warranty question

[hawkwind101]

Talking to 4 dealerships in the Toronto area, they all said the same thing concerning warranty.

If the part that was put on is an over the counter mazda part, (including ractive intake, mazdaspeed exaust, ractive fireball exaust, etc) it will NOT void warranty.

If the part is an aftermarket part you put on the warranty is ONLY void if that part was the cause of the problem.

They cannot refuse warranty just because you put aftermarket parts on.

Of course putting on a turbo your screwed.

 

[ZoomZoom]

No offense taken. For the record, I own a 2001 Protege 2.0 LX that has an Injen Cold Air Intake, and performance cam shafts. I will be addressing suspension in the very near future. As a dealership, we install these items alot (just got done installing cams on a 02' Protege5), and enjoy doing it. We don't "hassle" our customers, and I take offense at being lumped into that generalization, about warranty issues. That being said, there are aftermarket parts that cause the car to fail whether due to bad part or bad install, why should Mazda pay? There were people installing nitrous into back port of the MP3 manifold and blowing it up, is that Mazda's fault? The law states, if the part causes the failure, it voids that repair.

I'm sure some dealers would like to void an entire warranty, not me. If you put an intake on your Speed car, and a control arm fails, no problem, its covered. If the turbo is damaged as a result, it may not be.

Please remember, I get paid by Mazda to do warranty, so feel free to bring all you want to me. I don't get any benefit from denying a claim. But fair is fair. Also, get to know your dealer, build a relationship, give him some of your non-warranty business before you start name-calling, and accusing of unfair treatment.

Just my 2 cents, and I am an enthusiast. I'll go one further, call me at 1-866-412-2855 8-5 est with any concerns, and I'll see what I can do for you, advice wise.
Todd Brown
Park Mazda of Wooster

Todd

Thanks you for a civilized thought out response. As I said, it was not a personal attack against you, so I apologize if you took to anything that I said, and I also apologize for anybody else that has heckled you about your response.

Uhh yea, nitrous, anybody that puts nitrous on their car and thinks that it should not void the warranty, well, they are idiots, lol. You just have to realize that there are way more dealerships that think in the manner that we have described than in the way that you do. You being an enthusiasts give customers at your place an advantage., because you keep up on what is available for these types of cars and would hopefully know what is a good product or a bad product and good install versus a bad install. I have been doing aftermarket audio installations for many years, and I cannot tell the number of times that one of my customers have been told that their alternator, or even fuel pump stopped working because they had an aftermarket radio (radio only!!) installed. These types of dealerships are the ones giving dealers in general a bad name. That is why I was telling you, someone who has the ability to relay this type of info back to people higher up, these mentality needs to change. Try to put it to them this way, how many more people might by an "extended warranty" if they thought they were not going to be hassled about any modifications they do to their cars? I think I would have.

As 'boostisgood' said, give the guy a break folks, I in no way intended to flame the guy and I hope it was not taken that way. This is somebody that can offer very valuable info, I mean, who sees more Mazda's on a daily basis than a mazda service guy. I just had to know if he was in it for fun or if he was head-hunting. Everybody has their stories (hell, every trip to my dealer was a disaster) but you need to work on finding a solution, instead of creating more of a problem. I think a big problem in forums like this, is people respond to the first or second entry in a thread before they read everything else, then all hell breaks loose. Todd Brown, you seem like a fine guy.

peace
Griff

 

[Todd_Brown]

Todd Brown, you seem like a fine guy.

Griff,
i appreciate it. Like I said I am an enthusiast. I do sadly agree, however, that there are quite a few dealers (not just Mazda), that look to try and avoid warranty work (never understood it, the money is still green). The best thing you as a cutomer can do is get as educated as possible (SEMA has a great site with good info), and whether you want to hear it or not, build a relationship with your dealer. Remember, you'll catch more flys with honey than vinegar. If you still have a problem, call me, I'll help anyway I can.
Todd

 

[PepiMartinez]

I think that Toyota has the right idea, and is the first major automotive maker to really listen to what their new generation of consumers have to say. Case and point: Scion. They sell "aftermarket" products over the counter, and cover them if things go wrong, because the dealers mechanic instaled the parts. I think this is a fantastic idea, and I think that more car companies should buy into this thinking. Mazda is getting there, using products from Racing Beat, Sparco, and many other traditonaly "aftermarket" establishments.

When buying my MP5, I asked the dealers if I bought a new turbocharger from a Mazdaspeed (keep in mind, Mazda backs these parts) and had a Mazda certified mechanic install the parts (keep in mind, Mazda backs these mechanics), would it void my warranty. The response, of corse, was yes, it would. I guess I just don't understand why they feel this would cost me my warranty. Maybe it's just my dealer? Perhaps not. I'm not sure...

Pepi

 

[rocketspeed]

Is this guy talking about the K&N cone filter or a K&N drop in that replaces the stock paper filter in the stock airbox? If its the drop in, I don't see any possible way it could damage the car or void the warranty. They actually filter better than the stock paper filter and flow more air to boot.

 

[Swerny]

Is this guy talking about the K&N cone filter or a K&N drop in that replaces the stock paper filter in the stock airbox? If its the drop in, I don't see any possible way it could damage the car or void the warranty. They actually filter better than the stock paper filter and flow more air to boot.

That's exactly what i was thinking. I have the drop in on my MSP, and if the dealer tried any BS about my warranty being voided, for anything, i would see them in court. I think if the whole air box assembly were removed, it may be different, depending on what part broke.

 

[MazSvcAdvisor]

Hey all,
I work at a very large midwest Mazda dealership. I have never seen or herd of any problems getting warranty repairs done on ANY Mazda vehicle due to aftermarket parts. Everyone acts like the dealer is there to just get around warranty repairs on your vehicle. This is so not true. The only reason a dealer is operating is to make money!!!!!! We make money from doing warranty repairs. The only problem / reason the dealer would deny to repair a failed part is because they would get charged back for the reapir if it wasn't done under Mazda's rules.
Putting a K&N air filter in you're vehicle will not in any way void you're warranty. If it is an aftermarket air filter that is treated with oil then it will make the mass air flow sensor fail. Although I would not deny the claim. I would do the repair then inform the customer as to the proper way.
I own a MSP and plan on all kinds of mods. I will submit my own claims. I am willing to check on ANY breakdowns and tell you if for some reason it would not be under warranty. You just have to use you're head and keep you're cool with the dealer. They have lots of rules to follow.

 

[Ryoga28]

Hi,

I just want to understand something and I hope you guys can help me out. I had a 2003 VW GTI 1.8T (stock) that had premature 2nd gear syncros wear. It started grinding at 3000 miles and the tranny was rebuilt by the dealership (which give me a hard time and accusing me of abuse). It then started grinding at 7000 miles again and this time, I had to fight tooth and nail with VWOA, SM, Regional rep, and sales manager. Finally SM said he convinced the regional rep to cover it. A day after they dropped a new tranny in, I sch an appointment to have the shift linkage adjusted because it would go into 2nd or reverse 1/4 of the time. A week later when I took my car to the dealership, the service advisor told me that my powertrain warranty was voided (he told me he talked to the SM).

Went home called VWOA and they said my warranty was intact, but had to contact the regional rep. A few days later, I traded in my gti for an msp. Fast forward a month and a half later, VWOA calls me and tells me that he warranty is intact and was confirmed with the regional rep.

I know this was a long story, but this really happened to me. A lot of people had gear grinding problems and is a common problem with VW. SM blames me for everything and denies me warranty and also gives me a hard time. Accuse of me being a racer and also mishandling the tranny.

The car was stock, nothing was ever modded and yet they still find some excuse to deny warranty. The SM got angry when I wrote a letter of complaint about a different issue (loaner missing registration and safty sticker; got tickets; they refuse blame and claim that the car wash took it off), and made me out to be the "bad guy."

Right now, I'm worried that mazda will be the same. Was the synchros wear really my fault? DId the have a good reason to deny the warranty?


thanks for reading through this long and unedited post.

 

[girth]

As I've said many times in the past, this whole issue could be avoided if I wasn't forced to buy a warrenty when I bought the car. It's a simple concept - don't make me buy a warrenty and then I'll worry about the repairs my own self.

 

[spacemonkey]

I'm a service manager at a Mazda dealership. He is mostly correct. Any warranty claim involving the engine,turbo,trans,etc... will be investigated, it's not worth the hassle. Intakes are top of the list of no-no's installed on this car, it could seriously screw it up. I install intake regularly on the other Protege's, I won't touch a Speed.
Todd

Not to be a dick, but why and how? Especially a K&N drop panel filter. The HP increase is so minimal. Its nice to talk to a service manager on this board and I'll note if I have any queation about warrenty I'll pm you. I just hope you know more then my service manager who is completely clueless. The service dept is the one dept in Mazda that I have respect for.

what mods are on the top of your list as a No-No for MSP? What about stuff to monitor your car but doesn't increase performance...like a Turbo timer, Boost gauge, Oil pressure/temp gauge. The way I see it, those things are small stuff to prevent Mazda from doing warrenty work on a blown turbo...yet Im hearing dealers are voiding warrent for gauges? Could you clear some of this up...im so parinoid about bringing in my car to the dealer and I have no major mods...just shifter bushings and boost gauge. And Im thinking aobut getting a TT.

 

[MazdaSpeeder00]

bump

 

[03MSPRO]

Even Mazda has a performance section their web site that includes a link to Injen, but they will deny warranty work if someone shows up with an Injen CAI? I don't understand that. Could someone smarter than me explain?

 

[03MSPRO]

Also, different dealers tell you different things. I was told by one dealer that a CAI was OK and another said it would void the warranty? I guess there is no standard and they are guessing or depends on whether they like you or not.

I also heard of people getting their warranty work denied even w/ a stock car because they suspect abuse. Could someone define abuse? What's the point of buying a sports car if you can drive it a lil hard sometimes and have fun with it? Next time I should buy a mini van.

When I bough the car there was a paper on the visor that said "This car is up to Speed, are you? and it had a list of recommendations like "do not race the car when it's cold" so are they saying it's ok to race when hot and then they void your warranty for racing the car or abusing it?

 

[spacemonkey]

I still have that "This car is up to speed" thing on my visor. Yeah they really shouldnt call it Mazdaspeed if we cant have alittle fun with it. They claim the MSP is high reving fun. I understand if they see a supercharger on the thing but small stuff shouldnt matter. MBC is another story. Im hearing that SRT stand for Street Racing Technology...and dodge has a awsome mopar stage 1 and stage package. Dodge seems to indorse the tuner lifestlye but form what im reading MAzda isnt. They should have came out with a Mazdaspeed unless they expect us to have alittle fun...common Mazda. Small stuff like intake and gauges should be such a big problem.

 

[03MSPRO]

Mazda is digging their own hole. I don't plan on keeping this car for more than 3-4 years. After that, no more Mazda for me. They lie about HP, do a terrible job tuning, and do not support aftermarket.
When I had my Integra, I bought Comptech CAI, header, exhaust and other Comptech staff directly from the dealer and they would install it and not void the warranty.
Nissan and Toyota do the same. Even Dodge, Ford and I think Potiac.

 

[spacemonkey]

Lie about HP rating? I thought it was established the the RX-8 ECU wasnt dyno friendly. Same thing with the Porsche 966. WEll...I still think it depends on the dealer. I know my buddy brought his car to the dealer and they didnt say anything except hassel him about lowering his car (he had a CAI, gauges and TT). But im still parinoid about taking my car to the dealership. I dont know what to think anymore...I still love Mazda mainly because of the rotary dream. plus I dont think Mazda is nearly as big as Toyota, Chrysler, Honda, and Nissan. Lots of business decision is made through Ford Motor Company...we can thank them for our ECU.

 

[Morgan]

you think thats bad.. i've heard of VW dealers denying service and sometimes even voiding warranties for as little as an aftermarket head unit. reasoning behind this is if they are not wired in correctly (which a good number of them weren't..) then when the dealer would plug in to read codes it would fry their VAG tools ($15k a piece..). I've also heard of Audi dealers working on chipped/modded cars all the time under warranty without problems, it all depends if you get a mod-friendly dealer or not.

 

[03MSPRO]

Mazda addmitted that the RX-8 did not make the claimed HP and offered a buy back program.

In the past Mazda did the same with the Miata.

It is also proved that the regular proteges do not make 130 bhp either. They usually dyno at 95-100 whp. There is no way, but no one complains because after all it is a econo box and not a "Sports" car.
Like I said before, no more Mazda for me after this car.

 

[MazSvcAdvisor]

The lines my dealer carries: Chrysler, VW, Mazda, Suzuki and Toyota. Never herd of any such problems getting something covered with VW. They should be very easy or they always have been with me.
I can't tell you how many times I have covered items because of obvious signs of abuse. I don't always consider the customer the problem. Sometimes it's just because they didn't know better. I would do the repairs then inform the customer as to the proper way to perform or maintain. If it happens again, s*** out of luck.
I think it's about the attitude that is presented when going to you're dealer. If someone came in with a chip on their should and demanding that I repair their vehicle they would not get my support to the manufacturer. Come to my shop and ask for my help NICELY, and I will fight to get it covered. Please remember that is all a service department hears all day long is complaints. So just treat them with respect and you should have no problems. If you do that then they don't help call the manufacturer and look for another dealer.
I'm a service advisor not the enemy. I just lowered my MSP. Looks sweeeeeeeeet. Already ordered MBC, Down pipe and cold air. I will assure you my MSP will not have a voided warranty.

 

[03MSPRO]

I'm a service advisor not the enemy. I just lowered my MSP. Looks sweeeeeeeeet. Already ordered MBC, Down pipe and cold air. I will assure you my MSP will not have a voided warranty. [/B]