oryas

I got the recall notice for the gas tank so I took the car in. When the car was ready for pickup I looked it over and I see two huge dings in the car. Actually these weren't dings, these were DONGS. it looks like someone had thrown a softball at the passenger rear quarter panel. So I called out the service manager and showed him the damage. He starts to compare the car to his inspection chart and can't deny that the damage happened on his watch. So I had to leave the car there overnight and am currently waiting for them to have their ding doctor fix it.

This is the very reason that I don't go to dealerships for service. Even minor recalls I usually skip. But I considered this gas tank recall to be serious enough to take it in. I have had this car for a year. I wash it myself, zaino it, CA car dust it every morning and cover it at work. Its a black car so it's tough to keep it clean and ding free, but I've managed to do it for a year. Only a couple of hours at the dealership and they have destroyed all my efforts, its just so frustrating!

This particular dealership is considered one of the best in the country, and yet they are so unprofessional and careless with other peoples property that is left in their trust. If I hadn't of caught the damage, they were prepared to let me drive off with it. I will say that the service manager was very cool and took care of things right away when it was brought to his attention.

I don't have any experience with these ding doctors so I don't know how good they are but I hope they can restore it.

I'm never going to a dealership service center again.

KYLiquid

good move on leaving the car there, dont sign anything till your happy with it!

ive hear dealers that damage a car, and tell the person to sign the paper work (for whatever they had the car in for, recall, service, ect) and then take the car home, and come back in a week or whatever to have it all fixed. of course when they come back....no one has any idea that they are supposed to fix dings or anyting.

beachdog

The two times that I have been to the dealer for service (in 20 months of ownership), I have had the service writer walk around my car with me and note in writing on the service ticket that the car is ding and scratch free and that there are no grease stains or tears in the interior. Then I make him sign it. I also make them note on the service ticket that I do not want them to wash my car. I don't need them using anything that will remove my Zaino or worse, dirty rags that will haze my finish.

No, I am not a lawyer, but, when you put things in writing it keeps everyone on notice that if crap happens there won't be any room for discussion.

beachdog

By the way, depending on how deep and large the dents are, paintless dent removal can do a wonderful job. Make careful note of where the damage is so that you can make a very careful inspection. Only accept if the repair is invisible. If there is any detectable waviness or paint damage make them fix it perfectly.

wushunut

I left my car at the dealership yesterday for recall work as well. I went back there later in the evening to pick it up. As they gave my keys to some kid to bring the car out front where I was waiting. I guess he didn't expect me to be waiting out front for the car. I watch as he pulls around the building and the FLOORS it (while causing the car to swerve a bit) while bringing it to the front of the building. Needless to say I'm not happy about this. When he gets out of the car I ask him if he thinks it's appropriate to drive a customers car in this manner. He gave me some lame excuse saying that he knows that customer's don't like to wait and wanted to bring the car up front as fast a possible. Bullsh*t. You saved me, what, three seconds? Made sure I complain to the service manager. Hope he gets fired. I wouldn't want to bring my car back there if I thought it was going to get abused like that. At the very least, as long as people like that kid are working there, no way in he11 am I bring my car back there.

oryas

So the dealership just called me back to say the ding doctor did his job and my car is ready for pickup. I wanted to get a reaction out of the caller so I asked him " so when I get there, the car will be in perfect condition, I'm not going to see any damage right?" He responded by saying " UHHHHHH, I didn't see any damage".

That response doesn't inspire me with a lot of confidence, so I will definately scrutinize the car when I pick it up.

Vizacar

I do the same thing but I also take pictures. When I pulled out my camera, from my pocket, while he was taking pictures he didn't know what to think. I told him 2 sets of pictures are better than one. :D

jefferrari

I pickup my car yesterday after the recall.... when I got home, my gf said I have a scratch on the passenger side rear panel too.. I just called the service manager and I will go in person tomorrow.

bluezen8

This is such a common occurance. I've had my car dinged on two occasions when in for service. Once from the dealer and once from a goodyear shop mounting a tire. The dealer had no problems fixing the ding but the goodyear shop resisted but eventually had it fixed by the dent pro. What a hassle!

Vizacar

When you take pictures make sure to get the service writer in the pictures too, so there can be no way they can claim they were taken under different circumstances.

mmats69

I agree with what you said here. I used to work at a Ford dealership in service department. We always loved to see mustang gt's come off the truck or be traded in. Of course we had to take it in the back for pre-lot inspections. That was when we dogged the hell out of them. That is why I always order my car and then watch them unload it off the truck. And don't let other people go get your car, have them escort you back to where it is located and get it yourself.

woodysjh

I had the same thing, I took my car in to get the recall work done and when I went up to the service desk they informed me that they had some bad news. Somebody had let there door fly out of there hand and smashed into the side of it. They had a copy of the insurance and I had to get the dent repaired myself. I don't think that I will be going back to that dealer either. All they would do is appologize and send me on my way. Luckily I am getting the dents out tomorrow. What kind of crap do the dealers think we should put up with. When the car is in their hands it is their responsibility to make sure the car is protected in every way.

L8APEX

i am truly amazed at how often this happens. My former service center left an inch long ink pen mark on my drivers seat. They denied it, and i spent an hour removing it. You gotta love fabric protectant.

the bosy shop that fixed my car a while back washed it, and left swirl marks down the passenger side rear quarter panel, and onto the trunk. I finally got those buffed out and taken care of.

General rule of thumb: Other people do not care about your car, the way you do. Act accordingly.

Prometheus

Hello. I'm new here.

It also doesn't help that many of these dealerships try to cram as many parking spaces in a lot as they possibly can, so the spaces are very narrow, with barely enough room to open the door. Much of the damage happens when other customers park beside your vehicle and whack your car with their door.

About a year ago I brought my 6 into a local Mazda dealer to get my door sashes sealed according to a Mazda recall. Well, after I picked it up, I noticed a dent inside the door jam. It's not on the exterior of the car, but is only visible when you open the rear door, right on the portion that is over the wheel well. The tech must have drooped a tool while doing the job and it dinged the metal. But I could never prove it.

What's sad is that the dealership legally is no responsible for damage done to your car while it is on their lot, as long as the do a reasonable job to protect it. As a customer service gesture, most dealerships will fix damage under additional coverage they purchase from their insurer for "smaller" claims.

oryas

Well I got my car back. Their ding doctor did a pretty good job at pulling out the dents. To the casual viewer you cant see it. But under my scrutiny I can still see very slight paint distortions. I would say it's 95% repaired. I also noticed another blemish appear on the opposite side of the car. I just wanted to get the hell outta there so I accepted it as it was, but I think I will take it to my own ding doctor and have him fix the blemish.

The thing that pissed off was the service manager which I had complemented in my earlier post, had said that I brought in the car already damaged. That there was no way this could of happened in his facility. That their inspection guy must have missed the dent and not logged it in on is paperwork. This was ridiculous. I am a proud obsessive compulsive RX8 owner and know the car inside and out. If I am ever forced to go back to that dealership service center I will be taking pictures of the car under witness.

I'm just glad to have my car back!

TheTick

I had this happen several times at Richmond Capitol Mazda. They ruined my steering wheel twice and put my very first door ding on the passenger door. They also left black greesy finger prints on my headliner and scraped my paint while replacing a tail light cover. I had so many problems with the car and the dealer that I got fed up and sold it ahhhhh the sweet relief of not dealing with the morons at Richmond Captiol Mazda (AKA Pearson Mazda) O and for the flammers I have all the paperwork to prove all the damage they did and even some that I forgot to write up Like when they destroyed my drivers side seat controller panel while they were replacing a faulty seat warmer! Yes the list goes on and on. I highly suggest that you take full photos of your car while at the dealer before you dorp it off for service because once you leave you are out of luck getting them to fix it.

RotrDoc

That sounds awfuly high. I just had the driver's side ironed out while she was in for a bumper replacement (insurance!!). They usually charge about $50 a panel, depending on difficulty. I paid $212 for several dings involving three panels. A door is easy, unless the damage is very close to an edge.

TJLack

I had a problem with my dealer when doing the recall - they ended up keeping the car for almost a week as they didn't have the parts (after I had confirmed in advance they did). They gave me a free rental, but while there someone stole my rotor tire valve covers. They tried to tell me they were missing when I brought the car in (BS), but after I escalated they replaced them NC.

Nubo

You might want to put a post in the "good guy / bad guy" forum, under "Bad Mazda Dealerships", and name the dealer so others think twice before going there.

fray

iTrader: (1)

I just had a dent pulled from my rear drivers door.. it was $50 + whatever minimum fees.. (I think the total was less then $100). The dent was smack in the middle of the door, right on the crease.. so it wouldn't have been the easiest to remove.

Detrich

Bottom line is that Mazda really needs to up it's cust service requirements for it's dealerships- to the level of BMW and/ or Lexus and/ or Mercedes etc.

I took my car in for the fuel tank thing yesterday and also found a small hairline scratch on the rear bumper that I know FOR SURE wasn't there before. Not a big deal, but in comparison, whenever I take my BMW into the dealer for any kind of service- they really give you the royalty treatment and handle your vehicle w/ care.

Instead of complaining on this forum, you guys should write serious letters to Mazda NA cust service headquarters and let them know about these things. If they get enough complaints- they might start doing something about it.

Otherwise, have the Dent Doctor's business card handy. And, just grin & bear it, I guess.

G

beachdog

That's a fact. Ford lists Mazda as one of their premium brands.

oryas

The customer satisfaction agent called me at work to see how my experience with the Mazda service center was. Boy did she get an earfull.

Pkskull77

This is only the case when the party causing the damage is not affiliated with the dealership. If the damage is caused by a dealership employee the right to recover would fall under the rules of negligence, and therefore they would be responsible for just about any damage they caused.

On the other hand when the car is damaged by a 3rd party it would fall under the law of bailor/bailee. Since cars being serviced should be segregated from customers, I think recovery would still be possible by claiming they had a duty to keep you car in a safe location. Since you paid for the warranty, their duty is much higher than if you just asked them to keep an eye on your car and therefore I think this is a little more than just a courtesy fix!

Detrich

In the state of california when you leave your keys with the car, the party entrusted w/ the care of your car is responsible for anything that happens to it- period. Now, whether or not you can enforce it is another thing. Dunno how the laws are in other states.