mx5cartalk.com

"Your Cam Sensor was broken in the box. We will have to order another. Rebooked for Thursday".

That cuts it fine!

I was thinking the same thing! Is the car otherwise drivable, or is a loaner on the cards?

Or are you refreshing your hitchhiking technique?

Country car dealerships! I did say Country.

Yeah, I was trying to avoid cutting it this fine.
If the Cam Sensor doesn't arrive I will cancel the trip as I'm not driving that distance, including Brisbane traffic, wondering if the Sensor is going to fail at any time. We could possibly leave as late as early Saturday morning if the part arrives Friday and could be fitted Fri arvo. Makes it a long drive for only two days there...

I hadn't heard by lunchtime Thursday so I phoned at 2.15pm and was told that the Cam Sensor had arrived but the Fuel Filter had not.
I said I would bring the car in right away and asked if they could obtain a Fuel Filter for the Mazda from say, Repco. They said noone would have one. I phoned Repco and they said they had one available. When I dropped the car in I told them this but they said it wouldn't be a brand that they would use. The Filter is also an "in-tank" filter so would take about 3 hours to fit according to Repco, so I admitted defeat on the filter.
The Cam Sensor took 10 minutes to fit and I took the car for a run down the highway to make sure everything was working the way it should.
After the run I checked everything to make sure there were no fluid leaks. I found that the Brake Fluid Reservoir Cap just lifted off - I checked to see why it didn't screw off and couldn't see why. Wife did an Internet search and learned that it is a common Mazda 6 problem. The Cap is badly designed and a tiny piece of plastic is all that provides a screw thread. On closer examination I found the tiny piece in the reservoir. I duct-taped the cap on and we left for Brisbane at 0600 on Friday morning. No further mechanical problems and the car goes back in on Monday to have the Fuel Filter fitted.
Cost so far $1550. plus whatever for the Fuel Filter - $500. ?

That's costly to change a fuel filter, but then as it's an in-tank filter it would take longer than replacing an in-line filter - 3 hours sounds a lot, but I'm not familiar with access & the tank design etc.

How often is the filter supposed to be replaced? That's expensive!

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Why? Fuel filters are usually external. Leave the in-tank (?) one and change the external one (cheap and easy).

Both internal and external, at least sometimes but I suspect usually. In the case of our cars (NA/NB anyway) the in-tank one is best described a strainer, the external one is the fine filter to protect the injectors. I am surprised that the internal one is on a maintenance servicing schedule, but the external one is usually an item at higher mileages- unless having changed the external one pressure and flow problems persist.

I can only picture that 10 cent strainer sock fitted to the bottom of the fuel pump. Really only replace when you have problems if it fills up with muck (all unlikely).
External one everybody knows about.

I didn't know there were two. I was thinking about a final filter before the injectors.
I specifically asked for the fuel filter to be changed as it seemed like something that would need to be done given the potential for fuel contamination over many years and klms.
Nobody asked "Which Filter?" so the idea that there was more than one never occurred to me.
I asked for it to be done on the MX5 and again there was no query of "Which one?" they just changed the 'external' one - cost for the job $147.
Repco suggest a change every 40,000klms and both cars have had more than twice that without a change.
I will ask them on Monday which one they are changing - Repco only mentioned one which they described as "an in-tank filter" - no mention of an external one for the Mazda6. If it turns out to be the "internal" one then perhaps I should be saying "No - it's only the 'external' one I want changed."

Re above:
After a bit of research on the net, it is unclear how many fuel filters there are on my 2006 Mazda 6 GG. Some references say there is ONLY one and it is part of the Fuel Pump in-tank. That would explain the fact that Repco and the Dealer never asked "Which Filter do you want replaced".
Any thoughts?

Rocky,
it might be time to find another mechanic.
Greg.

Rocky wrote:Any thoughts?

When I looked last night for 2006 Mazda 6 2.3L it appeared to be the following in-tank filter:
https://rycofilters.com.au/part/Z959

ebay Ryco $68: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/15305199361 ... BM-OGM8NBh

Repco Ryco $212: https://www.repco.com.au/en/parts-servi ... p/A9635471

taminga16 wrote:it might be time to find another mechanic.

It's Rocky's only Mazda dealership, which Rocky favours over the other non-specialists.