Warranty claim (Rusted wiper arm)

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

Just went for an oil change at Scarboro, and I mentioned to them to have a look at my wiper arm hinges which are rusting which they confirm in their report.

I told them there is recall (TSB) on that work which my car/vin is covered. My basic warranty is over but i purchased extended warranty. (The TSB did not mentioned only up to basic warranty)

Guess what ? they said its not covered under extended warranty, which I think is BS. Paid so much for that extra warranty for nothing and just for a simple fix (which they have a recall for it) they wont even do it.

I told them I had that issue (rusting) before 2 yrs owning the car, but I wasnt aware of the TSB and I had no issues with the wipers until last week when the driver side went over the passenger wiper arm. I have to pull over the 401 to pull that damn thing to put it back in place. so its freakin defective!

So now tell me? why they are so cheap not to fix this when we paid good money for extra warranty. How much more when there is bigger issue which involves warranty claim????? so for me, mazda warranty sucks.....and to think they have the nerve to offer me another 160K warranty on my car.....fck that!

P.S. I read somewhere, other dealership (i.e Davewood mazda fixed/replaced rusted wiper arms with no issues)....

I guess my good review with this dealership before was not worth recommending....

[rotarygreg]

TSBs are not recalls. TSBs are just quick solutions to common problems. the warranty info at the bottom is just a quick reference for dealers so they dont have to wait for word that the warranty claim will be approved on the car they are working on. recalls are very different. also, if you have the information on exactly what the extended warranty covers (if you dont have it, get it), read through that thoroughly. if you still beleive that this issue is covered under that, then bring it up to them in a professional manner. if still no go, others have posted the proper way to go about dealing with issues like this when you have to get mazda north america involved. people seem to always make the mistake of buying an extended warranty thinking its just the same as the normal warranty except for a longer period. this is not true. most extended warranties are not bumper to bumper like the base warranty. they do not cover wear items. they usually only cover major drivetrain components. good luck.

Greg


Just went for an oil change at Scarboro, and I mentioned to them to have a look at my wiper arm hinges which are rusting which they confirm in their report.

I told them there is recall (TSB) on that work which my car/vin is covered. My basic warranty is over but i purchased extended warranty. (The TSB did not mentioned only up to basic warranty)

Guess what ? they said its not covered under extended warranty, which I think is BS. Paid so much for that extra warranty for nothing and just for a simple fix (which they have a recall for it) they wont even do it.

I told them I had that issue (rusting) before 2 yrs owning the car, but I wasnt aware of the TSB and I had no issues with the wipers until last week when the driver side went over the passenger wiper arm. I have to pull over the 401 to pull that damn thing to put it back in place. so its freakin defective!

So now tell me? why they are so cheap not to fix this when we paid good money for extra warranty. How much more when there is bigger issue which involves warranty claim????? so for me, mazda warranty sucks.....and to think they have the nerve to offer me another 160K warranty on my car.....fck that!

P.S. I read somewhere, other dealership (i.e Davewood mazda fixed/replaced rusted wiper arms with no issues)....

I guess my good review with this dealership before was not worth recommending....

[Soyabean]

i got mine replace no problem at MOT. But im under the 3year/80k warrenty

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

I will quote their report :

"Tech confirmed customers concern. Tech found a related TSB 09-08/07 and tech took note that both wiper arms hinges were rusting and recommended replacing as per above TSB. MAP DENIED CLAIM wiper arms both working at this time, rust not covered by MAP."

and Yeah I knw what is not covered in MAP, it did mentioned wiper blades (ofcourse it a wearable item) but it did not state wiper arms.

and take note as ive said, i had issue that the wiper getting stuck when i was driving, they say they cant replicate that during inspection. ofcourse they cant do it in the shop, it happen in highway speed with blowing snow. they say they would have replace it , if it was broken.

Its not good pulling over in the 401 when your wipers get stuck?!

ill get it fix with my own money and i dont wanna risk myself driving just to prove that it is really defective.

im just sharing you my experience so atleast you knw what to expect in cases like this.





TSBs are not recalls. TSBs are just quick solutions to common problems. the warranty info at the bottom is just a quick reference for dealers so they dont have to wait for word that the warranty claim will be approved on the car they are working on. recalls are very different. also, if you have the information on exactly what the extended warranty covers (if you dont have it, get it), read through that thoroughly. if you still beleive that this issue is covered under that, then bring it up to them in a professional manner. if still no go, others have posted the proper way to go about dealing with issues like this when you have to get mazda north america involved. people seem to always make the mistake of buying an extended warranty thinking its just the same as the normal warranty except for a longer period. this is not true. most extended warranties are not bumper to bumper like the base warranty. they do not cover wear items. they usually only cover major drivetrain components. good luck.

Greg

[Noisy Crow]

FWIW, the way I read the comprehensive MAP extended warranty, the wiper arms should be covered. The wording basically says, "all items covered by the initial warrany are covered", with exclusions on glass, bulbs, belts, etc.

[sudz]

In terms of them not fixing something they can't replicate...

in the late 80's my folks had a ford sable. The brakes failed 3 times, randomly. Once while towing two snowmobiles on the 401 during a panic stop. We blew by at 80kph onto the sholder. The three times we took it in... The dealer couldn't replicate it. My dad got out of his lease, and bought a toyota camry.

Obviously a wiper arm isn't QUITE as bad as losing your brakes, but if it failed, and you had a temporary workaround that happens to work well... THey should still be fixing it.

[Go_Habs_Go]

Try going back to the dealer and discussing it (with a general manager or someone higher up the food chain). If that still goes nowhere try taking it to another dealership or talking directly to Mazda Canada about it.

[DARK3]

I had the same problem but my car is out of warranty, so i have decided to re-paint my arms in the summer.

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

At the time they got stuck, it was blowing snow plus the splash/spray from cars/trucks/infront of you make your visibility almost to none. And when I pulled over the shoulder it was not plowed so i dont have enough room/clearance from fast moving traffic (401 oshawa to toronto). So things like this can be dangerous if you were in this kind of situation....

@ go habs, its hard to expain to people who refuse to understand and i wont bother wasting my time explaining myself again to them. if thats how they make money in extra warranties, putting some loopholes or whatnot, goodluck to their company. it makes me not to consider any of their future products if thats how they treat their customers.

Ill just give my business somewhere else.






Obviously a wiper arm isn't QUITE as bad as losing your brakes, but if it failed, and you had a temporary workaround that happens to work well... THey should still be fixing it.

[whiteomega]

keep in mind that most dealers are franchises of the car maker; they buy products from Mazda and re-sell them to you. When it comes to warranty work, they absorb the initial cost (labour, parts etc), and file the paperwork with Mazda later to be credited for it. Sometimes (in the case of recalls), this process is painless; other times, less-so. The dealership is on the hook for the costs if Mazda refuses to credit the warranty work.

I personally think you should write to Mazda Canada and explain the situation. Yes, you need this fixed right away as it is a valid saftey concern, so you should go ahead and fix it; however, you should also make Mazda Canada aware of the situation; perhaps they'll decided that it is covered by warranty, and they will sort things out.

You've really got nothing to lose except the five minutes of your time spent writing the letter.

[Go_Habs_Go]

keep in mind that most dealers are franchises of the car maker; they buy products from Mazda and re-sell them to you. When it comes to warranty work, they absorb the initial cost (labour, parts etc), and file the paperwork with Mazda later to be credited for it. Sometimes (in the case of recalls), this process is painless; other times, less-so. The dealership is on the hook for the costs if Mazda refuses to credit the warranty work.

I personally think you should write to Mazda Canada and explain the situation. Yes, you need this fixed right away as it is a valid saftey concern, so you should go ahead and fix it; however, you should also make Mazda Canada aware of the situation; perhaps they'll decided that it is covered by warranty, and they will sort things out.

You've really got nothing to lose except the five minutes of your time spent writing the letter.

or just try another dealership, who knows, they may cover it no questions asked.

[kevcol74]

keep in mind that most dealers are franchises of the car maker; they buy products from Mazda and re-sell them to you. When it comes to warranty work, they absorb the initial cost (labour, parts etc), and file the paperwork with Mazda later to be credited for it. Sometimes (in the case of recalls), this process is painless; other times, less-so. The dealership is on the hook for the costs if Mazda refuses to credit the warranty work.

I personally think you should write to Mazda Canada and explain the situation. Yes, you need this fixed right away as it is a valid saftey concern, so you should go ahead and fix it; however, you should also make Mazda Canada aware of the situation; perhaps they'll decided that it is covered by warranty, and they will sort things out.

You've really got nothing to lose except the five minutes of your time spent writing the letter.

I'm having the saem issue with my wipers, rusty and not putting enough pressure on the windshield, especially at higher speeds. I explained this to a service manager, and was told the MAP warranty doesn't cover rust on the wiper arms... (WTF, I said they aren't WORKING properly due to the rust!!)
I have sent Mazda Canada a letter a few days ago (emailed letter), and have heard nothing yet. If I hear anything on this, I'll be sure to post it. I know there is a TSB on theis issue, but as I was told before by a service wirter at Mazda "A TSB is NOT a warranty"... Translation "If I avoid this, its less paperwork for me!"...:complain

[wikdslo]

. I know there is a TSB on theis issue, but as I was told before by a service wirter at Mazda "A TSB is NOT a warranty"... Translation "If I avoid this, its less paperwork for me!"...:complain

In all fairness, I think you took that a bit out of context.
To comment from the dealers point of view:

They are more than happy to do MAP covered work. They have more business, it makes their customers happy. What do they have to lose by doing it?

When Mazda says they will NOT cover the work under warranty, then the dealership would be having to pay for it out of pocket, which we all know is not likely to ever happen, for most businesses.

A dealership has nothing to gain by sending you away unhappy with wipers that don't work correctly, but more than likely, you aren't the first person they have submitted that type of claim for, and you won't be the last. They probably all come back the same though.

The only thing I could see them doing is getting a bit "creative" with their submission for the warranty claim.

[01Racing]

Thank you to all the members who took the time to respond to this post. I am the G.M. of Scarboro Mazda. I have read all the posts to this thread and its great to see how many people understand the situation dealers are in with regards to warranty work. If the person who posted this had contacted me I would have been happy to see what I could have done to rectify the situation before this thread was started. There is usually a way to solve these issues even if the extended warranty wont cover the repair. I have sent Matrix a private message and offered to discuss this if possible.

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

too late, wipers fixed almost 3 months ago...not by any mazda dealership.

[wikdslo]

Guess what ? they said its not covered under extended warranty, which I think is BS. Paid so much for that extra warranty for nothing and just for a simple fix (which they have a recall for it) they wont even do it.

I know that it can be frustrating, but taking it out on any particular dealership is not exactly being fair.
If you read over the MAP coverage from the Mazda Canada website, you will find some information that would be very useful to you in understanding what is and is not covered. Sadly, you didn't do this beforehand and your idea of what should or should not be covered is not quite in line with Mazda Canada's.
Notably this:
What is not covered?
*Surface corrosion on any part other than the body sheet metal panels forming the exterior appearance of a Mazda Vehicle.

I know that rust is what caused your wipers to not work as they were originally intended, but Mazda does not cover rust/corrosion on those parts, so any functionality issues as a result of said rust/corrosion should not be expected to get covered.

Here is a good thread posted by Jeff regarding MAP coverage. (http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=13181)


I told them I had that issue (rusting) before 2 yrs owning the car, but I wasnt aware of the TSB and I had no issues with the wipers until last week when the driver side went over the passenger wiper arm. I have to pull over the 401 to pull that damn thing to put it back in place. so its freakin defective!


Again, in all fairness to ANY dealership receiving that type of a request, when they submit the claim to Mazda Canada, it would be under your MAP coverage, not your factory coverage, since that had already expired.
If the MAP warranty doesn't cover the issue, then I see no reason why a Dealership should foot the bill. Like you said, it was happening within 2 years of owning the car. If it had been addressed at that time, the whole situation would have likely gone a lot smoother.

I know it's frustrating. I've been there. The parents Grand Am had the fuel level sending unit go less than 2000km out of warranty. Ended up costing $550 for the part (it's an all in one unit, pump, sender, etc) and $400ish for labour.

After talking with the service manager, they agreed to cover the cost of the part, and we paid only the labour.

Key point here is that when we weren't satisfied with paying for it considering how we were just out of warranty (but out of warranty none the less) we escalated it through the correct channels, and received a favorable outcome.


I do have one question for you though since it doesn't seem to be explained fully in your posts and no one else has asked.

How did rusty hinges (which only let the wiper move towards or away from the windshield) cause your wipers to overlap?

I would assume that one stopped moving while the other kept moving. This would be something to do with the wiper linkage or the connection between the linkage and the wiper arm, but nothing to do with that particular rusted hinge.

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

double post*

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

I do have one question for you though since it doesn't seem to be explained fully in your posts and no one else has asked.

How did rusty hinges (which only let the wiper move towards or away from the windshield) cause your wipers to overlap?

I would assume that one stopped moving while the other kept moving. This would be something to do with the wiper linkage or the connection between the linkage and the wiper arm, but nothing to do with that particular rusted hinge.


That's why I told the dealership that issue for them to diagnose it, Im no mechanic/technician to figure that out and it just so happen there is a TSB on wiper arms hinges, thats why i brought that up because it might be related.

[kevcol74]

The "surface rust" may not be covered, but when the rust causes a vital safety mechanism on your car not to work properly, hence causing a safety issue, then it SHOULD be covered under MAP. Take the air bag sensor that was a recall.... safety. Wipers clearing your window = safety.
I understand its not the dealership denying it, Mazda Canada is. Why? They believe a wiper is cosmetic? Thats a piss poor excuse. Wiper Blades wear, I understand they aren't covered. Compare to your brakes. Rotors and pads, wear items.... Calipers? Nope, safety issue, they are covered. See where I'm coming from?

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

easy kevcol, maybe wikdslo works for a dealership :)

P.S. hate to see your car go..... goodluck hope everything works out for you.

[wikdslo]

That's why I told the dealership that issue for them to diagnose it, Im no mechanic/technician to figure that out and it just so happen there is a TSB on wiper arms hinges, thats why i brought that up because it might be related.

From your original post you said you told them you wanted the wiper arms replaced under "recall" since there was a TSB for them. As you later found out, TSB's are not recalls and do not denote something that a dealership can do without approval first.


easy kevcol, maybe wikdslo works for a dealership :)



And no, no I don't work for any dealerships. I work in IT.
I just don't think it's right for people to give a negative review of a dealership due to a misunderstanding.


The "surface rust" may not be covered, but when the rust causes a vital safety mechanism on your car not to work properly, hence causing a safety issue, then it SHOULD be covered under MAP. Take the air bag sensor that was a recall.... safety. Wipers clearing your window = safety.

True, surface rust can turn in to a much more serious rusting issue that can cause the parts not to function. But, I would think that some maintenance would be up to the owner. A can of Krwon oil costs about $9. A squirt of that every week would keep them operating freely and inhibit the rust from forming. Since surface rust is not covered, he should have attended to it when it was just surface rust. It's a car. It's going to require some work on the part of the owner.


I understand its not the dealership denying it, Mazda Canada is. Why? They believe a wiper is cosmetic? Thats a piss poor excuse. Wiper Blades wear, I understand they aren't covered. Compare to your brakes. Rotors and pads, wear items.... Calipers? Nope, safety issue, they are covered. See where I'm coming from?

Believe me, I'm on your side. I own a Mazda 3 with MAP coverage only. I want as much to be covered as possible. I even inquired at the dealership about the rusty wipers and was denied like matrix was.

My issue is only a negative review being directed at the wrong parties. It wasn't Scaboro Mazda that said they would not do the work under warranty, it's Mazda of Canada.

The parts he wanted fixed were not under warranty, and were not the cause of his problems.

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

whoa, me giving negative review...its my experience in the dealership, i gave them good review before.

my issue is i have some problem with the wipers which was not addressed properly, and for me its a safety issue.

Did you actually see my car at that time, to ASSUME the problem may not be correlated to rusting? buddy im not after for free fix here, if i wanted that rust done, long before i would have complain about it.

[wikdslo]

whoa, me giving negative review...its my experience in the dealership, i gave them good review before.

my issue is i have some problem with the wipers which was not addressed properly, and for me its a safety issue.

Did you actually see my car at that time, to ASSUME the problem may not be correlated to rusting? buddy im not after for free fix here, if i wanted that rust done, long before i would have complain about it.

Again, believe me, I'm on your side, I have the same issue, and my car only has MAP coverage at this point, and I wish they were covered so I don't have to pay out of pocket to do it myself.

But if you were to reread your original post, or take the opinion of a random reader like me, it seems like you're shooting down Scarboro Mazda because they would not fix your rusty wiper hinge under MAP warranty which you believed caused your wipers to overlap on the 401.

I am telling you with 100% certainty, the hinge you are referring to that rusts, and that the TSB was created for, has no possible chance of causing your wipers to overlap. It would have been the post that it mounts too.

All I'm saying is, giving a negative review to the dealership for that situation, is not fair to them, or to the folks reading the thread. If you told them what happened, and it was the post that for some reason stripped, and that should be covered under MAP warranty, then that is a different situation.

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

ok, im done explaining my side...this is an old issue to me and i got the problem fixed already.

I will stand by my original statement and you can have all your comments/opinions regarding this matter, if thats what you believe in.....i'll leave it to that.

[yakyak]

I notice this pre mature rusting on the wiper hinges, so i'm guessing they don't replace this unless it was obviously detracting the wipers from working properly? My car is still under warranty, it is a '07.

[wikdslo]

I notice this pre mature rusting on the wiper hinges, so i'm guessing they don't replace this unless it was obviously detracting the wipers from working properly? My car is still under warranty, it is a '07.

You can ask at your dealership, but one common misconception people seem to have on here is that a TSB is NOT a recall.

A TSB is a guide for the technician doing the service. It designates each step, and part they need in an orderly fashion so they can do the work quicker and easier.

A recall is something that the Car Manufacturer deems needs to be done because it is a very serious isusue and is required to keep the vehicles safe.
As I posted earlier in this thread, the areas where the wiper hinges rust, does not cause a safety concern in any fashion, and is going to come up to surface corossion, which is not warrantied.

You can hope your dealer gets creative with their warranty claim to Mazda.

Otherwise, remove the pin that holds them in place, sand them lightly with some 400 grit sand paper, and spend $6 at Candian Tire for a can of black spray paint and don't look back.

If you don't want to do that, just get a can of rust proofing oil such as T40 from Krown (around $10) and spray it a bit every so often to minimize rust and lubricate that hinge.

Cheers

[mazdabetty]

Otherwise, remove the pin that holds them in place, sand them lightly with some 400 grit sand paper, and spend $6 at Candian Tire for a can of black spray paint and don't look back.

Yup. I did exactly that too. They look better than ever!

[Jeff0]

As I posted earlier in this thread, the areas where the wiper hinges rust, does not cause a safety concern in any fashion, and is going to come up to surface corossion, which is not warrantied.
Cheers

What if your car is under 3yr old? So it is not covered for their 3yr warranty?

[wikdslo]

What if your car is under 3yr old? So it is not covered for their 3yr warranty?

Not sure. Call the dealership and ask!