Details on Corrosion repairs (ZoomZoom Girl's car)

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Just came from an inspection of my car with my dealership's manager, Rico (Mid City Mazda in Sudbury ON). As expected, he believes that all my bubbling is due to stone chips. To prove this, he pressed down on some of the blisters and they were very hard. If they had had underlying rust, they would have been very soft and much larger. He did state that the body shop will sand those down (the ones on flat panels like my doors, roof, rear liftgate). If there is any rust beneath, they will know immediately that it is sheet metal corrosion and not rock chips and take it from there.

This assertion of "stone chips" is supported by the fact that almost all the blisters are on my side sills and lower portion of my doors, where you would expect rocks to hit the car. So, it IS possible but we'll know for sure when they check the blisters. They will also open up the doors to verify that there is no rusting within which could be causing the surface bubbling.

Plan is to sandblast and refinish the entire rear quarter panels, both rear bumper seams (removing part of the bumper), and the bottom trim of my rear passenger doors. In other words, all the obvious rust patches. Once those are done and refinished, they will put 3M protective tape over the areas to ensure further stone damage does not occur. Both side sills will be entirely coated with 3M since they have to remove those anyways, to get at the lower door trim. They'll even put the tape on the inside of the wheel wells (what a job!) He wasn't sure if Mazda Canada would ok that but did tell me that the dealership itself would cover the cost. So, no funds from my end!

As for the rear doors, they will "blend in" the new paint from the quarter panels to ensure that the whole car's paint looks right. They'll get the blisters on the back doors via this process. All other blisters on the flat panels will be sanded down and refinished. As Rico (dealership manager) said, you don't want to start repainting entire panels unless absolutely necessary since that will negatively impact resale value. For now, since they believe it is all superficial damage, they'll take care of the blisters one by one.

The blisters inside the bottom of the door jambs they will cover with 3M to prevent rusting. They are so tiny that just keeping them as is would be sufficient. Again, the less painting, the better for me and the value of my car! I did ask about "what if these areas really do rust or if the bubbling restarts?" Rico said that there is a 1 year warranty on repair work (typical for any rust repairs done at any body shop) so we just need to keep a close eye on the situation. Again, if they start to do the work and find out that there is rust beneath the blisters, that will be a whole different scenario.

Lastly, I will be given a loaner car at no cost to me by the dealership. I'm booked for next Tuesday at the body shop so will drop the car off at the dealership and they'll handle things from there. They think it will take 2 days but if longer, I can keep the loaner as long as the job takes. Fabulous news since the job won't be rushed and I don't have to worry about the rental cost!

At least I know that if this does turn out to be metal corrosion, we'll deal with it. For now the determination is surface damage which will be handled by refinishing the back of the car entirely and removing the blisters individually. I really didn't want the entire car repainted as that would drop the resale value dramatically! Hopefully he's right and this will be the perfect fix. Adding 3M to the wheel wells, area around these, entire side sills, and lower door jambs will address all the areas highly susceptible to stone chip damage....

I'm not entirely convinced that this really IS rock chip damage since I'm not a specialist and can't tell myself if bubbles are internally based or externally caused. For now, I'm willing to try this "quick" fix and see how my car holds up until next year, especially considering that the work is being done entirely via goodwill, including providing me with a Mazda loaner car. Believe me, I'll be watching very closely for any more bubbling or recurrence of rust and will be into the dealership immediately.

Last thing. My dealership manager again restated that these cases are being handled individually by each dealership. They need to do a visual inspection. That coupled with your service history will determine whether or not you get covered under warranty, goodwill, or not at all. Point is, each one of you must go in to your dealership. Speak to the Service Manager AND the owner/manager of the dealership, if needed. If that doesn't pan out, ask to meet with the District Service Manager whenever he/she is in town since they make the final decision on warranty issues. Last step would be to call Mazda Canada directly.

So, for now, good resolution to my complaint since I'm not paying for any of the costs. Again, I'm not really sure if this fix will be what my car needs in the long run but I have a year under repair warranty. If OTHER areas bubble/rust, my dealership assured me that they will cover those repairs too due to my excellent service history with them (and they know that my car is very well maintained).

[Flagrum_3]

Get the re-assurance in writing for one!

Looking at the inside of the doors will be pointless as the corrosion is beneath the paint not all the way thru.It is probably true that some of the bubbling would be caused by chips but from your pics it definitely was not, rust will not be soft as he stated but hard and if pressed hard enough would crack.
Anyways, its good to hear they are doing something and I hope they do a good job for you.

Keep us posted!


_3





.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

For sure I'll be getting any assurances of "oh, we'll take care of you if this happens again" in writing. Knowing what other Mazda3 owners have gone through, there really are no guarentees! I really do wish that I could have found a body shop expert to check over my car and tell me with 100% assurance what my root problem is...baring that, I have to trust to this whole process. I'll have a better idea next week once they break open the blisters....

[WeatherB]

I read something interesting in a magazine that Mazda sent me last week... Apparently they started using a new painting process on cars manufactured after July 2005, which is supposed to be more resistant to rusting. Probably not a coincident that the majority of the rust issues are on 2004s.

[liquidzyklon]

I read something interesting in a magazine that Mazda sent me last week... Apparently they started using a new painting process on cars manufactured after July 2005, which is supposed to be more resistant to rusting. Probably not a coincident that the majority of the rust issues are on 2004s.Cool, can you scan this page? It might be an interesting read.

[WeatherB]

Cool, can you scan this page? It might be an interesting read.

Don't have a scanner but here is the quote...

"In another global first, Mazda and Nippon Paint Co. launched a new e-coating technology in July 2005. This special process lowers VOC emissions in the basecoat process by 50%, reduces the volume of basecoat materials by 10% and actually improves paint quality and rust protection!"

[ziegs2020]

The newer painting system isn't that much better, but it sure beats rust :)

[mazda lover]

I read something interesting in a magazine that Mazda sent me last week... Apparently they started using a new painting process on cars manufactured after July 2005, which is supposed to be more resistant to rusting. Probably not a coincident that the majority of the rust issues are on 2004s.


Guess I am screwed mine was built before July 2005
Have bubbling-blistering on the inner door edge and one wheel well...

2005 GT GFX AUTO Titanium Grey

[liquidzyklon]

Don't have a scanner but here is the quote...

"In another global first, Mazda and Nippon Paint Co. launched a new e-coating technology in July 2005. This special process lowers VOC emissions in the basecoat process by 50%, reduces the volume of basecoat materials by 10% and actually improves paint quality and rust protection!"Thanks for the quote. With a with Google search you can find a little more detail on this proccess.

Links [search for "nippon paint"]:
http://www.diginfo.tv/archives/energyenvironment/
http://www.tomgarner.co.uk/archive/2005_07_01_archive.html

[ZoomZoom Girl]

New update on my car repairs...not good!

My car was due to be dropped off to the body shop yesterday to get the rust damage repaired. I had a few more questions about the job so thought I'd pop into the body shop Monday morning. I thought it odd that Mazda was handling all of this themselves and that I'd never been asked to go to the body shop personally.

On June 24th my car was left at the dealership for them to check into a CEL issue. That same day, my dealership received my letter of complaint and pictures. Also that day, my dealership manager and a Mazda rep. brought my car to the body shop and discussed the job with the manager there. What they showed him was ONLY the rust on the rear wheel wells, rear quarter panels, and bottom trim of the rear doors. They did not show him any of the bubbling. Note that this was all done with my knowledge or consent. The estimate was sent to Mazda Canada for approval and totalled $800 (again, without my being included in the process).

When I got to the body shop, I asked Keith (manager of body shop) which bubbling would be touched up. He was very shocked since he had never been shown any of this on my car! I'd also been told that 3M would be applied over the existing bubbling on the lower doors jambs, inside the car. Keith was also shocked by this since he stated "you can't just cover up the damage....it has to be fixed first!"

So, Keith called Rico (my dealership manager) to discuss all the other work that needs to be done, to see if they'll still cover all the costs (now $2000). Keith did state that he didn't think that the blisters were all due to rock chips and is clear that all 4 doors, driver-side front quarter panel, roof, and liftgate need some type of patching. Even on my liftgate with all the scratches, he stated that the scratches were not the cause of the bubbling....some kind of issue with the paint no longer adhering to the car is at play.

Right now I'm waiting to hear back from my dealership. Well, it was my right to go into that body shop since it IS my car and I wanted to be clear about the job. Fortunately I did go in since my expectations and what the body shop understood would be done were way off! I am now very concerned if this other work, to repair the bubbling panels, will be covered.

I received a call from Rico on Monday, after he'd spoken to Keith. He asked why I had gone in for a new estimate to which I replied "no I didn't...I went in to verify what bubbling would be done". He then also said "this is repainting most of the car....do you really want that?" I replied that I was not convinced that all the damage was only due to rock chips, in which case yes, the damaged panels do need to be repainted. He then stated that he would send the new estimate ($2000) to Mazda Canada.

I called Mazda Canada myself yesterday to be sure that the new estimate had been sent. I also wanted to make it clear to them that the first estimate was submitted without my knowledge and was based on misinformation. None of the bubbling was even included. They assured me of a reply by this Friday. I received a follow-up today from Talvia (very first Mazda rep. I spoke to) and she stated that the new estimate was being submitted and that she was ensuring that the District Service Manager gave me an answer ASAP. Considering that this person was present when that first estimate was generated, I'm not overly optomistic about this entire process.

So, there you go. I'm by no means abandoning my quest for justice here but am getting seriously frustrated. The first call I received from my local dealer (2 days after receipt of my package, 2 days after he went to get an estimate on the partial repair) assured me of 100% coverage on ALL repairs. He even said "come in, we'll go over the car together and sticky all the bubbling then take pictures". He then stated that the repairs were being doing via goodwill since I'm such a loyal customer who obviously takes serious care of her car. The real test is to see if my loyalty is worth $800 or $2000 to Mazda.

Well, we met but he only proceded to tell me all my damage was due to rock chips. No pictures taken. He did state that they would refinish the damaged panels at the back then have the bubbles individually sanded down and refinished. That's why I was so surprised that the body shop manager knew nothing about bubbling. Who exactly was supposed to patch up those blisters then? In any event, the body shop stated that the entire panels needed to be redone, not just a patch job. Note that this is body shop #4 that I visit and all said the same thing.....

So, waiting game on my end as well! Alot of us are in the same boat so I wish you all the best in getting your repair costs covered....

[Flagrum_3]

Man this never ends! What a mess!, I just wonder how Mazda expects customers to stay loyal to their brand with this kinda crap?!....Rooting for ya zoomzoom!

_3

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Well, I just came from yet another body shop (like to do my research and all) and yes, they stated emphatically that I've been blatantly lied to. The bubbling is absolutely NOT due to rock chips. The guy (expert) looked at my car closely and stated that without an ounce of doubt, the issue is with the factory paint job. He can't be sure if it's metal corrosion or the paint that is not adhering to the car for another reason, but what he did state is that this IS a Mazda problem and not due to "wear and tear". Now that someone who actually is a body shop expert has told me this, without any shadow of doubt, I am more confident in fighting for my car to be covered. It's no longer an issue of "well, maybe it IS rock chips"...it is NOT. Even the body shop that my dealeship uses told me that it was a paint issue and not rock chips, at least on the liftgate. How much more proof do they need?

So, the body shop guy plainly told me that Mazda Canada is trying to get out of paying for the costly repairs on my car. With sure knowledge of the cause (factory paint), this is FAR from over. I'm supposed to get an answer from Mazda by tomorrow. I anticipate that they'll want me to contribute to part of the $2000 repair bill. Well, my dealer manager gave me a verbal promise that ALL the damage, including bubbling, would be taken care of so I'm going to hold him to that....

Seriously, how can Mazda expect any level of customer loyalty when this is what someone who has had all her servicing done at the dealership and who obviously takes very good care of her car has to go through?

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Interesting couple of days trying to get my repairs sorted out with my dealership. After going over my car with the dealer principal (Rico) and the manager of the body shop (Keith) on Monday, Rico submitted the new pictures and estimate to Mazda Canada. I got a call at 6 pm to update me.

Mazda Canada has 'officially' issued AWA (after warranty assistance - aka secret warranty) to cover: rear wheel wells, rear quarter panels, rear bumper seams, and lower trim of rear passenger doors. In other words, this has been blanket approved due to the volume of complaints coming in over the past year or so. However, this doesn't mean you can just go in and get this work done (though you should!) It means that if you're persistent and diplomatic, then you'll get covered. Obviously Mazda is looking to spend as little $ as possible on this so only the most determined customers will get compensated. Stick to it, knowing that there ARE funds allocated by Mazda to cover these repairs now. You know there's a AWA if the dealer has to fill out a long form which you must sign....

As for the bubbling, work still needs to be done! Their line is 'oh, this is rock chips'....odd since the back rusting is obviously rock chip damage and they're covering that now. Also, several of us have bubbles with no impact points.

After weeks of questioning, I finally got some useful info. on these bubbles. Smooth ones are more indicative of rock chips....dimpled one, likely an underlying factory defect. Even though my dealer acknowledges at least two spots with bubbles due to a factory defect, Mazda Canada is still totally unwilling to cover the cost of these repairs on my car.

So, my dealer will pay to get the lower part of my doors (below door mouldings, below part that curves down) refinished since the bulk of the bubbles are there. 3M will be applied over these areas afterwards, to protect against future "rock chips". My front passenger-side lower door jambs with the "factory defect" bubbles will be redone. Again, 3M applied over that area and all lower door jambs. The back end with the actual rust patches is approved via AWA. 3M will be applied inside the wheel wells, and around the perimeter. Also, since the rocker panels have to be removed to get at the lower door trim, they will be entirely covered with 3M. There is "suspect" bubbling, ironically right under my Mazda3 badge on the liftgate which will also be investigated.

I asked repeatedly, "now if this turns out to be rust or if the bubbling returns, I'll be covered again, right?" My dealer assured me of this though I'm not 100% convinced of that. So, all in all, this is a patch job but at least it addresses all the current rusting/bubbling on my car. Also, the 3M and loaner car are all being done completely free of charge to me.

Best I can do, aside from continuing to pursue our group case with the backing of the APA, is to accept this "deal" and keep a very close eye on my paint. I've been assured that if rust shows up (they will open all the blisters and check underneath), I'll be contacted immediately. Again, I have to trust that I WILL be contacted but what else can I do now? Knowing that alot of you are not getting any assistance makes me reluctant to refuse a deal. However, knowing that some are getting complete assistance (um, even entire doors replaced) makes me furious!

Also note, I inquired about the actual process to refinish panels and was told that they only sandblast rust patches, not bubbling. Since this generates alot of heat, sandblasting flat panels (i.e. doors) would result in warping and pitting. If rust is found on these sections, generally they replace the entire panel (as several people in Quebec have had done). So, on my car, sandblasting will be done on the lower door trim, rear bumper seams, rear wheel wells, and section just around the wells with rust. The bottom part of my doors (part that turns down on the car) will be sanded down to half the thickness of the existing finish, then covered with new primer (2 coats)/paint/clearcoat. This explains why so many of our cars re-bubble/re-rust....they put the new finish on top of the (perhaps) defective primer and don't get down the metal to treat that first! Therefore, I'm not overly optomistic that this will be the end of my paint woes. I'll keep a very close eye on things and report back to Mazda if (when) issues pop up again....

[Olestra]

Well congratulations on the progress!

You need to get in writing that in the future you will be covered if it comes back.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Well that's the problem. Although the rusted back end repairs are now being covered by AWA, this is only available for the most persistent customers, likely also dependent upon the working relationship with the servicing dealership. The bubbling, right now, is all being done via goodwill alone. Therefore, Mazda Canada/dealerships basically hold all the cards.

Any future promises of coverage will again be based on goodwill, unless I can manage via the group case and the APA's involvement to get bubbling repairs done via AWA too. Not so easy when Mazda is sticking to the "rock chip" argument for dear life! These repairs are quite costly (thousands) so you can bet that it will take a monumental effort to sway their decision. So, since this is all based on goodwill, there is no written guarentee of coverage for recurrence or new corrosion.

[Dan Da Man]

My girlfriends has been waiting 2 months for mazda to get back to her after taking photos of her rust. They have repaired it once on each rear wheel well but its back and it didnt even go trought a winter with the new paint. ill make sure she gets on mazdas ass about this.

glad to hear your getting lots of work done to yours.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Thanks and good luck to your girlfriend! It can be a seriously frustrating process, but one you have to stick to in order to get results. I didn't get an ideal resolution to my case since entire panels are not being refinished. However, the existing rust/bubbling will be repaired. I anticipate swift recurrence of the issues too, in which case you better believe that I'll absolutely insist on whole panel repairs! Not encouraging to hear that the problem with your girlfriend's paint was back so soon....

[Dan Da Man]

Yeah but im sure all they did with hers was sand it down and prime and paint, cheap bastards.

[stormin84]

congrats on getting mazda to repair the problems for you

[Go_Habs_Go]

Hi ZoomZoomGirl,

Just wondering, any update on your car situation? How did the repairs go?

Hope you have you car back in top shape?

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Good timing with that question! I just got my car back today after 10 days in the shop. Thankfully they gave me a free loaner (2008 Mazda6). It poured today so I couldn't do a thorough check, but a quick look (and I'm a fussy girl) shows an excellent repair job! They even gave me "during" pictures to show exactly which areas were done. Pretty dramatic since the rear lights, my side mirrors, door handles, belt moulding were all removed as well as the rear bumper. Talk about "stripped down" look! I'm really glad I didn't pop into the shop to see my car like that.

My entire liftgate had to be refinished after they found bubbling (with rust underneath) under the Mazda3 badge. Aside from that, they redid 3/4 of the driver-side (literally, up 3/4 of the car) and about 1/2 of the passenger-side. I really can't see a difference in paint color since they blended the colors. Also, 3M was applied: inside both rear wheel wells, around the perimeter of all wheel wells, and entire side sills up to 1/4 of all passenger doors. That job alone took 1.5 days.

[huyzel]

Congrats on getting your "new" car :)

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Thanks. It really does look brand new. They even fully detailed the inside and it smells like new too! Well, if they were trying to impress me they certainly met that goal. Fortunately they told me to wait 1 month to wax as I would have went to town on the car this weekend. As is, I'm hoping for a day without rain to do a good washing/examination. I'm also glad that they gave me the "during" shots so I can see exactly where they did the work. Can't really ask for more than that. Oh, the free loaner and free application of TONS of 3M (kaching) were nice added touches too....

[3GFX]

WOW, scan and post the pics, this might be something we all need to keep an eye on.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

I've been trying to get the body shop to send me the 3 "during" pics in an email so I can post them here. No luck so far but I'll keep on trying. I'll take "after" pics next week and also post them since I'm sure some of you would like to see my car looking like it should! The winning blue is definitely back....

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Here are the pictures taken by the body shop during the repair process. Sorry, no pics of the rust under my Mazda3 badge on the liftgate. Finding that meant completely refinishing the panel vs. the patch job they were going to do.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20paint%20repair/Driverside.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20paint%20repair/Passengerside.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20paint%20repair/Liftgate.jpg

I got 3M applied to: inside bottom of all doors (part you step over), up about 1/4 on all doors, perimeter of all wheel wells, and inside rear wheel wells.

Total repair time was 9 days. I have to bring it back next week since they didn't properly remove the foam stuff they put on the non-painted areas to protect them from overspray. The inside of my door jambs are rough/dull because of this so they have to clean and buff the areas. Also, my rear bumper isn't on properly (noticeable gap). Plus, when the removed my side sills, they used a bar or something that caused dents all along the tops. I'll get pictures this weekend. The body shop will try to patch these up so I'm willing to give that a shot to see how it turns out. Right now, with the rest of the car looking spectacular, it looks really awful! Something to watch out for if you're getting the lower trim of your rear doors repaired since they do have to remove the side sills for that job.

Last thing, my lights and cruise haven't been working right since I got the car back! No issues at all beforehand so I can only assume something happened during the job. Despite the light setting (auto, on, off), my lights will flicker on and off. I can't use my cruise when the lights are set to "on". If I'm cruising and play with the light switch (to get the lights to stay off), the cruise is disengaged. Of course when I brought the car to the body shop yesterday, the problem didn't come up during the test drive! Figures. Anyhow, it is doing this consistently now so I'll have them check the wiring next week when I bring the car in for the extra work.

[huyzel]

great "in progress" pictures.
got any finished product shots?
and of course some more after you wax :)

[bluemazda3]

glad everything turned out okay :)

[ZoomZoom Girl]

I'm waiting until all the work has been done, so that pushes things to next week. Well, I'll have to take pictures this weekend since I want to get "before" shots of the side sill damage to forward to Mazda Canada. Might as well take some pictures of the nice paint job while I'm at it. I'll post here next week. Can't wax for another month but the finish now is spectacular! Very smooth and glossy all over so they must have buffed the entire car. No complaints there!

I'm going to give the body shop a chance to fix my side sills and see what I think before really starting to complain. I did let Mazda (my dealership and head guy of Customer Service at Mazda Canada) know that I'm not happy with the damage to my side sills. The manager of the body shop even said "oh, we caused those dents when we wrenched the sills off....??????" Surely there must be a way to remove those parts without causing so much damage. Can't wait to post those shots here to get your comments on how these look right now....

[Go_Habs_Go]

Hi ZoomZoomGirl!

Glad to hear you got your car back!! Congrats on perservering with your complaint and getting Mazda to take responsibility for what was clearly a manufacturing defect. I know this sounds sappy but you're definitely an inspiration to me. :) Sometimes it's really difficult to stand up to a corporation and get them to do what's right but you stood tall and didn't give up! Diplomacy and perseverance!!!! way to go!!

though I'm sorry to hear that you still have to follow up about the damage that was done to your side sills. Also the fact that your lights aren't working properly?! Maybe they didn't rewire them properly when they put them back after all the work was finished?

Anyway, congrats again on getting the car back and please keep us informed as to the progress with the rest of the issues!!

Have fun driving your ride again and keep on inspiring us LOL!! :)

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Ah shucks. Thanks for the words of encouragement. It's been a very long haul on my own case (3 months+) but at least I'm almost there with all the repairs. The side sills and lights/cruise not working are attributable to the body shop's sloppy work so I can't fault Mazda on that one. Still, very discouraging after I finally thought that my case had come to an end.

The group case is far from over though the APA (Automobile Protection Agency) is now actively involved and is very much pursuing this investigation. Although the other 33 members of my group were promised to be contacted by their Regional Offices last week, not a single one has. Very frustrating!

At least now Mazda Canada has issued AWA (after warranty assistance) to cover the repairs to the rear quarter panels/wheel wells, rear bumper seams, and lower trim of rear doors. That only came about after so many complaints came in that they couldn't ignore the issue anymore. Hopefully the same will happen with the bubbling which is popping up more and more on the 2004-2006 Mazda3s. All in all, this is an ongoing process. In the end my purpose is to make the process easier for other Mazda3 owners dealing with similar paint/rust issues on their cars....

[MAZDA Kitten]

Wow good to hear how things turned out

I am having a little bubble form on my rear passenger wheel well.
My car will be 4 years old/150,000km is it too late for any rust warranty claims? I also had rust proofing done with Mazda every year before winter

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Any type of rustproofing covers ONLY perforation. Believe me, I've read all the fine print and asked tons of questions and all places state that perforation is a hole through both sides of the body panel (you can stick something in it). Any other type of rust, even bubbling, is classified as "surface rust" which IS covered under our 3 year warranty.

Note that Mazda Canada has unofficially stretched that out to 5 years via issuing after warranty assistance. Essentially, if you bring your 4 year old car in with any rust they will cover it, if you're very persistent! It really depends upon your dealership and how accomodating they will be but keep in mind that Mazda does have the funds set aside to cover these repairs. Keep at it and remember, diplomacy is key.

Last thing, having had that bubbling show up on my own car this Spring for the first time I can tell you that you need to get it fixed ASAP! It took me 3 months to get my repairs covered 100% by Mazda. In that time, it spread like crazy. Not to be too alarmist, but it's really not something you want to put off.

[MAZDA Kitten]

Thank you!!!!
I will get on it ASAPPPP

[ZoomZoom Girl]

You go girl! Um, but do be nice ok? It's hard sometimes, I know, but you have to make them want to help you....

[MAZDA Kitten]

oh yeah for sure I hear ya
I am always nice to the service techs and managers. I have a pretty good relationship with my dealership so I am hoping they help me. On a side note if they dont I guess you can just always write a letter to Mazda Canada.
Thats what I had to do when I had to get my engine mount replaced and one dealership said I voided my warranty because I lowered my car and the engine mount broke because the car was lowered (LOL I know right....)

Anyways; wrote a nice letter to Mazda Canada and they told me everything was good to go (as far as getting the repairs covered under warranty). Fingers crossed :)

[ZoomZoom Girl]

My two group letters to Mazda Canada are what got the ball rolling. This also got the APA to back up so yes, the power of the pen is real! I waited 6 weeks with no word from my dealership on my claim, Mazda got my letter and bang, 2 days later they were calling me offering to cover my repairs. Amazing really but it goes to show that you have to keep at it and never accept "no" as the final answer. Many of my group members who had been told no coverage repeatedly finally did get their repairs done, so that's added incentive for the rest of you to keep at it!

[Go_Habs_Go]

AWESOME!!! :)

It would be great if other users posted their experiences with the corrosion issue like Lynne has graciously taken the time to do so. She's been a benefit to us all and the more we are informed of this situation, the better it is for all of us!

[El Cheapo]

Oh gawd, ZoomZoom Girl. That's just horrible. I could almost cry seeing those pics of your 3 in the hospital.

[whiteomega]

Glad you got your car back, ZoomZoomGirl. Good job keeping on top of the dealership and Mazda Canada. Have you sent this story off to Phil Edmunston yet (LemonAid Guides)? He'll probably want to hear about your positive experiences, even though you had to work hard for it.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

I dropped my car off at the body shop on Tuesday August 5th and got it back Friday August 15th. It is back in the shop today to get: rear bumper reinstalled (big gap), side sills fixed (gouged them during removal), rear door jambs cleaned/buffed, and reinstall the rear lights (not working right, going on/off intermittently, cruise doesn't work if lights on). Anyhow, thought you would like to see the end result (well, prior to today's touch ups that is)...

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240345.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240348.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240349.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240366.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240373.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240392.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240393.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240394.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240409.jpg

Unfortunately, the body shop did this to my side sills when they removed them:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Side%20sill%20damage/P8240358.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Side%20sill%20damage/P8240361.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Side%20sill%20damage/P8240379.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Side%20sill%20damage/P8240382.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Side%20sill%20damage/Sidesilldamage3.jpg

[ZoomZoom Girl]

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=332267#post332267

See that thread for pics of my car after the repair job. Oh, I've been in very regular contact with the APA (Automobile Protection Agency which Phil Edmonston launched) about this. They in turn have launched an official investigation into this paint/rust issue and how customers with very similar complaints are being treated so differently. We're all over it! Hopefully this will mean that all the rest of you dealing with this problem get this repaired ASAP, without hassle by your dealerships or Mazda Canada!

[LockOut]

Good to hear you got your baby back! That's brutal about the sills... Are they going to do anything about it?

[baymoe]

Congrats on getting your car back. It looks terrific!

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Just got car back from body shop. Sigh. Yes, have to go back in for try #3. Word of advice. When you pick up your car after a paint repair, inspect every inch of the job! My fault really for not checking. They did a GREAT job on the side sills! Seriously, I'm very fussy and had my nose practically on them and I can't tell they were ever damaged. I really don't know how they managed to smooth them out but I do know that they removed them and painted. Anyhow, they look perfect now so I'm a happy camper on that point.

They also reinstalled the rear bumper so that's ok. They fixed ONE rear door jamb where the paint looked dull/rough. The problem is that they didn't check the other side so I'm back in for that. Just got back from picking the car up so I'll call the body shop ASAP to book yet another appointment. Took 10 days to get in today so I anticipate another long wait. For perspective, it took me 3 months from the date of my first complaint to get Mazda to pay for the initial paint repairs so this has been a LONG process!

All in all, minus this one last boo-boo, I am very happy with the paint repair. I've washed (no wax for 1 month) the car a couple of times now and it is perfect and blends in perfectly with the old paint. Couldn't imagine a better job really.

Other point is that apparently I need a new "brake switch". My lights and cruise just haven't been working right since I picked the car up from the body shop. If someone here from Mazda reads this, how much is that part and installation? Since I'll be trading in within 1 month, I'm not sure paying for a repair at this point is adviseable. I'll find out the cost then take things from there. At least I didn't have to pay a cent for the paint/rust repair, nor for the loaner car for the 10 days!

[aris]

looking good

[huyzel]

Those side sills did look really bad. Glad to hear you got it fixed up.
The paint really does look quite nice.

Too bad you're planning on trading it in.
Did you already say what is replacing it?

[x_o_k_x]

Looks great! Except rust will be back..

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Those side sills did look really bad. Glad to hear you got it fixed up.
The paint really does look quite nice.

Too bad you're planning on trading it in.
Did you already say what is replacing it?

Hmmm....no. Down to 2 options. Let's just say I'm downsizing and leave it at that. Since this IS a Mazda3 forum, don't want to press my luck! I do want to say that I still think the Mazda3 is a great car and would highly recommend it. However, based upon other's experiences dealing with ever recurring rust and the patch job they did on my passenger side (just did where the existing rust was showing, not entire panels as promised), I've taken the hard decision to trade my car in while it's in such good condition. I really fully expect the rust to be back in very short order. Since it took me 3 months of constant effort to get this first repair done, I don't want to go through that again!

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Looks great! Except rust will be back..

I agree which is why I'm trading my car in next month. I'd do so now but one of the two options I'm looking at won't be released in Canada until mid September. Also, I have 1 more repair to get done to my passenger rear door jamb. They refinished the driver side, but not the other door. Have to wait until September 4th to get in for try #3! Still debating on getting the brake light switch replaced. Apparently it's $100 total (part and labour) so I'm not sure spending that much on a car I'm trading in is a wise choice. I could always just tell the new dealer when they assess my car's value and they take it off the price offered....

[RedRaptor]

Sad to hear you are going to be trading it in, however I completely understand the whole ordeal you just went through with rust and would rather move on. I'm celebrating 4 years with my WB hatch myself and I'm happy to report I don't have any indications of rust. I am hoping I am one of the lucky ones and I would never want to go through what you just went through with your car. Having said that, I am glad you fought all the way to the end and having this resolved should be an accomplishment for all Mazda3 owners.

Any chance you'd selling your Premium black/blue floor mats? :) Its only right, they end up in another WB. haha.

[RedRaptor]

So that people don't get the wrong idea. I've had my car sprayed annually by Rustcheck since Day #2. I'm not saying Rustcheck works over Krown, but so far its worked for me.

[Go_Habs_Go]

Hi Lynne!

Congrats on getting the car and having (most) of the work completed! Once again you perservered and got the work on your vehicle done to your satisfaction.

Sorry to hear you are going to trade in your vehicle but I understand completely!!

Good luck with getting the rest of the repairs completed.

[x_o_k_x]

No its not, from all this trouble you had to go through are you still getting the 3? And just wandering did you buy this car used? maybe if you were the first owner and took better care of it, rust wouldnt appear on the surface as much or even at all.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Sad to hear you are going to be trading it in, however I completely understand the whole ordeal you just went through with rust and would rather move on. I'm celebrating 4 years with my WB hatch myself and I'm happy to report I don't have any indications of rust. I am hoping I am one of the lucky ones and I would never want to go through what you just went through with your car. Having said that, I am glad you fought all the way to the end and having this resolved should be an accomplishment for all Mazda3 owners.

Any chance you'd selling your Premium black/blue floor mats? :) Its only right, they end up in another WB. haha.

Oh I'm open to anything. If it wouldn't cost me a small fortune, I'd put the cargo tray and winter rims up for grabs too! I can't even remember where I got my premium mats from. Not my local dealership since they didn't even know they existed. Might have been through Dave Wood Mazda. Anyhow, they do add alot of pep to the otherwise very dark interior of the car and yes, they are a perfect match to the blue dots on the seats, if that matters to you that is! Oh and the Zoom-Zoom license frames are a nice touch too....hmmm....wheels are turning.

[Go_Habs_Go]

Thanks again for perservering with this, it really does help the other Mazda 3 owners who have similar issues with their vehicles!!

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Hi Lynne!

Congrats on getting the car and having (most) of the work completed! Once again you perservered and got the work on your vehicle done to your satisfaction.

Sorry to hear you are going to trade in your vehicle but I understand completely!!

Good luck with getting the rest of the repairs completed.

Thanks. Just one more door jamb to get refinished and I'm there! Well that and getting my brake light switch adjusted/replaced. Never ends! Figures this whole ordeal would end with just one more repair, 3 weeks before I trade in. At least the next owner will be sure that the car will be in tip top shape, for now!

[ZoomZoom Girl]

No its not, from all this trouble you had to go through are you still getting the 3? And just wandering did you buy this car used? maybe if you were the first owner and took better care of it, rust wouldnt appear on the surface as much or even at all.

First owner. Had to order the car from Japan since the Winning Blue was not available anywhere at the time (May 2004). The car was Krown rustproofed within 4 months and yearly since then. That's my whole point with launching my campaign....from an ownership perspective, nothing else could have been done to prevent the paint issues. It clearly is due to a manufacturing defect although Mazda Canada is sticking to it's "rock chip defense" for all its worth. Their issuing AWA (after warranty assistance) for the rear panel rusting is proof that they know it's not due to owner negligence.....

[RedRaptor]

Oh I'm open to anything. If it wouldn't cost me a small fortune, I'd put the cargo tray and winter rims up for grabs too! I can't even remember where I got my premium mats from. Not my local dealership since they didn't even know they existed. Might have been through Dave Wood Mazda. Anyhow, they do add alot of pep to the otherwise very dark interior of the car and yes, they are a perfect match to the blue dots on the seats, if that matters to you that is! Oh and the Zoom-Zoom license frames are a nice touch too....hmmm....wheels are turning.

PM me when its time. Trust me...my interior is just like yours...I still remember the days when I first got the car and you were on M3F posting about the blue interior parts. :)

[mazda lover]

No its not, from all this trouble you had to go through are you still getting the 3? And just wandering did you buy this car used? maybe if you were the first owner and took better care of it, rust wouldnt appear on the surface as much or even at all.

what are you talking about. Maybe she did take good care of her car. What happened to her car would have happened to any car that has cheap Chinese steel and very thin paint. The only way her problem could have not happened is if she kept it in a garage and never had driven it at all for the last 4 years. I keep saying it rust proofing and a coat of wax every 6 months will not prevent surface rust. My car is 3 years old, 2005 has not been winter driven, not a speak of salt. Washed every week during the summer and waxed every 6 months, always garaged never left outside over night and you know what I still have rust, bubbling on the inner rear wheel wells and on the inner front driver door edge and rear passenger door inner edge. I have seen some in parking lots with rust. So be prepared you might experience the same. Oh by the way I have 1 stone chip on my hood and no rust showing there yet.

[Olestra]

Amazing, compared to what it was before, the paint looks amazing.
Congrats on getting your car fixed. I had a body shop do that same thing to my side sill, I don't know why it would be hard to get it off without damaging it. They replaced mine with a new one because it just looked ridiculous.
I think it's a wise decision to get rid of the car as soon as all your items are taken car of.

You have PM Lynne.

[x_o_k_x]

what are you talking about. Maybe she did take good care of her car. What happened to her car would have happened to any car that has cheap Chinese steel and very thin paint. The only way her problem could have not happened is if she kept it in a garage and never had driven it at all for the last 4 years. I keep saying it rust proofing and a coat of wax every 6 months will not prevent surface rust. My car is 3 years old, 2005 has not been winter driven, not a speak of salt. Washed every week during the summer and waxed every 6 months, always garaged never left outside over night and you know what I still have rust, bubbling on the inner rear wheel wells and on the inner front driver door edge and rear passenger door inner edge. I have seen some in parking lots with rust. So be prepared you might experience the same. Oh by the way I have 1 stone chip on my hood and no rust showing there yet.

I didnt ask if you have any rust. As for her problem I wanted to know the history of her car and her opinion. As well as if she was the first owner, since I was wandering the cars condition. So dont get so PMSing here, its not the place to do it

[aris]

what are you talking about. Maybe she did take good care of her car. What happened to her car would have happened to any car that has cheap Chinese steel and very thin paint. The only way her problem could have not happened is if she kept it in a garage and never had driven it at all for the last 4 years. I keep saying it rust proofing and a coat of wax every 6 months will not prevent surface rust. My car is 3 years old, 2005 has not been winter driven, not a speak of salt. Washed every week during the summer and waxed every 6 months, always garaged never left outside over night and you know what I still have rust, bubbling on the inner rear wheel wells and on the inner front driver door edge and rear passenger door inner edge. I have seen some in parking lots with rust. So be prepared you might experience the same. Oh by the way I have 1 stone chip on my hood and no rust showing there yet.

You should read before you post..she all ready answered x_k_o_x

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Amazing, compared to what it was before, the paint looks amazing.
Congrats on getting your car fixed. I had a body shop do that same thing to my side sill, I don't know why it would be hard to get it off without damaging it. They replaced mine with a new one because it just looked ridiculous.
I think it's a wise decision to get rid of the car as soon as all your items are taken car of.

You have PM Lynne.

Thanks. My side sills were pretty bad but they fixed them, somehow. I don't know how the smoothed out the gouges but they must have sanded the entire side sills since the rough bits (blasted over the years with road rocks) are all smooth now. They also repainted. Anyhow, they look like new so total replacement is not necessary. For anyone getting their rear door trim done (most of the "older" years have rust there), the body shop must remove the side sills. Be sure to closely examine when you get your car back and insist on their patching them up, if any damage is apparent.

As per your request, pictures of my bumper gap prior to their reinstalling this on Tuesday:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240367-1.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240368-1.jpg

[ZoomZoom Girl]

I didnt ask if you have any rust. As for her problem I wanted to know the history of her car and her opinion. As well as if she was the first owner, since I was wandering the cars condition. So dont get so PMSing here, its not the place to do it

Guess you haven't been around for a while hey? Massive thread here which is stickied so not sure how you could have missed it: http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=25439

If you would have read my first post, you'd know my entire history with the car. I get the "oh, you must have done something wrong" bit all the time so I can relate to mazdalover's stance. Alot of my group members also go through the same with their dealerships, trying for weeks/months now to get the costly repairs covered. It's always "well that's all rock chip damage so no coverage". Gets old after a while.

Just wanted to let you know that many of us dealing with this have gone through alot so let's not get snippy ok? It's been a long haul and you should just count yourself very lucky you haven't gone through this (yet)...

Lynne

[06Touring3]

he even posted in that thread lol

but Lynne I have to say good job on fighting...you're like a martyr now haha...i'm going to be keepinga close eye on my car now that I've seen multiple people are getting rust in generally the same area......*sigh* it's like owning a civic all over again lol

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Oh don't you dare start on Honda. Um, that may be one of the 2 options I'm considering for a new car. Shhhh! Nothing against Mazda but I am SO out.

I was fed up having to wait 3 months to get my car into the body shop. THEN I find the damaged side sills, improperly installed bumper, unfinished door jambs, AND my brake lights/cruise don't work right. So all of that bumped my level of aggravation up to a whole new level. THEN I have to wait 11 days to get touch up done...not impressed with having to wait so long for them to repair their own mistakes!

The ultimate level of frustration was achieved 2 days ago when I checked their repairs and noted that one of the rear door jambs was not done....oh another 9 day wait! That was the only time I slightly snapped. The body shop manager is going on holidays and wanted me to wait another week on top of that, for his return. I just said "this has been going on for 4 months now...I just want my car properly fixed NOW!" He then quickly mentioned that his own daughter is a Biologist too (my profession) to change the subject.

Sorry, one more level of frustration. I go to my Mazda dealership after my visit to the body shop to inquire about my brake lights/cruise issue and about my warranty booklet. Yes, they put it in another owner's car 2 months ago and it never turned up! I wanted a new one made up but there was a delay since Mazda no longer produces 2004 booklet. ANYHOW, they finally made this up for me but for some odd reason it was given to the dealership manager who is, you guessed it, on holidays right now! I could have belted someone at that point.

Well, I'm expecting to be trading in within the next 3 weeks so I SHOULD have all repairs done and my warranty booklet by then. Really, this has been my personal "Odyssey" but at least I hope everyone else gets to benefit from the massive effort I had to put forth to get to this point...

Lynne

[Go_Habs_Go]

Oh don't you dare start on Honda. Um, that may be one of the 2 options I'm considering for a new car. Shhhh! Nothing against Mazda but I am SO out.

I was fed up having to wait 3 months to get my car into the body shop. THEN I find the damaged side sills, improperly installed bumper, unfinished door jambs, AND my brake lights/cruise don't work right. So all of that bumped my level of aggravation up to a whole new level. THEN I have to wait 11 days to get touch up done...not impressed with having to wait so long for them to repair their own mistakes!

The ultimate level of frustration was achieved 2 days ago when I checked their repairs and noted that one of the rear door jambs was not done....oh another 9 day wait! That was the only time I slightly snapped. The body shop manager is going on holidays and wanted me to wait another week on top of that, for his return. I just said "this has been going on for 4 months now...I just want my car properly fixed NOW!" He then quickly mentioned that his own daughter is a Biologist too (my profession) to change the subject.

Sorry, one more level of frustration. I go to my Mazda dealership after my visit to the body shop to inquire about my brake lights/cruise issue and about my warranty booklet. Yes, they put it in another owner's car 2 months ago and it never turned up! I wanted a new one made up but there was a delay since Mazda no longer produces 2004 booklet. ANYHOW, they finally made this up for me but for some odd reason it was given to the dealership manager who is, you guessed it, on holidays right now! I could have belted someone at that point.

Well, I'm expecting to be trading in within the next 3 weeks so I SHOULD have all repairs done and my warranty booklet by then. Really, this has been my personal "Odyssey" but at least I hope everyone else gets to benefit from the massive effort I had to put forth to get to this point...

Lynne



Wow, I can understand the level of frustration you must be feeling!! Try to keep it together a little bit longer, you've been through 4 months of aggravation and you're almost there...a few more weeks and the ordeal will be over with!!!!! :)

Good luck with whatever the next car turns out to be!

And thanks again for keeping us updated on all the developments.

[whiteomega]

Glad to hear you got your car back, and to know they did a good job with it.

It does suck about all the other "comedy of errors" stuff (for lack of a better term) that's happened related to the repairs. I get frustrated enough going in for oil changes at the dealership only to see my car sit outside in the parking lot for an hour before someone pulls it in...


..another story, for another time.

[stormin84]

glad to see you got your car back lynne, looks brand new now.

[Olestra]

As per your request, pictures of my bumper gap prior to their reinstalling this on Tuesday:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a38/Bengalgirl/Mazda3%20after%20repair/P8240367-1.jpg


Thanks for the pic. Grrr, mine looks like that as well and I could have sworn before that it wasn't like that.
I did get rear ended on my car though.
They continually tried to convince me that the bumper was supposed to be like that. I finally gave up. I looked at a brand new 07 at the time and it was definitely not like that.
Let me know if they are able to get your bumper gap fixed.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Thanks for all the compliments on the car! Yes, it really does look brand new. Added bonus was that my previously sand-blasted side sills (super rough at ends) are now totally refinished, free of charge! Up side of them gouging the sills and my forcing them to repair their mistake.

They did fix that gap on my rear bumper. Apparently one of the pins was not pushed in all the way. They removed the bumper and reinstalled so all is well now. Note that there is a bit of a gap still, which I'm sure was always there. Can someone else check theirs and let us know if that rear bumper is supposed to be totally flush with the "black part" (don't know technical term) on the trunk? I'd be curious to know as well...

[ZoomZoom Girl]

So the week started quite badly with the body shop missing yet another spot to fix and Mazda not knowing what was wrong with my lights/cruise. Today things were going great when I found out the new car I'll likely be purchasing would be offered in the color I like and will be available a couple of weeks early. Great! I was told I'd get my warranty booklet back today and was booked for next Thursday to get the last of the work done to my car's paint. Perfect timing!

Not so fast....go into Mazda to pick up my car which I'd dropped off to have them fix the lights/cruise issue. Bonus - no charge! Only $6 fix so I didn't have to pay a cent and the problem is now fixed. Then I get my new warranty booklet. Fabulous! Well, get to the car, open it up and there is NOTHING written in it. Seriously, did they think I just wanted the book itself and not the data that is supposed to be in it? So I go back in, my level of "I am SO fed up" rapidly escalating but trying to maintain my diplomacy. I show the Service Manager the empty pages and he looks at me like "what???" Then I say "well, what I WANT is the record of my maintenance history with this dealership...an empty book is useless to me." To which he says "I'll have to go back in the Archives" like I am SO inconveniencing him. Freaken bozo. Sorry, given the past 4 months and all that dealership has put me through that was the last thing I needed. Now I'll have to keep on him daily to make sure this gets done ASAP. For reference, they lost my warranty booklet on June 24 so we're talking over 2 months ago!

THEN I get back to work to find a message for me from the body shop. Don't you know it, their "top painter" is off next week so my appointment has been pushed back to September 10th. For reference on THAT fiasco of a situation, I got my car back on Friday August 15th after 11 days of paint repairs. I called immediately to report the damaged side sills, improperly installed bumper, lights/cruise not working, and unfinished rear door jambs. Took 11 days to get in this Tuesday for these fixes but, gosh darn it, they forgot to do one door jamb. Now this means another 15 days to get EVERYTHING done. All told, it took me 3 months to get the car in the body shop in the first place then another month after that to have them fix their $%#*( mistakes. Holy cow I'm so fed up! To put things in perspective, I DON'T get fed up so my level of frustration right now is through the roof.

Well, I can take strength in the fact that my case is likely the worse case scenario for dealing with paint issues on a Mazda3. Except of course for those whose claims were refused altogether or are still waiting. For the cases which WERE approved, I'd say mine takes the cake for how not to handle this situation.

Ok, done venting. Just thought I'd share....

Lynne

[3GFX]

Its official, I've got rust and bubbling in thesame area's on my car. I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow.

I'm starting to get real tired of the little problems with the car. Creaks and rattles and small little issues that have really turned me off the car. Hopefully a good experience at the dealership will change my opinion.




I may part out my car at the end of this year and put it up for sale, so keep your eyes open.

[Soyabean]

OMG, tell me about it. The little noises are pissing me off on my car. I cant stand it. Whereabouts are you rusting dave?

[3GFX]

My trunk under the third brake light shows rust and is starting to bubble just above the Mazda emblem. I'm also showing rust ALLLLLLL along the rear wheel wells, from the front fender to the rear bumper.

[mazdabetty]

Ohhhhh nooooo... yeah that scares me. :gone

[mazda lover]

My trunk under the third brake light shows rust and is starting to bubble just above the Mazda emblem. I'm also showing rust ALLLLLLL along the rear wheel wells, from the front fender to the rear bumper.

Take it to your dealer and get them to repair it, its sounds like the problems others are having. Its a common problem Mazda knows about. Call Mazda Canada, follow what ZoomZoom girl suggests doing...

[3GFX]

GREAT NEWS!!!!

I went to my local dealer (Forbes Mazda), and they are covering it under waranty!!! They wouldn't have but when they saw some bubbling they decided they'd be kind. I'm very impressed that they didn't give me a hard time. They know its an issue and decided to cover me. I'm been going to this dealer as often as possible even though its across town for me. They've always given the best service.

I've got to get the car quoted and then go from there. They're going to do the rear quarters around the wheel well as well as underneath the third brake light on the trunk.

I'll keep you updated. Depending on what they do, I may pitch the extra money to get the front bumper re painted, to many stone chips!

[MAZDA Kitten]

^^^ thats what I did. I had a few deep gauges on one my doors from driving into a snow bank that was actually an ICE BANK (lets start with the woman driver jokes). Ok I was pulling into a timmies and trying to make room for the person trying to leave out I cut the corner too much and scraped my car on the snow bank. Anyways. My body shop gave me a good deal and did an amazing job on it

[mazdabetty]

I took mine in earlier this week to get the rust fixed up under warranty. They were really great and super nice and said they'd fix up a couple of other scratches while they were at it no charge.

After 4 days of taking a BUS to work.... ughhhh... I finally picked up my car today, and they only did ONE side...???? I mean they did a fantastic job on the other side, but the other rear wheel well is still bubbling. How the hell...? How could they have missed it? I'm wondering if it was just laziness or if they flat out forgot. They told me to bring it back to show the manager this week and they would "hopefully" be able to take care of it for me.

Should I be compensated for this somehow? I mean should they be responsible for paying for a rental car for me this time if they need to keep it for another 4 days?

haha this blows my mind. :whoa

[Malcolm991]

I just noticed my first spot of rust on my 06! A 3 year old car with rust starting! WTF

[mazdabetty]

I just noticed my first spot of rust on my 06! A 3 year old car with rust starting! WTF

Whatttt!!! I thought it was only the '04 and some '05's? Pooo that sucks. :( At least your coveredddd!!! :bana2

[mazda lover]

I just noticed my first spot of rust on my 06! A 3 year old car with rust starting! WTF

what area is your rust starting?

[Go_Habs_Go]

I just noticed my first spot of rust on my 06! A 3 year old car with rust starting! WTF

What a !#$^^%$#@ joke! Now that an '06 is starting to show rust, in my mind this confirms that ALL our first generation Mazda's will probably start to rust in a few years. The 04's and 05's were (obviously) the first to start rusting but now it's only a matter of time before the 06's and up start to rust too.

People were saying that this was only an issue on the 04's and 05's and that Mazda fixed the problem but that isn't true. think about it. By the time Mazda even started realizing the problem, the 06's and 07's and 08's were already produced and being sold. So MAYBE they were able to do something in time for the 09's but I REALLY doubt it.

The only hope you can have is that the issue was dealt with in the 2nd generation 3's (i.e. starting with the 2010). The fact that Mazda is accepting to fix the rust on a lot of people's cars is because they did a simple statistical calculation. They calculated the cost of fixing the problem in the design of the first generation 3's midway through it's life cycle. Then they calculated the projected cost of simply leaving the production/paint method 'as is' and dealing with paying out customers for the rust repair. The method that would cost them the least won out and I think we know what they decided to do.

I fear that ALL the first generation 3's will have this problem.

A big THUMBS DOWN to Mazda on this. For shame. :-(

[MAZDA Kitten]

This is extremely dissapointing

[kevcol74]

GREAT NEWS!!!!

I went to my local dealer (Forbes Mazda), and they are covering it under waranty!!! They wouldn't have but when they saw some bubbling they decided they'd be kind. I'm very impressed that they didn't give me a hard time. They know its an issue and decided to cover me. I'm been going to this dealer as often as possible even though its across town for me. They've always given the best service.

I've got to get the car quoted and then go from there. They're going to do the rear quarters around the wheel well as well as underneath the third brake light on the trunk.

I'll keep you updated. Depending on what they do, I may pitch the extra money to get the front bumper re painted, to many stone chips!

Expect to be without the car for a few days, but Forbes did a great jobon mine! Mat took great care of me at the dealership, and the giys over at the bodyshop on Weber were good too! Just had to wait for the shuttle to get home though!
I also got some extra work done from the body shop, they were cool about it and charged me very little! Once Mazda approves the work, they will get you in quite quickly!
My work, both wheel arches and passenger doors:

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/Mazda3020003.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/Mazda3020004.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/2004Mazda3SprtGT006.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/Mazda3020005.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/Mazda3020008.jpg

[mazda lover]

attention 2004 to 2009 owners, learn how to repair rust, going to need to know how sooner then later
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=mazda+3+rust&aq=f

[3GFX]

Expect to be without the car for a few days, but Forbes did a great jobon mine! Mat took great care of me at the dealership, and the giys over at the bodyshop on Weber were good too! Just had to wait for the shuttle to get home though!
I also got some extra work done from the body shop, they were cool about it and charged me very little! Once Mazda approves the work, they will get you in quite quickly!
My work, both wheel arches and passenger doors:


Great news since that's where I'm going!

[Malcolm991]

attention 2004 to 2009 owners, learn how to repair rust, going to need to know how sooner then later
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=mazda+3+rust&aq=f

No need if it's covered by Mazda!

[mazda lover]

No need if it's covered by Mazda!


maybe at some point they wont cover it...

[Slav4ik]

I wonder when my 07 will start to rust?!

[mazda lover]

I wonder when my 07 will start to rust?!

March 2010

[Go_Habs_Go]

maybe at some point they wont cover it...

That's exactly my concern, Mazda is currently covering the cost of rust repair but for how much longer will they do so? When people with 07, 08 and 09's start showing up with rust damage, what will Mazda say?

At some point they may say that the rust issue was fixed and any rust problems are not their responsibility any longer, etc, etc.

I certainly hope they don't take this approach but I guess time will tell!

[wikdslo]

I have an 04, so how do I find out if I'm past the 5 years or if I'm still covered?

[3GFX]

Rear end was approved, but I found some rust in the front quarter panel so Forbes is sending it to Mazda Canada to see if it will be approved and covered under warantee as well. Hopefully it will and I'll have the car into the shop soon.

[shu5892001]

Expect to be without the car for a few days, but Forbes did a great jobon mine! Mat took great care of me at the dealership, and the giys over at the bodyshop on Weber were good too! Just had to wait for the shuttle to get home though!
I also got some extra work done from the body shop, they were cool about it and charged me very little! Once Mazda approves the work, they will get you in quite quickly!
My work, both wheel arches and passenger doors:

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/Mazda3020003.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/Mazda3020004.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/2004Mazda3SprtGT006.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/Mazda3020005.jpg

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/qq238/kevcol74/2004%20Mazda3%20Sport%20GT/Mazda3020008.jpg
which dealer did u take it to?

[kevcol74]

Forbes (Waterloo) Mazda, very quick to get me the claim... I reccomend them.

[3GFX]

Same dealer I've gone too.

[MAZDA Kitten]

My rust is back. Its tiny tiny tiny but with the warm weather I've been hand washing my car and I spotted a tiny rust bubble where it was fixed.

So now what?

[thefish]

My rust is back. Its tiny tiny tiny but with the warm weather I've been hand washing my car and I spotted a tiny rust bubble where it was fixed.

So now what?

Argh, that sucks :flaming

[wikdslo]

My rust is back. Its tiny tiny tiny but with the warm weather I've been hand washing my car and I spotted a tiny rust bubble where it was fixed.

So now what?

Mazda dealers that do paint work warranty their work for life.

Take it right back with your service records and ask them to fix it.

You may want to offer up to them that you will give it a bit of time if they want in case any more rust shows up, so that it can all be fixed at once.. maybe towards the end of summer or something.

But otherwise, it's a shame, but you paid for this paint in the beginning, it's not supposed to do this, and you shouldn't be on the hook to fix/live with it.

Cheers.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

I would go back. When I go in on Thursday to drop my car off I will ask if the warranty, warranty repairs and post an answer for everyone.

[sauga_kid]

MK, where did you take your car into? IIRC you had gone to Ontario Mazda before (with horrible experiences) and that's where my car/rustproofing was purchased from. Just wondering if that's where you took it back to get the warranty work done as I'm having some bubbling and rust showing under my 3rd brake light and want to get it taken care of, thanks!

[wikdslo]

I would go back. When I go in on Thursday to drop my car off I will ask if the warranty, warranty repairs and post an answer for everyone.

I already posted that right above.
From the words of Karen the Service Manager at Agincourt Mazda.
The body work they do is lifetime warranty at Mazda dealerships.

[Bean]

Maybe I am the first with a 2007 with rust on it.

Quick question. Will Mazda cover the cost of a rental as this is clearly Mazdas fault? I live in Newmarket and take the car ONLY to Mazda of Toronto. I WONT go anywhere near Dave Wood.

[mazda lover]

I already posted that right above.
From the words of Karen the Service Manager at Agincourt Mazda.
The body work they do is lifetime warranty at Mazda dealerships.

The warranty for body work might not cover rusting reappearing..

[Bean]

Looks like as of tomorrow, I wont have to worry about this anymore. More to follow.

[DEBsM3]

Kevcol..........you #20 picture is exactly where there is rust on mine..both sides...no other rust showing tho and it is not to that degree...I'll have to go to Kingston Mazda and see what's up

DEB

[mazda lover]

Here are some pics of a, I believe is a 2004 I saw in a parking lot.
I left a note on the windshield that Mazda would fix it free under the 5 year warranty. I also gave the owner this forum's addy and my e-mail addy to guide him or her on how to get the vehicle fixed. On one photo you can see a hole at the lower wheel well.

http://i26.tinypic.com/jgocn9.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/2h66gck.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com//1idbvl.jpg

[Bean]

Where did you see this car? I think I saw the same car at Costco in Newmarket a couple of months ago

Leslie the Rust Hunter

[mazda lover]

Where did you see this car? I think I saw the same car at Costco in Newmarket a couple of months ago

Leslie the Rust Hunter

yes I think its the same car, you mentioned it before saw it in a parking lot on Harry Walker. The owner never did contact me, that was about 2 months ago. Saw it again in the same lot a few weeks later,

[mazda lover]

Here are some pics of a, I believe is a 2004 I saw in a parking lot.
I left a note on the windshield that Mazda would fix it free under the 5 year warranty. I also gave the owner this forum's addy and my e-mail addy to guide him or her on how to get the vehicle fixed. On one photo you can see a hole at the lower wheel well.

http://i26.tinypic.com/jgocn9.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/2h66gck.jpg

http://i30.tinypic.com//1idbvl.jpg

If this was my car and Mazda would not fix the rust I would warn my local dealer that since Mazda Canada would not fix the car I would park it in the dealers customer area on Sundays. I know a lot here would say you are hurting the dealer, which I believe is true but I might get the dealer on my side and in turn they would pressure Mazda Canada to step up and fix the rust.
Let the flaming begin...

[Bean]

The hawk here saw another 3 today, I think it was a 2007, and ALOT of rust in the rear wheel wells. :(

[Thrizzl3]

my rust is getting worse...

[RedRaptor]

my rust is getting worse...

I thought you got it fixed by the dealership?

My car is at BMC Auto Collision this week getting rust repaired. Its going to be covered by Mazda Canada (authorized by Avante Mazda).

I'm driving my sister's 2006 Mazda3 sedan...with no rust yet.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Wow good thing my car is not blue.

[Thrizzl3]

I thought you got it fixed by the dealership?

My car is at BMC Auto Collision this week getting rust repaired. Its going to be covered by Mazda Canada (authorized by Avante Mazda).

I'm driving my sister's 2006 Mazda3 sedan...with no rust yet.

the dealership is screwing me around..they called me yesterday saying how mazda canada approved for the rust work to be done on my car yet its been a month since they took it to the bodyshop. I don't think it should take that long to get an approval and who knows how long they will have my car for. After what has happened before i don't want to take it back to that dealer again...

[aris]

the dealership is screwing me around..they called me yesterday saying how mazda canada approved for the rust work to be done on my car yet its been a month since they took it to the bodyshop. I don't think it should take that long to get an approval and who knows how long they will have my car for. After what has happened before i don't want to take it back to that dealer again...


I thought Karnen was taking care of you and your rust problems??


Wow good thing my car is not blue.

??????

[mazda lover]

I thought Karnen was taking care of you and your rust problems??



??????

I think he is referring to the pics I posted, the car was blue and so was zoom zoom girl's.

[chinsterr]

the dealership is screwing me around..they called me yesterday saying how mazda canada approved for the rust work to be done on my car yet its been a month since they took it to the bodyshop. I don't think it should take that long to get an approval and who knows how long they will have my car for. After what has happened before i don't want to take it back to that dealer again...

Hope everything works out for you bro (lol and for me too)

[mazdabetty]

Well, just called to make an appointment to have my RETURNING rust looked at... godddd it never endssss!!!! There's rust forming on the inside of my doors now too. I'm gonna be going over EVERY INCH so I don't miss a spot... warranty ends in 3 months so there's just nooo time!!!

I'm sooo sad :(

[RedRaptor]

Drew, Phil

Let me know how your dealership experience works out. So far, mine has been pretty painless. I brought it into Avante and they sent to BMC Auto to set up an appointment.

[Thrizzl3]

Drew, Phil

Let me know how your dealership experience works out. So far, mine has been pretty painless. I brought it into Avante and they sent to BMC Auto to set up an appointment.

Update..apparently my car is getting a whole bunch of new parts. 3 new doors, 2 new rear quarter panels and a new trunk lid. Airport Mazda will be contacting me when the parts arrive so my car can be taken care of. They also said they will see if they can cover part of the rental costs due to the previous incident where i was paying for a rental but my car just sat in the bodyshop doing nothing. I will update everyone when my car is completed.

[Bean]

Good to hear. :)

[Flagrum_3]

Update..apparently my car is getting a whole bunch of new parts. 3 new doors, 2 new rear quarter panels and a new trunk lid. Airport Mazda will be contacting me when the parts arrive so my car can be taken care of. They also said they will see if they can cover part of the rental costs due to the previous incident where i was paying for a rental but my car just sat in the bodyshop doing nothing. I will update everyone when my car is completed.

Excellent news Phil, awesome that their actually going to replace the panels!! ...That's the way it should be done.

Oh Phil, once your car's back all fixed up, why not save some of the oil from all that fried chicken your eating and spray the car :chuckle


_3

[DumpInfo]

Oh Phil, once your car's back all fixed up, why not save some of the oil from all that fried chicken your eating and spray the car :chuckle

hahaha :gone

[RedRaptor]

Good to hear Phil. I don't think I'm getting new panels tho...

DumpInfo/Diego: I don't know what's hotter? Your RX8 rims or your girl in your avatar? :)

[Thrizzl3]

Excellent news Phil, awesome that their actually going to replace the panels!! ...That's the way it should be done.

Oh Phil, once your car's back all fixed up, why not save some of the oil from all that fried chicken your eating and spray the car :chuckle


_3

what an ass:chuckle


Good to hear Phil. I don't think I'm getting new panels tho...



rob refresh me on where your rust was again.

[RedRaptor]

rob refresh me on where your rust was again.

Rear wheel wells and the B-pillar on the driver side passenger door.

I wonder what they will do about the door. Give me a new one? I doubt it!

[Dave_The_BMXER]

??????

The rust on the blue cars seems to be worse than other colors from what I have seen.

[aris]

The rust on the blue cars seems to be worse than other colors from what I have seen.

Gotcha..hope fully mine doesn't:chuckle

[Bean]

Actually, I have seen several Silvers and Whites with rust that was worse than others.

[Thrizzl3]

Rear wheel wells and the B-pillar on the driver side passenger door.

I wonder what they will do about the door. Give me a new one? I doubt it!

if it has rusted right through the pillar they will have to give you a new door no doubts..its an unfixable item so im told.

[RedRaptor]

if it has rusted right through the pillar they will have to give you a new door no doubts..its an unfixable item so im told.

Picked up my car this morning from BMC Auto and I noticed right away the bubbling on the B-pillar was not fixed. They told me that Avante Mazda would not authorize them to fix the doors...

The rust in the rear wheel wells was fixed although they said it will come back in a year or two.

I guess this is it. Just going to enjoy the car before it rusts away.

[Thrizzl3]

Picked up my car this morning from BMC Auto and I noticed right away the bubbling on the B-pillar was not fixed. They told me that Avante Mazda would not authorize them to fix the doors...

The rust in the rear wheel wells was fixed although they said it will come back in a year or two.

I guess this is it. Just going to enjoy the car before it rusts away.

That's BS Rob why would they not fixed the b pillars??? i guess they wanted to cheap out on your car..

[Bean]

This is so sad. It reminds me so much of the cars from 70s. You would think after all this time, there would be improvements? Obviosuly not.

[aris]

Picked up my car this morning from BMC Auto and I noticed right away the bubbling on the B-pillar was not fixed. They told me that Avante Mazda would not authorize them to fix the doors...

The rust in the rear wheel wells was fixed although they said it will come back in a year or two.

I guess this is it. Just going to enjoy the car before it rusts away.

Sucks man

[RedRaptor]

It does suck and its unfortunate Mazda is not willing to make amends with its customers for this mistake. But I'm so tired of bitching on a forum. The best way to hurt them is to not buy another one.

[aris]

It does suck and its unfortunate Mazda is not willing to make amends with its customers for this mistake. But I'm so tired of bitching on a forum. The best way to hurt them is to not buy another one.

+1

[MajesticBlueNTO]

It does suck and its unfortunate Mazda is not willing to make amends with its customers for this mistake. But I'm so tired of bitching on a forum. The best way to hurt them is to not buy another one.

....and spread the word about the rusting.

[Bean]

I have already, believe me I have. And when you are in Customer Service, word does and will get around.

[mazdabetty]

ugh I just spend 20 mins on the phone with some a-hole from mazda canada about my RETURNING rust. He was SO RUDE!!! They really don't do anything when you call there, they just say 'bring it to the dealer blahh blahh'.... what are they good for if the dealer is just gonna take care of every issue?

Supposedly it's up to the regional managers at mazda canada to determine whether the car gets fixed or not. Not mazda canada itself.

Anyway he wouldn't let me talk to anyone else, kept interrupting me, was talking very aggressively to me (like raising his voice to me???? wtf???) I was pissed. He told me to email them if I wanted to escalate the issue. I'm like, right email you.. then what, get a generic response to take my car to the dealer? :bang

Well for anyone who actually wants to try it, this supposed "escalation email' is mciep@mazda.ca. (It's probably fake...)

I called back again and got someone a little more helpful, but ultimately it's up to this hot shot regional manager to decide. I think I have a valid argument, considering my car has been in 3 TIMES since January, I've spent more than enough money on rental cars, and after all that it's coming back again, pretty sure I'm entitled to new panels... I'm gonna keep fighting this until they replace every single one. :flaming

[Thrizzl3]

ugh I just spend 20 mins on the phone with some a-hole from mazda canada about my RETURNING rust. He was SO RUDE!!! They really don't do anything when you call there, they just say 'bring it to the dealer blahh blahh'.... what are they good for if the dealer is just gonna take care of every issue?

Supposedly it's up to the regional managers at mazda canada to determine whether the car gets fixed or not. Not mazda canada itself.

Anyway he wouldn't let me talk to anyone else, kept interrupting me, was talking very aggressively to me (like raising his voice to me???? wtf???) I was pissed. He told me to email them if I wanted to escalate the issue. I'm like, right email you.. then what, get a generic response to take my car to the dealer? :bang

Well for anyone who actually wants to try it, this supposed "escalation email' is mciep@mazda.ca. (It's probably fake...)

I called back again and got someone a little more helpful, but ultimately it's up to this hot shot regional manager to decide. I think I have a valid argument, considering my car has been in 3 TIMES since January, I've spent more than enough money on rental cars, and after all that it's coming back again, pretty sure I'm entitled to new panels... I'm gonna keep fighting this until they replace every single one. :flaming

:whoa they never treated me like that!!

[mazdabetty]

:whoa they never treated me like that!!

haha well maybe you're just more charming than I... no way that's not possible. :chuckle

It was just that one guy. The other girl I talked to was much more helpful, but still... I was shocked.

[rab33]

This thread really has a way of instilling fear in me. I'm seriously considering trading in my 05 for the '10... but I hate that smiley face :complain

[Bean]

NO MORE Mazdas for me. Not after this fiasco and BS from the so called Head Office

[Jeff0]

This thread really has a way of instilling fear in me. I'm seriously considering trading in my 05 for the '10... but I hate that smiley face :complain

You hate the smiley face but you don't hate the RUST? :chuckle

[rab33]

You hate the smiley face but you don't hate the RUST? :chuckle

Haha, can't a guy hate both?