Hi everybody. I need some advice. I have a 2005 2.3, 4 spd AT, 5 door, Mazda 3. Yesterday, I was told to go find someone (from work) who lived down a 5 mile gravel road. To my surprise, the road was rough gravel, with potholes and such... I drove as slow as I could, madder than h*** of course. I didn't hit anything, or hear any loud noises, damage, etc.

This morning, I get the car, put it in reverse and hear a loud, vibrating noise. Every other gear works quietly and smoothly, with no problems. Several times, I shifted from Park to reverse/neutral/drive/neutral/reverse and so forth. Every time, ONLY reverse made the vibrating noise.

When I got home from work, it's still making the loud, vibrating noise. I let the car cool down and checked all the fluid levels. They were all at max, with no discoloration or burnt smells. Underneath the car, there were no drips, drools or leaks of any sort. All the shrouds and protective housings were in place, with no damage. All hoses, lines and cables were undamaged. Nothing was hanging, broken, loose or missing. (Of course, you know with the 5" clearance and no ramps, it's hard to really inspect anything properly.)

My car JUST had it's 15,000 maintenance check at the dealership too, and I change the oil religiously. I digress though. I don't think that has anything to do with my transmission problem, but just to let you know, I pamper my 3 quite a bit so there's no way it can be maintenance neglect. lol

Anyway, I made an appointment with the dealership to look at it. They said it would be free, however if there is visible damage, I would have to pay for it. The warranty only pays for manufacturer's defects. So, if a stupid rock bounced up and got lodged in a valve or something, I'll have to pay for that. Which, in my opinion, is BS, because there shouldn't be a way for a rock to get INTO the transmission and cause this kind of problem.

I'm worried I'm going to get scammed into paying it anyway. I can't afford transmission repair costs right now. My dealership does shoddy maintenance, but I have no where else to go. (They left two of my tires loose when I got them rotated... the car vibrated so much, I'm lucky the wheel didn't come off before I fixed it myself.) Any suggestions what to do? What this vibration might be? I have to drive 600 miles Friday, and I'm worried I'm not going to be able to go. I can still drive the car, but should I? I'm not familiar with transmission malfunctions.

Thanks for any advice or help.

 

it doesnt sound like anything major at all. i suggest you bring it to a transmission specialist instead of the dealership. i just brought my 06 mazda 3 4 spd atsport to the dealership for a transmission problem and found out that they have to replace the entire transmission. they told me that itll take a week to get the new one. a transmission specialist might be able to repair it for a lot cheaper if something happened to the reverse gear.

 

Actually, I just got it back today. All it was, was a loose motor mount. They had to order parts, but according to the parts manager, there was a info note that came down identifying 2005 Mazda 3s motor mounts as susceptible to wear and tear quicker. So, the warranty covered it,.. and all I do is wait for parts and I'm happy now.
whew... worried for nothing.

 

atleast your tranny is one piece...unlike mine

 

and mine. in fact i dont even have a tranny in my car