Last Thursday I dropped off my Red MT GT w/NAV baby at the local dealership for her first oil change and to have a clicking when turning left noise checked out. I got a call in the afternoon saying that my car had been damaged. The service tech clipped a pole against the right rear quarter-panel. They also stated that they were reparing the damage but that the paint was not in stock (can you say "oh shit, cover that up with bondo and paint it quick before he comes back, oh shit were out of paint, well, have to call him now". When I dropped the car off, I gave instructions not to wash or wax the car and to leave it idleing for a minute before shutting it off, it didn't even occur to me to tell them not to slather bondo on it! Now the car has bondo on the quarter panel, primer on that and overspray all the hell over the place and the dealer refused to let me look at the original damage, saying that I would have to pay to get the quarter-panel sanded down. Mazda corporate says they can't help (havn't had any luck escelating customer service after more than 20 calls to them). The regional rep has supposedly been left a number of messages to contact me over the past week but has not.

I need help! If anyone knows a good attorney in the Raleigh/Durham NC area or has an inside line to contact someone who might give a shit at Mazda please let me know.

I plan on taking them to court along with calling the state attorney generals office, dunn & bradstreet, better businees beaurou, local news agencies, and a lawer. Any other ideas?

Originally posted by sirtwist
Last Thursday I dropped off my Red MT GT w/NAV baby at the local dealership for her first oil change and to have a clicking when turning left noise checked out. I got a call in the afternoon saying that my car had been damaged. The service tech clipped a pole against the right rear quarter-panel. They also stated that they were reparing the damage but that the paint was not in stock (can you say "oh shit, cover that up with bondo and paint it quick before he comes back, oh shit were out of paint, well, have to call him now". When I dropped the car off, I gave instructions not to wash or wax the car and to leave it idleing for a minute before shutting it off, it didn't even occur to me to tell them not to slather bondo on it! Now the car has bondo on the quarter panel, primer on that and overspray all the hell over the place and the dealer refused to let me look at the original damage, saying that I would have to pay to get the quarter-panel sanded down. Mazda corporate says they can't help (havn't had any luck escelating customer service after more than 20 calls to them). The regional rep has supposedly been left a number of messages to contact me over the past week but has not.

I need help! If anyone knows a good attorney in the Raleigh/Durham NC area or has an inside line to contact someone who might give a shit at Mazda please let me know.

I plan on taking them to court along with calling the state attorney generals office, dunn & bradstreet, better businees beaurou, local news agencies, and a lawer. Any other ideas?


Hey, I had that clicking when turing left as well. I think mine just went away. Did they say what caused yours?




Anyway, that is BS. They can't go and damage your car, try to fix it up without telling you, then refuse to let you see the original damage. What the hell is going on here???

Diagnoses for the clicking sound : the steering rack needs replaced.

Diagnoses for the owner of the dealership : he's an ass ;)

They severely devalued the vehicle and are trying to cover their own collective asses without going through the proper channels. But you already know this. To correct that wrong, they should have replaced the damaged bodywork entirely and have it professionally done, i.e. no bondo or overspray.

Definitely call your insurance company, lawyer, and let the dealership know that you are one unhappy SOB and potentially their worst customer relations nightmare. Get on them and don't let up until you're happy with the outcome. Let us know how things develop.

Rob

That hurts. I'd ask them for a new one.

Actually, you should find out how bad the damage is and determine if it effects the value of your car and have the dealer make up the difference.

That clicking noise you hear when turning is the directional :p

I can't believe the shit some dealerships try to get away with!! I would want to kill someone, go after them big time!! :mad:

If dealer isn't letting you see the car, I would call the insurance and file a police report! You do not want to let the dealer get away covering there end; what if it's damange really bad? you would want to demand a new replacement!

The dealership should have insurance for this, obviously they don't want to use the insurance as it is cheaper for them to fix it.

They should be replacing not bondoing.

That sucks, I'd take them to court and make them cover any depreciation your car suffered. I used to work for an attorneys office and can recommend a lawyer in the area if needed.

I'm from the Raleigh area as well, and I wondering which dealership this was. Capital Mazda? Al Smith?

Fix = NO WAY!

Replace = ONLY OPTION I WOULD GIVE THEM! :mad:

They better also have an RX-8 loaner available for you. Calling police and filing a report was a great idea. I am sure the dealer would love to see the cops arrive, take pics and interview the service dept. staff. :p

Originally posted by bkterry13
That sucks, I'd take them to court and make them cover any depreciation your car suffered. I used to work for an attorneys office and can recommend a lawyer in the area if needed.

I'm from the Raleigh area as well, and I wondering which dealership this was. Capital Mazda? Al Smith?

Millenium (Chapel Hill/Durham)

Yes, please e-mail lawer recomendations to gene@nc.rr.com

Originally posted by Wing
The dealership should have insurance for this, obviously they don't want to use the insurance as it is cheaper for them to fix it.

They should be replacing not bondoing.


The only problem with replacing is that they would have to take out the rear glass, cut the car up and re-weld it together (look at the rear quarter panel sometime), this would de-value the car which I am POSITIVE they would not re-imburse or give a crap about.

Originally posted by RXhusker
Fix = NO WAY!

Replace = ONLY OPTION I WOULD GIVE THEM! :mad:

They better also have an RX-8 loaner available for you. Calling police and filing a report was a great idea. I am sure the dealer would love to see the cops arrive, take pics and interview the service dept. staff. :p

I don't think Durham city police are going to be very concerned over them not sanding off the bondo so that I can see the original damage, very 'civil matter' sort of thing.

CALL THE POLICE!

This is the same as if someone had hit your car in a parking lot and driven off. They DO NOT have the right to do any work on your car without your permission. They are repsonsible for the collission damage and the repair damage.

Your right is to be returned to position that you were in before they damaged your car, and the appropriate response on their part is to call you, say that it was damaged and let you choose the body shop to fix it, then pay you the diminution in value on top of that.

As for remedies: You need a police report because they are claiming that they can control this situation by telling you that they can charge you for work on the car. That's not true. Second, inform them by certified letter that they need to pay for repair to your car by the body shop of your choice and that they might want to report it to their insurance company because you ARE reporting it to yours. Report it to your insurance company. Last, call Mazda North America and tell them what these pinheads are trying to do. Corporate headquarters of good companies are always interested in what their dealers are doing.

All that done, you should be OK, but if they do not acceed to your demands, then call a lawyer! It's one thing to damage a car by accident, but to try to repair it so you wouldn't know is probably a criminal fraud.

Best of Luck- H

Your car is damaged.
You have a right to see the damage.
They have an obligation to correct the situation.
If the damage is severe - they need to replace the vehicle and sell it as used.
If it is minor then you still need to have a voice in the matter and have a professional body shop make it right - to your satisfaction.

I was in a wreck in my BMW and when I went to sell it everything had been fixed and replaced BUT the dealer on the trade, a Mazda dealer, knew it was in a wreck before (Auto INFO???) and went $2000 under their original trade value stating "wrecked" vehicle even though there were no outwardly visible signs. This is a fact that all of us deal with when in a wreck - less value.

I do not mean to be negative, just realistic.

CALL THE POLICE

Originally posted by RodsterinFL
Your car is damaged.
You have a right to see the damage.
They have an obligation to correct the situation.
If the damage is severe - they need to replace the vehicle and sell it as used.
If it is minor then you still need to have a voice in the matter and have a professional body shop make it right - to your satisfaction.

I was in a wreck in my BMW and when I went to sell it everything had been fixed and replaced BUT the dealer on the trade, a Mazda dealer, knew it was in a wreck before (Auto INFO???) and went $2000 under their original trade value stating "wrecked" vehicle even though there were no outwardly visible signs. This is a fact that all of us deal with when in a wreck - less value.

I do not mean to be negative, just realistic.

CALL THE POLICE

I don't mean to be negative but police won't take a report unless its clear that theres over 2000 dollars in damage, and the dealorship is offering to "fix" the vehicle and your average cop is going to wonder why I called them to get them to sand off "perfectly good" body work.

I just don't think calling the cops is going to help anything, they have reported it to thier insurance company and I have made mine aware of it. What needs to happen is to get them to take the bondo off so that I can decide if its bad enought to warrant cutting on the car or if it truly is just a scrape or two. Once I see it and see if they even bothered sanding the paint down before the bondo, I can decide if 3000 for retaining a lawer is an option, but no matter what, the prick at the dealorship is not going to do anything the insurance company does not volunteer to pay for and I cant seem to get Mazda corp to give a shit or call me back. Any realistic advice?

Don't mean to be so pissy, just frustrated to all hell.

Yes, notify the world, Mazda, police, insurance, Better Business Beareau, etc. Fully document this event. It is not unlike any accident. A police report ought to be filed.

Eventhough demanding a new car might seems excessive at first, the 8 is a sports car. Any possible damage to the chasis renders the car useless as a sports car.

Originally posted by RX Guy
Yes, notify the world, Mazda, police, insurance, Better Business Beareau, etc.Call your local TV station.

"Do you know what happened to your car last time it was in the shop? One local man found out the hard way, and the dealer is playing hardball. Details tonight on Fox News at Nine."

Guaranteed they'll change their tune once an OB van pulls up on their forecourt!

Call the Cops!!!!

this is just like any fender bender cop comes makes report and just like any other wreck, if you dont like thework that the insurance company does then youcan akethem redo it untill your happy.

and try calling 5 on your side or the trouble shooter and see if they can help

PS.. for all you people from the triangle check out my club at WWW.TRIANGLETUNERS.COM

I think you are underestimating the police. Many times insurance won't pay if a police report isn't filed. I had my cell phone stolen a while back and insurance wouldn't replace without a police report being filed. I filed the report and the police called to get info -- they actually recovered my phone within 10 days!

Originally posted by willsdsm
Call the Cops!!!!

this is just like any fender bender cop comes makes report and just like any other wreck, if you dont like thework that the insurance company does then youcan akethem redo it untill your happy.

and try calling 5 on your side or the trouble shooter and see if they can help

PS.. for all you people from the triangle check out my club at WWW.TRIANGLETUNERS.COM

The dealorship just called to let me know that they are now willing to sand off the bondo and let me inspect the car before repairs are completed. I will know more after I look at the damage on Monday.

What about the lean holder, your bank. Don't they have a vested interest in this matter, and maybe they have lawyers, who go after fraud like this. Covering up damage/or attempting to, on a new vehicle without reporting it is fraud

What about the consumers out there that might buy this car next, don't they have rights, I think the Better Business Bureau would like to know about this, and I know they have lawyers. Accidents no matter how big, that cause body damage and body repair should be reported and documented against this VIN number. Usually just the threat of getting the BBB involved makes them a lot more willing to make it right.

Just a couple of suggestions I did not see mentioned.

Good Luck

If Mazda really has admitted to the horsepower deficiency and offers the buyback or service/$500.00 debit card, use the buyback option. That would allow you to order and get an entirely new car, maybe? Just a thought!

Originally posted by WayneFulp
If Mazda really has admitted to the horsepower deficiency and offers the buyback or service/$500.00 debit card, use the buyback option. That would allow you to order and get an entirely new car, maybe? Just a thought! Probably not. I don't know the full details, but I believe that there was some sort of rider on the earlier Miata offer that precluded an owner from turning around and buying another Miata.

I was talking to the sales manager about the Miata problem when I was looking at the 8 and his thought was "why are not more people returning their car and getting a new brand new one". He stated that people can return the old one and replace it with a new one!!! I think you should demand that they take it back, then buy a new one from a different dealer.

Just my .02

call local newstations and have them bastardize the dealer with bad media coverage..
in additon to calling the cops.. it will save u the expense of a lawyer

Can you post hi-rez pics of the damage, before and after bondo removal?

Let's not be hasty here~ You have several options here all of which will not hurt you. I would recommend calling the service manager ASAP and set up a meeting in person. This is what I would demand:

1) Keep the damaged car and relocate another ASAP.
2) Give you a loaner RX-8 immediately to compensate for the loss of time driving your brand new car.
3) Additional freebies at your discretion for their screw up and inability to take care of customer's car.

If the above proposal is declined, then call the cops immediately. Contact Mazda USA for relocation of a new car to be purchased through a different dealership. You are the victim here and you have every right to demand what's best to your interest. Good luck.

Originally posted by Skyline Maniac
Let's not be hasty here~ You have several options here all of which will not hurt you. I would recommend calling the service manager ASAP and set up a meeting in person.

>> Have met with the service manager, the general manager and the owner, they refuse to do anything but turn it over to thier insurance company (besides, now, remove the bondo job)

This is what I would demand:

1) Keep the damaged car and relocate another ASAP.
2) Give you a loaner RX-8 immediately to compensate for the loss of time driving your brand new car.
3) Additional freebies at your discretion for their screw up and inability to take care of customer's car.

I demanded a new car and they basically said to go to hell.

If the above proposal is declined, then call the cops immediately. Contact Mazda USA for relocation of a new car to be purchased through a different dealership.

Mazda USA, ya, what a freakin joke, you guys should be informed how little they are willing to do (they said they would repair anything the dealorship would not, thats it). I have called them over 30 times in the last week and only recieved 3 return calls, all people not willing to help "the dealerships are indipendant businesses, we have no control over them, we can't give you a new car). They have supposedly passed my contact information along to the regional sales manager five or six times with no luck "they are in the field and rarely actually talk to customers, they are there to support the dealerships". They refuse (the corp number in CA also) to give me any escelation information, period end of sentence.

Every owner of a Mazda on this board should make sure thier dealership is reputable, because, if they act like they have/have not in my situation, Mazda USA is worthless in a situation like mine.

You are the victim here and you have every right to demand what's best to your interest. Good luck.

Make sure you get pictures when you see the car.

BTW, you're not calling the police to report a fender bender. You're calling the police to report a stolen car. Someone took it and won't give it back on demand, as far as I'm concerned a theft has occurred. You're even making their job easy: You know who the culprit is. Make them produce the car NOW, get photos NOW. Who knows what they will do to it by Monday but I'd bet there's more damage than they've let on and they're trying to conceal it.

bump it

How many miles were on your car?

Man I would have hit the roof!!

I want to know what happened in the end ?????

Yea we need more info man.