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Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

4133 messages,  Last post on Mar 24, 2013 at 5:59 AM

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Messages Page 262 of 414

#2609 of 4133 2001 Tribute Pwer Steering Pump by wcw1

Nov 01, 2004 (7:31 am)

I have a 2001 Mazda Tribute with 40,000 miles. The power steering pump starting making crunching noises. The noises get worse if the car idles and gets hot. Mazda wants to charge me $700.00 to replace the pump. I had the fluid flushed and that helped a little. I have been unable to find a power steering pump anywhere so I can do the repair myself or have a garage do it. The idea of paying Mazda $700.00 upsets me. Any ideas appreciated.

#2610 of 4133 wcw1 by tincup47

Nov 01, 2004 (9:04 am)

Any Ford or Mazda dealer should be willing to sell you just the pump if you want to put it on yourself.

#2611 of 4133 wcw1 by escapenut

Nov 02, 2004 (9:17 am)

Looked online at FordPartscheap.com and the discounted online price is ~$132.00 + Shipping
for the power steering pump. The high pressure hoses are additional if needed and any extra parts will of course be charged by the dealership including: shop rags, power steering fluid, disposal charge, environmental fee, processing fee, etc. You get the drill...
If the dealership quoted $700.00 then it's either in parts markup or labor and the above mentioned items.
I don't know the difficulty in changing a power-steering pump, but my guess is at least several hours base labor rate which is pushing $75.00-$80.00/hr. + the part(s) does not equal $700.00.
For that much money, I'd ask the dealer to justify, quantify the cost(s) in writing.
 
All, FYI : Almost pushing 60K miles on the '01 XLT V6 and have noticed that my drive belt(s) will need replacing shortly, passenger-side front
light lense is fogging and collecting water. Noticed it in some heavy rain here the last couple of days. So a seal must broken, the lense looks good with no breaks noticable. Will take it out, dry it, and re-seal if possible. Noticed clunking in A/C compressor. Was told by mechanic
friend that A/C clutch is going out with possible
future failure of A/C compressor. I guess after 3 1/2 solid years of running the A/C about 8-9 months per year, then this may be expected.

#2612 of 4133 Dealer rip off on price of P/S pump by wcw1

Nov 02, 2004 (1:05 pm)

Thanks for the input!
 
Mazda quoted me $500.00 for the pump and $200.00 installation which I declined of course. I just came from a used parts dealer where I obtained a power steering pump from a 2002 V6 Tribute for $89.00 total with a six months warranty. Does not look too hard to install, two hoses connections and a bracket. The car is a lease and I am going to turn it in soon. FWIW, I have been displeased overall with the Tribute's quality. No more Mazdas for me.

#2613 of 4133 by baggs32

Nov 02, 2004 (2:29 pm)

FWIW, I have been displeased overall with the Tribute's quality. No more Mazdas for me.
 
Just out of curiosity, if you're so concerned with quality why in God's name are you leasing? After all, you are going to turn it in eventually so you might as well drive something you like. Did you like the Tribute?
 
Also, if it's a lemon you shoudn't have to pay for any repairs unless you go over the mileage ceiling of the warranty, which would be over the same ceiling for the lease in most cases too. Neither is very smart when you lease.
 
If you're '01 Tribute only has 40,000 miles on it how is the pump not covered under the 48 month/48,000 mile warranty? Did you buy it in 2000?

#2614 of 4133 Re: Is your Tribute Loud [tiffany1] by explorerx4

Nov 02, 2004 (4:52 pm)

Replying to: tiffany1 (Oct 29, 2004 10:59 am)
have an '04 escape. just had the tires rotated for the first time. it got very loud, especially around 60 mph.

#2615 of 4133 Re: Is your Tribute Loud [explorerx4] by baggs32

Nov 03, 2004 (6:42 am)

Replying to: explorerx4 (Nov 02, 2004 4:52 pm)
Did they rotate front to back or did they use the "X" pattern?
 
The latter usually causes some noise because what was the inside of a tire is now the outside. Depending on the suspension, tires will "seat" in different ways. When you move them to the other side of the vehicle they need to be re-seated. This ususally puts the side of the tire with less wear on the outside and causes more noise.
 
I wish I had some graphics to explain this better so hopefully you caught my drift.

#2616 of 4133 Figured out '05 insulation by escapenut

Nov 03, 2004 (12:38 pm)

FWIW, I finally figured where Ford/Mazda put most of their insulation improvements for the '05's as compared to my '01 Escape... where the spare is on my Escape there is only foam/jute insulation
with a hard surface over it, then carpet for the '05's. I looked at a friend's '05 Tribute last night and sure enough it's there and looks like if you took it out you could make a dog's bed with it. There are probably more subtle insulation improvements, because his definitely rides quieter even with the OEM Conti's.
 
I changed my serpentine drive belt last night, and if you do yourself you'll need small hands to work around the tight spots, but it can be done.
Also a 16" - 18" 3/8" ratchet which would serve as breaker bar to fit in the tensioner pulley,
to torque the pully and rotate or walk the old belt off. Be sure and follow the belt-route diagram to fit the new belt on properly. Took about 20-minutes total with 2-guys trying to figure out the bets method. Replacement procedure says to take left-front wheel off and and fender-well liner out to access the belt. That may be the way to go, but would've eaten-up another 20-minutes or so. Also fixed (I hope) and resealed the right-front light housing which had moisture/water standing in it. Had to partially dissemble the front fender (held on by plastic/metal clips) to get the housing out to work on it. Dried it out and re-sealed with a automotive silicone sealer. This was about a 1-1/2 hr. process total because it's a pain taking out all the plastic connectors for the fender liner and putting everything back in place.

#2617 of 4133 Mazda Tribute Engine problem by mazdasucks

Nov 03, 2004 (12:32 pm)

Replying to: escapenut (Nov 03, 2004 12:38 pm)
Zoom-Zoom, more like Boom-Boom
 
On August 22, 2004, I was driving my 2001 Mazda Tribute with 57,000 miles on it. All of a sudden, the engine started making some loud and strange noises. I found out from the dealership a few days later that the engine needed to be replaced. I gave the dealership copies of the maintenance records proving the vehicle was serviced in full compliance with Mazda’s maintenance schedule. The dealership then said they would discuss the issue with the regional manager. On Monday, August 30, I found out that the regional manager asked the dealership to look into the problem in more detail (did they not look as hard into the problem before telling me I needed a new engine?) On September 1, I found out that they still did not know the exact problem and what caused it. The regional manager did offer to cover the cost of the engine if I covered the cost of labor. At this point the dealership had my car for a week and a half, and my choices were slim on what to do. I need a car so I agreed to pay the labor.
 
An engine should last more than 57,000 miles when the vehicle is properly maintained. My expectation for a Mazda vehicle was that the engine should last at least 120,000 miles. I did not even get half of that. If the dealership had come back and identified the problem and said it was caused by my actions, I would understand. However, nobody knows what happened and what caused it and as I mentioned, I was in full compliance with Mazda’s maintenance schedule and drove the vehicle in a manner consistent with the recommendations in the owner’s manual.
 
The vehicle also has a past history of components that needed to be replaced prematurely. At 41,800 miles, the brake power booster failed and at 46,500 miles, the ignition switch failed. These are failures that should not have happened at those mileages, I was just lucky that they were covered under warranty. This history leads me to question the durability of the Mazda Tribute.
 
To top the whole experience off, the repair on my vehicle was not completed when promised and again I was not offered a rental car or any discount for my inconvenience. The dealership put the blame on the shipping carrier that Mazda uses. When I picked my Tribute up (three days late) I was only able to drive it 2 miles before the engine warning light came on and I had to turn around and take it back. The dealer determined a wire on a sensor came loose. A week later the catalytic converter went when I was driving down the freeway. The vehicle just stopped accelerating. They took a week to repair it- again the dealership blamed the shipping carrier for not delivering the parts on time. A picked my Tribute up again and this time the air conditioner stopped working – I now have to take it back to the dealership again for a repair as a side effect to the engine replacement.
 
I requested from the dealership the opportunity to speak to the Mazda rep and was told they cannot give out his phone number, so I requested he call me. The dealership never made this happen. I’ve also sent a letter to The Mazda Corporation and they too have ignored me.

#2618 of 4133 Re: audible tone [refund97] by mazdasucks

Nov 03, 2004 (2:00 pm)

Replying to: refund97 (Oct 27, 2004 7:24 pm)
I had the same problem around 45,000 miles. It was the power booster and was covered under the warranty. I just had to have the engine replaced at 57000 and faught the dealership. They brought in the regional manager - he agree to pay for the engine if I paid the labor. Sounds like you got a lemon like me. Get ahold the the regional mazda rep.

Messages Page 262 of 414

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