Urchin

I have been to Biddulph Mazda twice. First was for the oil light and to change oil, they said they replaced a sensor. No charge for either and the light has not come on since.

The second was the two recalls, oil change and to check weak A/C. Took two days, did the recall, said A/C was fine but now my complaint is on the record, and wanted to charge for the oil change. Showed the free service card, it took them a few minutes but removed the charge. Then they said next change was to be 8K miles or 8 months. Told them I do a lot of short trips and should get schedule 2. Will see.

How do others rate dealers they have visited?

Sanguine_Dark

Urchin,

I've been to two dealers in the east valley and here's my thoughts.

Berge Mazda,

1) Sales Department - I almost DIDN'T buy an rx because of these guys. The sales staff were sooo rude my wife and I walked while signing.

2) Service department - Primitive, rude and completely worthless. The Service advisor chastised me over the phone for asking about rough idle and flooding issues. Nuff said.

3) Parts department - the one place that berge mazda rocks is their parts guys are awesome, helpful and almost as excited about new stuff for the RX as I was. A+


Earnhardt Mazda -

1) They straight up lied to me about three seperate items on the financing. No good grade here.

2) Service - Myron is the mazda service advisor and he was great with the reflash, recalls and did exactly what I wanted, when I wanted and even took less time than he quoted. Real stand up guy.

3) Parts dept - Kind of like taking valium and drinking a beer afterwords. I though I should check for a pulse on these guys. I asked about an MP3 player for the car and they were like "hic, what's that?"

my 2 cents.

S_D

Slick_Advanced

Biddulph has been good to me for service.

I bought mine From Earnheardts and I would highly reccommend them. Tom Collins specifically, but at the same time I went in with all my paperwork and research in hand so he didn't have much wiggle room. Plus I always go in 30 minutes before close to buy a car.

Showcase - Worst sales ever. They seriously thought I was going to pay 40k for fully loaded RX-8.

pret

Hi! Just wanted to give my impressions on the dealership I selected to purchase my vehicle. I purchased my 8 from Showcase on Oct 31, 2003.

Sales: I felt I received a good deal. Then again, I had a listing of all inventory for all dealerships in the valley with invoice prices and I also showed up on the last day of the quater. Also went directly to the fleet manager.

Service: This is my viewpoint. Having visited various service departments for various vehicles over the past 17 years (10 here in AZ), I have to say that I will only have my 8 serviced at this dealership. Tom, the manager is fairly young, so initially I was skeptal. However, he has proven himself knowledgeable and willing to learn. In addition, this service dept also has one of only 3 mastertechs in phoenix. I will find out his name a post it if anyone wants.

My experiences: after the first week, the tpms light lit. Went to dealership, seemed I picked up a nail. under warrenty, repaired within 15 minutes.

Recall notices: Went in, they found a shortcut for the tranny recall (supposed to take 2-3 hours?), complete both in less then an hour.

Called today to schedule an appointment for the "L" flash. Tom also stated they would take care of the problem for "clearing eccentric shaft plate profile", "Mil with DTC P0128", and "Snapping noise at low speeds" although I did not ask. After reading the horror stories other users have had with trying to obtain the flash, it is my belief that this is one of the better dealerships to get ur 8 serviced.

Just my 2¢

poolsidenaz

I would like to comment on Tom as well at the Showcase Mazda. I have yet to bring in my 8 as I've had it less than 2 weeks. But he serviced my Miata in recent years. He tries hard, his heart is into helping out Mazda owners, and he stands behind his word. I've had oil changes, headlights & the retractable antenna replaced, spark plugs, clutch release, and oil changes. He's a good egg so I wanted to give a 2nd 'thumbs up' for Tom at Showcase.

I did not go through a dealer when purchasing my Miata or my 8; I refuse to be spun and subjected to their shady tactics. I worked with a company called Arizona Fleet Co. Randy helped me in the lease & purchase of my Miata, and the purchase of my 8. He also gives me recommendations on servicing for tire replacement on my Miata to save money on the tires and taxes, body repair due to road debris etc etc. Heck he even makes house calls :D 602-451-5567

TimH

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sanguine_Dark

I've been to two dealers in the east valley and here's my thoughts.

Berge Mazda,
2) Service department - Primitive, rude and completely worthless.
3) Parts department - the one place that berge mazda rocks is their parts guys are awesome, helpful and almost as excited about new stuff for the RX as I was. A+

Earnhardt Mazda -

1) They straight up lied to me about
2) Service -
3) Parts dept - Kind of like taking valium and drinking a beer afterwords.
[QUOTE]

I've had some experience with Berge for my FD and bought my 8 at Earnhardt because I've had good experiences at other Earnhardt dealerships and the internet/fleet guys there were pretty straight with me within the limits of their knowledge. I have no opinion on their service guys yet. Ditto the comment about brain death in parts.

People have had variable experiences with Mike Pluth, the rotary specialist at Berge. He's experienced, but opinionated, and does have limited people skills. ALL the guys at the parts desk are amazing, enthusiastic, and helpful well beyond the requirements.

pret

Showcase has one of three Master Tech Certified for rotary in the Phx Metro area. His name is William Brockhurst. Another is Bill Boen at Earnhardt.

poolsidenaz

Pret I'm glad you posted this. I was at Showcase Mazda today talking to Tom Urbin in Service (good guy!) and told him about this site and RCCAZ and he told me there were 3 rotary master techs in the valley and like Pret said - they've got one of those 3. He's got 20 years experience, another has 26 and I can't remember the 3rd.

pret

i was there today also! mentioned your name and miata, he said he knew ya! i was there from 9 to 2:30. Flashed ECU to 'M', had brake rotors shaved down, and paint sealant. too bad i missed ya! (spent most of my time at last chance...hehe)

poolsidenaz

No freaking WAY! I got there at 3:40 and as soon as I got out of my 8 he says "Oh my God where's the Miata!" That's so awesome that you were there today LOL I told him he was building up a good rep here and to keep things top notch for the rest of us.

HAH that's funny. I made my own RX8Club.com invitations today; I think I'll drop one off for him so he can surf around here a little bit. Sanguine & Blue J and I are shooting for a gathering this coming Sunday the 18th over at Scottsdale Pavilion if you want to check out the West Region thread. It'd be great to have you and the Misses and friends out again

azben

I'd agree on Tom over at Showcase he is helpful and knowledgeable.

micdark

I just had MS side skirts installed on my 8 at Cardinale Way Mazda at Superstition Springs. I was going to wait, but when it was going to take more than a couple of hours, the service rep offered me a rental (on them) for the rest of the day so I wouldn't have to wait around. While I was waiting for the guy from Hertz, they were having a Christmas buffet for the employees and invited me to have something to eat. I ended up in a Mazda 6 (very nice car) for the afternoon. All this even though I did not buy the side skirts from them (couldn't beat Rosenthal's price). I can't guarantee others will have such a stellar experience at Cardinale Way, but they sure treated me right -- thought I should share.

poolsidenaz

I can't believe they wouldn't meet Rosenthal's price. Showcase will

Great share and congrats on the new mods!

war

Why don't you try Turner Design in Gilbert,AZ. They do mostly rebuilds and performance work. Last time I talked to the head guy there he was researching CNC the rotors to lower compression for turbo installs.

micdark

Thanks for the info poolside (Showcase meeting Rosenthal pricing) & war (Turner Design). I've only had my 8 since July and my only concern has been about eventually finding good shops in the East Valley. I am wondering if anyone knows of good shops or dealer service departments in Flag, Tucson and Yuma? I occassionally travel on business and would hate to get stuck somewhere only to find they don't even know what a rotary is...

ChopsMcgraw

Good luck in Yuma (Alexander Mazda). I let them do 1 Oil change, never again. Made an incredible mess, oil blew as far back as the rear diff. As for anything else, haven't heard much good. Parts Department is OK. I'm doing my own maintenance now, cheaper, quicker, and much less chance of the car getting boogered up. Then again, I'm not the trusting sort, not a big fan of Dealerships.




ChopsMcgraw

micdark

I am also very suspicious of dealerships – had many, many bad experiences over the years (almost all non-Mazdas). However, with the specialized nature of the rotary engine I think we are somewhat at their mercy. That’s why I love this forum where we can share our experiences and find the few dealerships that both know what they are doing and treat their customers well.

Urchin

I have been taking the car to Biddulph Mazda in Glendale Arizona since November 2003, its first scheduled service. I have had psoitive experiences. THey have fixed everything I asked. I have the 4 year free maintenance, and they have never hesitated following the Schedule II schedule since I do lot of short trips. On the most recent visit they replaced the plugs, air filer, bettery and starter.(the car was starting hard in the mornings), oil and filter, all under warranty. The only item I have paid for in the last 2 1/2 years is the periodic tire rotation and balancing.

All of the service writers (currently Dan) have been pleasant and competent.

Apex Eater

I agree with micdark, I have owned Mazdas for 8 years and never have gotten the service I did at Cardinale way. Someone mentioned Myron from Ernhardts and I think he is working at Cardinale now. I believe they are the only MS dealer in the east valley as well.

There is a new Mazda going in at the new auto park on Gilbert and Queen Creek and it wil be intersting to see who runs it.

cnaude

I just bought a 2004 RX-8 with 18K miles. It's due for an oil change and some warranty work. I'm not sure if any of the recall work has been done. The paperwork I received with the car indicated that the previous owner received the recall notice, but I don't have any proof that it was done.

Here is what I need repaired:

1. Driver side mirror loose
2. Passenger taillight not waterproof
3. Brakes squeek and have rotor hub rust
4. Starter feels extremely weak
5. Cupholder lid has broken and missing tabs
6. Tire pressure leak

I would like to take it a good dealership in the Phoenix area that won't give me a hassle about simple warranty work and potentially recall work. Anyone have a good recommendation for a dealer?

TimH

Others will chime in but I must say Earnhardt has treated me just fine. You certainly should have somebody check that all recall work has been done.

I'd check eBay for the tail light replacement unless it would be covered under warranty (no sign of damage?). The damaged console lid is also probably more expensive than it's worth to replace - mine has no damage and still opens more easily than one would like.

swtblnde

Depending what side of town you're on. Avondale Mazda Rawks!

cnaude

I'm actually near cavecreek and thunderbird, but I will drive out of my way to get the best service. Since I love driving my car that works out nicely for me.