I dropped my car off at the dealership over a month ago and i still haven't gotten it back. i know they had to replace my engine and completely rebuild my transmission, but is it really supposed to take this long? i am sick and tired of driving my Ford Fusion rental car (started with a Focus then they made me trade for a Fusion). Is there anything i can do? or do i just have to sit around and wait on them to call me? i mean i want to make sure the work was done properly and all, but geez, this is almost getting out of hand.

 

call MNAO and tell them what's going on. Maybe they can help or least get you in a CX-7

 

What reasons have the dealership given you for the delay?

 

One of the dealerships I worked for would pay your monthly payment if it took them longer than a full month. I know it is trivial, but you gotta get something out of them. Go make a little stink in the middle of their service yard and see if they will do anything for you. Again, I work for toyota, they are a little different than mazda. (but our last engine swap took less than 2 full days)

 

one reason was that they had to order more parts for the transmission, which i can understand, but another reason, and this took a week away from the time, was that the tech working on my car had to go back to school for a a week, and so no more work was done on my car during that time. I think i am going to try MNAO first, and then, if push comes to shove, go raise a stink.

 

haha. thats awful! its bad enough that your car has been gone so long, but to hear that THIS is part of the reason why...laaaaaaame!

 

Dude, so the guy they had swapping out your engine and working on your tranny had to go BACK to school for a week? And there was no one better they could get to fill in while he went back to school? LMFAO, I love Mazda.

 

I would talk to the service manager first and then go to MNAO. More than a month is crazy.

If that doesn't work you could get one of those old style boomboxes from the 80's and stand right outside the service garage and play Ashlee Simpson on repeat all day. It's important that you stare the service techs right in the eye with a look of contempt and hold the boombox above your head with arms outstretched -- adds to the dramatic effect.

 

Just curious, what's wrong with the tran? Was it a defect or you just drive too hard?

 

I would suggest the same thing. Talk to the manager 1st!! This way you avoid any hard feelings - which is a good thing if you want to continue w/this dealership. Plus if the manager says no 1st, when MNAO comes down on him he can't say "well if you had talked to me 1st we could have worked something out."

rglbegl brings up a good point. This is a very reasonable request, and would be a great show of good faith by the dealership. Even if it was unavoidable, waiting a month is a bit unreasonable (at best).

GL. Hope it works out well for you.

 

well, i was having trouble with my transmission not going into first (while i was stopped of course) and was making some strange noises around 3,000RPM in 5th gear. it turns out that 5th gear completely slipped out on them when they were testing and verifying my complaint, so they reported it and Mazda told them to rebuild it, and then they had more problems with the gears not engaging, so more parts had to be ordered. but this was all two weeks ago. so, when i get the opportunity, i am going to get in touch with the service manager and hopefully work something out.

 

Don't feel too bad your almst there. I had the same problem you did I took my car in for the recall, they told me that I needed a new moto and some work done on the tranny. I tooke it to hey on the 19th of september and just got it back yesturday. Thank god i was getting tired of the stupid rental. On a lighter note they did leave everthing feeling brand new...

 

did they detail your car or did they just wash and vaccuum? because they told me detailing inside and out, and when i think of that, i think of cleaning it to the point of getting every little spot off, every little scuff out, etc...

when i called the dealership and asked for the service manager, they gave me the service advisor instead, who told me that the car was done and ready to be detailed, but since it is raining they didn't want it to go through the rain. so i may be getting it back monday of next week....now i have some ray of hope.

 

When my engine was replace a year ago, it took them a month just to get a new one from Mazda. My rental was a 4 door Focus.

 

OK time to raise this thread from the dead with an update. and not a good update.

I have tried to contact the service manager, and they gave me the service advisor so no help there. i e-mail MNAO, and they tell me that each dealer is independently owned and operated, understandable and again, no help there. And then the dealership calls me to tell me that they have to replace my PCM altogether. great, more time in the shop and more time in this crappy fusion.

So then today i get a call, and i am like "FINALLY I get my car back". but no. they say that they got everything in and reprogrammed but the CEL kept coming on. so they contact an engineer at Mazda and guess what, i get ANOTHER new engine. this means that i am going to be stuck in the rental for at least another week to two weeks. This is REALLY getting out of hand now. Is there anything i can do other than wait? i mean seriously, for the amount of money that Mazda is having to dish out to have my car fixed, would it not just be cheaper for them to give me a NEW car? or even just get me out of my lease? any help would be most beneficial. And if anyone has an inside source with Mazda and can help me out there, that would help also.

I WANT MY CAR BACK, or something equivalent.

btw, thanks for all the help you guys have given me so far.

 

Check your state specifics. A total of 30 days in repair within one calendar year usually gets you a lemon'd car..

 

i have had the car for longer than 12 months and 12,000 miles so, according to the SC lemon laws, i am not qualified for it. but i will look farther into that.

 

It sounds like you've gone through all the available channels, and given Mazda a pretty fair chance. I hate to say it, b/c I think it's a chitty thing to have to deal with and should always be a last resort, but if you have not had AT LEAST one car payment paid off by Mazda/dealership at this point - it may be time to consult a lawyer.

Have you asked the dealership/MNAO about making a payment since you don't have the car you're paying $XXX dollars a month for? If yes, and they're unwilling to do so . . .

 

Ask the dealership if you can get at LEAST a loaner in the same class as your rx8...maybe even a CX7 AWD? SOMETHING fun.

 

i will try and call MNAO and the dealer again to see about the payment. i have now made 2 payments since it has been in the shop

 

dmp has a good point. Ask about the payments, and about getting an 8 to drive while yours is there. But what you're putting up with to this point is absolutely unnacceptable. 1 month would **** me off, and have me pushing for some $$ compensation. Past that is just BS.

I'm mentioning a lawyer just to get an idea what recourse you have. If you can't get anywhere w/o one, it's time. It really sucks to even consider, b/c nobody really wins except the lawyers.

good luck.

 

sucks about your car. you have my sympathy.

not that i have any experience in the matter, but when you talk to the service department or MNAO about payment, if they refuse to do anything for you, definitely mention the possibility of a lawyer, you know "i'd hate to have to consult a lawyer and get the authorities involved." You want to give them the chance to be scared into compliance before just springing a lawyer on them. I think.

 

Are we all feeling the warmth of Mazda's world famous Service here.

 

 

i bet they didnt do an engine the first time- ask them what the cel code was that lit which lead to the call to mazda..... ill wait right here