[MattOwensRees]

Browsing the forums on here, I see many members have resorted to contacting Mazda Japan if they are getting the run-around by their dealer.

I bought my CX30 about a month ago and was certainly frustrated that my dealer was not taking my concerns seriously. They had not done a pre-delivery inspection. They eventually had to admit that as there were problems with topping up the windscreen washers and the tyre pressures were not set properly at 36psi.

Features in the car that I did not understand went unresolved. Both the sales and service managers admitted they were unsure of them themselves. And explanations were not in the manuals they gave me (One in English, one in Thai).
One girl in reception at the dealership gave up on the manuals but did, for example, change the clock setting from UK to Thai time.

I've had more luck with advice from most members of these forums than with dealers.

So, what are individual member experiences with dealers? Have you had to resort to contacting Mazda Japan or threatening to do so.

 

[Steve56]

My dealer svc dept is excellent. I normally do not buy added protection things when purchasing a new vehicle but my cx30 has the leather parchment seats (almost white) so i bought a rather expensive, 800$usd treatment applied both to the interior and exterior with a guarrantee that if the protective coating did not work as advertised i (in that it provided protection against staining, discolouration, fading etc) the part would be repaired or replaced free. A gamble, yes, but what the hell. Well, i am happy i did that as one month into ownership a passenger got hand sanitizer on the seat from a leaky bottle in a day pack. The colour of the black pack bled thru and left dark grey stains on the seat. My dealer had me bring it in. They took a look and ordered a whole new sear cover which took a month to come in. They replaced it , giving me a loaner for the day (a 3 turbo hatch) and now you cannot tell the seat is new. They did an excellent job. As for cost, the price for the seat cover replacement plus labour is equivalent to over half of what i paid for the protection plan.....if i ever have another issue covered by the plan it will be more than paid for. Purchasing the plan was a gamble but , for me, it paid off.

 

[GeoffB]

Not sure that my dealership knows one end of a car from the other. I found that I had a fuse missing resulting in no reversing lights, hardly any fluid in the windscreen washer reservoir and grossly overinflated tyres. Clearly the PDI wasn't done properly or at all. Car went back in for a revisit PDI and to look at the front parking sensors (these seem a bit hit and miss sensitivity-wise to me). Car was delivered back to me but I have had nothing from the dealer confirming what work has been carried out and emails to the so called after sales manager have gone unanswered. I know that the car made it to the PDI location and that the bonnet was up at least because they forgot to turn off the dash cam! The sales experience was first class, the servicing and after sales experience has thus far been appalling. Sadly, they are the only Mazda dealer within a few miles of where I live. Wouldn't use them again for a new Mazda, that's for sure.

 

[MattOwensRees]

Not sure that my dealership knows one end of a car from the other. I found that I had a fuse missing resulting in no reversing lights, hardly any fluid in the windscreen washer reservoir and grossly overinflated tyres. Clearly the PDI wasn't done properly or at all. Car went back in for a revisit PDI and to look at the front parking sensors (these seem a bit hit and miss sensitivity-wise to me). Car was delivered back to me but I have had nothing from the dealer confirming what work has been carried out and emails to the so called after sales manager have gone unanswered. I know that the car made it to the PDI location and that the bonnet was up at least because they forgot to turn off the dash cam! The sales experience was first class, the servicing and after sales experience has thus far been appalling. Sadly, they are the only Mazda dealer within a few miles of where I live. Wouldn't use them again for a new Mazda, that's for sure.

My experience exactly. But one expects that in Thailand. Once you've paid for something, dealers are not interested in carrying out their warranty obligations or giving good service. I'm surprised that this applied in the UK in your case.

I'm glad that communicating within this forum at least let's us be aware of these failings. Mentioning contacting Mazda Japan as a last resort seems to help according to many members of this forum. Thanks for your input GeoffB

 

[ThaiMeow]

my dealer is in bangkok. so far they are doing a great job. Whatever I needed or asked them, they did a great help.

About service problems... the thing is all dealers must train their service people to deal with new cars. For example when I bought my ford focus it was so new that the ford dealer had no idea about how to service it. After 2-3 months they went to training and they were not there but was ok. this might be your dealers problem

 

[MattOwensRees]

See my post on manual paddle-shifts and my dealer experience today

 

[MattOwensRees]

I wasn't happy with the dealer who sold me the car but they backed down when Mazda Japan investigated and contacted them.

When I go there now, they're ultra helpful, last week even taking me out to lunch. The service manager runs over to open the door for me when I arrive! Dealerships are not owned by Mazda Japan, they are private companies. But they take note when Japan gets involved.

The message seems to be that if you have a dealer problem, get in touch with Japan. The moderators in CX30Talk should be able to assist you in doing that.

Any problem I have now I go straight to one of their staff who worked for Mazda Hong Kong. She's not as senior as the managers but she gets things done. They let her assist as they don't want further trouble from Japan.