2007 Mazda CX-7

Pros: Looks pretty on the outside

Cons: Engine defective, don't be fooled by the test-drive.

Summary: I haven't enjoyed my first Mazda experience very much at all. Shortly after I got the car in August the "check engine" light came on and the cars performance markedly declined. I took it to the Mazda service department and they said the gas cap must be loose. (Although I know it wasn't, I had to go through the motions to appease them) Regardless, after "tightening" the gas cap, the car continued to perform poorly. I returned it again and went on a test drive with one of the technicians. He thought it was running poorly because I was using, as he said, "the wrong brand of gas". (I was using BP's premium gas instead of Sunoco's premium.) He assured me that if I always use Sunoco or Marathon, the car would run fine! So I tried using Sunoco 94 octane, their best. The performance remained poor. (The check engine light has been on continually this whole time) Next they told me I have to wait until all that 'bad BP gas' is flushed out and it would take several tanks. By now I'm beginning to realize they don't know what's wrong. (But miraculously they DO know that driving the car for months with the check engine light is not damaging the engine in any way!) Finally, early in December, they told me it was a defective "shutter valve" but they can't replace it yet because the part is on "national backorder". They would call when the part came in. (No call by the end of December) Finally, I called, and they told me the part is still on national backorder but that they recently learned how to temporarily fix the problem by cleaning and greasing the part. They said this fix should last at least a couple weeks before getting gummed up again and can be properly fixed with the new part. When I actually took the car in to have this procedure performed, however, the service department now said Mazda wasn't going to replace that part. He said they had been informed by Mazda that putting a little grease on the defective part was now the permanent solution. One technician told me that Mazda won't replace them because all of the CX7's have defective shutter valves. I'm sure that would be just too expensive for poor Mazda. Of course, again, the service department assured me that driving all that time with the engine light on and a defective shutter valve doesn't harm or reduce the lifespan of the motor in any way! They're sure! (Funny, that's NOT what it reads in my owner’s manual but maybe that's defective too) I asked them to put this statement is writing (Of course they couldn't do that!) Also, they told me that shifting into gear while the engine is revving at a high RPM is also fine. Yes, they told me, the shutter valve does control the RPM and is supposed to reduce it shortly after it warms up but the fact that my car’s RPM doesn’t go down isn’t caused by the defective shutter valve but that it’s winter and it’s cold outside. (Never mind that my car is parked in a heated garage) They so desperately wanted to “prove” to me that it takes 2.5 to 3 minutes for a brand new CX7 to stop revving by starting one of the new cars sitting out on the dealer lot. (That wasn't necessary since they had already told me that ALL the CX7’s are defective) They also said I have to expect these problems in the first year for a new model car. (Never mind, again, that it’s not the first year for that engine!). I'm not sure what the car will run like when I get it back later but I'm sure the "fix" will not last. (Like they told me before they got their Mazda corporate talking points). Even if it runs fine now, how much damage has been done? How much has the lifespan of the engine been reduced? No one seems to know, and if they do, they're not talking.

I actually dread going out and driving the car now. I want the car replaced. I’m exploring my options.

UPDATE:
NOW, I'm told, it's not the "shutter valve"... it's the "swirl control valve". The debacle continues...