Ugh! Dealer damages my RX-8
 

OK here's my sob story. I took my Rx-8 in to Mazda-Saab of Bedford for the 2 recalls and to have the PCM reflashed, center console insulation installed for heat issues, and oil pan replaced. (I'll post other threads to talk about those issues.)

When I picked up the car, I noticed right fender damage. It was hit hard enough to crack the plastic and push up the fender. I called out the service manager to show him the damage before taking it off the lot. Because he said that the mechanics were good about reported incidents like this, he implied that the damage existed before I took it in for service. He said the car goes straight from the service bay to where it was parked. He promised to ask the mechanic what happened. I get a call later saying that the mechanic only noticed 2 door dings (which is true and these door dings are really hard to see). Again he took no action and left me with the responsibility of getting the damage fixed. I could not 100% state that there was no damage before I took it in for service so I was in a quandry.

After thinking about it overnight, I thought I was in for a court battle. I would have to call the mechanic in as a witness saying that he saw no damage. I would have to call in the service manager saying he saw damage before I took it off the lot. Evidently someone is lying because there's no timeframe for the car to get damaged.

I go in to talk to the general manager the next morning but he isn't available but one of the owners is in. It turns out he's the mechanic who worked on my car! They are one of the same. Finally getting some good luck.

He takes a look at the damage and states that it wasn't there when he worked on the car and that they would immediately fix it. I was still wondering how the car was damaged and why no one told me. He then said that the cars get washed after service is finished. That means the car is parked in the back by the mechanic, car is driven somewhere and is washed, and then driven to the front lot. Also my car was not washed! My guess is that someone wrecked it and then skipped the car wash.

I am impressed by the mechanic/owner taking responsibility for the damage and will take it back to them for service in the future. I used them before on my MX-6 too with good results. I am very disappointed in the service manager for not taking action and misleading me on what happens to my car after servicing. If the mechanic/owner hadn't solved this as quickly as he did, both myself and the dealer would have ended up in court, which would have cost both of us much more than it would cost to fix the damage. I doubt if I would have lost the court battle, though, especially since my friend is a lawyer.

They are fixing my car now. I stated that I don't want my car washed this time. Lessons learned:
1) Examine car carefully before and after service
2) Don't let them wash your car (I didn't know they would do this)
3) Skip the service manager and go to the owner/general manager for major issues

dam that sucks bro... good tips though..

Yes, thank you for your story and the tips. I guess the next time I take it in I'll do an obvious walk-around and tell the service guy what I am doing. (Kind of like the walk-around at a rental car place). At least they will know I that I am going to pay attention to their every move.

I used to have a problem with a ford dealership in Hawaii when I had my Lightning. Every time I took it in for something it came back with scratches or overspray/fallout. Eventually and every time I had to bring out the general manager of all the stores that they own and once the owner of the dealership to get my truck fixed. Now at that dealership they now do a walkaround for the cars when you drop them off. But the last couple times I took it in there was something wrong. But it only took the store manager's approval. Still a little bit of a pain but at least I didn't have to go through so many people.

Good points. I briefly worked for a dealership in the parts department about 15 years ago. From what I remember, when customers were asked to sign the part of the service contract which would relieve the dealership of any damages to the car, some of the customers would put "REFUSE" instead of signing their names. I believe this makes the dealer fully responsible for any damage. Anybody familiar with this?