Mazda 3 having major recalls in Israel

[Carlover76]

Drivers panic as Mazda 3 cars recalled to fix wiring glitch By Daniel Schmil Tags: Israel

It's the biggest car recall in Israel's history and garages are reporting incessant calls from frightened drivers of the Mazda 3, the best-selling car in the Holy Land. Some drivers didn't bother phoning; they drove straight to the nearest Mazda repair shop. Not too many, though - some car repair shops say that while their phones are ringing off the hook, drive-ins remain reasonably packed. But company officials insist that the problem is a minor one and does not comprise a safety hazard.

 

"My switchboard is collapsing," says Moshe Somekh, manager of a garage licensed to handle Mazdas. "I have to turn down clients who came for repairs because I can't handle them all. The panic here is unnecessary."

 

Despite an announcement urging drivers to bring in their cars "without delay," following a somewhat panicky reaction in the street, importer Delek Automotive Systems urges calm. The cars do need preventative repairs, but there is no urgency in doing so, clarifies deputy CEO Shachar Shemesh.

Advertisement "The reports created utter hysteria," Shemesh said. "There is no urgency in the preventative treatment, and there is a very small chance that anything will happen." Asked to clarify that directive in letters to car-owners to bring in their cars "without delay," Shemesh says: "We wanted to prevent a stampede at the garages and allow the car owners to undergo this in an orderly manner." Evidently, that strategy didn't work.

 

The recall involves about 50,000 Mazda 3 automatics manufactured between 2003 and November 2006, after which time the cars were upgraded to solve the problem.

 

The preventative measure involves insulating the wiring of the engine computer from the engine block. Friction between the heated wiring and the engine block can lead to short circuits. In any case, the problem does not render the car less safe and cannot cause much damage to the engine. Contrary to certain media reports, the problem cannot cause the driver to lose control of the car, say company officials. At worst, the engine will stall, and can then be restarted.

 

Customers will not pay for the preventative treatment, which takes about 40 minutes. The cost will be borne not by Delek Automotive, a Yitzhak Tshuva company, but by the global Mazda corporation. Assuming that the work costs NIS 160 per hour, Mazda is looking at a bill of about NIS 4 million plus the cost of the insulation material, which should run at a few shekels per car. "It's peanuts for a company like Mazda," says Shemesh.

 

Leasing companies with large fleets of cars were more relaxed about the whole thing than private car owners. Cal-Auto leasing manager Eldad Koren commented that all they're doing is programming the needed treatment into the car computer, so the next time the car is taken for a tune-up or any handling by a garage, the job can be done.

 

Car recalls are not rare, and the reasons tend to be hazardous problems. There have been recalls in Israel before, but of much smaller scope, no more than a few hundred cars at a time.

 

Source extracted from : [link]http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=955577&contrassID=2&subContrassID=2[/link]

[Mzrmazda3]

For our side, it's jus a check & replacement on the wire harness

[Will_I_Am]

Bro, your glove box light still working bo? Mine was done after 2 yrs, but still have not got the time to go MM to rectify yet. Seems like things starts failing after 2 years.

[Mzrmazda3]

Bro, mine still working fine despite coming to 3.5 years old liao

 

Maybe, you can get it rectify when you send your ride to do servicing over at MM

Edited February 20, 2008 by Mzrmazda3

[Carlover76]

Can change the bulb to LED yourself instead of going back your agent, it will cheaper also.

[Will_I_Am]

Hmmm .. I suspect it got something to do with the EL sidestep plate I installed. I used to encounter a strange problems with my cabin lights and found out that the EL lights causes some short circuit with the cabin light systems. OK after one of the faulty side was disconnected, I suspect could be due to the same cause due to the 3 remaining side. By the way, I dun go MM for servicing as the waiting time is crazy. Went to City Auto instead. Faster mah. But then MM got free kopi and biscuits lor .... with occasional swee lady customer ...

[Will_I_Am]

Bro, how do I proceed? Thanks.

[Mzrmazda3]

 

I went back to MM cos got the free servicing vounchers

 

Do agree on the waiting time side but so far the experience over there is

 

I have also went to City Auto for some repairs recently and also during the time when my ride was running in

 

Miss.Lee over at City Auto still could remember me Maybe because she remember me as a nan whom dig $$$ out from my own pocket when i have changed my engine oil at 800km, 1600km, 3200km during my run in period

Edited February 20, 2008 by Mzrmazda3

[Will_I_Am]

I sold off my servicing vouchers and did my servicing at CA. Faster and cheaper .. can bring own oil also. At least I can stand there to watch over them. At MM, they will ask u to wait at the lounge (until the cows comes home )

 

Tested the new MZ6 .. backside a bit itchy liao

[Carlover76]

My family used to own a M323 and was kanna chop carrot by MM so that is why I has no interest to own a Mazda, besides that, their FC is the worst and now with their Si Bei Dao attitude, that even make me don't want to own a Mazda.

 

Really thinking their car is the best and give that kind of attitude.

[Mzrmazda3]

 

Mai tu liao ...

 

Change, change ...

[Mzrmazda3]

now with their Si Bei Dao attitude

 

So hao lian one ...

 

I gotten my ride through Welltac whom is previously one of their dealer

[Carlover76]

Ya lor, very Hao Lian also...

 

Probably now my preference difference cos I prefer to have a quiet, stable and value for money ride and I have noticed Kia has adopt some of Mazda's features over like the foot pedal etc.

[Will_I_Am]

The one thing I cannot stand is their pricing structures. They sort of force u to take up their inhouse insurance and finance packages, if not got to pay 5.5K more than the listed price. Somemore have to be tied down with early loan redemption penalty. After 2 yrs, you find that you are stuck with your near scrap-value car as new car cost 20K cheaper from the time u bought. You find that loyal customers like us are screwed big time

[Will_I_Am]

Bro, hao lian is OK. But price dropping of 10K or more within 3 months is NOT.

Many of our bros in MCS kenna jia lark jia lark already

[Mzrmazda3]

I also kena jialat jialat

[Carlover76]

Ya lor, quite bad huh. Lucky I don't have such problem with C&C and importantly, I can have 100% full loan with the bank either their in-house or our own bank.

[Petergo]

media always like to sensationalised...