Mazda 6 worth the price?

zweton

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mazda-6-1-8-sport/11333295

adocholiday

I've been looking at these myself and by all accounts I hear the petrol models are great. The diesel's not so much, they suffer from a well reported DPF issue. The only thing I'd be wary of with the Mazda 6 is the timing chain. Apparently they are known for stretching and they're very expensive to replace. Mazda were replacing them with an uprated chain but I don't think it was a recall, moreso a service item if/when it needed to be done.

Might be worth checking that out, otherwise the petrol version is a good car.

zweton

good to know, didnt know about the timing chain issue. what year are you looking at yourself?

Squeaksoutloud

Looking at either a petrol Mazda 6 or 07/08 Merc E-Class myself.

Saw that one pop up and thought it looked good but pricier than most. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be many Sport spec ones around though..I saw a few 08 private sales with around 90,000 miles going for about 6k though..prob knock some off that too.

zweton

yeah the sport ones are nice allright.

adocholiday

I'm looking at loads of different cars but I had an option for an 09 2.2l Diesel Mazda 6 that ended up having no service history so wasn't going to take the chance. I'd say it's worth considering that one considering the sport model comes with nice extras etc. Good luck with the search anyway.

murphyebass

adocholiday wrote: »

The only thing I'd be wary of with the Mazda 6 is the timing chain. Apparently they are known for stretching and they're very expensive to replace. Mazda were replacing them with an uprated chain but I don't think it was a recall, moreso a service item if/when it needed to be done.

Funny you should mention timing chain as I was havin mine services by Mazda recently and they kept saying he timing chain needed to be replaced as it was very stretched.

I kept saying no as I'm considering changing the car soon depending on work stuff and part of me thought they were just out to do me as a timing chain shouldn't need to be changed at 128k km's.

Anyway to cut a long story short they put a claim into head office to have it done out of curiosity to see how much it would cost and it came back that it was covered by them for the most part due to some form of a recall/issue.

Because mine is so far out of warranty 2010 model I agreed to paying €200 and they're footing the bill for all the parts and the labour above €200.

I wasn't going to do it but I thought If I do hold onto the car or if I sell it it'll be a good receipt to be able to show a perspective buyer.

So yes DPF is well known problem and the timing chain issue not so much but definately one I'd be checking if the car is around the 80k miles range like mine.

Otherwise they're a really nice car to drive by the way.

I've had a few mazdas now and although I've seen the few issues they have if I'd still buy another.

Let's be fair most makes will have some issues.

I've had German cars in the past that had loads of issues for example yet people will have you believe good German engineering etc.. Blah blah..

boosabum

If the DPF still a problem on the new mazda 6 ? Was thinking about buying one of those platinum skyactive ones

murphyebass

boosabum wrote: »

If the DPF still a problem on the new mazda 6 ? Was thinking about buying one of those platinum skyactive ones

I have the previous model 2.2 diesel and it has issues.

Not sure about the new one though.

Is it a completely new engine yeah?

ShadowHearth

zweton wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mazda-6-1-8-sport/11333295

Its a low millage one, but it looks like on a very high end price wise. It being on 60k miles I would be worried about stuff like Timing chain. I doubt it was done and if they do have issues, its better to get a higher millage one with chain done?

Anyone knows MPG of 1.8 petrol one? Wouldnt this engine be a bit dead for such big car?

As for DPF - is there at least one modern diesel that does not have issues with them? I wonder if mostly issues due to low millage people doing, then actual car fault.

tom_tarbucket

ignore my post

zweton

just done a quick search there on price of timing chain replacement, someone with a uk one was quoted 1400 pounds!!!
I may be reconsidering this car!


http://www.mazda6forums.co.uk/index.php?topic=1907.0

zweton

seems to be a difference of opinion on the timing chain here

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=60603228

will ring a mazda garage tomm to confirm before going to look.

zweton

8k no less for this car is what they want, spoke to them earlier.
yay or nay?

bazz26

8k seems a tad expensive to me for a now 7 year old petrol Mazda 6.

zweton

yeah i know

ShadowHearth

bazz26 wrote: »

8k seems a tad expensive to me for a now 7 year old petrol Mazda 6.

Same. Its a nice car, but not 8k nice.

blueband

Not sure on the price, but I drive the diesel version and extremely happy with it.
The DPF's aren't really an issue, only really an issue if you're doing short runs from cold, give it a decent motorway run once every couple of weeks and you're grand. Same with the majority of modern diesel engines AFAIK

Check honestjohn.co.uk for info on known problems, if the timing chain is something thats an issue on the petrol you'll see it mentioned there.

Great car, lovely drive, Japanese reliability, hard to go wrong. I'm sure there'd be some wriggle room on the price. Remember, with Jap cars once they've gone down to under half the value further loss is a lot slower than other cars

blueband

Not sure on the price, but I drive the diesel version and extremely happy with it.
The DPF's aren't really an issue, only really an issue if you're doing short runs from cold, give it a decent motorway run once every couple of weeks and you're grand. Same with the majority of modern diesel engines AFAIK

Check honestjohn.co.uk for info on known problems, if the timing chain is something thats an issue on the petrol you'll see it mentioned there.

Great car, lovely drive, Japanese reliability, hard to go wrong. I'm sure there'd be some wriggle room on the price. Remember, with Jap cars once they've gone down to under half the value further loss is a lot slower than other cars

zweton

blueband wrote: »

Not sure on the price, but I drive the diesel version and extremely happy with it.
The DPF's aren't really an issue, only really an issue if you're doing short runs from cold, give it a decent motorway run once every couple of weeks and you're grand. Same with the majority of modern diesel engines AFAIK

Check honestjohn.co.uk for info on known problems, if the timing chain is something thats an issue on the petrol you'll see it mentioned there.

Great car, lovely drive, Japanese reliability, hard to go wrong. I'm sure there'd be some wriggle room on the price. Remember, with Jap cars once they've gone down to under half the value further loss is a lot slower than other cars

you driving the 2.2 diesel? what year? i have seen a few nice ones but i thought the general opinion was to stay away from the mazda 6 diesels. am i wrong?

bazz26

Does your annual mileage and typical driving style warrant a diesel? The Mazda 6 diesel engine is nowhere near as reliable as the petrol ones.

zweton

Can someone tell me the difference between the 1.8 petrol sport and the 2.0 exec model? i cant see any difference to the interior of the car anyway.

both have the multifunction steering wheel.

blueband

zweton wrote: »

you driving the 2.2 diesel? what year? i have seen a few nice ones but i thought the general opinion was to stay away from the mazda 6 diesels. am i wrong?

'09 2.0D, not the 2.2. May be wrong but think the 2.2 was one of the facelift models just after mine. Belt driven not chain.
Had a quick scoot round honestjohn and there does seem to be reports of the chain stretching on the 2.2D.

The issue with DPF's is the same with any diesel, avoid short trips from cold, it's diesel so if you do short commutes and very little motorway/longer trips then petrol probably the way to go.
Once you keep an eye on the oil and make sure it's serviced properly and on schedule there should be no DPF issues. The issue comes from lack of checking oil levels, from unused diesel contamination as the DPF dumps unused fuel from regenerations that don't complete (short driving) into the sump.

I bought second hand, and made sure it had full service history from main dealer, I wouldn't risk it without it. And I monitor the oil every few weeks and get it serviced on schedule.
Other than that I don't think there's any reason to avoid the diesels, usual hearsay and BS you get.

I do decent mileage (Mrs.Blue is from the West), I hit the service interval around 9-10 months, so that should ensure I don't hit DPF issues - hopefully.

I've had her nearly 3 years and been pretty flawless (touch wood), nearly 150k on the clock, about 75k or so of which I've clocked up.
Only issue I had was a fan belt that had to be replaced, and do the timing belt when it was due

zweton

what do ye think is a more realistic price for this mazda?:)

hognef

I've had my 04 1.8 petrol since 06, have done over 150k miles in it (just passed 200k miles the other day), probably 70% of it on motorways. Haven't replaced the timing chain yet. The only issues I've had, in nearly 10 years, are calipers (common issue, apparently, they tend to stick) and headlight bulbs (need replacing far too frequently; I imagine that's specific to my car).

Wouldn't mind an upgrade, but I'm struggling to find sensible arguments in favour of such a move.

blueband

hognef wrote: »

I've had my 04 1.8 petrol since 06, have done over 150k miles in it (just passed 200k miles the other day), probably 70% of it on motorways. Haven't replaced the timing chain yet. The only issues I've had, in nearly 10 years, are calipers (common issue, apparently, they tend to stick) and headlight bulbs (need replacing far too frequently; I imagine that's specific to my car).

Wouldn't mind an upgrade, but I'm struggling to find sensible arguments in favour of such a move.

Do you change the bulbs in pairs?

I used to think this was a con from dealers, but I found on my 6 when I changed the near side dip bulb, within 3-4weeks the offside would go. I'd change that and then 3-4 weeks the near side would be gone again.
Changed them both at the same time with a twinpack the last time and a year later I've not had to change a headlight bulb so far, after going through about a half dozen.
And they're a bit of a pig to change on my '09, they're making it harder and harder to change simple maintenance items on modern cars......my wifes Yaris needs a small child to be able to get a hand into the rear cluster and twist the bulb holder

BMJD

we had a 08 1.8 petrol in Sport spec for 4 years

Reliability-wise, it had a few niggly things that went wrong, some of them over and over again. A lambda sensor (could've been O2, can't remember tbh) went in it, which caused it to run rich, MPG dropped like a stone and it would randomly cut out when stopped at lights etc., Mazda were quoting over €500 for the part + labour but luckily a friend of mine works in a Mazda dealer so I got it for under €400. Literally took 5 minutes to change it.

There was also an ongoing problem with the alarm, it would randomly go off, we think it was ambient temperature related because it seemed to happen in the evening time as it got cold. Dealer couldn't sort it.

The battery was replaced twice in the years we had it, the alarm fault may have contributed to it, it was also mainly used for short runs (~3km) so that didn't help; having said that, it hasn't happened in other cars used the same way...

The bootlid open button on the rear stopped working. Didn't bother getting it fixed as we were changing the car soon after, and the remote opens it anyway.

The airbag light was a constant issue - it would disappear for a few weeks (handy for NCT time) then come on every now and again. Dealer couldn't get to the bottom of it, they insisted that the airbag system was fine and that it was just a loose connection under the seat.

Overall MPG was around 36, not bad for the short journeys as I mentioned. Tax was quite expensive, can't remember exactly but around €500.

It handled very well, even on the sh1tty ditchfinders that were originally on it (typical dealer penny-pinching for the sake of €100 :rolleyes: ), I put a set of Toyo T1Rs on it which were really great for the price. The 18 inch wheels looked good but were quite uncomfortable with the hard suspension, the seats were quite hard too so it wasn't the most pleasant car for longer journeys. I wouldn't say it was under-powered, but it did feel like it could easily handle twice the power. Need to work the gears to make good progress.

I would make sure that everything is working, especially electrical stuff like I mentioned above, check all the dashboard lights are functioning correctly. The key also stores the service history which is useless as you need to go to a Mazda dealer to check it. There was no paper book with it so make sure it can be verified.

Edit: I would not pay anything close to €9k for the one above, €7k would be a realistic asking price IMO

blueband

zweton wrote: »

what do ye think is a more realistic price for this mazda?:)

Any car is only worth, like anything else, what the market will pay for it.

Having a quick glance around carzone shows there's not a lot on the market, you could drop back to a 08 and get one for under 8k but based on the pricing it seems to be roughly in-line with whats available.

You could check when the expensive tax is due, if it's soon that's nearly 600notes you'll be due to pay, can use that as a bargaining tool.
Also, it's a private sale, the others are dealer, so you could negotiate based on being able to get one elsewhere with warranty for similar price, see if that gets them moving.

If they're stuck on the price at 8k, you can easily walk away and see how they are in a month or two if they haven't shifted it then.

All depends on what others might be willing to pay and if you're prepared to walk away and wait.

hognef

blueband wrote: »

Do you change the bulbs in pairs?

I used to think this was a con from dealers, but I found on my 6 when I changed the near side dip bulb, within 3-4weeks the offside would go. I'd change that and then 3-4 weeks the near side would be gone again.
Changed them both at the same time with a twinpack the last time and a year later I've not had to change a headlight bulb so far, after going through about a half dozen.
And they're a bit of a pig to change on my '09, they're making it harder and harder to change simple maintenance items on modern cars......my wifes Yaris needs a small child to be able to get a hand into the rear cluster and twist the bulb holder

I didn't use to, but I have started doing so within the last year or so. It's still too early to say conclusively whether it has made any difference.

And don't get me started on changing them. I've more or less given up at this stage, and only do it myself if I'm really stuck.

BMJD

just to add, our 2008 one was advertised at €7,500 a year ago from a main dealer with warranty, I'm sure they would've taken €7k for it given the age...

blueband

hognef wrote: »

I didn't use to, but I have started doing so within the last year or so. It's still too early to say conclusively whether it has made any difference.

And don't get me started on changing them. I've more or less given up at this stage, and only do it myself if I'm really stuck.

I was convinced it was a con years ago, but before I got the Mazda I had a Saab 9-3 Aero and the rear left brake light constantly went, to the point I gave up changing it. I changed the garage I used for servicing and mentioned the endless bulbs I'd been putting in and they said you should do it in pairs. Changed both rear brake lights and never changed a bulb in it again until I traded it due to other issues about 1.5 years later

Barr

I was looking at a petrol 1.8 Mazda 6 a while back and didn’t find anything to suggest that they have timing chain issues. Same model as the ops. News to me.

I thought they have the same engine as the Mondeo. Does this have an issue with the chain as well?

zweton

will try them for 7500 and see, if no go i can wait for a cheaper one.

mcbobbyb

We've an 08 1.8 petrol and I love it. I never heard of a timing chain issue either. On honest John there's a mention of stretching on the 2.2 diesel model.

bazz26

zweton wrote: »

will try them for 7500 and see, if no go i can wait for a cheaper one.

I wouldn't pay more than 7k for it to be honest, it's not a car that sellers will have their phones hopping mad with huge interest.

zweton

the original one i posted wont budge on 8k so left it off.


going to see this one tomorrow.its the 2.2 diesel but its local so going to take it for a spin and see what its like. alex motors repair but never heard of them.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2009-mazda-6-2-2d163ps/11315412