2004 Mazda MPV stalling question


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Old 07-20-18, 09:11 AM
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2004 Mazda MPV stalling question

I have a 2004 Mazda MPV minivan with a 3.0 L V6 and an automatic transmission. The problem is that every couple of months it will stall without warning on surface streets. It has never stalled on a highway. Once the car comes to a stop, it immediately starts up again and works fine for another 2-3 months. Nobody seems to know what the problem is. Any ideas? It has stalled going uphill, downhill and on flat roads. Thanks, Rick
 
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Old 07-20-18, 09:29 AM
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Service Quote Realistic?

I have a Mazda MPV 2004 minivan. 3.0L V6. I have a mechanic that quoted me $500 to do a tuneup and $500 to replace all of the fluids in the vehicle. Does this sound reasonable? I don't know anything about cars and would prefer not to be duped. Thanks, Rick


Moderator note: two threads on same topic combined.
 

Last edited by PJmax; 07-20-18 at 11:38 PM.
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Old 07-20-18, 10:20 AM
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How many miles since it was tuned up last? same question about the fuel filter. Possible electrical issues since it only happens in the city where the body moves or gets jarred more than the highway.
 
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Old 07-20-18, 10:25 AM
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Sounds a bit high to me, but what does that mean? The surest way to get a realistic feel is to call one or two other facilities in your immediate area. Then you'll have information that actually impacts your wallet, but you still may not be 100% certain of getting the best price without asking a few more questions. What services and components are included in a tuneup? Spark plugs? Fuel injector conditioner? Air filter? As far as the fluid change, does it include a drain of the cooling system and transmission? Or are they actually flushing them as well? Is a new transmission filter included? Do they lube all of the steering and suspension components? A look at the maintenance schedule in your owners manual may point you to some additional questions.
 
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Old 07-20-18, 10:44 AM
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A long time. Surface streets are smooth country roads so that probably isn't it. What component of the tune-up do you think would be the issue? I have another post about that. I was quoted $500 for a tune-up. I thought that was expensive for just changing filters and 6 spark plugs.
 
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Old 07-20-18, 11:17 AM
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You said "nobody seems to know what the problem is", but is that just chit chat or have you had anyone actually attach a scan tool? If not, your local auto parts store should be able to scan it for you. Not all, but some of the systems maintain a history so it may show an error code even if the problem is not currently present.
 
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Old 07-20-18, 11:27 AM
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It doesn't generate a check engine light. Are there codes that occur that don't generate a check engine light?
 
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Old 07-20-18, 11:30 AM
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Apparently it takes 3 hours labor to remove the intake manifold to be able to access the rear 2 spark plugs. They check the ignition system and the fuel system. There is no fuel filter on this vehicle that is serviceable.
 
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Old 07-20-18, 12:21 PM
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I can't say for sure that there are errors that do not trigger a check engine or other error light or message, but would not dismiss the possibility of it occurring. Particularly in a case like you have encountered, where it stalls and immediately restarts, it seems possible, to me anyway, that for example the problem does not exist long enough to trigger the light, but that it may be logged as a historical problem rather than a current problem.
 
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Old 07-20-18, 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by rvs053063
". . . it takes 3 hours labor to remove the intake manifold to be able to access the rear 2 spark plugs . . .There is no fuel filter on this vehicle that is serviceable . . ."
Those sound like objective statements whose truthfulness should be verifiable with the next few mechanics you get quotes from. Ask !

What is the reason you're thinking about having any of this work done at this moment in time (what problems, if any, are you experiencing) . . . . and how did you connect up with this particular Mechanic ?

$1000 would appear to be a sizeable percentage of the value of that 2004 vehicle . . . . with nothing clearly adding to the value.
 
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Old 07-20-18, 05:14 PM
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Sure sounds like a rip off to me.
I'd be asking for a second or even a third opition.
 
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Old 07-21-18, 06:04 PM
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https://repairpal.com/estimator

You might find this on line link gives you some idea of what is reasonable for future purposes.

You need to be clear on identifying what is included in "a tune up", this is language from an older era where a tune up meant specific things across almost all cars. Not so nowadays, each car has unique service requirements.

There are individual plug coils on the Mazda, and the entire upper intake manifold needs to be removed to get at the rear three plugs. The $500 for the "tune up" is probably reasonable. The plug change is scheduled for 100,000 miles, so Mazda did not worry about ease of replacement. What is the mileage on your car?

The cost for fluid changes, is high but not crazy high. I would just have the brakes inspected and bled, and get the oil, coolant done at a Mr. Lube or such place that will be cheaper.

You definitely want the diagnostic codes pulled from the car"s computer, it is very different than the warning lights, and will hold a code for an intermitant issue.


The plug coils on this car can retain moisture and cause the car to stall. This was a known problem that Mazda corrected on later models. New coils are expensive. But usually the check engine light will flicker or go on.

May just be your throttle body needs cleaning, might be included in the "tune up". The garage should do this before further dealing with the stall cause.


You can shop around, but I don't think from the facts presented one can conclude you are being taken advantage of.
 
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Old 07-23-18, 12:34 PM
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Thanks

All 6 coils were replaced when the car was still relatively new. 3 I paid for and 3 under warranty. Clearly they had issues with their coils. The car has 185,000 miles on it. I would like to get another 50k miles. The trans was replaced at 105k miles. The mechanic also suggested I change the trans fluid and filter. I have put $3500 into the car since March so I would like to keep it going as a newer car would ultimately be more expensive with outlay or payments. I think he said something about old fluids being hard on the car’s components. And obviously it is overdue for its 100k tune up.
 
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Old 07-23-18, 05:25 PM
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High miler

You have gotten good high mile service out of the MPV. It is a good car, so why not keep it going, as long as the body corrosion is ok, everything else can be repaired!

About 50,000 miles change interval for the transmission fluid is not a bad rule of thumb. So you are due for a fluid and transmission filter change.
 
 

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