Dealer scratched and dinged my CX7 (McDonald Mazda)

S

stingey

Member
I just took my 2007 Mazda CX-7 to McDonald Mazda here in Littleton, CO. It was time for the 30,000 mile service. I asked them to do just what Mazda recommended, they ended up doing a transmission flush, a major engine lube flush, and replaced the differential oil. I asked for what Mazda recommended for this service interval, not anything extra.

BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT IS UPSETTING - OR THE POINT FOR THIS EMAIL. THAT'S JUST A SIDE NOTE.

When I picked up my car, the whole right side is scratched and dinged in some areas. It's hard to tell whether the OTHER scratches and chips were caused by them as well. I know my CX-7, I hand wash it every 2 weeks and wax it every 2 months. Apart from the major scratches on the right hand side, there are now scratches and chips all over front and sides of the car. The service agent said it was no problem and to bring it back on Tuesday. How are they going to be able to fix everything? What sort of job are they going to do? Is it going to look like it did? I don't know...

Can anyone provide advice? I LOVE my Mazda - they clearly don't care.

RANTING FROM HERE ON - BUT REALLY PISSED!!!

Apart from the right side, it is hard to tell whether they are responsible for most of the other chips (there were some (but few) there before from wear and tear) and scratches on the hood and the right side as well. But, I think they are. As I side before, I take really good care of the car, hand wash and wax it, and pretty much know the car back to front.

From what I can tell, it seems their car wash is what caused all the damage. Not sure though...

I have never had a bad experience with my Mazda or any other Mazda delearship (I used to take the car to Gateway Mazda in Colorado - but moved house so I decided to try McDonald Mazda).

Anyway, if anyone who reads this is thinking of taking or buying their car from McDonald Automative - Mazda - in Littleton, CO - think twice. Buy and service your Mazda at another Mazda dealer in town.
 
they are probably gonna run a rotary polisher on it with a wool pad, and fill in the chips with touch up paint. and i can guarantee will do a bad job of it.

as soon as you get it in the sun, youll see all the holograms and marring that improper rotary usage leaves.

your better off having it worked on by a local detailer who knows what they are doing in paint correction. and then have the bill sent to mazda.
 
Yeah - that's what I feared. I mean, it's what I expected to hear.

Do you think that they will pay for the detailer???
 
Not to be making fun or anything... really cause that sucks bad. And I would be just as pissed if it happened to me. But really... who names their dealership after a fast food restrurant?? I mean really!! Mcdonald Mazda.. it just kinda made me laugh. On a serious note though... I hope they will be able to repaint or fix all the damage that was done to the car.
 
I would be so pissed and I always let my dealer know up front that I am a freak about my car...sounds crazy and they probably think it is too at first. However, if they know how anal (hate that word) I am about my vehicles then they seem to take extra care, or so has been my experience. They know if something like that happens that they can expect me to raise a huge stink about it. In your case you should demand a complete repair by their bodyshop or the one that they use regularly...NOT A TOUCH-UP JOB! When you talk to them be firm but not abrasive, let them know that you are very unpleased but don't rant and rave or lose your composure. If they try to blow you off then get a little more "in your face" with them. Most good dealerships service depts don't want you spreading bad press about them all over as it hurts their business so I'm guessing as long as they know you are serious they will help you out. Also be persistent, I could see the dealership trying to put you off on this to see if you'll forget about it or give up. If it were me, I would be there bothering them every other day until they fixed it and demand a rental car free of charge until the job was done.

That being said, I have noticed a trend in recent years in the service industry, rather it's dealing with cars, home, insurance, etc. Basically 75% of the people you deal with when trying to get things done could care less...and as a result you see a lot of bad work being done or things not getting done at all. A couple of years ago my wife's PT cruiser GT (no longer w/ us) went in for an oil change and came back leaking oil on our garage floor and smelling of burned oil...thought we had major engine problems but opened the hood to find that the oil cap was off and sitting on engine. Oil was everywhere! I took pictures of this and headed to the service dept. Received an apology and they power washed the engine bay but no coupons, free oil changes, or any other compensation...that mistake could have burned up the engine and left my wife stranded.

Some people will say, if you're worried just do your own work! To them I say, I don't have the time or expertise to do this and that is why there are service depts. When you pay for work by the "experts" you expect professional work otherwise I would do it myselft and do a bad job. Hey I feel for ya man, be firm and don't let this dealership screw you over. I'm sure that they have insurance that will cover the repairs but they will try to get out of this I'm sure.
 
It's reasons like these that I don't take my car to a dealer for service unless absolutely necessary (eg: warranty work).

Any fluid changes I always have done at a drive-thru place where you stay in the car while they work. You can sit there and watch them do their work. The worst thing I've ever had happen to me in a drive-thru garage was a bit of a messy oil change where they had to rinse off the undercarriage of my car.

Car dealerships are the worst when it comes to washing a car. They think they're being nice by washing your car but then they go and use crappy cloths and towels that just swirl the paint.

Or theres the lot boys that joy ride your vehicle (doubtful they'd joyride a CX-7, but you can imagine what they do with higher end cars).

Dealers also use customer cars that are in for service as their personal vehicles... they'll just say they have to go "road test" the vehicle and take it home for lunch.
 
some advice......always ask if your dealer has a carwash....if their answer is YES.....ALWAYS tell them NOT to wash the car!!!! i would tape a paper to my dash and write a note on the key fob "NO CAR WASH". IF they hand wash it, then that seems ok, just get some proof first like walk into the garage or go take a look to confirm.

if they have a quick one they send all the cars thru...count on this....no pre rinse/water/soap = damage everywhere

my dealer absolutely ruined the cx-7 i had, running the car thru the wash (even when i said NO WASH) guess the service people cant read (like thats a surprise) throughout an entire winter. all the salt, sand, grime, just smeared all over the car, DRY......horrible.
 
reason #6,732 I won't take my car to the dealership unless it's getting warranty work done. That really sucks man, I hope it works out for you. It prob. won't do anything, but if you call up Mazda USA and explain the situation there may be something they can do to help you out with it.
 
I bought an Audi from McDonald Audi a while back. I wouldn't get another car from them. I bought another Audi after that and went all the way up to Boulder to buy it and get it serviced, just so I wouldn't have to deal with McDonald Audi.

Their service was poor when I had the Audi. Also, at first, they wouldn't show me an Audi because I was dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and sandals. They said "Maybe a VW is more your style". Then when I went to trade in my car, they tried to lowball me and tried to explain that I might have hail damage on my roof or something. I ended up trading in my car for $4k higher then what they were offering.

BTW.. McDonald does have their own body shop that they built down on Broadway somewhere. I'm assuming they will bring it there and fix it.

umm.. Why did they do all that? 30k maintanance is just an oil change and air filter replacement. Even on the higher maintenance schedule. did you have to pay for all that? I wouldn't.
 
mikey1981 said:
some advice......always ask if your dealer has a carwash....if their answer is YES.....ALWAYS tell them NOT to wash the car!!!! i would tape a paper to my dash and write a note on the key fob "NO CAR WASH". IF they hand wash it, then that seems ok, just get some proof first like walk into the garage or go take a look to confirm.

if they have a quick one they send all the cars thru...count on this....no pre rinse/water/soap = damage everywhere

my dealer absolutely ruined the cx-7 i had, running the car thru the wash (even when i said NO WASH) guess the service people cant read (like thats a surprise) throughout an entire winter. all the salt, sand, grime, just smeared all over the car, DRY......horrible.
Click to expand...

it's when they hand wash my vehicles that I've had damage done. They use crappy rags instead of high quality microfibre, and they're in a rush so they apply pressure while they're scrubbing and that just exacerbates the issue.
 
yeah its the bad hand washing technique that causes damage.

ive known lot attendants taht have worked at several dealerships and theyve all told me pretty much the same thing.

dealerships by the cheap stuff in bulk
stuff is always getting dropped and reused.
 
ill take my chances with a hosed off pressure washed dealer wash any day before they drive my car thru an automated set up with no pre rinse or attention to anything...lts face it, they are both risks having some kid take 5 mins to speed wash ur car...but, when my RDX comes back to me, it comes back hand washed detailed down to the rims with dressing on all black parts. i cant complain. now that its summer tho.....no more dealer washing. (the wash/dress is included with all service visits)
 
mogulman said:
umm.. Why did they do all that? 30k maintanance is just an oil change and air filter replacement. Even on the higher maintenance schedule. did you have to pay for all that? I wouldn't.
Click to expand...

Pretty much... they gave me a slight discount after complaining, but not much.

Funny thing is, they told me that they are the premier Mazda delearship in Colorado and that's why I have to pay a premium compared to the other dealers. That annoyed me even more... and that was before I saw the damage to the car.
 
Good reason why I bought my CX-7 from Burt instead of McDonald. Although Burt isn't great, they are better then McDonald.
 
So - as promised - here's the update from McDonald Automotive Mazda in Littleton/Centennial Colorado.

As explained above they agreed to fix my car to a state that was the same as before. I took everyone's advice and agreed to let them make things right. I kept my cool, I had no reason not to, they were very apologetic and were trying to look after me. They agree to fix the damage.

BUT NO!!! AFTER LEAVING MY CAR WITH THEM TO GET FIXED THEY GIVE ME A CALL ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER AND SAY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO FIX THE DAMAGE. AND NO, THIS IS NOT A JOKE...

So this is the chain of events...

1. Before taking my car off of McDonald Mazda after the 30,000 mile service me and my wife notice the damage to the right side of the car
2. We immediately get the service guy (Rocky) to take a look. He immediately states that the damage was not their when he did the walk around (before the service started) and that McDonald Mazda will fix the problem next week
3. Rocky sets up an appintment and I take the car in today - they give me a rental car and tell me the car will be ready next Tuesday - once again very apologetic
4. After leaving my CX-7 there I get a call 2 hours later from some higher up at McDonald Mazda who tell me the damage was not done by them, but was done by a shppong cart. He tells me that he respectfully disagrees that the damage was done at the dealership and that they will not be able to fix it.
5. I drive straight to McDonald Mazda (in the rental car)
6. I meet with Rocky, the service agent, and two higher ups (I think one was the GM of McDonald Mazda, another the service director).
7. They proceed to tell me that they can tell the damage is months old, has dirt in the scratches and the dent was done by a shopping cart. They tell me it's $1,500 to $2,000 damage - which they say they are not responsible for. They tell me they will buff the car, but the damage is too deep and the scratches and dent will remain. They say to fix the damage they will need to re-paint the right side of the car --> which they are not willing to do.
8. I keep calm, and tell them exactly what Rocky said the day I went to pick up the car from service. Rocky said "That damage was not there when you dropped off the car. I'm really sorry - I don't know how that happened. We will do whatever it takes to repair it for you".
9. So, the GM and service manager ask Rocky (who is in the meeting with us) - "Did you say that rocky". Rocky's reply now is "I don't remember what I said". <scumbags>
10. They tell me that buffing the problem is the only option they are willing to do but reiterate that it will not fix the damage.
11. I tell them I will need to think about it - and leave with my car.

So, it seems after them taking to their body shop, the body shop has told them that the right side needs to be re-painted - which they obviously didn't expect. Neither did I... At which time they realise that the damage they did is going to cost more than expected - not just a simple cut and polish, and dent removal. So, after promising to me they would fix it, and letting me leave with a rental car they gave me, they then decide they don't want to fix the damage and tell Rocky to deny or forget that he said the car was damaged at the dealership.

I only insisted that they fix the obvious and easily proven damage - the damage on the right side. After the 30,000 mile service, the whole car got scratched up - not just the major damage to the right side. I tried to be reasonable and only asked them to fix the obvious area - not the areas and new scratches that are sporadic as I could not be sure what was wear and tear and what was done by them.

I need advice, and probably pretty quickly.

This is what I'm thinking;

1. Get a police accident report done
2. Call my insurance company

Can anyone help? PLEASE??? My poor car...
 
Wow, sorry bro! I would check with an attorney about it. Looks like the $$$ invloved would be worth it. Might not be a bad idea to get the police involved either. I would an officer meet you there when you go to pick up the car.
NEVER let a dealership wash/detail your car.
 
Okay - this is what I have done so far.

1. Filed a police accident report
2. Contacted Jim McDonald and the other McDonald brother via email and voicemail - no response from them yet
3. Told them in the email that I have filed a police report, contacted Tom Martino, filed a complaint with the BBB and contacted a lawyer --> all of which I have done
4. I also sent them links to this forum post advising that I would love to tell the Mazda lovers of Colorado that McDonald Automotive made right what they did wrong (probably will do more harm than good, but hey, I have nothing to lose)
5. My insurance company and the lawyer advised that I give them another chance to respond --> I have decided to wait until close of business this Monday --> after that they can deal with the lawyer
 
You took the right steps I think. don't think they need to know about this forum though. But in any regard by your actions I'm sure they will do the right thing. But if they don't post a buyer beware about the dealership for your local CO buddies and then take legal action.
 
I really hope it works out for you and they make it right. I too suggest that once it is resolved, you don't go back. I don't see how they can really ever regain your trust. They just don't deserve it, even if they try to redeem themselves a bit here.

After I had had my cx-7 for less than two months, I brought it in for one of the TSBs. One of the techs leaned into the plug for the cord on my inline heater and dug it into my bumper. I too tried not to overreact, but inside was so angry and upset. They did eventually do a proper repair (after the world's most pathetic attempt at a touch up) and did a repaint of the bumper at a local bodyshop. But, thanks to their incompetence and carelessness, my car is no longer in 'excellent' condition for blue book purposes, since it has had at least a partial re-paint. That reduces its value by about $1000+.

I have had several less than stellar experiences with the service dept, before and since. And even though they are aware that they have dropped the ball on several occasions, they still seem incapable of exercising what I would call reasonable care. If I could drive to another dealer, I would in a heartbeat. As it stands, I am stuck with them. And I am sorry to say that it has colored my CX-7 experience.

The last thing you need is to worry about the quality of the care your car is getting. It's like having a bad doctor. It's gonna hurt and not get better.

Again, I wish you good luck. Be sure to remind your attorney to include in your damages claims the reduced re-sale value you will suffer from having a re-paint.
 
if you need 15 or 20 of us to email them saying we'll never buy there, let us know.

I know a few people in denver, they'll hear about this.
 
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