HELP? Dealership damaged my car . . .

[Mr. Dalvin]

So here's the story. I make an appointment to the dealership to have a fog lamp housing replaced (rock destroyed it) and to have my front bumper looked at as it was misaligned on the passenger side where the fender, headlight, and bumper intersect. My appointment was on Tuesday. They call me and tell me my car is ready and the service lady says that everything is good. I get to the dealership and see that the foglamp was replaced and works. Great! I look at the bumper and it's way worse. In fact, they forgot to put a screw back in and the bumper is loose where the wheel well is.

Here's what it looked like:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080819_2300.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080819_2303.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080819_2295.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080819_2294.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080819_2296.jpg

I go back in and say that it's worse. They say, really? That's weird. Another service adviser comes out to look and says, oh yeah, I was going to talk to you about that. You must've damaged the bumper somehow, that's why it's not aligning properly. I say that I haven't hit anything or done anything to do it. He says, "well, they just don't do that by itself." So I say, look, it's way worse than when I first brought it here. Although I expect things to get fixed, my very least expectation is that you guys give me my car back in the condition that I gave it to you in. He says to bring the car back the next morning and they'll try to fix it.

So, I bring the car back this morning and in the afternoon they call me and say this. "You're car is ready . . . we did the best we could." WHAT? What does that mean. The lady says that they tried to fix it but it's not perfect and that it's best if I come take a look. So I get to the dealership and although it's aligned a bit better than before, it's still worse than when I first dropped it off. They, again, tell me that they think the fender was damaged some how and that's the reason why it's not lining up. I tell the service guy that it's a possibility, although I have never hit anything, sat on the fender, did anything to it that would've caused any damage. He says they can't do anything more. I say fine, and take the car home.

When I get home, I take a closer look and there's damage all over the place! Check it out:

See the little nick above the headlight? If you look just under that, you can see how the metal is kinda bent upwards, like they took a screw driver and bent that piece up. Well, it's bent . . . see how it lifts up as you move to the right?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080820_2308.jpg
Same nick . . . same bent metal . . .
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080820_2309.jpg
This is just under the headlight . . . there's another nick where it looks like they tried to pry it with something.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080820_2310.jpg
Missing screw thing.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080820_2312.jpg
In the next two shots, you can see more of how that little end triangle piece is bent upwards.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080820_2313.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080820_2316.jpg
In the first one here, right in the centre, I tried to capture a little crack in the paint.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080820_2317.jpg
Another nick.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/20080820_2319.jpg

So, what do I do guys? I don't want them to touch my car again . . . but I also want them to resolve the fender/bumper issue that they've made worse. Any input with how to handle this would be great. Should I take it to another dealership? If I do, will they make me pay for the repair? Should I take it back to the same dealership and ask them to fix it at a body shop and risk further damage?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

D

[Mr. Dalvin]

Also, I am extremely frustrated by many things obviously . . . but these top the list:

(1) On the first day, why call me and tell me the car is ready when anyone with eyes could see that the bumper was crazy messed up?

(2) Why must they blame the customer for damage? And, in the case that the customer did damage the car, just fix it! Make it better! NOT WORSE! Again, I certainly did not hit anything, sit on it, place anything on the fender, hit a curb, catch it on a parking spot curb . . . nothing.

(3) Why would anyone think that it would be best to use something to pry a piece of body work? AND, to top it off, not use anything to protect the paint from whatever tool they chose to use?

Ugh. I hate this.

[cwp_sedan]

yikes yikes yikes!!! I would be back complaining my ass off. That is not acceptable what so ever. Where did you have the work done? I would definitely take it back. If the bumper popped out was the only thing I would say let it go and just fix it yourself but there are way to many damaged items there.

[x_o_k_x]

Go through your insurance, because insurance will make them pay for it and adjuster will come in and make sure the job gets done right. Or at least consult with your broker

[M3Nick]

These horror stories are really tempting me to take before pics, and after pics of my car before I take it to a dealership, even though most are reputable.

Sorry to see this happen man.. I'd be angry and frustrated at the level of service that you got as well.

I feel bad doing this, but I don't drive away from the dealership until I inspect everything carefully, and in some cases, I leave my credit card with the person working the service desk and take it for a test drive.

Hope you get this resolved...

[Mr. Dalvin]

yikes yikes yikes!!! I would be back complaining my ass off. That is not acceptable what so ever. Where did you have the work done? I would definitely take it back. If the bumper popped out was the only thing I would say let it go and just fix it yourself but there are way to many damaged items there.

Yes, I am definitely going back tomorrow morning to complain. I would like them to pay to have the damage fixed, but I do not want them to fix it themselves for fear that they will make things even worse. So, should I ask them to pay for this? I'm thinking that they'll pretty much say no.


Go through your insurance, because insurance will make them pay for it and adjuster will come in and make sure the job gets done right. Or at least consult with your broker

I never thought of this. In fact, I didn't know this was an option. So I can call my insurance company, tell them what the situation is, and they will hold the dealership accountable? I'm assuming I have to pay my deductible? Also, if I take this route, will my insurance rate go up?

[cwp_sedan]

Yes, I am definitely going back tomorrow morning to complain. I would like them to pay to have the damage fixed, but I do not want them to fix it themselves for fear that they will make things even worse. So, should I ask them to pay for this? I'm thinking that they'll pretty much say no.

They will definitely "want" to fix it themselves. What dealer is this again?

[Jeff-TheBiz]

A screwdriver??? WTF?

What dealership did this?

[Mr. Dalvin]

A screwdriver??? WTF?

What dealership did this?

I'm glad you chimed in . . . if I were to take the car to your dealership, would they be able to fix this? Would I have to pay for it out of my own pocket or would it be covered under warranty?

Not sure if it's a screwdriver . . . just looks like something was jabbed in there and then used as a lever to lift that piece "out". They were successful :bang

This was Mountain Mazda.

[cwp_sedan]

That's odd as they are an affiliate dealer that provide discounts to our club.

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=22298

I would talk to either John Archambault or Rod McKay as mentioned in the link and tell them you are from TM3 and are not happy with the results of this. Let them know that you would like this fixed with out any hassle as you've mentioned it to the members here and they are reviewing their work with a lot of criticism.

Or just tell them we think their work is shit!

[Soyabean]

well right now its pretty much your word vs theirs. I also highly doubt any dealers will fix this and this is not covered under warrenty. You best chance and only chance of getting it fixed would be to go back to the same dealership and try to get things worked out

[QEWmazdaPrez]

Any input with how to handle this would be great. Should I take it to another dealership? If I do, will they make me pay for the repair? Should I take it back to the same dealership and ask them to fix it at a body shop and risk further damage?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

D

Mr. Dalvin,
I would agree that your best bet would be taking it back to Mountain Mazda and explain the situation. The problem is that body work can be expensive for a dealership to repair, and based on your information this is not a warranty issue.
If you cannot get a satisfactory result from Mountain, contact me at the dealership and I'll see if we can help you out.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Regards,
Jason
President
Oakville Mazda
j.guttman@oakvillemazda.com

[06Touring3]

they damaged his car....what does it matter if it's covered by a warranty or even if it costs the dealership $....it's their fault? i don't get it.....

[S.F.W.]

they damaged his car....what does it matter if it's covered by a warranty or even if it costs the dealership $....it's their fault? i don't get it.....
Right, Mountain Mazda should fix it. What Jason was saying is another dealership isn't going to fix it for him, because they would be losing money.

[ZeroChalk]

These horror stories are really tempting me to take before pics, and after pics of my car before I take it to a dealership, even though most are reputable.

Sorry to see this happen man.. I'd be angry and frustrated at the level of service that you got as well.

I feel bad doing this, but I don't drive away from the dealership until I inspect everything carefully, and in some cases, I leave my credit card with the person working the service desk and take it for a test drive.

Hope you get this resolved...

After get screwed by Acura.. I always wash my car and take photos before bringing it to the dealership. That way I have evidence in case there are scratches, dings, etc.

That's a good idea about the test drive.

[Soyabean]

The only thing is it's your word vs theirs. They know that you cant prove they did it so they deny it because it costs them money to fix it. Its really unethical but some people are like that because they dont want to admit it's their fault.

They shouldn't be working there in the first place if they remove a bumper by prying it off the fender.......

[Wild Weasel]

Was it misaligned when you bought the car? If not, and it happened sometime afterward, then it was likely damaged at some point even though you may not know when. With that being the case, there's pretty much zero expectation that it would be a warranty issue.

If it was hit in a parking lot or something and got bent underneath, it's entirely possible that once it was removed, it just wouldn't go back on properly and they may have done the best they could given what they had to work with.

Not making excuses for them. Just theorizing on what may have gone on.

[x_o_k_x]

Go through your insurance, because insurance will make them pay for it and adjuster will come in and make sure the job gets done right. Or at least consult with your broker

I never thought of this. In fact, I didn't know this was an option. So I can call my insurance company, tell them what the situation is, and they will hold the dealership accountable? I'm assuming I have to pay my deductible? Also, if I take this route, will my insurance rate go up?

Your rates won't go up but you going to have to pay deductable if you decide to file it. But talk to the dealership that did this and try to work things out.

[Mr. Dalvin]

Update:

I brought the car back to the dealership this morning. I won't describe the details of the interaction as it was certainly not the most enjoyable conversation I've had, and the person who I spoke to also appeared quite frustrated. What I will say is that after all that, the service adviser acknowledged that damage was done by them and I am dropping the car off soon for a couple of days to get fixed - it looks like a body shop needs to be involved. I am certainly hopeful that this will lead to a resolution of this problem that I will be satisfied with and that my car will return in good condition. I'll wait and see . . . and let you all know when I get my car back.

WW - I am assuming the same thing . . . that the bumper just wouldn't go back on properly. Although, I do not agree that they did the best they could as evidenced by the numerous nicks, dents, cracks, and the missing screw.

[new4me]

I hope it all works out. The dealership would be insane not to ensure you are completely satisfied because reputation is everything. I will be checking in regularly for an update and wishing you well.

ps is the service department going to provide you with a car while they fix yours?

[Nick]

I feel your frustration man. I hope they take it as far as replacing the fenders for you to get it 100%. I have a similar problem with my car but i'm living with it because i don't want the same people that messed it up to touch it again since i sent it back to them and still came out crap. Hope everything works out, all the best! =]

[Dragazn]

I hope it all works out. The dealership would be insane not to ensure you are completely satisfied because reputation is everything. I will be checking in regularly for an update and wishing you well.

ps is the service department going to provide you with a car while they fix yours?

The dealership would be insane not to ensure you are completely satisfied but you would be surprised how many MAZDA dealerships feel that reputation means nothing and covering their own asses for their stupid mistakes is MAIN PRIORITY. From my experience of Mazda dealerships, good and proper service is just a pipe dream.

[sudz]

I'm still shocked that they could screw something up by removing the bumper! I did this myself to change my horn/mod my fog light covers... it took all of 20 minutes and about 8 screws and 8 clips. Not rocket science, and I did it with no manuals or anything of the like!

I'm really starting to think the only place i can trust my car is the dealership on Yonge!

[ds2chan]

omg.. that sucks.. let us know how things are now. I hope everything is OK in the end. did you mention anything about TM3 when you went in??

[DaleC]

Keep us updated when you get the 3 back ;).

Dale

[Mr. Dalvin]

UPDATE:

**I'll get pictures soon so y'all can compare**

I dropped off the car on Monday and they called me around mid-day on Tuesday to tell me that the car was done. Well, with that quick turnaround, you all know what I was thinking. I was definitely hoping that they would've kept it longer because that would've meant that the body shop would've done some paint work and such, but it didn't happen.

So, I head over to the dealership and go over to check out my car.
The bent part of the fender is back in place . . . excellent.
The missing screw/clip is back in place . . . great.
The bumper is now aligned with the fender . . . fantastic! If you all remember, that was the original reason I took the car in.

The fender was not replaced or repainted . . . that was a long shot and so I realize that the possibility of that happening was pretty much zero. It appears that a body shop "massaged" the fender to work out the bend in the metal. The paint chip where it appears that a "prying device" was used was touched up with white paint, not CWP paint. The other nicks were not repaired. I realize that this is not satisfactory, however, I believe that I am done with this "part" of dealing with these issues.

All in all, 6 trips to the dealership and this is where I am. I can't say that I'm completely satisfied, but the stress of this whole situation has me thinkin' that at this point, I'm done with dealing with things in this way. I can't be without a car, I can't make multiple trips to the dealership on a weekly basis, I can't keep taking time off work, I can't keep asking friends for rides.

I must say that the body shop who worked on the car did a fantastic job of prepping it for pickup. It was immaculate. Vacuumed carpets, cleaned winter mats, dusted dashboard, cleaned windows, washed exterior, tire dressing . . . the whole nine. Great job body shop.

Thanks for all your comments. If you have any feedback with how I should proceed, whether with this dealership or not, I certainly welcome it.

Cheers

[DumpInfo]

Just had a chance to read this. I was surprised as soon as you said it Mountain Mazda caused you all this grief cause I've heard good reviews from them. Happy everything worked out for you and your baby!

[dead_cactus]

I'm not surprised. I've been to Mountain Mazda once (parts department) and won't be back.

[Mr. Dalvin]

Corresponding Pictures:

The misaligned bumper/fender is better as seen in the next two pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5566.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5585.jpg

The screw / clip in the fender is back in its place:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5574.jpg

These three pics show the touch up paint at the point where the fender was bent. The bend is much better because it no longer drastically pointing upwards.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5575.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5581.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5582.jpg

Touch up paint on the hood:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5562.jpg

Touch up paint at the point where the fender, bumper, and headlight meet:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5564.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5579.jpg

There are two scratches underneath the headlight. I guess when the bumper was being fitted, the bottom of the headlight scratched the top of the bumper in two places. The first pic shows the little scratch. The second pic shows the bigger scratch:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5584.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5572.jpg

The little nic in the paint still remains. It is right in the middle of the frame:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5576.jpg

There is also a paint chip in the middle of this shot that is on the fender:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/IMG_5569.jpg

[Mr. Dalvin]

So, as you all can see . . . it is a mixed bag of good and bad. I would have to say that the bumper/fender fitment is "okay" as it is about as good as it was when I first dropped it off. It is not perfect like the driver side bumper/fender, but it is much much much better than after I left it with the dealership the first time.

The bent metal is much better, although it is still a little off. It's close though, so I suppose I can rate this at tolerable.

The screw/clip in the wheel well has been replaced so that's back to normal.

I am not particularly pleased with the touch up paint that was used to "fix" the damage they did to the paint. There is a place where touch up paint was used and it didn't actually cover the chip. It can be seen in the pic that shows where it appears something was used to pry the fender upwards. As well, the two paint scratches under the headlight, the chip in the fender, and the nick in the fender still remain. Prior to this whole saga, the above paint damage did not exist. Although efforts were clearly made by the dealership to fix the damage, it is certainly in worse condition than prior to all of this, and this leaves me quite disappointed.

Here's the rundown of the trips to the dealership:
Sometime the week of August 11-15: Went to dealership to show service adviser the damaged fog lamp lens and misaligned bumper
August 19: Drop off and pick up at dealership
August 20: Drop off and pick up at dealership
August 21: Go to dealership to speak to service adviser
August 25: Drop off at dealership
August 26: Pick up at dealership

I am at a loss as I am frustrated with the service. Although it is not the most expensive car out there, my wife and I still worked hard to purchase it and it does not feel good to see that something that has cost us a lot of money has incurred damage that could have been avoided. In addition, I am also tired of having to deal with this as it is impacting my work schedule. So, I'm not sure how this is going to end. It may just end here and I will try to just forget about it. It may not. My wife and I have yet to decide how to proceed.

[kaval]

I'd be very very very unhappy with the quality of that repair. I could have done that with my eyes closed. lol

The touch-up paint is used just for touch ups. These guys damaged your paint, and should be getting it resprayed. The problem with edges of body panels is the paint is already so thin, and now there is a smaller barrier between the outside and the edge of the sheet metal to help prevent exposure from rock chips. But forget about the rock chips...think rust. Not trying to fuel any fire you might have for these guys, but they damaged your car and should return it in the way it was BEFORE it was brought in for service. That's the point of a repair, not a touch-up like I'm seeing in the pics.

Technically you could sue them, but it's not worth your time. In the mean time if you don't want to go through the hassle, I'd recommend putting the proper colour touch up paint over top after using some etching primer. Make sure you add layers of paint to the point where you see little blobs. This will help create a stronger barrier. If you want, I can sand out the blobs for you and restore the look as close to OEM as possible.

Just pisses me off to see this kind of work from shops! Someone must have been drunk or something while doing that work.

[Cardinal Fang]

Prior to this whole saga, the above paint damage did not exist. Although efforts were clearly made by the dealership to fix the damage, it is certainly in worse condition than prior to all of this, and this leaves me quite disappointed.

Enough said. You are not happy with the remedial work they did and you should let them know. They are going to do the least amount of work to fix the damage. The moment you accept it they have you. The car came in with no paint chip damage. Touching it up with a pen does not fix the damage they caused. Insist that they give you back the car the way they received it, free of those paint chips.



It may just end here and I will try to just forget about it. It may not. My wife and I have yet to decide how to proceed.

Be firm with them and keep at it. I understand how much time this takes but you have to look at this way. If you keep coming back they will eventually have to deal with you. It can be a battle of attrition on their part but as long as you keep at them they will see you're not going anywhere and be forced to deal with you. Ask for a meeting with the Manager. Call the owner. Call Mazda of Canada.

Be a thorn in their side until they act. You have the proof. Don't give up.

[kaval]

You have the proof. Don't give up.

And that right there is the biggest tool he has. Not many people have that advantage when they bring cars in for service. Give it to them where it hurts. Hopefully it will teach them not to mess around in the future and learn to do things RIGHT the FIRST time.

[Go_Habs_Go]

Ouch, your whole experience has left me with a sick feeling in my stomach! I'd hate to have that happen to my car and then have to go through everything you went through and lo and behold it's still not resolved to your satisfaction!!!!!!

Don't give up, keep at it and I hope they end up fixing all the damage on your car PROPERLY, instead of some hack job.

The worst part is, the exposed metal that they 'touched up' will eventually start to rust. The touch up paint they put will do nothing to prevent rust from forming so that is something I would really make sure they fix properly.

[Mr. Dalvin]

UPDATE:

Hello all. I just wanted to keep everyone apprised of what's happened. Reading many of your thoughts about what you all thought we should do next served to reinforce what we probably already knew what was the right thing to do . . . and that was to continue to speak to the dealership in order to have our car fixed. Fortunately, a member of this forum contacted us and was able to re-start the process in a different way and, in the end, we have finally landed in a good place.

An employee of the dealership (I believe it was an Operations Manager) contacted us, listened to what we had to say, acknowledged and took responsibility for damage that was done to our car by employees of the dealership, and offered to make things right without any cost to us. This included repainting the fender to fix the chips/scratch, paintwork on the bumper to fix the scratches, fixing the nick on the hood, and trying to realign the front bumper (which was the original reason why we brought the car in). He offered to work with our schedules and wanted to get it done as soon as possible. In addition, a courtesy car was provided for the five days that the car was being repaired.

Needless to say, my wife and I are happy with the results. The person who we spoke to was very respectful, responsive, and genuinely appeared to want to make right what was wrong. He went out of his way to make us feel as though we weren't just another work order number . . . a far cry from the interactions prior where we felt the dealership pretty much didn't care that they damaged our car. The whole process took well over a month from start to finish, but we are certainly happy that, in the end, the dealership stepped up and provided good customer service.

Here are some pics of the results:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/004.jpg
In the picture below, I know you can still see where the chip was, but we let this go.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/007.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/008.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v461/dalvin79/014.jpg

[Mr. Dalvin]

I would like to say that this forum has always provided a wealth of information regarding all things Mazda 3. Through this particular issue, it has been invaluable as it linked us to an individual who was able to help us in a way that, I believe, we couldn't have done on our own. So, to that person and this forum . . . thank you very much.

[Olestra]

Wow, congratulations. It looks 1000 times better.

[Nova 3 GT]

Kudos for standing up to them.:) It may not be 100% perfect but at least the dealer accepts the blame.

[MRT_MS3]

I'm happy everything worked out well. This is the customer service we should be getting from dealerships in the first place. If they hire the right people to do the job, this shit wont keep happening.