Visited dealer yesterday and they totally agreed that there was a problem. They have sent a request to Mazda stating the problem and say they will inform of the reply. I will keep you all posted. Losing a wee bit of faith in the brand as I also had a rattle when roof down but that got sorted after three visits. I treat a car like a baby so it is disappointing.
I’m not surprised that you are losing faith with the Mazda brand Dogman - the faults written about on this forum recently seem to me to be a worrying trend.
I’ve written on various threads on here about the three Mazda cars my wife has had as company-cars over a ten-year period (2005 - 2015, with two 6s and an NC), and every one, without exception, have been perfect - not a single fault on any of them. They have been utterly reliable; well built, out of quality materials; supremely comfortable, and a joy to drive. These were cars built in the 2005 - 2011 period. Judging by what I have read since becoming a member of this club / forum (last November), I doubt if we would have been so lucky had we got another Mazda when our last company-car came up for renewal in 2015.
I do hope that this is just an abnormal blip in Mazda’s quality, and not downward spiral that they could have trouble getting out of.
I have several members on my patch with gearbox problems, OK Paul Roddison has taken his car to the limits on track, but the other member just drives to and from work and does the occasional Derbyshire run.
If you have not already done so read
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst104740_Report-on-the-failure-of-the-MK4-Gearbox.aspx
Along with
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst103834_See-what-has-broken-inside-a-ND---Mk4-gear-box.aspx
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst101157_The-first-Mk4-built-for-racing--may-not--now-be--up-for-sale.aspx this post has coming up to 10,000 views
Lastly and on a slightly more positive note -
https://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/yaf_postst103140_The-ND-Mk4-as-a-race-car.aspx
I am also aware of a committee member who has bought a Spider, an AC who has traded his MK4 in for a Spider, and a member from the other side of the Pennines who has bought a late 3.75 rather than a MK4 - see report in one of the above
The Gearbox problem is well documented and has a global TSB in place for road cars.
While not a great thing to have it’s far from unheard of with a complete new design of car which the ND is. How the parent organisation deals with the problems when they occur is the important question. Mazda Japan have released a worldwide TSB, Mazda in North America have been very responsive and quick to change failing units, now we are seeing a few here it’s how MMUK responds which will be the proof.
The ND is still the best of the 4 MX-5’s I have owned as a driving car, for me that’s what it’s all about…
Really?.. Really really???
So reading your post you have had 3 exemplary experiences with Mazda vehicles, and, since you don’t state otherwise, seem to have no issue with your current car. But based on forum comments, you have thrown in the towel. The pool of car choice must be getting very small.
Well obviously - if someone is in the market for a new car, the only way they are going to know how good / bad they are, is to read reviews, and of course take a road-test. If the motoring press and forums such as this, highlight serious issues, you are always going to be very wary about buying one, no matter how good your previous experiences.
The Mazdas we had all came from years past (in our case, made between 2005 to 2011) - our current MX-5 is of 2008 vintage, and is terrific. Any manufacturer can hit a rocky patch - just look at British Leyland /Rover in the 70s and 80s, and it turned out to be terminal ! How is anyone suppose to know if a manufacturer is on the skids unless they read reviews etc ? It’s all part of a prospective customers normal research. Nobody in their right mind is going to gamble twenty-grand-plus on a new car if it has well-documented weaknesses.
But we do Chris, God Bless our wee cotton socks.
Mazda ( in terms of 5 production) got through the infamous Mk2.5 Sport clutch debacle, notchy gearboxes, corroding alloys, rotting boot lids, a stink about whether galvanised or not…to the extent of withdrawing misinformed showroom brochures, + mid to post 2003 diffs made of cheese etc.
Then the legions of issues people had with Mk3 with jacked up ride hight, poor alignments, lack of dealer PDI, missing chassis bungs, cracking screens, cheap and nasty seat bolsters, piano key dash scraping, seat belt issues, soft paint, water in rear brake lights, alloy crumble ■■■ in boot seams and elsewhere, rust around front side indicators etc etc. Early ones are now rotting like good’uns…especially where side skirts have been fitted.
Let’s not forget, as I have said before…certain new NDs are cheaper than certain Jasper Conrans were in the late 90’s!
I’d love an ND, but armed with forum knowledge from experienced users, I’d accept it’s cheap as chips in regard to what I’d get.
But…Mazda do need to step up to the plate I think and honour recall situations with a bit more verve.
But, we will still buy the wee boogers!
In some ways, I rather wish you hadn’t pointed out all the weaknesses of my NC Robin, but I suppose it is best to be philosophical about this, and think that ‘forewarned is forearmed’ !
No really, I had no idea that MX-5s had so many gremlins over the years - this is the sort of knowledge that only really comes through joining a club / forum like this - you get all the inside dirt, whether you want it or not ! Until I joined this club, I was blissfully ignorant of all Mazda (generally) and MX-5 (specifically) issues, because we had had no problems with our previous cars at all.
Actually, I would never (!) be in the market for an ND, whether it was foolproof or not, because I don’t like the shape. When we had to let our 2011 NC go back to the lease-hire company after 4 1/2 fun-filled years (it was Linda’s company car), we quickly came to the conclusion that we would have to look elsewhere (another marque) because neither of us liked the new version of the MX-5, which is why we eventually chose the VW Scirocco. I do think though, that the shape of the RF does offset some of the, shall we say, less than aesthetically pleasing aspects of the ND body, but no, not for us.
Meanwhile Dogman said (ten days ago) “The car is going in next week” - That’s the week just gone, or my sense of calendars and time is shot - - -
So what’s new? - I hope it’s not more dealer flim flam.
Gerry, I have replied.
I have found that my 2.0 definitely ‘sticks’ when trying to go into first on some occasions, selecting another gear and re-selecting always resolves it. My 1.5 never had this issue. Will be interested to hear what happens. I spoke to my dealer and they said it will ‘bed’ in, so we shall see…
Sorry about that, it appeared at the end of page 1, and the thread was on page 2 when I next logged in. To me. it sounds like a synchro problem, neither clutch or slave cylinder related, or it would show up in other gears. Coincidentally, second gear seems to be the one most affected, according to reports on here and on Miata.net. That may be a different problem, but it all points to gearbox problems I’m afraid.
The ‘Rattling’ in idle also sounds like an offshoot of the sheared teeth experienced on second gear, - so a loose gear tooth rattling in the box in neutral? ( a similar problem experienced many years back on a new car, with the diff affected. Replaced under warranty by Ford Canada)…From that point on, things can only get worse. I hope you get a new gearbox, and it works fine, all that you deserve methinks, though an apology should be forthcoming - but I doubt you’ll get one.
Good luck.
The list keeps growing.
UPDATE:
New gearbox ordered yesterday following test drive by dealer. Far too many unacceptable noises along with the notchy gears. Fitting on 29th November.
Prince
Prince,
Very pleased to read your update and the fact Mazda are sorting your gearbox issue by replacing the faulty box.
It makes me wonder how Mazda will deal with the gearbox issues when the cars are out of warranty, I suppose the only way to cover ourself is to buy the Mazda extended warranty.
I’m really pleased to hear Mazda are replacing your gearbox,however I do wish they would pull their head out of the sand and admit there IS a fault…they are still telling people there isn’t a problem and the number of issues are very limited, obviously we know this is totally b—■■■■
Totally agree!
Some issues with the gearbox means the ball stops with the dealer who sold the car, Dealers are responsible for warranty repairs - and will often defer to Mazda, they will only act on a specific TSB or Recall, (the latter ain’t going to happen I reckon) and unless a gearbox problem conforms to the TSB mentioned previously, then they will be reluctant to change it at their cost, which of course also applies in part to the customer.
Paul - you are talking to Mazda direct I believe? Despite proof offered in your thread, the current issue seems totally unrelated to second gear wipe out, but difficulty in getting into first gear (and reverse?) from rest. This definitely throws the ball immediately into a dealers court, and they aren’t going to do anything without 1) guidance from Mazda, 2) a TSB covering the problem, or 3) admission overall that the gear box is crap. Referring back to the Mk2.5 clutch judder, it took several years - here and world wide, for Mazda to come up with a working replacement, not entirely their fault, but down to non-compliance by the clutch plate manufacturer. I would suspect the same is true of the gearbox, which i still don’t know the OEM supplier, but as you also blame the rear diff matching then it’s a different issue altogether to difficulty in engaging first and/or reverse gear.
For Mazda to admit both items are faulty (eg - incorrect selection at design stage) would mean a model wipe out for Mazda, and they aren’t going to admit that. Replacing all boxes and diffs is a tall order, and like the clutch plate issue, will be for a limited time and number only. We are talking world-wide, and that ain’t peanuts. I suspect replacements will only be covered strictly on a non race or tracked car, for obvious reasons. Owners will be asked for proof I reckon. Personal experience has taught me there are three sides to consider with any problem, the owner - the dealer, and the manufacturer, and you have to examine the effect on all three before you can expect a solution. Dealers don’t like TSB’s, usually allotted time is regarded as insufficient. It also interferes with paid service time, which is where their profit lies. They will not openly admit the existence of one in most cases, but will if you can prove one exists - the right one, not any old TSB that doesn’t directly relate to a specific problem. If Mazda replace individual gear boxes, it doesn’t mean they will publish a TSB - that’s a second and more drastic step, opening the door to any owner who complains of a problem. TSB’s are the result of numerous complaints relating to a specific problem, at which point Mazda steps in.
All from personal experience and assumed detail, I’m acting as devils advocate here. If a number of owners approach Mazda with a specific problem in a thoughtful manner, then they will either ignore it, act on it locally, or defer to NE, and then to Head Office. We were fortunate with the Clutch issue, Mazda UK volunteered to act directly, rather than take the course of action I requested, but the end effect was we finally got it fixed. World wide, no-one else did anything, except complain, locally or internationally. The Club at that time stood by with a “watching brief” - Thank you (not)
I asked at an AGM a couple of years ago “If the same type of issue arose - would the current Committee stand by the owners?” and was assured it would, by the current Chairman. Your case (including some others apparently) may not qualify for Club support due to the stated warranty terms, and gearbox (or rear diff) are not covered as a ‘wear and tear’ item. So IMHO Race and tracked cars - NO. Road cars (only) possibly. So far, on this issue, there seems a few owners affected, a build up would rate attention, but I’m opting out of that battle, having fought one on my own. First step is always the dealer, otherwise complaining without acting will get nothing sorted. My PM box is always open (so far) and I’ll do some clearing just in case.
I have a sport Recaro since April 2016 15000 miles and have had no problems with my gear box maybe I have been lucky reading back
Rang the dealer today and was told by them that Mazda were seeking more information from them. I asked the dealer what happens now and he said he will let me know when Mazda come back with an answer. I will give it another couple of days and then ring Mazda myself. I will keep you posted.
That’s frustrating, Dogman . But I’m sure that you’ll get a new 'box in the end.
Now, with apologies for bending this thread a bit, I’d like to ask the cognoscenti amongst you whether or not I should be concerned about the durability of the gear shafts and teeth in the Auto box which has apparently been designed specially for the SkyActiv 2 litre? This could well reveal the true extent of my ignorance, but I’m thinking that the gearing within the box must be designed to offer similar ratios to the Manual, and therefore the strain on the components due to diff figures could be similar??
I ain’t no engineer, so would appreciate a bit of clarification here.
Thanks.