pre-ignition/etonation been ruled out? Did the timing chain receive adjustment during the service.
Hindsight is everything I suppose, but what was the expected outcome of Mazda taking the engine apart (I assume it was sort of running at the time, they could have used a boroscope to take a look for visible damage).
Don’t think a head will be sufficient if a solid object has been in there then the chances are that the piston and maybe the bore will be damaged as well. A used motor will probably be cheaper than a re build with all the add on costs like bearings gaskets and labour. In either case the engine has to come out.
I can see why the original garage is taking a couple of steps back.
I’m sorry to say that your car is a financial write off. You need to be chasing these jokers legally as it’s clearly their fault. It went in for a service and came out knackered, they were clearly negligent. You need to take legal advice if they aren’t going to do anything about it.
It’s a shame you took it to Mazda who are very expensive and not an engine specialist. They’ve taken your money and just kicked the can down the road.
Thankfully the owner of the car in the attached thread walked away okay. Just an opinion, but I would say his engine will be up for grabs.
Might be worth a contact.
Before the accident the engine was nearing 61.5k miles, didn’t burn oil and ran smooth. Had been running it on v-power and getting close to 35mpg. I have service history for it going all the way back. Don’t know if there was any damage to the engine during the accident or if it still runs.
Today I’ve been told where the car is and copart are already planning on taking it to Bristol for evaluation.
I think they’re aiming to get an evaluation to me for next week. I’ll be honest and say I don’t want to personally deal with breaking the car. I would be open to exploring how much it’d be to buy back and if there was a way to make it work if someone wants to collect, xtract engine and deal with scrap.
I did think about that but i thought not to say anything about it cuz its fairly recent crash and if it was me I’d still be livid.
Having said that they should offer you to buy the car off them or at least tell them that you want to. Just make sure the guy wants to buy it off you at that price and he can deal with whatever is left from it.
Appreciate that, honestly glad no one was harmed. While I’m gutted she’s gone, knowing someone on here might make use of it is a good consolation prize. If I had the space and tools I might consider it, but I dont and my '99 Katana is enough of a project for now.
If someone wants to buy it and deal with the faff (and the risk) drop me a message and il ask for a price from the insurance.
