Got my car back today after two days being at the dealer to replace some gaskets in the rear passenger tail lamp.

Let me tell you what happened. First of all, the person who drove my car from the work area to where I was in order to be picked up (oh yeah, this is also the same guy to originally wrote the ticket two days ago) backed my car in an available slot instead of normally pulling it out so I can inspect it. I drove the car off of the lot and got down the road about a good 1000 ft before I noticed that the satellite radio antenna (sp?) was moved over to one side. I pulled into a vacant parking lot, and saw that I had about 10 scratches about 7-8 inches long on my rear decklid. Well I was HOT! I drove back the dealer and go that same guy who originally wrote the ticket. I told him to follow me and I pointed to the problem. I said, "Look at that and tell me what's wrong." He looked at the work order and said, "Well we had no reason to even move this, all we did was replace the gaskets in the tail lamp," EXACTLY! is what I said, so why do I have these scratches and why is my antennae moved? He couldn't answer that. He kinda hinted to the suggestion that it was something I did.....MISTAKE. I then told him that if there was a problem like this upon my initially bringing the car in, I'm quite sure you would have pointed it out, but you know what...there was no problem.

So he went inside to get the manager. I didn't say anything, I just pointed to the problem. He said that they would, "See what they could do." He wants to buff the scratches out. I told him that anything short of a decklid and spoiler replacement will not do. He said that he would call me tomarrow. I said fine, but I will call you beforehand. I drove off of the lot because I needed my ride. Sometimes I think that I may not should have done this, but I did. In the meantime, I called Mazdausa to have a complaint on file. Tomarrow morning, I am calling my attorney because I have heard stories about this dealer before, and I know how they can be.

They washed the car I realized, and someone did this. They have no automated machines at this dealership. I told the manager that this happened while it was in your care, and this will be fixed at your expense.

Now clubheads, I don't know about you, but I spent bucks for this ride, and I'll be damned if I let someone "F" it up. I will keep you posted.

 

Ok. First of all, I understand they damaged your decklid but to demand a new one is unreasonable. Why would you want a new one? They dont come from the factory painted so that means someone will have to paint it. If they can buff out the scratches to your satisfaction, thats the route I would go. If they cant buff out the scratches, they can paint your existing decklid. And for petes' sake! Dont pull the attorney card quite yet. I'm sure they will resolve your issue. If not, follow the chain of command in the dealership first.

 

sorry to hear that...
get them to fix it. They F it up... they should fix them.

But let me tell you. This is probably not the only thing that is going to happen to the car... **** happens... so relax and enjoy the car....
But I agree with you... sometimes dealerships are a holes...

 

Sorry that happened to your car but **** happens and as long as the dealer will fix it then you should let it go.
I understand the anger though.

 

Otherside - - - Do you work for a dealer?
( this is a legit question, not a stab)

 

I do. I am the service manager. And if someone started using the attorney word right off the bat, I would suddenly have no recolection of the damage being done at my dealership. My point is, if they did it, they will fix it. We are all human beings and accidents happen.

 

In terms of future resale value here is the order of highest retained value:
1. Matching VINs and all original paint
2. Matching VINs and new paint
3. Different VINs and new paint

If it can be fixed without paint that is by far the best way to do it. The paint they spray in a body shop never looks as good as the original. The factory uses multiple layers, magnetic paint, and acid baths to insure the perfect shine.

If I was apprising a used car, which I used to do when I worked at a Toyota dealership, I would assume a replaced trunk (due to a different VIN) was the result of something much worse than some scratches and the vehicle's value would suffer accordingly. If you told me otherwise, I wouldn't believe you; 95% of customers lie through through their teeth when buying a car

 

sucks to hear that happened to your 8. I really hope this does work out in your favor, but it seems like the dealership has the upper hand in this instance and could easily deny everything and get away with it.

 

that sucks

 

sorry to hear this happened. what area do u live in and which mazda dealer was this?

i've had major issues w/ my local mazda dealer as well. it's too aggravating to go into right now. but, just know that i know & feel your pain. (as does my wallet.)

still, hope they take care of it ernestly. hopefully if the scratch isn't deep, it will buff right out.

 

Hopefully rx8it will listen to your advice then.
I too work for a dealer. ( finance ) And we have a similiar policy; If there is a problem, get it fixed. Kind customers are catered to and handled first. Irate customers are dealt with accordingly.

RX8it - I completely understand your anger, just make sure you take the right steps at the right time. Our policy would be to try the buffer first. And my dealership ( Toyota ) will go as far as a repaint on your existing part. Your dealer/situation may be a little different, but that will at least give you an idea of what to expect.

 

Ok, Ok....I've calmed down, and I'll hold off on the attorney thing, I believe in giving a person a chance to fix their mistake, I'm a reasonable person, but I am human. I have a feeling that buffing them out won't suffice.

 

Well that would depend. Do the scratches look like they're light scrapes? Or does it look like someone keyed your car? If the scratches are relatively faint, fine wet sand paper and/or rubbing compound with some polish could do it.

 

Rule of thumb for scratches is if you can catch your fingernail on them they will have to be repainted. If not they can be buffed out.

 

Why is your satellite antenna on the outside of the car? mine works fine in the back window on the child "LATCH" system hook.

 

sorry to hear about what happened..but you do have to give them a chance to remedy the situation...if its not corrected to your satisfaction then you can proceed with your other option, which is litigation...i had the same ting happen to my car after an oil change, they didnt just scratch the fender, they gouged it...after i got home, i went back the next day and informed the manager of what happened and they fixed it without any argument...good luck.

 

Can't say that I would have had much tolerance for that either.

 

wow, sucks this happened to you. Let them try and buff it out and lets see what happens.
Do you have a digital camera lying around? taking some pics might help out as well.

I would suggest against demanding a new trunk lid, that would only make the dealership more uncooperative, as it's quite a tall order. Most dealerships know of a good body / paint place they work with from time to time so as a worst case scenario, maybe they can just paint your existing trunk.

 

I had the same thing happen to me a few years back. The dealer absolutely denied anything. I feel your pain.

In the future, very kind and respectfully tell the person who writes up your service order that you do not want the car washed or any other service performed other than the reason for your visit. I do that every time I go and it has helped.

The fewer cooks in the kitchen the better.

 

Some scratches and you are demaning nothing less than a brand new decklid and spoiler?!?!? Good luck!! It is one thing to want something fixed but to make an unreasonable demand like that is senseless. And to threaten to get an attorney for something like this just pisses the dealership off. My dad was in business and everytime someone got mad and threaten to get an attorney before he was offered the opportunity to resolve the problem, he simply looked at them and said "go ahead and get an attorney - we already have one". That pretty much shut them up and let him resolve the problem in a peaceful manner.

 

This statement bothers me. Why would you want to make a bad situation worse? He is a customer that is being inconvenienced due to lack of competence . He has a right to be upset. You playing dumb will only escalate the issue. IMO this would be an ideal situation for a manger to defuse a budding problem before it becomes a major issue for all parties. You save money and time for both the dealership and the customer. In addition you go a long way towards repairing a relationship which could have financial benefits for the dealership.

 

well here go's when i had my windows tinted i got the car back with an X MARK from a razor blade not deep but !they said they did not do it .long story short i was able to buff it out without a repaint thank god!as far as the sat.antenna problem been there too!a mild clear coat safe buffing will make the marks fade away as long as they do not buff too fast or to hard.i really never want to repaint at all unless a fender or panel was replaced and blended to match perfectly.if your dealer prep dept. is good at all they should be able to buff and wax it so you never knew it happened!lots of luck and try not to take most of these things to heart.i know because the more i worried about the problem the worst it got.hope this helps a little.

 

Update:

I appreciate everyone's input and I read every last post. Last night after I calmed down, and had a few Buds. I realized that I had some rubbing compound and my orbital buffer. So I spent 30-45 mins. in my garage slowly buffing out these scratches. They looked a lot worse then they actually were. Slowly I buffed, took a few swigs of Bud., then buffed again. The scratches slowly dissappeared, except for one, but it's very faint.

The dealer called me this morning and offered to buff out the scratches. I told him that I already did that and that all was fine. I apologized to the manager for my tone with him, but I wanted him to realize that my car was just as important as any other. He said that he understood that and assured me that this wouldn't happen again and he offered a free oil change. Peace has been restored in my world.

 

Glad to hear the scratches buffed out. Now, on to your next issue - BUD? eeewwwww.

And since you've already got it resolved, I won't feel so bad about the tangent/jack!
Actually, this is pretty standard across any industry b/c people think they can use "I'll get a lawyer" as some kind of world stopping threat. Since most companies already have a lawyer(s) on staff/retainer, they will figure "well - then I guess my lawyer will earn this months paycheck" and gladly let the lawyer have the displeasure of dealing w/an irate (& often unreasonable) client/customer. If you give someone the opportunity to resolve an issue, they generally will want to do so. If you go off on a rampage and make threats they won't. Period. The same holds true for all of us in day to day life, why shouldn't it be the case in business?

Never play that card until you are forced to. Most times you'll get better results w/kind words and patience, and you'll avoid the hassle and cost of lawyers.

[end tangent]

 

Based on the information provided, I completely agree it was not in his best interest to threaten legal action. But I'm referring to the someone of authority playing dumb (read lying) which only makes the issue much bigger than it actually is. The kill them with kindness goes both ways. IMO that is what the manager should do and frankly what they are paid to do. The customer is rightfully upset and is venting.