I don't like flooding, but this deserves its own post.
Dropped the car in the morning for the transmission replacement (and the muffler replacement), it was mostly hassle-free. They dropped me home, then I didn't get any calls from them until 4:30 pm. I was supposed to get back the car today. Anyway, I called them. At first, the receptionist transferred me to the body shop who didn't pick up. After a bunch of calls and talking to the receptionists and service clerks I finally managed to talk to the same service advisor that told me initially that the transmission needed to be replaced. He was not there when I dropped off the car.
Here is a quick summary of what I am told by different people
- The transmission is replaced, we're waiting on the muffler replacement (that the dealer strongly suggested we do now instead of when we replace the bumper. Less work for them I'm sure, but I get a rental for sure for the bumper replacement.)
- All repairs are done, but we need to do more testing. (This was a service clerk, I think she was trying to make an excuse)
- The transmission is replaced, unsure about the muffler, they needed to fix a "major" coolant leak that they noticed as they removed the transmission. This was the service advisor, when I challenged him about the fact that I have two "major" issues on a 6-month-old car, he quickly changed it to "oh it's a minor leak, but as we took down the transmission we might just as well replace it" He also claims to have sent someone to a remote dealership to source the part instead of ordering it from the States.
- The service advisor also said that if he were there, he would tell me that there is no way the repairs would be done in one day even without the coolant leak. And that he would find me a rental for sure.
- Body shop went to voicemail (obviously they would make me wait until tomorrow morning) and the receptionist didn't really want to help. When I called the second time I'm sure she asked a colleague to talk to me. (I clearly wasn't rude to her but I think she only worked until 5pm and didn't want to deal with me)
The service advisor is going to call me first thing tomorrow morning (he is genuinely helpful so I am sure he will) to find me a rental car. If not they will have to drive me to work.
Don't get me wrong, I am not frustrated about the repairs taking long. I'd rather they take their time. I am frustrated about the lack of communication -- if I can't have my car back by the end of the day, let me know in advance so I can plan accordingly.
The service advisor said he knew it wasn't going to be a one-day job. Although I can't fully blame him as he was not there in the morning (I looked for him, that's how I know), he was the one who initially told me that this was a one-day job. Again to be fair this was before the body shop wanted to replace the muffler, but then the body shop should have let me know; because again I don't benefit anything from them replacing the muffler today. I feel like they wanted to save some time by doing two mechanical repairs together, but it didn't really work out.
I am not sure if there is a coolant leak, I'll check the repair bill when I get the car back. I feel like this was an excuse for keeping the car for longer than what they told me. It's not a great excuse because it obviously raises the question of how there can be a major coolant leak at 6 months and 12000 kilometers. And if there is a major coolant leak how come my engine temps have been normal since day 1? The "major" leak suddenly became a "really minor" leak that they might just as well fix as the transmission is down.
I do believe they have more testing to do as the car hasn't moved since 8:30 AM.
I have no clue if they replaced the muffler yet.
Anyways, the lack of communication is frustrating. The fact that I don't have a car right now is frustrating (and I need to drive to work tomorrow). The fact that I am being bombarded with classic repair shop excuses is frustrating. Although I am 24 and this is my first car, I learned a lot from my dad about the art of getting your car serviced.
And lastly, the fact that it's literally a 6-month-old car is frustrating. I could have bought a 2016 CX-5 and I doubt I would have to get the transmission replaced within 6 months.
(You need to be nice to people in general, but) Obviously, if you want to get things done, you need to be nice to the people you deal with (otherwise you're going to get the short end of the stick and they are not going to bend the rules a little bit in your favour -- and you'll be even more frustrated) but there is a fine line between being nice and being taken advantage of (my age is a factor in this too I think). They clearly expected me to say nothing about this and they didn't have a plan when I challenged them.
Anyways, although I like my CX-5 a lot it's coming to the point where I regret a little bit not getting a RAV4 in the first place just because of reliability. Apparently the more you dig in my CX-5, the more problems you notice. I have a long road trip planned up and I am thinking about canceling it at this point.
My parents have been driving Toyotas exclusively for the last 25 years or so and we have never had a moderate issue - let alone a transmission replacement.
Update Aug 25th: They replaced the transmission but the issue is still there. I literally replicated the issue on the first try.