[Levi3xt]

A theme when chasing repairs under warranty is, the dealer often seems reluctant to do it.

What I don't understand is, when something is repaired under warranty does not Mazda absorb the cost (not the dealer)? If that's correct, why are some dealers reluctant to do the work.

Might it be that dealers get some type of "bonus" if they don't put in warranty claims, or, a "penalty" if they do?

I'm not referring to situations like the one Cyclone found himself in with the tow bar. It's not rocket science to have reversing sounds muted when a trailer is hooked up to the back of the car. I'm not saying a switch that needs to be used manually anytime a trailer is used. I'm saying, that an automatic switching arrangement CAN be incorporated into the wiring harness.

And, I understand that Mazda has such a harness. For the dealer to say they don't know about it is bs.

Anyway, back to the warranty question. Can anyone put my curious mind to rest?

 

[Snoogie]

I work at a dealership here in the US and it may be different on how warranties are handled in different places but there is at least two sides to this.

The first is yes Mazda will pay for the warranty work and to my knowledge at least at my dealership we don't mind the warranty work, at least to my service manager as he won't have to pay a dime for extra labor hours it may take a tech (rust or unforeseen issues usually adds 20+ mins extra to normal labor times) to finish. Great for him/her, not so great in some cases for flat rate technicians. Warranty times are determined assuming the vehicle is in top non rusted condition which at least here in Wisconsin, everything short of cheese here rust due to all the salt we put during the winter. So for example 2013-14 CX 5 has a bulletin for premature wear of rear brake pads with rotors. Normally non warranty time would pay 2 hrs for complete replacement as well as removing rust and other crud. Warranty time for the same repair is 7/10 of an hour or 42 mins. If it exceeds the 7/10 of an hour the tech would eat the extra time and not get paid. But for some warranty work it sometimes works in our favor as we are given extra time.

Second is its up to the dealer or service manager to handle certain warranty claims as in the end a report gets sent to Mazda and only then after they approve of it will they pay up for the cost of parts/labor. If for any reason a warranty claim is denied then the dealership/service department will have to eat the cost. Some managers are ok with eating some the miss warranty claims while other are hesitant to warranty something if they know they may lose money on it.

So it mostly depends on how the service advisor/manger side handles warranty claims. Technically dealerships shouldnt be hesitant to doing warranty claims as its technically a customer's right to have an issue with their vehicle via the fault of the manufacturer to be addressed and not charged.

Hope this helps and please let me know if I wasnt clear on anything as im running on fumes from playing 3 hours of video games and its late.

 

[Levi3xt]

Thanks Snoogie for your comprehensive reply.

My query came very much from reading the Q and A section in the motoring section of our local newspaper. Almost every week someone would write in complaining how something had failed while still under warranty and the dealers were of little help.

Then, when the paper got involve, the car maker would be "oh so helpful". My thought always went back to, "why didn't the dealer take care of the problem in the first place".

Now your reply helps explain the situation some what. So again, thanks.

 

[anchorman]

Its a bit different here. If the dealer just throws parts and labour at a car without Mazda being convinced there is definitely a fault, they may well not get paid so they tend to be careful.

 

[Snoogie]

You are right there anchorman about convincing Mazda of a fault. Some are easier as if its a common problem then by default it gets fixed just as my brakes example up there mentioned. Now when it comes to that one part or issue that only a handful of cases have happen, convincing Mazda to pay for it takes a little bit more creativity. Many not know but it requires a lot of phone calls to Mazda and telling them what is going through the phone which is already hard to do. So yea there are, depending on the issue, things that dealerships are hesitant to work on especially if they know it would be hard to get an ok.

 

[Vipre77]

I've also heard something to the effect of allowances for hourly wages are different for warranty vs. non-warranty work and that the warranty rates tend to be less than the dealer would normally pay their techs. That's just a rumor I've heard and I've no idea if there's any truth to it. Might strictly be an issue related to prescribed repair time as Snoogie described.

 

[Snoogie]

To my knowledge, flat rate techs at my shop get paid their usual rate per hour and just get affected by the adjusted warranty time. Now I cannot speak for other shops and their policies so it is really hard to say.

 

[santa]

I have zero problems with my dealer.
Just been there as the car has started to make a noise when locking the car.
The mechanic and the service manager listen to it and they have ordered a new central locking motor.
I am to call them to arrange a time for repair when it suites me best, they will then do the annual rust inspection at the same time.

 

[ASH8]

As more and more cars (Mazda's) become increasingly Data updated and controlled, like the current Skyactiv range of Mazda's which has about 8 times as many DTC's Diagnostic Trouble Codes over the models they replaced.

Every electrical wiring circuit and apparatus has its own DTC, so diagnostics is relatively easy and these Codes and Data file print out must be attached to any warranty claims.

Any warranty work over about $1000 must have a prior approval code from MMCs local Distributor, like MNAO, MUK, MME, MA , MNZ.

Almost impossible to rip off Mazda with bogus warranty claims which will result in Dealer Termination, I have not seen this for over 10 years.

As for the OP, there is no 'bonus' work with Mazda Warranty, if this Dealer is your selling one it is in their interest to look after you. What exactly is the or your issue?

I would change Dealers and tell the new Dealer about your issues and report them to your local Mazda Distributor.

And Yes, there is a standard flat rate per Labour hour for Warranty Work (which varies per country), which is about 50% less than normal retail work.
Virtually all work has a standard Operation Number pertaining to that particular repair, update, or recall... with a set formula of Labour Hours. Symptom Codes, Damage Codes.
A Dealer can not just charge what they want, Mazda will only pay what is set out.
Some diagnostic time can be claimed, but also can be rejected long after the customer has car returned.

In my experience Mazda is very good almost excellent.

Obviously if the mechanic or 'technician' is not terribly good and or slow, then a Dealer will wear any extra hours wasted.

Part of my beef with Mazda Dealers in North America, is there are too many who are sloppy Dealers and need culling.
A strong Dealer Network will improve new car sales and margins.
New car sales for Mazda in North America (particularly USA) has been poor with no growth for past 17 years.