I am actually just coming back from the dealership. For a couple of months now I've had to park my car outside overnight due to renovations we are doing in the house. Since then, I've been driving with a pool of water inside the vehicle. Initially I thought that maybe one of the kids spilled something in the car, but after cleaning it up the water returned. Finally I had some time to put the car for service yesterday.
It took the guys a couple of hours to figure out what the problem was - a grommet in the firewall "popped out" and was leaking water into the cabin. Unfortunately, the grommet itself was fine and just needed to be popped back in. Why "Unfortunately"? Because it appears that if the grommet had to be replaced, the whole thing would be covered by warranty. But since the grommet just "popped out", it was considered an "Adjustment" that is only subject to 12 months warranty instead of the normal 48 months warranty.
The dealership gave me the following repair cost breakdown:
- Diagnostics $105
- Repair $105
- Carpet replacement $450
The service person at the dealership was also kind enough to inform me that even though he cannot cover it under warranty, he thought that this kind of thing should never happen and that I should contact Mazda customer care about it. According to him, this grommet cannot possibly just pop out on its own. And since the car never had any major repairs done to it, he thought it likely to be a manufacturing issue.
Of course, I did contact Mazda. I was able to get Johnny (he wouldn't give me his last name, only his extension number - 1154) on the line. He was very nice, took all my information, and promised to call the dealership and then call me back. A few hours later, I talked with the dealership and they told me that Johnny talked with them a couple of hours before that. Apparently he didn't find the time to call me back yet. I called and left him a message. Half an hour later I finally got the call back.
Johnny informed me what I already knew - since the part did not need to be replaced, Mazda is considering it an adjustment and will not cover the repairs under warranty. Johnny agreed with me that this was likely a manufacturing problem, and it is likely that the problem existed all along, but this did not seem to change the outcome of the decision. As a "good will", Johnny was willing to send me a coupon for about half the repair costs.
I told Johnny that I couldn't see how this decision was reasonable and that I didn't agree with this decision. So he receded the offer. I demanded to talk with his manager. Johnny said no. I explained to him that I wasn't going to get off the line until I spoke with his manager. Eventually, Johnny hung up on me.
The bottom line is that the car is still in the dealership and I'm pondering what to do. I don't necessarily disagree with Mazda's position that adjustments should not be covered for the full length of the warranty, but I think that there should definitely be an exception for what is obviously a manufacturing issue from the beginning!
As I said, I hate my Mazda.
