My sister’s Mazda CX-7 was recently diagnosed by the dealership as having a loose timing chain. She bought the car new in 2007 and has meticulously maintained it through regularly scheduled maintenance by said dealership, and has kept copies of all transactions. The car is just past 100,000 miles, and also just past the extended warranty. They quoted a price of about $1500 to replace the timing chain, and also about $8000 to replace the engine, for some reason. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the engine, except for a slight ticking when it warms up, and which just started recently. Also, the VVT was cited for some reason, but I don’t recall the context. The question is, given the extensive online complaints I have found about the Mazda CX-7, is it a good idea to sink money into replacing the timing chain? Or should she just cut her losses and get rid of the car?
Seems timing chain and the VVT actuator are problematic on this engine. So, spend $1500 to $2000 and MAYBE get another 100,000 miles or trade it in and have car payments.
As it is, she is running on borrowed time. If the chain fails it can cause catastrophic damage to the engine.
If you “cut your losses” on the car, the trade value or the private sale price will reflect the cost of a timing chain replacement. In other words, the car is worth $1500 to $2000 LESS because of this needed repair. Anyone who buys it will know and reduce their offer by that amount.