Dealership woes still plague me
 

Hey guys,
I was just informed that the dealership will not reimburse me for the $150 I spent to have their mistakes fixed. Apparently, they said that since Chris Sanders is not State certified (although he knows more than anyone else I have ever met about the RX7) they won't pay me back. I HATE THEM.

If you are EVER in the Mid-Michigan area, NEVER take your car to Thelen Mazda. They are terrible. I HATE THEM!!

A lawyer has been involved - they will pay.

Hi,

Yah man...I read the worse places (suprisingly) to have your car repaired/maintenced...are actual Mazda dealerships. They don't fix the problem...they make it worse.

So my advice I received was to try to find some shops around town that actually specialize in RX-7 or rotary engines in generally. If not locally...try to find one within 3 hours or so out of your city...sure beats Mazda' messin' up the engine even more. :eek:

Actually I found a place (recommended by people here). Banzai Racing, and Chris Sanders (owner) does a great job with the RX7, and I am taking it to him from now on. I am still pissed that the dealership won't reimburse me for the money I spent to correct their many mistakes

Keep on them. Have you called Mazda's corporate complaint line? I'm sure with the lawyer involved, they will reimburse you. It will much cheaper for them to settle with you, especially if you have proof, than for them to pay their lawyers to fight you.

I used to have a 2001 Chevy S10 that I had in about a dozen times during the first 9 months of ownership for various oil leaks. After contacting GM about all the shit, they wouldn't do anything about it. I then contacted a Lemon Law lawfirm, and with that kind of pressure, GM caved and bought the truck back. In my opinion it was complete bullshit that I had to get a lawyer, but it is the only way to get the leverage against them. The lawyer fees were like $4K (for probably like 8 hrs of work) IIRC, but GM paid them as per the settlement.

Yeah, in fact I called the Mazda line today with the new news. I hope I can get a little more than "reimbursment" out of this - I mean, they basically f*cked me over for 5 months. Can you say, "Gross Negligence?"

Yea, I was going to say....If I had to get a lawyer I wouldnt worry about $150. I'd be teaching them an expensive lesson on what can happen with they dick over a customer for as little as $150.

^ kind of what I was thinking

All I can say is that their decision to try to pull one over on me was the worst decision they have ever made. I am not going to let a dealership push me around and screw me over. Sorry - I'm not like their other customers.

FIGHT THE MAN!!

no, but seriously, good for you, don't take that shit. Before I got my FD, i had an MX-6. Their rear brakes are notorious for seizing up at 50k miles. EVERY mx-6 does it, (kind of a hazard, if you ask me) and Mazda does nothing about it. Long story short, Gallo Mazda in worcester MA tried to charge me $300 to "replace brake pad clip" to unsieze the brakes. I bitched them out till they fixed it right, and i even got a discount.

Fight them on it, they want their good name more than their $150.

I had an MX-6, too - 94 LS...Are you a member of MX6.com?

Here's the thing that urks me:
They told me to get a second opinion. Instead of going to another dealership, which would also know nothing about the car or know what to look for, I took it to a knowledgeable guy who knows his stuff about the RX7. So now they say that, because I didn't take it to an inferior shop that would probably have agreed with them because they don't know what to look for, I am responsible to pay for the repairs needed to fix their mistakes :rolleyes:

You hired a lawyer over $150 claim? You must be pissed :)

Did you consider handling the matter yourself via small claims court? Also, do your local TV stations have a "Consumer Advocate" reporter? You know-- the type that walks into a business with the cameras rolling and tries to embarrass the owners into making some effed-over customer happy?

I think he hired the lawyer over all the five months worth of shit that the dealership did to him... right? Yeah, it would be stupid to hire a lawyer over $150.

Well, guys...
It looks like I lost this battle. My mom's lawyer wrote me back and told me that the only thing we could sue them for is breach of contract because they promised that the car would be done by November 27th 2002, and it wasn't done until March 2003. Basically, we would only be able to recover the extra money I spent in that time frame ($37 for a new parking permit, $35 for a parking ticket because the temporary expired when they took longer than what they promised, $110 to have their mistakes corrected). So, basically, it would cost more in legal fees than what I would get back. Looks like they won again. Well, I think I'll go cry now :(

Take them to small claims court! At least call the complaint line again and threaten to take them to court if they don't reimburse you for the money you spend fixing their screwups. If they don't agree, file a lawsuit in small claims. You'll get your money; you have the evidence.

Small claims is great. No lawyers, no jury.

Contact mazda corp and file another complaint.. also file a claim with the better business bureau.

I contacted mazda corp yesterday and filed another complaint. I filed a complaint with the BBB today. Small claims court might do, but I was kind of hoping that I could get more than just reimbursed for extra expenses. Oh well. We'll see

Check with your atorney general's office to get the format for an official complaint letter. You will need to file one of these that explains the wrong that was done, explain the action you would like them to take, and to give them a chance to respond. If they don't respond then you can go into small claims court with a really good position, and automatic grounds for tripple damages.

That probaby changes with the state you are in, but you should check out what rights you have in your state.

-Zach