Mazda dealership rant - having problems
#1
Mazda dealership rant - having problems
I know this is an Acura forum but I'm hoping someone can help out that's had a similar experience: Here is what I posted in my Mazda forum, AZ is so much better though.
CLIFFS:
2 visits to 2 dlrs - $150
car is unsafe and under warranty
They can't duplicate the problems so charge me for diagnostics.
Has anyone had similar issues with other manufacturers? Any words of advice?
The only reason why I bought this POS is because of the warranty...now that's not working out for me.
This is really starting to become a serious issue.
About a month ago I made an appt at one dealership in the area. It took them 2.5 hours to just do an oil change and they asked I reschedule. To make a long story short, I paid for the oil change, emailed the SM explaining how incompetent their service dept is and never looked back.
TODAY I had an appt at another dealer - much better experience BUT.
Here are my complaints.
BTW I have a 2006 6s V6 Grand Sport with 34K miles on it. The car is MINT inside and out and has NEVER been abused.
-when 1/4 tank of gas, car dies like it has no gas
-When it was cold this past week, the brake pedal locked up. This is not safe while traveling 30mph and the pedal becomes a rock and I'm left with NO BRAKES.
-Slight knock from the engine in cold temperatures
-Transmission has shifted very strangely twice. When instead of down shifting, it would up shift causing the car to have basically no power. This happened on the on ramp, also not safe.
-Getting 15-17 MPG. That's ridiculous, my GS400 got 19-20 in the worst winter conditions
They had the car all day today and couldn't duplicate any of the complaints. I got charged $122 diagnostic fee for them looking at it. They wouldn't give the car back otherwise. This is absolutely ridiculous! I am driving a car that is extremely unsafe and is still under warranty. Why should I have to pay if they can't find these problems? I am now coming back on Monday with 1/4 tank gas for them to see how it dies.
What can I do? Has anyone had a similar situation? Is there anyone at Mazda I can contact about this? I don't even want to drive this POS anymore, I never know when it'll get me anywhere. My previous Acura with 235K miles on it was more reliable.
Someone please give some insight. I need to get these issues taken care of and so far after 2 visits and $150, all I got was a lousy car wash.
Sorry for the rant but this is getting out of control. I need to do something about this.
About a month ago I made an appt at one dealership in the area. It took them 2.5 hours to just do an oil change and they asked I reschedule. To make a long story short, I paid for the oil change, emailed the SM explaining how incompetent their service dept is and never looked back.
TODAY I had an appt at another dealer - much better experience BUT.
Here are my complaints.
BTW I have a 2006 6s V6 Grand Sport with 34K miles on it. The car is MINT inside and out and has NEVER been abused.
-when 1/4 tank of gas, car dies like it has no gas
-When it was cold this past week, the brake pedal locked up. This is not safe while traveling 30mph and the pedal becomes a rock and I'm left with NO BRAKES.
-Slight knock from the engine in cold temperatures
-Transmission has shifted very strangely twice. When instead of down shifting, it would up shift causing the car to have basically no power. This happened on the on ramp, also not safe.
-Getting 15-17 MPG. That's ridiculous, my GS400 got 19-20 in the worst winter conditions
They had the car all day today and couldn't duplicate any of the complaints. I got charged $122 diagnostic fee for them looking at it. They wouldn't give the car back otherwise. This is absolutely ridiculous! I am driving a car that is extremely unsafe and is still under warranty. Why should I have to pay if they can't find these problems? I am now coming back on Monday with 1/4 tank gas for them to see how it dies.
What can I do? Has anyone had a similar situation? Is there anyone at Mazda I can contact about this? I don't even want to drive this POS anymore, I never know when it'll get me anywhere. My previous Acura with 235K miles on it was more reliable.
Someone please give some insight. I need to get these issues taken care of and so far after 2 visits and $150, all I got was a lousy car wash.
Sorry for the rant but this is getting out of control. I need to do something about this.
2 visits to 2 dlrs - $150
car is unsafe and under warranty
They can't duplicate the problems so charge me for diagnostics.
Has anyone had similar issues with other manufacturers? Any words of advice?
The only reason why I bought this POS is because of the warranty...now that's not working out for me.
#4
I'm going to go straight to Mazda HQ.
I work in an office where we do marketing for Honda, Mazda and Subaru.
I'm going to see who the local District guy is and maybe contact him. This is just getting ridiculous.
I have all the records. You should have seen what happened the first visit. Here's an email I sent the SM, I have NEVER felt the need to email any kind of business to complain as I've worked in customer service.
This was before the problem with brakes. I won't transfer the bolding and underlining that went into this email.
I work in an office where we do marketing for Honda, Mazda and Subaru.
I'm going to see who the local District guy is and maybe contact him. This is just getting ridiculous.
I have all the records. You should have seen what happened the first visit. Here's an email I sent the SM, I have NEVER felt the need to email any kind of business to complain as I've worked in customer service.
I was a first time customer at the Mazda Service Department at Amato today and I wanted to share how unhappy I am with the quality of service. This is by far the most incompetent service department I have ever visited in my life and wanted to share my experience. Please note that I am not asking for a refund, for an apology or anything of the sort but only for a few minutes of your time to evaluate your service drive.
I called to make an appointment yesterday for service today. I spoke with a nice gentleman over the phone to whom I expressed my concerns with my vehicle. I told him that I need to come in for an oil change and I have a few issues that need to be taken a look at. He said absolutely not a problem and that he will be happy to help me. My concerns were:
* My car acts and feels as if it's running out of fuel when it is in fact showing a quarter tank
* My traction control off light comes on when the vehicle is cold
* The brake pedal makes noise when letting off the pedal
He took down the notes and we confirmed that a 11:30 am appointment worked for both of us.
I came in to Amato this morning at precisely 11:30 am and was greeted by a very nice service adviser. We had some issues putting my information into the system since the vehicle was registered to the previous owner in your system but we got through that in about 15 minutes. She asked me if I was waiting for my vehicle and I said yes, and walked over to the customer waiting area. 30 minutes had passed and I decided to walk over to check the service drive and my car was sitting in the same spot. I am not one to make people's lives difficult and I didn't say anything. My car finally made it into a service stall at around 1pm (1.5 hours later after this "appointment" started). At this point I was rather angry but still did not say anything as I do need to get these issues taken care of and I don't have much time during the week. An hour passed as the oil was being changed and whatever else they may have been doing and I was in pure excitement to see my car pull out of the garage and sit there waiting for me to pick it up. I walk into the service drive to speak with the adviser who informed me that they apologize but all they could get done today was an oil change.
2.5 hours for an oil change?!?!?! is all I could think. They told me that the Mazda technician was not in today and they don't feel confident letting the "amateurs" look at my issues. What in the world was the point of making this appointment? The only reason why I got an oil change (which I did not need yet) was simply because I was there anyway to get these issues looked at/taken care of. At this point the service adviser asked me to make an appointment again sometime during the week to bring it back (which will not be happening). This was the biggest waste of time I have ever seen in a business that has "Our state-of-the-art facility features the most current diagnostic and repair equipment available and our highly skilled factory-trained technicians will deliver efficient, quality vehicle care." written on their website. Last time I spent 2.5 hours in a service department, I got a timing belt/water pump service done. Amato Mazda takes the same amount of time to do an oil change. It should not take the amount an 8 hour job takes to do an oil change.
I am now waiting for it to stop raining so I can check my oil fluid level since there's no way I'm going to trust these "amateurs".
Another point I'd like to bring up is the "full circle service inspection" that comes with the oil change. In this inspection I heard absolutely nothing about the broken wiper on the passenger side or the fact that my rear brake pads are more then ready to be replaced.
I truly hope that you take this email seriously and take a look at the performance of the service department. I understand sometimes times get busy but it is no reason to lack this much in performance, especially in the economic times that we are seeing today.
Thank you,
I called to make an appointment yesterday for service today. I spoke with a nice gentleman over the phone to whom I expressed my concerns with my vehicle. I told him that I need to come in for an oil change and I have a few issues that need to be taken a look at. He said absolutely not a problem and that he will be happy to help me. My concerns were:
* My car acts and feels as if it's running out of fuel when it is in fact showing a quarter tank
* My traction control off light comes on when the vehicle is cold
* The brake pedal makes noise when letting off the pedal
He took down the notes and we confirmed that a 11:30 am appointment worked for both of us.
I came in to Amato this morning at precisely 11:30 am and was greeted by a very nice service adviser. We had some issues putting my information into the system since the vehicle was registered to the previous owner in your system but we got through that in about 15 minutes. She asked me if I was waiting for my vehicle and I said yes, and walked over to the customer waiting area. 30 minutes had passed and I decided to walk over to check the service drive and my car was sitting in the same spot. I am not one to make people's lives difficult and I didn't say anything. My car finally made it into a service stall at around 1pm (1.5 hours later after this "appointment" started). At this point I was rather angry but still did not say anything as I do need to get these issues taken care of and I don't have much time during the week. An hour passed as the oil was being changed and whatever else they may have been doing and I was in pure excitement to see my car pull out of the garage and sit there waiting for me to pick it up. I walk into the service drive to speak with the adviser who informed me that they apologize but all they could get done today was an oil change.
2.5 hours for an oil change?!?!?! is all I could think. They told me that the Mazda technician was not in today and they don't feel confident letting the "amateurs" look at my issues. What in the world was the point of making this appointment? The only reason why I got an oil change (which I did not need yet) was simply because I was there anyway to get these issues looked at/taken care of. At this point the service adviser asked me to make an appointment again sometime during the week to bring it back (which will not be happening). This was the biggest waste of time I have ever seen in a business that has "Our state-of-the-art facility features the most current diagnostic and repair equipment available and our highly skilled factory-trained technicians will deliver efficient, quality vehicle care." written on their website. Last time I spent 2.5 hours in a service department, I got a timing belt/water pump service done. Amato Mazda takes the same amount of time to do an oil change. It should not take the amount an 8 hour job takes to do an oil change.
I am now waiting for it to stop raining so I can check my oil fluid level since there's no way I'm going to trust these "amateurs".
Another point I'd like to bring up is the "full circle service inspection" that comes with the oil change. In this inspection I heard absolutely nothing about the broken wiper on the passenger side or the fact that my rear brake pads are more then ready to be replaced.
I truly hope that you take this email seriously and take a look at the performance of the service department. I understand sometimes times get busy but it is no reason to lack this much in performance, especially in the economic times that we are seeing today.
Thank you,
This was before the problem with brakes. I won't transfer the bolding and underlining that went into this email.
#5
Wow. I wish you luck getting this stuff fixed. I don't think they should be charging you diagnostic fees while under warranty, either. I haven't paid a cent to have anything looked at while under warranty for my TSX.
#7
I work at a Mazda dealership and the Mazda 6's suck. Never would've touched one. I was under the impression whether the car is under warranty or not you still get charged a diagnostic because they're takin time to look for the problem. But if the problem is found you dont pay the diagnostic fee. Basically it's the dealers way of avoiding the lil ol ladies who come in every week because they hear a squeak. So that they're not wasting they're time for nothing the fee is charged if nothing is found because of the time taken. I'll check with my service advisors tomorrow and get back with you.
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#9
I work at a Mazda dealership and the Mazda 6's suck. Never would've touched one. I was under the impression whether the car is under warranty or not you still get charged a diagnostic because they're takin time to look for the problem. But if the problem is found you dont pay the diagnostic fee. Basically it's the dealers way of avoiding the lil ol ladies who come in every week because they hear a squeak. So that they're not wasting they're time for nothing the fee is charged if nothing is found because of the time taken. I'll check with my service advisors tomorrow and get back with you.
#11
I work at a Mazda dealership and the Mazda 6's suck. Never would've touched one. I was under the impression whether the car is under warranty or not you still get charged a diagnostic because they're takin time to look for the problem. But if the problem is found you dont pay the diagnostic fee. Basically it's the dealers way of avoiding the lil ol ladies who come in every week because they hear a squeak. So that they're not wasting they're time for nothing the fee is charged if nothing is found because of the time taken. I'll check with my service advisors tomorrow and get back with you.
#12
I am a service advisor for mazda dealer. let me get you vin #. Your car is still under warranty. So we check out your car and look for service bulletins that your car might have. If anything we check out the car if we cant duplicate it we let you know and even ask for you to come on in and test drive with tech. At least at that point if you and the tech cant duplicate then you leave convinced that we tried. GET YOUR MONEY BACK!
#13
We did go on a test drive for the tranny issue and I could not duplicate it. At this point I couldnt care less about the tranny, I have warranty for another 1.5 years. I care about the brakes and the gas issue.
I'll PM you the vin, thank you for your help!!!!
Is there anyway you can see what service records there are? All I can look up are the RO dates, dealership where it was performed and the $$. I can't view the details.
I'll PM you the vin, thank you for your help!!!!
Is there anyway you can see what service records there are? All I can look up are the RO dates, dealership where it was performed and the $$. I can't view the details.
#14
Warranty History
Dealer Claim Repair Dt ODO PNMC Qty Description Process Date
61481 31297-1 07/25/2006 994 GK2A51172C 0 BRACKET(R)REAR COMB/ 07/28/2006
61481 76113-1 11/04/2008 32434 GK2A57X6YA 0 CABLE(L),REMOTE 11/11/2008
61481 76113-2 11/04/2008 32434 555507008A 0 TSB STEERING SHAFT N 11/11/2008
61481 76742-1 11/17/2008 32736 AJ5815200G 1 RADIATOR 11/20/2008
Dealer Claim Repair Dt ODO PNMC Qty Description Process Date
61481 31297-1 07/25/2006 994 GK2A51172C 0 BRACKET(R)REAR COMB/ 07/28/2006
61481 76113-1 11/04/2008 32434 GK2A57X6YA 0 CABLE(L),REMOTE 11/11/2008
61481 76113-2 11/04/2008 32434 555507008A 0 TSB STEERING SHAFT N 11/11/2008
61481 76742-1 11/17/2008 32736 AJ5815200G 1 RADIATOR 11/20/2008
#16
^Thanks!
The dlr I bought it from (good friends of mine) drove it for a week and he told me about it. I once was pulling into a gas station right when I had a quarter tank and the car started clunking out. As I rolled to the pump, the lights on the dash were dimming and the car was pretty much dead. I just shut it off and filled the tank. I guess I should have let it run to see what would happen.
I've been good with keeping it over a half a tank so that I don't get stranded so it hasn't happened often. i have a half a tank now, I need to go on a BUS trip but Monday I will make sure I go there when it has about a quarter tank and will go cruising with the tech.
The tech mentioned something about a fuel pump today and he also said that me having poor MPG's has something to do with the car dying but he doesn't know what it is for sure. Which I all understand I just don't feel like I should be charged for something THEY couldn't figure out - especially when it's under warranty. IMO Mazda should be picking up the tab on this one. I'm driving a pretty new car that dies and doesn't stop....
The dlr I bought it from (good friends of mine) drove it for a week and he told me about it. I once was pulling into a gas station right when I had a quarter tank and the car started clunking out. As I rolled to the pump, the lights on the dash were dimming and the car was pretty much dead. I just shut it off and filled the tank. I guess I should have let it run to see what would happen.
I've been good with keeping it over a half a tank so that I don't get stranded so it hasn't happened often. i have a half a tank now, I need to go on a BUS trip but Monday I will make sure I go there when it has about a quarter tank and will go cruising with the tech.
The tech mentioned something about a fuel pump today and he also said that me having poor MPG's has something to do with the car dying but he doesn't know what it is for sure. Which I all understand I just don't feel like I should be charged for something THEY couldn't figure out - especially when it's under warranty. IMO Mazda should be picking up the tab on this one. I'm driving a pretty new car that dies and doesn't stop....
#17
#18
vas25TL:
Have you ever monitored how many gallons of fuel you have left in the tank relative to how much you're filling up to see if the gauge is accurately reading just how much gas is in the tank? If there truly is something wrong there, it could be a bad fuel pump, a clogged filter, a gauge that is not accurately reading the right amount of fuel, etc......
Have you ever monitored how many gallons of fuel you have left in the tank relative to how much you're filling up to see if the gauge is accurately reading just how much gas is in the tank? If there truly is something wrong there, it could be a bad fuel pump, a clogged filter, a gauge that is not accurately reading the right amount of fuel, etc......
#19
vas25TL:
Have you ever monitored how many gallons of fuel you have left in the tank relative to how much you're filling up to see if the gauge is accurately reading just how much gas is in the tank? If there truly is something wrong there, it could be a bad fuel pump, a clogged filter, a gauge that is not accurately reading the right amount of fuel, etc......
Have you ever monitored how many gallons of fuel you have left in the tank relative to how much you're filling up to see if the gauge is accurately reading just how much gas is in the tank? If there truly is something wrong there, it could be a bad fuel pump, a clogged filter, a gauge that is not accurately reading the right amount of fuel, etc......
I've heard of some issues with fuel pumps with the newer Mazdas.
#23
Does it happen EVERY TIME you're down to a 1/4 tank? If so, it's gotta be a fuel pump or filter issue...the engine is being starved of fuel.
#26
Bad gas? Had this problem when I first got my GTI...On startup the car would almost sputter and die, check engine light kept coming on. Dealer found no faults other than the occasional misfire, but said it could have been bad gas. Once those words came out of their mouth, it never happened again (I stopped filling up at that place).
Does it happen EVERY TIME you're down to a 1/4 tank? If so, it's gotta be a fuel pump or filter issue...the engine is being starved of fuel.
Does it happen EVERY TIME you're down to a 1/4 tank? If so, it's gotta be a fuel pump or filter issue...the engine is being starved of fuel.
I also only fill up at BP's and Mobil's since I saw some report a few years ago about some of the bad gas out there with other gas stations.
Thanks for your help.
#27
The gauge works fine. It works flawlessly, when full it shows full, when half it shows half, when 3/8s of a tank, I need to get gas.
#28
Just talked my advisor and he said basically it's to the service writers discretion. He said he wouldn't have charged you but they are allowed to charge you. Or it could just be that dealer....
#29
I just want the $$ back, the gas thing fixed and it's going up for sale.
#30
#31
#33
Wow. Shitty dealers up there. I have had no problems with either of my Mazdas except on my Mazdaspeed 6 I had clutch issues. It already had a TSB and at 24 k miles I got a new clutch, flywheel and throwout bearing no questions asked.
My personal opinion is to call Mazda HQ. That is ridiculous to be charged for diagnostics.
My personal opinion is to call Mazda HQ. That is ridiculous to be charged for diagnostics.
#35