Potential MS6 buyer, Mazda says no to smoking turbo

[chuloloco]

Sorry this is long-winded, but I'm looking to buy the car tomorrow evening or Saturday morning and need answers asap.

I'm looking to buy a speed 6 from a non Mazda dealer. 06' LPM, GT, 52k, completely stock, 1 owner servicing the car in MD and VA. Car is in MD where I live.

My ultimate goal for this thread is to talk the dealer down in price. I've read buyers guide so I know the shit points of the car.

Long story short, we both decided that we should send the car to Mazda to see if the VVT, timing chain and turbo fell under warranty and go from there as the car ran a little rough.

The non Mazda dealer called back saying the timing chain was going to be replaced and not the turbo per Mazda saying the smoke wasn't bad enough or its not caused by the turbo. I asked about the VVT issue and he said he didn't think they did that warranty claim. It was too late in the day to call Mazda to get the rundown from them. I'm calling them in the morning but I could potentially buy the car tomorrow or Saturday. So, I want some quick opinions from you guys.

1. What are the scenarios that would cause white smoke, if not the turbo, and how much do you think parts/repairs would cost to fix it? I want to use this number to further lower the price.
2. There is rust on the strut tower black piece and bolts and some on this thin metal piece going over a tan fluid reservoir next to the lower left corner of the intercooler. The piece is still solid despite rust. What is this piece and what would cause the rust in the engine bay? How much can I talk them down due to this rust?

Let me also say that this car would have gone to auction (their words) if not for my inquiry the morning after they got it as a trade. The dealer also deals in high end cars i.e. a Mazda would be an eyesore on their lot. So, I know they don't really give a crap about this car.

The dealer will be giving me new all-season tires (idk the brand).

***So....they want 17k. My friend thinks they would've taken a 5k hit off their asking price if it went to the auction. My initial thought was 16k on the road including taxes, etc. Now that the turbo claim was denied, I don't know how much to lower the price cuz I'm new to turbos and I don't know what else would cause the white smoke. My new thought is 15.5k or 15k, but that's just a guess as to what repairs might be.

Please equip me with knowledge so I can get a good deal on this car. Any help is much appreciated!

[Jjkalai]

Welcome!

Yes, it's the turbo that's making the smoke. The dealership is stupid. If you take the car to the Mazda dealership, it'll be under warranty. There are a couple ways of getting rid of it. The usual being to run a heavier weight of oil and picking up an Accessport and upping the idle (AP is highly recommended and you'll probably be picking one up in the future, they run ~500). And you could also get a new turbo (depends wether new or used and labor).

I'm not sure of what you're taking about in your second question. Do you have a picture?

16k seems pretty reasonable... It has low-ish miles, and the smoking turbo and VVT are VERY common issues.

Good luck.

[chuloloco]

Originally Posted by Jjkalai

Welcome!

Yes, it's the turbo that's making the smoke. The dealership is stupid. If you take the car to the Mazda dealership, it'll be under warranty. There are a couple ways of getting rid of it. The usual being to run a heavier weight of oil and picking up an Accessport and upping the idle (AP is highly recommended and you'll probably be picking one up in the future, they run ~500). And you could also get a new turbo (depends wether new or used and labor).

I'm not sure of what you're taking about in your second question. Do you have a picture?

16k seems pretty reasonable... It has low-ish miles, and the smoking turbo and VVT are VERY common issues.

Good luck.

FYI pic not of the car I'm looking to buy



White= rust areas Red= oxidized? area...it wasn't a solid grey color like what it used to be. What would that white shit be?

Yeah, I know about the 5w-40 oil fix and that I can get the turbo and VVT (if they haven't replaced it with the timing chain) replaced under warranty. I'm actually glad they didn't replace the turbo. now I can use that as part of my negotiating stating that if its not the turbo its something else I will have to fix. I figured the dealership was being a dumby head.

The dealer in my area seems cool and will probably do it. I called them asking if they are mod friendly. They said as long as your mod(s) isn't related to the problem area you're fine. Won't know if that's true until it happens.

Just curious, how much does a k04 plus install cost at a dealership?

[mba83]

If it's not too late, try to get the price down instead of getting those "free" tires. Those tires they will be putting on will probably be the cheapest kind that you don't want. Believe me, after doing some research on tires, you could make a better choice which ones to get yourself.

MBA

[chuloloco]

the ones that are on the car are summer tires and they said that they were dry rotted a bit. I don't know anything about Tires but once I see the new tires I'm going to price check/review them online on the spot before buying.

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[Jjkalai]

I would honestly wait for an MS6 with less rust and less problems... Another will show up sooner or later.

[chuloloco]

The rust wasn't really bad. it was just ugly. also there is rust on the bolts holding down the intercooler cover? how would the engine bay get rust? My 6s has zero rust.

do you know what that part is that is to the left of the intercooler?

I'll take a look at it again tomorrow and take pics and just wait for Saturday to buy it. the car wasn't detailed yet so maybe it'll look better.

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[6erforlife]

Oxidation is pretty common on these cars. I looked at 4 mazdaspeeds with under or around 30k miles and they all looked similar. Yea it's not pretty to look at but it won't harm anything.

As for the rust, well a few of my bolts are "rusting" in those top two areas but not rusted. I'm not sure how it came to be that way but I'm sure living in an area that has a moderate amount of snow annually with townships that remedy the situation by applying an inch of salt during each snowfall had something to do with it.

Although they are eye sores they are easy fixes and lets not forget, you are buying a used 5 year old car so trying to nit-pick might not help with your negotiation

Best of luck!

[chuloloco]

Originally Posted by 6erforlife

Oxidation is pretty common on these cars. I looked at 4 mazdaspeeds with under or around 30k miles and they all looked similar. Yea it's not pretty to look at but it won't harm anything.

As for the rust, well a few of my bolts are "rusting" in those top two areas but not rusted. I'm not sure how it came to be that way but I'm sure living in an area that has a moderate amount of snow annually with townships that remedy the situation by applying an inch of salt during each snowfall had something to do with it.

Although they are eye sores they are easy fixes and lets not forget, you are buying a used 5 year old car so trying to nit-pick might not help with your negotiation

Best of luck!

I asked the mechanic at the dealership about the rust and he said MD winters. I probably won't say anything about the rust but what is that part I circled to the left of the intercooler???

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[6erforlife]

Originally Posted by chuloloco

I asked the mechanic at the dealership about the rust and he said MD winters. I probably won't say anything about the rust but what is that part I circled to the left of the intercooler???

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Well I can't say for sure without getting a good look inside my own engine bay but right below that metal piece is the power steering fluid I believe so perhaps it' hooked up to that...