Gillman Mazda, Best Mazda, Mazda North American Operations Warranty Ripoff, Liars, False Promises, Deceptive Trade Practices! Rosenberg Texas

My nightmare began the day I purchased a new 2007 Mazda3 from Best Mazda in Houston, Texas.

I do have to say that the sales and finance staff at Best Mazda were 100% professional throughout the sale and financing process, and they are not a subject of this report.

Within 1 month of purchasing the vehicle, I noticed that the side glass was delaminating and took it in to Best Mazda to be looked at. They stated that they would order a new replacement glass under warranty and would call me within the week to schedule a time to install it. Needless to say, I never receieved any phone call whatsoever, and had to go back in a couple of weeks to check again on when they would fix the problem. They told me that the glass had come in, and that they had sold it to someone else, would order another one, and would contact me as soon as it came in. Yet again, more than one month went by, and when I inquired again, I was told that they had no record of ordering any glass and would order the part yet again. This went on at least 4 more times, before I gave up and finally took the vehicle to a different dealer by the name of Gillman Mazda of Rosenberg.

Upon entering the Gillman service department, I met the only service advisor, Butch Colligan and let him know about my issues with the vehicle including the glass delamination, the cigarette lighter not working, and my floor mats which were completely coming apart at the seams after a mere couple of months of owning this vehicle. I also related to him that my front bumper was coming loose on both sides of the vehicle where it meets the fenders and was sticking out approximately 1/2 inch in these locations. Butch was quick to state that they would not repair the cigarette lighter socket, as this is not a warranty item, and then agreed to repair it after a long verbal battle with him. He stated that I need to leave the vehicle with them for a couple of days so they could take a look and address the problems.

I picked up the vehicle from Gillman Mazda after a couple of days, and was told that the glass had been replaced and the cigarette lighter had been fixed. Butch stated that they could not do anything about the bumper as they had not had this problem with any Mazda prior to this. He also stated that he ordered my new floor mats and would call as soon as they came in.

To finish the floor mat ordeal, it has now been over 1 year since I was told that I would have my floor mats, and needless to say, even though I have asked for them on each service visit, I am continuously told they are on order and that they will call me when they come in....maybe in another 10 years I will finally have those elusive floor mats!

Back to the bumper issue.....After verbally arguing with Butch Colligan about the bumper, the service department manager at Gillman came out and took a look at the vehicle himself. At first, he stated that there was nothing he could do about the problem and that was it.

I proceeded to call Mazda North America Customer Serivice department, and explained the issue to the gentleman there. He stated to me that this was a "design flaw" by Mazda engineers, and that design flaws are in no way covered under warranty. When I proceeded to ask him why they will not stand behind their vehicle's quality, I was told by the Mazda rep that I should have DONE MY RESEARCH prior to purchasing their product! I asked to speak to a manager, and the manager asked to me to go on the new car lot with the service manager, and see if this was a problem with any of the new Mazda3 vehicles on their lot and in this way determine if it in fact was a design flaw.

The service manager, Brad, agreed that none of the new Mazda3's exhibited this problem, and asked the chief mechanic to take the bumper off to see what the problem could be. After investigation, the mechanic stated that the bumper itself was flawed and would in no way hold on to the fender brackets. He reccomended that the bumper be replaced under warranty. I was then told by Brad that they would contact the Mazda Tech Center and get back to me as soon as they had an answer on what to do.

A couple of months went by, and needless to say, I never recieved any type of telephone call. On my next service visit I proceeded to ask Brad what he had determined about my bumper problem, and he stated that Mazda had agreed to replace it under warranty. He stated that he had to order the bumper and would call me in a couple of days to get it painted and installed....it has now been over 6 months with ABSOLUTELY NO TELEPHONE CALL!

My next issue came up when I got a flat tire on my vehicle. I proceeded to attempt to change the tire with the spare, and when I tried to remove the front tire, the factory installed vehicle wheel lock key turned and turned and the lug not would not come off. I only had the tires rotated one time on this vehicle, and that was at Gillman Mazda. Upon further taking a look, I noticed that the wheel lock key was completely stripped inside, and thus the reason the lug nut would not come off. Again..I never had a flat tire before, nor rotated the tires since my last visit to Gillman, and can with 100% certainty state that this dealership stripped my key by using too much force with the impact wrench. Not knowing what to do and stranded, I called Gillman and was told by Butch Colligan that there was nothing they could do, and that they did not have a solution...he then proceeded to place blame on "someone else" for stripping the key.

My tire issues have now been solved thanks to the local First Tire and Automotive here in Sugar Land, and my Mazda3 is now shaking when the brakes are applied. Needing an oil change, I decided today to again visit Gillman Mazda and also speak to them about my brake issues as well. Upon entry, I was greeted by Butch Colligan who stated that I needed an appointment and to come back, even though I HAD AN APPOINTMENT already! After relenting to change my oil, after checking his appointment book, I asked him about my brake issues. He QUICKLY proceeded to tell me that brake issues are not covered under warranty. I let him know that my opinion is that the rotors are warped, and that is covered under warranty, and he again relented that, yes the rotors are covered. He then proceeded to tell me that if they change the rotors, I will need new pads, and that is not a covered item, and I will need to pay somewhere in the range of $200 for these brake pads!

Now excuse my stupidity here, but if the rotors caused the failure, and they are covered under warranty, why should I have to pay for brake pads that failed due to covered warranty item?????? I then proceeded yet again to call Mazda North American Customer Service, where I was greeted by a seemingly nice lady, that stated the exact same thing...sorry "our book" states that brake pads are not covered under warranty. I tried and tried and tried to explain to the lady that the brake pads only need to be replaced BECAUSE OF A COVERED WARRANTY ITEM FAILURE, and she did not get it whatsoever, and basically told me to go screw myself.

Now, while I am waiting for my oil change, Butch comes out and states that the Mazda lady called the dealership and stated to them that I had been extremely rude to her, and due to that fact, they should deny ALL ASSISTANCE TO ME! I asked if he was kidding, and he stated absolutely not. I proceeded to call Mazda Customer Service back, and after being transferred back to the same rep, I point blank asked her how I had been so rude to her, as I had been nothing but respectful, and asked her if she called the dealership and and told them to refuse warranty assistance for my vehicle. The only thing she would say to me is that, yes, she did call and told the dealership that my brake pads are not under warranty. I asked time and again if she told them that I was rude and to deny assistance, and she would never answer yes or no to that question.

I then proceeded to tell her about my previous false promises from this dealership, and the issues I had encountered, and she stated all that I could do was to visit another dealership for service. I asked her if I could file a complaint against Gillman Mazda, and she was QUICK to state that I could not do so, and that the only solution was to visit another dealership.

I have HAD IT WITH THESE PEOPLE. From the dealerships all the way to the manufacturer, these folks are complete liars and thieves...I actually have now gone vehicle shopping as even losing $10,000 on this POS vehicle and absolutely NON EXISTENT customer service have raised my blood pressure enough! Another question...where is that non-existent book that states what is and is not covered under warranty! The Mazda warranty book that comes with the vehicle is a complete joke...absolutely no mention of what is covered whatsoever!

Folks, for your own sake and sanity, DO NOT BUY A MAZDA to save your life! You are guaranteed 100% to get nothing but the runaround and no customer service, and will regret the purchase decision for quite some time to come!

Horia
Sugar Land, Texas
U.S.A.

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