Getting Screwed by Mazda

[absolutamente]

So they finally admitted that my turbo is broken and that it is causing the smoking. However, I have not had my oil changes performed at the dealership and have done them myself. Evidently this is grounds for voiding my warranty and not performing the repairs. I am trying to find all my oil receipts and have been told that even if I manage to do so it may not be sufficient to avoid having my claim refused. I have 23,000 miles on the clock and have had the issue since day one. I have had it in several times before that they denied and now they are trying to take a different approach at not helping me. Bull sh*t. The dealer is Luther Mazda in Brooklyn Park, MN. Any other bad experiences?

 

[Betelgeuse]

What kind of oil? Any exhaust mods?

 

[ForceFed]

Two threads ..
same subject..
..why?

 

[SharkDiver]

Mazda knows they have a problem with some of these turbos and they still are looking for loop holes to void warranties..Its a bunch of crap.I have a 07 and Im just waiting for my seals to go bad and I do my own oil changes also so Im sure they will try to screw me over for one reason or another.Im thinking about putting a DP on mine to see if my seals start smoking so I can try to get the new turbo before my warranty is up soon.I will put the stock Dp back on for the visit to the dealer.It looks like I better be ready for a fight since my dealer seems like JOs already.This could easily be the last mazda I buy because of all this voiding warranties crap they are pulling.

 

[hilmar2k]

However, I have not had my oil changes performed at the dealership and have done them myself. Evidently this is grounds for voiding my warranty and not performing the repairs.

They cannot require you to have the oil changed at the dealership. Your warranty cannot be voided for that. Tell them you will speak with your attorney about it.

Im thinking about putting a DP on mine to see if my seals start smoking so I can try to get the new turbo before my warranty is up soon.I will put the stock Dp back on for the visit to the dealer.

The DP only exposes a currently smoking turbo. When you put the stocker back on, the smoking would stop.

 

[absolutamente]

They cannot require you to have the oil changed at the dealership. Your warranty cannot be voided for that. Tell them you will speak with your attorney about it.
.

I knew that I did not have to have my service performed there, but they are stating that if I cannot provide proof that I performed the oil changes they will void my warranty.

 

[hilmar2k]

I knew that I did not have to have my service performed there, but they are stating that if I cannot provide proof that I performed the oil changes they will void my warranty.

What do they want, video evidence? That's ridiculous. Unless they have proof you didn't, they can't void your warranty.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Actually they can if he has no proof. He can probably hire an attorney to fight it but it might be easier to try another dealer first.

 

[hilmar2k]

From the Warranty Information booklet:

Maintenance

You are responsible for properly operating and maintaining your Mazda Vehicle in accordance with the instructions described in your Owner's manual. If your vehicle is used under severe driving conditions, you should follow Scedule 2 of the maintenance requirements described in your Owner's Manual.

Maintenance Records

You should retain maintenance records since it may be necessary in some instances for you to show that the required maintenance has been performed.
The "Scheduled Maintenance Record" on page 39 should be filled in when scheduled maintenance is performed. Keep all receipts and make them available in case questions about maintenance arise

 

[MS3077]

From the Warranty Information booklet:

(butthump)

 

[Swerny]

the dealer should be doing an oil analysis to see if the oil is fresh.

If the engine is ful of sludge, that would be proof enough to deny the warranty claim.

If the oil is in good shape, then there should be no problem. Just find as many receipts as possible and tell them you did them yourself.

Did you buy filters from the dealer?

Did you use a vredit card for the oil & filter purchases?

Find anything/everything you can to support the fact you did the proper maintenance.

 

[SharkDiver]

(butthump)

(lol2)

 

[absolutamente]

Yeah, I am going back to the dealership in the morning. The oil was changed probably 4000k miles ago, which is the longest I have every gone with the car. It is however synthetic. Hopefully that is not enough to make it look bad. Unfortunately I cannot find the most recent oil receipts. And, in my mind, I don't see how having those receipts is much proof of maintenance anyway; it feels like they are just sending me through the hoops in preparation for the conclusion: I am sorry sir but Mazda does not want to back up their product in this instance, we have designed a loophole that will absolve of from responsibility to our product quality at this time.

The thing that really ticks me off is that Mazda knows this is not a maintanence related failure, it is a quality issue related with the manufacturing process for the turbocharger and a factory defect. I had it into the dealership for the issue twice before, 10 and 20 thousand miles earlier when they claimed they could not reproduce the issue.

 

[MS3077]

Yeah, I am going back to the dealership in the morning. The oil was changed probably 4000k miles ago, which is the longest I have every gone with the car. It is however synthetic. Hopefully that is not enough to make it look bad. Unfortunately I cannot find the most recent oil receipts. And, in my mind, I don't see how having those receipts is much proof of maintenance anyway; it feels like they are just sending me through the hoops in preparation for the conclusion: I am sorry sir but Mazda does not want to back up their product in this instance, we have designed a loophole that will absolve of from responsibility to our product quality at this time.

The thing that really ticks me off is that Mazda knows this is not a maintanence related failure, it is a quality issue related with the manufacturing process for the turbocharger and a factory defect. I had it into the dealership for the issue twice before, 10 and 20 thousand miles earlier when they claimed they could not reproduce the issue.

Have a lawyer write them a nice letter.

 

[smakdown61]

Call up black stone labs (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/) and tell them your situation. They will probably overnight you an oil collector so you can take a sample and get it to them asap. They can probably work with you and the dealership and be you evidence of the age of the oil based on the results.

 

[Betelgeuse]

it feels like they are just sending me through the hoops in preparation for the conclusion: I am sorry sir but Mazda does not want to back up their product in this instance, we have designed a loophole that will absolve of from responsibility to our product quality at this time.

I feel your pain but it's pretty much industry wide that you need to show some proof of maintenance in some instances. It's not just a Mazda thing.

The thing that really ticks me off is that Mazda knows this is not a maintanence related failure, it is a quality issue related with the manufacturing process for the turbocharger and a factory defect. I had it into the dealership for the issue twice before, 10 and 20 thousand miles earlier when they claimed they could not reproduce the issue.

This is important and here you should have a case. They should have these service visits recorded in their system and if you have copies of your invoices, even better. As long as you can show that you told them about this issue before, it'll be hard for them to blame it on the oil (hopefully you had no exhaust mods at the time as they can also point to them as a possible reason for early turbo failure).

 

[absolutamente]

Just got back from the dealership again. They submitted what receipts I could collect for oil but sent me home again because Mazda Corporate has requested "further testing" from the dealership before they will say if they will cover the repairs or not. I asked what type of testing they needed and they said it was related to the pcv valve and "other things in the car".... I guess we will see what happens.

 

[squabbin]

Wow I am truly Disgusted by this. I honestly think that i would flip out and end up killing the service manager.

 

[MS3077]

Wow I am truly Disgusted by this. I honestly think that i would flip out and end up killing the service manager.

+1

 

[Demi]

I love my car but i will never own another mazda again because of the way people are being treated. I understand that people do stupid stuff and try to get the dealerships to fix things they screwed up but jesus, this isnt some abuse issue its a documented defect with our turbos. The whole oil thing is one of the most transparent attempts to deny warranty I heard so far. I think i would park my MS3 in a legal spot near the entrance to their dealership with a sign in the window that read "X dealership does not honor warranties, and wont fix this car." I saw a mustang owner do that with one of the new model mustangs. I dont know what came of the situation, but it cant be good for business.