Dave Wood Mazda Service Experience

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

I've had nothing but positive things to say about DWM in about 9 years of taking my Mazda's for service with them. I have made numerous posts on this forum recommending them and have also used word of mouth to do the same.

Here is my recent experience with them that I posted up in the 'problem' section (link included) of the forum relating to a common problem with the piano black trim creaking in hot weather on the 2008.5's and 2009's.

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=478485#post478485

Update. I have the MS3 in for service as I write this. The dealer is refusing to diagnose, or even address, the creaking center console caused by the piano black trim, because I have a gauge pod installed on the top of the dash which is completely unrelated to the actual creaking. Their explanation is that the creaking was caused by the gauge install as the center console needs to removed to install the gauge pod. They wanted $100 an hour to even look at the creaking, let alone address it, so needless to say, I said no thanks and will just have Jimmy at Street Performance deal with it.

In fairness, it is true that the gauge pod install requires the top portion of the center console to be removed, but the car has always had this creak when the weather was warm and in subsequent reading this is a common problem with the piano black trim on the newer generation MZ3/MS3. Of course, the dealer knows this, but won't own up to that. They wouldn't even admit they could hear the noise, as they wanted payment first to acknowledge it and even look at it.

Over 8 years of service with this dealer and they decide to be petty and take a hard line stance over what is a very, very, minor issue. I am very surprised, very disappointed, a little angry and a lot irritated and will be giving some serious thought as to whether I ever go back to them for any future service moving forward.

The dealer is Dave Wood Mazda by the way. A place I have had nothing but kind words and respect for previously and have posted as such on this forum and ToProtege previously. Tis' a shame, really.

[Unoriginalusername]

Bad call on their part, thats how to lose customers. Removing the pod is fairly easy, you could just slide out the large trim piece, allowing you to remove the pod and disconnect the gauges and then drive around to see if it still makes that noise which it likely will

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Bad call on their part, thats how to lose customers. Removing the pod is fairly easy, you could just slide out the large trim piece, allowing you to remove the pod and disconnect the gauges and then drive around to see if it still makes that noise which it likely will

I agree James. It is a complete lack of perspective on their part in my opinion. Especially considering the amount of business I have personally brought them over the years and also through referrals.

What irks me is that the car has always done this since new, but I had never isolated the creaking and it only does it when it is hot out. By the time I had it in for service the first time, it was almost winter and of course, only the cowl and windshield creaked then, which they fixed, thankfully. I hate wasting my time and theirs just to take the car in for small issues, so I wait for the regular service and get it addressed then.

I think what pissed me off the most was not even owning up to whether the tech could even hear it on the test drive and then susbsequently telling me right afterwards that it was $100.00/hour to even look at while also giving me the line about the 10month adjustment warranty etc. and that I was past this point, yadda, yadda, yadda...

Had I known they were going to be hard line like this, I would have been more than happy to waste all their time bringing my car in just for these things.

They obviously have not read the customer service book's and writings on 'Blink Theory'. They really should.

[aris]

I agree James. It is a complete lack of perspective on their part in my opinion. Especially considering the amount of business I have personally brought them over the years and also through referrals.

What irks me is that the car has always done this since new, but I had never isolated the creaking and it only does it when it is hot out. By the time I had it in for service the first time, it was almost winter and of course, only the cowl and windshield creaked then, which they fixed, thankfully. I hate wasting my time and theirs just to take the car in for small issues, so I wait for the regular service and get it addressed then.

I think what pissed me off the most was not even owning up to whether the tech could even hear it on the test drive and then susbsequently telling me right afterwards that it was $100.00/hour to even look at while also giving me the line about the 10month adjustment warranty etc. and that I was past this point, yadda, yadda, yadda...

Had I known they were going to be hard line like this, I would have been more than happy to waste all their time bringing my car in just for these things.

They obviously have not read the customer service book's and writings on 'Blink Theory'. They really should.


When my car started the noice it was well after 1 year old and had over 40,000km on it ans it was covered under warranty.

Just spray some lube in all the hinges in the console and it might go away..for me that all they did and it went away..I also would look at going to another dealer..my $.02

[TheMAN]

because the interior has been messed with, there is no way for them to know whether you removed the center console panels to wire up the gauge sitting on top of the center stack... since there was more probability it was user caused than not, I see no wrong in them in denying your warranty claim... ANY dealer would've done this, so don't go bad mouthing X dealer because there were modifications made that *appears* to have caused the problem.... I agree with you that the gauge shouldn't have anything to do with the problem but you have to look at their point of view... dealers can only bend the rules so much when it comes to warranty work with modifications in place

obviously it's too late now, but you should've brought the car in as soon as there were problems... the worst thing to do with any sort of concern is to wait only to find out the particular warranty just got expired... in your case voided because of modifications
its NOT a waste of their time and there's no reason to be super nice about it (not that I'm saying everyone needs to march into the dealership being all irate... you need to play it cool with them still and not sound like a cockbite... attitude/perceptions comes a long way as far as dealer-customer relationships goes)... the tech gets paid the hours for the work and the service advisors get paid commission for the work done and bonuses to them for good survey results

[repoman_2]

because the interior has been messed with, there is no way for them to know whether you removed the center console panels to wire up the gauge sitting on top of the center stack... since there was more probability it was user caused than not, I see no wrong in them in denying your warranty claim... ANY dealer would've done this, so don't go bad mouthing X dealer because there were modifications made that *appears* to have caused the problem.... I agree with you that the gauge shouldn't have anything to do with the problem but you have to look at their point of view... dealers can only bend the rules so much when it comes to warranty work with modifications in place

obviously it's too late now, but you should've brought the car in as soon as there were problems... the worst thing to do with any sort of concern is to wait only to find out the particular warranty just got expired... in your case voided because of modifications
its NOT a waste of their time and there's no reason to be super nice about it (not that I'm saying everyone needs to march into the dealership being all irate... you need to play it cool with them still and not sound like a cockbite... attitude/perceptions comes a long way as far as dealer-customer relationships goes)... the tech gets paid the hours for the work and the service advisors get paid commission for the work done and bonuses to them for good survey results

:pop

[Bean]

Isnt the car still under the Bumper to Bumper warranty?

[aris]

Isnt the car still under the Bumper to Bumper warranty?

Yes his car does have bumper to bumper is but thet deneid him cause he modifed the console

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

because the interior has been messed with, there is no way for them to know whether you removed the center console panels to wire up the gauge sitting on top of the center stack... since there was more probability it was user caused than not, I see no wrong in them in denying your warranty claim... ANY dealer would've done this, so don't go bad mouthing X dealer because there were modifications made that *appears* to have caused the problem.... I agree with you that the gauge shouldn't have anything to do with the problem but you have to look at their point of view... dealers can only bend the rules so much when it comes to warranty work with modifications in place

obviously it's too late now, but you should've brought the car in as soon as there were problems... the worst thing to do with any sort of concern is to wait only to find out the particular warranty just got expired... in your case voided because of modifications
its NOT a waste of their time and there's no reason to be super nice about it (not that I'm saying everyone needs to march into the dealership being all irate... you need to play it cool with them still and not sound like a cockbite... attitude/perceptions comes a long way as far as dealer-customer relationships goes)... the tech gets paid the hours for the work and the service advisors get paid commission for the work done and bonuses to them for good survey results

So, which dealer are you a tech with anyway?
Duane, is that you??? :)

Look, I do understand the dealer position and I don't believe I came on here bad mouthing them at all if you re-read my original post. I didn't say anything derogatory about the service advisor I dealt with and even acknowledged I have had 8+ years of positive service from DWM. However, I fully have the right to post my experience on here, whether it be a positive one or negative one.

Look, I get it fully. I have an after-market part that could have contributed to the problem. However, as you say, it is unlikely this is the case and I told them it has done this from day one and the reason I didn't bring the car in sooner. They chose to ignore that even though after 9 years you'd think you would have developed a little trust over this time and yes, perhaps I was being too nice and too thoughtful and I won't be making that mistake again wherever I decide to take the car for service moving forward.

I am also not a irate prick, or a cock-bite to deal with when it comes to matters like this, so I hope and trust you were just making a statement about comparitive consumer and dealer relations and not a subtle insinuation. In my professional life, I have operations accountability for several large multi-million dollar customers and accounts, so I know full well what it is like being on the 'vendor' side of the equation.

Moreover, I also know to view every issue with an element of perspective and to take many factors into account when making decisions either for or against my customers. The easy path, is to just tout off the hard line stance and refuse coverage. That rarely is a sustainable business model that will secure you long term loyalty or business. Most consumers are reasonable people and if the dealer treats them with respect and perspective, then consumers will usually be understanding and you develop that give and take relationship. For instance, if I hydro-locked my engine because my CAI sucked in a gallon of water, or because I modified my engine to hell, I wouldn't expect the dealer to cover me at all.

My point is this... I came to them with a small, but annoying issue that was easily addressable by them and a known problem from day one, which I explained clearly. Instead of taking perspective to trust me and then think and say, hey, the gauge pod probably isn't the cause of this creak anyway(since it is a known issue anyway by Mazda); this guy has been a great customer for 9 years and easy to deal with (they have made small mistakes in service in the past and I didn't freak); this is really a small issue we can easily fix that will go a long way in keeping this positive relationship; they instead took the opposite path. They saw the gauge pod and saw I was out of my 1 year adjustment warranty and saw the easy way out. Then, to add insult to injury, they wouldn't even tell me the tech could replicate the noise or even tell me what they thought might fix it. I got quoted $100.00/hour instead. Nicely handled there...

Do they have the right to do all of this? Yes, sure they do. I understand that.

Did they make a smart decision for the scope of this issue? Well, they just lost a long-standing customer who has referred many, many people to them for service and sales and who also currently owns 2 Mazda's, has owned many in the past and will likely own more in the future. You can draw your own conclusions...


Isnt the car still under the Bumper to Bumper warranty?

Yes. 2 days over a year old and 15K on the odo. There are 2 warranties on a new car, the regular 3 year bumper to bumper (MAP if you purchase it) and the 10 months or 1 year adjustment warranty. Can't remember the exact duration, but I believe it is a year. Typically the adjustment warranty is used to cover things like a car being out of alignment from the factory and transport and interior panels being misaligned etc.


Yes his car does have bumper to bumper is but thet deneid him cause he modifed the console

Yes, exactly. That and I also got the spiel about being over the 1 year adjustment warranty by 2 days and that
interior creaking is only covered by the adjustment warranty and not the bumper to bumper warranty, but that it didn't matter anyway, cause the gauges made their decision an easy one
Yes, actual wording used...

Frankly, they can suck my hat on that one, cause if I start to develop other issues such as my seats getting misaligned on the railing and not moving up and down for example, or my glovebox rattling, or falling off, then I will expect these to be covered under the bumper to bumper warranty. I use those as examples as they are things I have previosuly had fixed in my Protege and wife's 3 well past the 1 year adjustment warranty period and were covered under bumper to bumper.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

:pop

You willin' to share? Soak them in rum first though, okay. I could use some.

[Bean]

This is terrible. You think you would be treated with a little more respect right? Its not like Dave Wood is suffering for money, have you seen his new dealership right across the street?

I really am sorry to hear this.

[mazdabetty]

So, which dealer are you a tech with anyway?

Kia?

:gone

[rick10]

you should of take the car in before you messes with the console... It this was a problem you had already I can not understand why you did not take in before... I hate dealers myself because most of them are pricks and they overcharge you... However you are at fault too. by modifying the interior console you just gave them the perfect excuse to deny warranty...

Although you are partly at fault i still think that being a customer for 9 years should be enough for them to bypass any rules they have abouts mod , specially if this is not a big problem...

I can understand your anger however you are still at fault... if i was the dealer i will deny your warranty too however if i knew you were bringing business to my shop for that long I would just fixed it free....

Best advice is do not take your car to the dealer. Just bringin it to any reputable shop

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

This is terrible. You think you would be treated with a little more respect right? Its not like Dave Wood is suffering for money, have you seen his new dealership right across the street?

I really am sorry to hear this.

Thanks Bean. I know you have had your own issues with DWM and are not a fan at all. However, they have always treated me well, but to be honest, I have had very few 'warranty related' issues with any of my Mazda's in the past, and the ones that I have had, they have addressed without a problem. Yes, I would have liked to have been treated with a little more trust and respect considering my tenure as a customer and not like some :AH.

Before I lived in Newmarket, about 7 years back now, I used to drive my Protege up from the city, 45 minutes away to Newmarket, just for service at DWM...



Kia?

:gone

Ha, ha...methinks not, but funny just the same. :chuckle


you should of take the car in before you messes with the console... It this was a problem you had already I can not understand why you did not take in before... I hate dealers myself because most of them are pricks and they overcharge you... However you are at fault too. by modifying the interior console you just gave them the perfect excuse to deny warranty...

Although you are partly at fault i still think that being a customer for 9 years should be enough for them to bypass any rules they have abouts mod , specially if this is not a big problem...

I can understand your anger however you are still at fault... if i was the dealer i will deny your warranty too however if i knew you were bringing business to my shop for that long I would just fixed it free....

Best advice is do not take your car to the dealer. Just bringin it to any reputable shop

Thought I already explained why I didn't take the car in sooner. I guess to give additional context, here is more info...

One, the creaking only manifests when it is really hot out, such as when sitting in the sun and you first get in. Once it cools down, it is not noticeable, or barely so, pending ambient temperature. The car was purchased in mid-August 2008. I heard the noise on hot days last year from day one, but couldn't pinpoint the origin of the noise and was more focused on the fact that I had a new MS3, than on taking it to the dealer for a small creak. Also thought it may work itself out as sometimes new cars do this until everything is worked in a little better.

When the car went in to switch to full synthetics at 2K, it was already cold enough (early October) that it didn't make the noise any longer. My next service was at 8K and in the late winter, so again no noise present. The Gauge Pod was also installed in the winter just after the 8K service. Since then, I have not had the car in for service since early this week for the 16K, but figured this was a good time to get it looked at since I was in for service anyway and it was hot out and indeed making the noise.

Anyway, sure, I'll take accountability for not taking it in just for this problem, but if it is not warm enough to exhibit the problem, all they will tell you is 'cannot reproduce issue' so I'd just be wasting my time and theirs and nobody would be further ahead.

All in all, they took an easy avenue out of addressing a very minor and also known issue with the 2008.5's and 2009's. They had a right to do so certainly because of the gauge pod, but overall the way it was handled and the communication, was less than stellar to be sure. I also was disappointed by the lack of customer focused loyalty and trust here. Perhaps I was being completely naive in this regard. In any case, now that I know that years of conducting business with them accounts for absolutely zilch, I will ensure that I treat them with the same amount of loyalty, trust and respect.

[Karen Lee-McNair]

if it is not very difficult for you to drop the guage, can you do that? If the noise still persists without the guage, then it should be warranty.
If you like, I can look at it for you - no charge

most noisy trim claims are part of comprehensive, not so much the adjustment warranty.

adjustments would be more like an alignment issue, or brake pads

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

if it is not very difficult for you to drop the guage, can you do that? If the noise still persists without the guage, then it should be warranty.
If you like, I can look at it for you - no charge

most noisy trim claims are part of comprehensive, not so much the adjustment warranty.

adjustments would be more like an alignment issue, or brake pads

Karen,

I appreciate the offer, truly and I may be coming to see you anyway moving forward with my MS3.

However, it is not an easy job to remove the gauges as they are integrated into an OEM center peice. See pic of what it looks like. This is not from my car, but the set-up is identical.
http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv187/matt_mortellaro/IMG_0074.jpg

The actual creaking does not come or even originate from this area though. It is lower down the console where the radio controls and climate controls are. When warm, it is easily reproduceable by simply pressing on the plastic piano black trim that covers the console on the '08.5's and '09's.

When I first noticed it happening, it was when my driver right leg pressed against the center console during hard turns, or when my passenger left leg did the same. Wasn't until someone posted on here in the related thread, that it comes from the trim when you push it, that I was able to isolate it. I don't usually go around pushing my trim in on my car...LOL. :)

[Karen Lee-McNair]

do you mind calling me at 416-283-6207 or PM me your number and I will call you to discuss this further?

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

do you mind calling me at 416-283-6207 or PM me your number and I will call you to discuss this further?

Thanks Karen. I left early yesterday and just picking this up now. I'll call you on Monday as I know you're not in today. Take care and have a good weekend.

Tim

[wrhfinancial]

I had a Mazda 5 as my last vehicle and had an issue diagnosed in
Bellville but was unable to get it fixed under warranty there due
to time constraints
So off I go to Dave Wood Mazda with reluctance but I figure it has to be
fixed and its under warranty
They would not fix the problem because it only happens in colder weather
and they would not call Bellville to confirm it
That was 2 hours of my life I could not get back

[aris]

I had a Mazda 5 as my last vehicle and had an issue diagnosed in
Bellville but was unable to get it fixed under warranty there due
to time constraints
So off I go to Dave Wood Mazda with reluctance but I figure it has to be
fixed and its under warranty
They would not fix the problem because it only happens in colder weather
and they would not call Bellville to confirm it
That was 2 hours of my life I could not get back

Did you go back to bay mazda in Belleville then?

[Bean]

Tim, did everything go okay with Agincourt ? :)

[Junior]

I had a Mazda 5 as my last vehicle and had an issue diagnosed in
Bellville but was unable to get it fixed under warranty there due
to time constraints
So off I go to Dave Wood Mazda with reluctance but I figure it has to be
fixed and its under warranty
They would not fix the problem because it only happens in colder weather
and they would not call Bellville to confirm it
That was 2 hours of my life I could not get back

What's the problem with your car?

[wrhfinancial]

I did go back to Bellville and traded my 5 in for the new 3
My lease was almost up so I traded the 5 and let them worry
About fixing the problem
I take my car to Bellville for service as much as possible
I had also tried two times to buy a car from Dave Wood
The sales department is just as bad as the service department

[aris]

I did go back to Bellville and traded my 5 in for the new 3
My lease was almost up so I traded the 5 and let them worry
About fixing the problem
I take my car to Bellville for service as much as possible
I had also tried two times to buy a car from Dave Wood
The sales department is just as bad as the service department

Are you from Belleville??

[wrhfinancial]

No
I drive by there 6 times a year on my way to Smiths Falls
So I stopped in a few years back to look at cars
That was 3 Mazda's ago