Quest for the best Service department..
 

I continue my quest to find the service department in the greater Vancouver area that is willing to understand the problems with my car and not give me crap..

so far:

West coast Mazda - not bad- are totally not updated with warranty issues.

Metrotown Mazda- worst service department ever! total ignorance and have no clue what kind of operation they are running... eg my headlights and tailights are fogging up so i ask them to replace it .. they instead tell they are just dirty and give me back my car with windexed lights :mad:


now for my 4th service i will try either signature or wolfe...

any recommendations?? i got lots of issues that need to addressed from rattling speakers doors steering wheel rear view mirror to fogging up tailights and headlights and cold start hesitations.

thanks

I'm very interested to see other people's replies to this thread. I'm about to go in for my 24K service... I've always been going to Signature, but ever since that time they charged me when they didn't rotate my tires, I don't know anymore....

Also, is it true that once they do the TSB once for the brake squeal, they can't do anything else if the brake still keeps squealing??

Also, I phoned around the different dealerships around vancouver... And found that they charge different prices for the scheduled maintanance! As low as $117 at Wofe and as high as $160 at Signature! Was this common knowledge that they are not charging us the same amount? Have I been stupid all this time?

Hmmm. I was charged around $35 for the 8K (well, fine, 3K in my case, but four months had elapsed) oil change at Signature.

The dealer has to do the TSB initially, but if the same problem comes up again, they can do it again and send the warranty work to Mazda.

Shop rates differ depending on where the dealership is - generally, the higher the costs of running the service department, the higher the shop cost.

i too gots to go in for the 24K..

and NO they cant reject any warranty work just casue its been attempted at once...Male them do it over again or find a way to fix it thats what warranty is there for!

well i guess ill try Wolfe mazda to attempt at some warranty work...

at what do we have to get done at 24k that it costs 100+!

i normally just pay the 35 for the oil change...dont need filter or tire rotation since i dont have the stock intake or wheels...

I've had my brakes done twice. The second time the dealer gave me grief until I told them I was going to contact Mazda about it. I also told them that if my brakes start doing it again that I will be back for another replacement....regardless of the mileage.

The dealer gets hosed on the labour rates whenever a re-repair comes in; the TSB is covered by Mazda, but if the parts fail again (say, like brakes and the like), my understanding is that while they can claim the parts are no good and have Mazda Canada cover it, they still have to pay the tech to do the switch, road test it, etc. That takes time. And that costs the shop money.

I can understand their problem, but that's not my problem. I agree - get it fixed until you get satisfaction; Mazda Canada knows that the parts are warrantied, and they know the dealer has to replace the part.

Freeway Mazda has been great to me. I had to get some things done under warranty and they asked pretty much no questions!

Freeway mazda. i will check it out. recently, i am having some problems with my dealership which is Midway Mazda. They are pretty good in terms of finding out problems and sorting things right. However, sometimes, they get very mean at their costumers for unknown reasons.

have you got the starter and battery done and how about the latest flash??

i dont mind going down to Surrey if i have to for the right service.

One suggestion, looking again at your first post. Pick whatever it is that is bugging you the most, and focus on getting that done first. If you have warranty/TSB work, then they have to do it, regardless; find the TSB, print it out, and bring it with you when you go.

The stuff like the lights and such WILL be tricky to sell to a dealer to put right if you've modified the lights. What problems do you have with the steering wheel and rearview mirrors?

Be very afraid of a dealership that does work without question - my experience is that they either don't know what they are getting themselves into (it costs a great deal to do all of the little things that people bring to them for free) or they have a new guy/trainee who is learning on your car...

ive not modified the tailights or headlights.. just changed the bulb.. thats normal.. and ive capped or tightened everything.. its common on the 8s for the housings to fog up when raining..so i need them fixed under warranty thats all

i just want to go to a dealership that people would recommend say if they have gotten warranty work done by them easily without being hasseled etc..

my steering wheel creaks, rear windshield or something in that area, sunroof, rear view mirror.. passenger seat.. rear passenger door..speakers buzz...just good old mazda quality...

anyways i was just looking for some direction towards the right service department.. but i can find out the hard way no worries..

thanks for your advice though..