So i own a 1979 mariah mode one widebody rx7 some of you have seen me posting here to sell it. I recently started having a problem with my mariah ducted fiberglass hood coming apart. I called mariah and they told me that my hood was actually recalled a long time ago along with 22 others(only one of which was returned). So i figured no prob they will replace now. WRONG!!!! They told me i need to get it off my car and that if i proved to them it was destroyed they would sell me a new one at dealer price. Crap. This hood costed my dad around 800 with shipping and now they say even though its a defectively made produst the best they can do for me is 850 shipped. I think i deserve a replacement. If they produced a defective product they should stand behind theyre company and right their wrong. Regardless of how long ago the recall was.

 

file a complaint with the Attorney General's Office of the state that the company is located in. You might want to file a complaint with the Better Business Buearu as well.

Don't take crap like that.

A letter from a lawyer might help as well

 

this is what they "Mariah" say on the website about returns and such .. this was copied and pasted.

RETURNS: Returns or exchanges will be accepted only when accompanied by a valid "Return Authorization Number" assigned by Mariah Motorsports. Returns must be shipped freight pre-paid by the purchaser. C.O.D. or freight collect returns will not be accepted. Unauthorized returns will be refused. No returns will be authorized or accepted after thirty days from the shipping date. Returned goods are subject to a 20% inspection, reboxing and restocking fee, unless the return is due to an error on our part. Returned goods should be accompanied by a copy of our original invoice, or the invoice number, your name, address and phone number. Be sure to enclose your R/A # and a brief explaination for the return.

LIMITED WARRANTY: MARIAH MOTORSPORTS guarantees all merchandise it manufactures against defects in workmanship or materials. Merchandise suspected of being defective should be returned to Mariah Motorsports, with the proper return authorization number, for inspection. If the item is found to be defective, we will (at our discretion) either repair or replace the item. Claims of defect in workmanship or material must be made prior to modification or installation of any item. The warranty is limited to products manufactured by Mariah Motorsports and is further limited to repair or replacement of those products. This warranty does not include the suitability for use of products other than as advertised.


__________________________________________________ _____________________

not sure if you saw this on their site

 

So technically, since you have installed it. It doesn't fall under warranty.

But an actual product recall is completely different. They have to deal with that.

 

Yeah i realized since i owned it so long it doesnt fall under warranty. But since it was a reconized fault and there was a recall it is a whole different ballpark.

 

i agree with this

 

Pretty sure i have one of the hoods that were recalled also. I never knew about the recall, but noticed that the two sheets were starting to seperate. I ended up lifting up the edges and putting corvet body panel adhesive inbetween the pieces, that has kept everything solid ever since. Mine was coming apart at the front and also at the back, the worst at the corners.
Bryan

 

Definitely easier than pursuing legal action...

 

hmm have to edit that quick, been here at work for 17 hopurs and have another 16 to go........sighs

i used corvette adhesive, as in the stuff they use at shops when someone cracks up their corvette, stuff isn't cheap but it works real well.
Bryan

 

did they say WHEN they "recalled" the hoods? just cause it was recalled at one point doesnt mean its recalled forever. mazda doesnt have recalls forever (cooling system on the fd is example #1!), so why should mariah.

 

Yea,Id just use some panel bond and repair it.After all,its a fiberglass part,you can do almost anything with it.
Any repair is gonna be way less hassle than boxing,shipping,waiting and pursuing legal action........

 

Ok if there was only 22 of them and they got recalled. how can they not know how bought those products. I brought my polaris MSX 140, it got recalled, but they sent me a letter. I know ford had to recall the GT they came and picked it up and gave it the full works while it was gone! So I think If there was only 22 of them it shouldnt have been that hard for them to track down!


But I also agree with steve. If you can fix it, go ahead returning stuff is a pain. I had to do it with my PS2. It sucked *****! it was gone for a month I had just gotten it paid 300 and didnt even get to play it. And all it was a stupid disc read error that I still deal with today, and fix!

 

They didn't try to find you.

If they only had 22 of them with problems, & they knew what the serial numbers were & the only place you can buy one is from them. They were just trying to be cheap.


Hell I have had several vehicles where I was the second or third owner & recalls got to me, some the car had to go to the shop on another it was as simple as a sticker replacement under the hood that had the serpintine belt routing, to replace the original that had blurred.

If they know you have a bad one you shouldn't have to pay to send it back or pay for the shipping for the new one. If the layers are seperating, than this is a safety issue.

You paid for a good one & shipping, it's not your fault they sent a bad one out, you should not have to spend your money for thier error.

Remember this important rule. Don't take a no from somebody that can't give you a yes.

Ask to speak to a supervisor, or heck call one time & ask for the name of the owner or the president of the company & explain things to them.

 

I dont think im gonna glue it. There is too much at stake if it flys off and damages another car or kills someone. I am going to military jag tommorrow if anything comes of it Ill let you guys know. Myabe someothers on this forum with the defective hoods can get theirs replaced too.

 

The States Attorney General's Offices have a Consumers Affairs staff that are usually great to deal with. They will actually intervene and try to help you get resolution...Give it a try. You should get organized first, get some pics and get your thoughts written down, etc...
Tom

 

For the record,Ive been to Mariah and they are very down to earth people and seem to be a smaller "family run" type buisness.Not big and faceless like RB and others.Im sure if you called them back and discussed the situation,with heavy empheisis on safety,they might be able to work something out.
I agree it sucks they wont just GIVE you a new one,given there WAS a recall.....but I also see why they are making the repalcement offer that they put up.Its not good to upset customers,everyone knows that.But they are a buisness after all,its in their nature to be cheap when possible.If 22 items were recalled and only 1 was returned,they've probably already written that incident of defects off, and moved on.It doesnt make it any better for the owners of the other 21 hoods,but from Mariah's point of view,its over and done with.....especially if the recall notice was years and years ago.
Add to that,their clients are a narrow group,limited to a particular car,and $$ becomes more of an issue.Dwelling on the past, and on customers who years ago,didnt act on a recall,doesnt pay the bills.
Their warantee says "limited" several times and also reffers to their "discretion" for repair/replacement of parts.It also says nothing binding in regards to recalls or statute of limitations for recall responses.Remember they arent a big,global car manufacturer like Ford or Chevy.

 

Of yea,also....
If you properly use panelbond to re-attach the layers,I GUARANTEE it wont fly off.Im not talking about fiberglass resin or patch gunk.This stuff is stronger than a weld if you do it right,I used it to attach my widebody fenders,its TOUGH!
Ask any body guy,it is nearly un-breakable.