Rant - Hiley Mazda are a bunch of %$&@~*# idiots.

[altiain]

I've been driving around with no radio now for almost six weeks.

Back at the end of July, my OEM CD player died on me. It was still covered under my extended warranty, so I took the car to Hiley Mazda to have it repaired or replaced... and also to fix the transmission leak that they charged me for but didn't manage to actually fix when I dropped the car off in early July.

Two and a half weeks later, after constant badgering on my part to get the damn job done, I finally got my OEM CD player back. It worked just fine for all of three days, until it quit on me - again - on the way to Mineral Wells early one Saturday morning.

That was two weeks ago today. I took the car back the following Monday, explaining that the exact same problem was happening again. I was promised that my radio would be fixed ASAP. Yeah, right.

I called again yesterday afternoon to ask what the fvck was happening with my radio, since ASAP had turned into two weeks, and every time I call I get the same bloody runaround. This time I actually got a different response - although they have paperwork showing that I did indeed drop off the radio to be repaired, no one at the dealership knows where the radio currently is.

I'm so goddamn angry at these idiots I can't even see straight. I went down there yesterday afternoon and quite literally scared a couple of customers out of the service department I was yelling so loud. I'm just at my wits end - are these people really that bloody stupid? How can you lose a part that is in for repair the second time around? Does that not strike you as a textbook example of how NOT to provide customer service?

What can I do? As tempted as I was to take a lead pipe to everything within my reach while I was at the dealer yesterday, I'm not really interested in going to jail. I am, however, interested in inflicting as much pain and misery on the dealership as I legally can at this point. After all, I've got nothing to listen to in the car to distract me during my daily commute, which gives me plenty of time to plan evil deeds. Any suggestions?

[MarksM]

I despise Dealerships in general. I have to admit, however, Town North Mazda seems to be one of the best dealerships I have had to deal with. Get you radio back and try there. Penny, at the service desk, is one of the nicest people I've ever dealt with. She's a Miata driver herself.

[Mathews2004]

You could go Waco and burn your own house down?

[channelmaniac]

Well,

That's arson... He could go to jail for that too...

Those insurance companies think of everything, don't they?

[OUTRACE]

Contact the General Manager of the dealership. Tell him VERY CALMLY exactly what has happened. Tell him that you don't want to have to call your lawyer because it wouldn't solve the problem quickly or inexpensively. Then tell him what you expect.

You expect a complete BRAND NEW unit from their parts department and you expect to have it installed by a stereo shop of your choice. And yes, you expect they're going to pay for all of it.

[POS Racing]

Well at least we are not alone in our feelings for Hiley of Hurst.

A Refresher: http://forums.dfwmiata.com/viewtopic.php?t=233 & http://forums.dfwmiata.com/viewtopic.php?t=405

I talked to the GM and some regional dude from Mazda, as well as many phone calls and a letter and a bad survey response to Mazda. None of this wheel spinning ever resolved the issues we had. Although we were told numerous times how sorry they were that we were dissatisfied.

[BigDmiata]

I'm with MarksM, Town North in Richardson (Iknow its nowhere near you) takes good care of their customers. Penny is great to work with, Mike the head tech is great to work with, and Carey in the parts dept, has a track dog discount to outlaws. Dont know any legal ways to get Hiley to help ya, short of contacting your lawyer, which is expensive and time consuming.

[altiain]

Sigh.. after talking with the service manager this morning, I still don't have a definitive answer as to where my bloody radio is, and although I was promised a return call after he "looked into it", I've heard nothing, nor can I get him back on the phone. I think I'm going to drop in on the GM tomorrow morning and let him know how shoddy his staff is.

On a side note, it appears Mazda service sucks all over. From Edmunds.com's long term RX-8 test:

At the beginning of this rotation, the RX-8 made a visit to the dealer, Galpin Mazda in Santa Clarita, Calif. Erin Riches took care of this task, and wasn't too happy about the experience, as she suspected a Ferris Bueller's Day Off reenactment occurred while the car was in the hands of the service department. From her detailed notes comes this account: "I took the RX-8 in at 7:30 in the morning on a Friday (I had an appointment). I finally got to talk to a service advisor at 8 a.m. after waiting behind a pair of Lincolns, and asked for an oil change, tire rotation and the TSB fix for the oil level sensor (I brought the printout with me). I expected this routine service would take a couple of hours, so I didn't bother asking the advisor for a time estimate.

"Three hours after dropping the car off, I still hadn't received a call from the dealership, so I called them. It turned out that they were done with the oil change, tire rotation and a recall that came up for the airbag. But, said the service advisor, it's going to be another three hours until they finish installing the new sensor! I politely told him that in the future, it might be a good idea to give working people who drop off their cars a little heads up on how long a particular service is going to take — especially when they've come in for simple maintenance and an apparently minor TSB." Erin surmised that "it's possible that their slowness had something to do with the fact that this had been just a Lincoln-Mercury dealership until a couple months ago when Mazda sales and service was added. The service advisors seemed a little befuddled by the RX-8 and the Mazda 3 that pulled up behind me."

After another three hours, Erin still hadn't received a call from the dealer so she called them to inquire about the car's whereabouts. She was told that it was ready and when she got there to pick it up, was handed a bill of $46.89, which was pretty close to the original estimate. Everything seemed OK until Erin reviewed the paperwork after arriving home. "I saw that the RX-8 had been driven 23 miles during the service appointment. Scrutinizing the receipt, I saw that the service advisor translated my comment about the 'low oil' light occasionally coming on when the oil wasn't actually low into: 'Customer states that after oil changes, the oil light comes on.' This is totally inaccurate, of course, since the car had never had its oil changed until now, but this 'misinterpretation' allowed the dealer to justify road testing the car before and after the new parts were installed. Driving 23 miles in this area would put you well out of the city limits, so I'm guessing that somebody decided to take the car to lunch and for a joyride. You don't expect this to happen when you take a $30K car in for service, and this is reason enough for me to want to avoid using this dealership in the future."

Between the experiences I've had with this car and the issues I had with having my old RX-7 serviced, I honestly don't think I'm going to ever buy another Mazda. I might in the future buy a Spec Miata or an old clapped out Miata project car that would never likely see the dealer, but I'll certainly never buy a new or "almost new" Mazda again. Nothing that would require me to interact with an actual Mazda dealership. They might make some entertaining cars, but they just flat out don't have the faintest clue how to treat someone who has invested a five-figure sum in one of their products. There are plenty of other people out there who do know how to treat a customer who make entertaining cars as well.

Like Honda - it took me four days to have the transmission replaced in my '98 Prelude. Four days, from the time I dropped it off with a "it's making a funny noise in neutral" comment, to picking up the car with a new factory transmission. Nor did I ever have to pick up the phone and call to find out what was going on - the Honda service advisor took the novel approach of keeping me informed. What a concept.

Honda can replace my entire transmission in four days. Mazda can't even fix my CD player in fourteen days. The second time it comes in.

Pretty sad really, since I've owned more Mazdas - four - than any other kind of car. No more for me though - the dealership experiences I've had with the last two have just ruined it for me. Thankfully this one is relatively relaible and the extended warranty has finally expired, so I'll never have to deal with the pissant dealer again... once they find my goddamn radio.

[MarksM]

Most dealerships suck. Not too long ago I ran over a shovel's head on I-30. It bounced off a truck in front of me. I was lucky I wasn't any closer or farther back from the truck. The car was dead. I had to use Mazda's road-side assistance to get a tow. They took it to the nearest Mazda dealer. I would have taken it to Town North but I had no choice. I'll not name the dealership, just say it was in Mesquite.

I get the call telling me that the shovel head had penetrated the undertray and took out the crank sensor. OK, They would order a new crank sensor. Crank sensor finally arrives, they get it connected and call me to come get the car.

I pick up the car, drive it off the lot and the check engine light comes on. Back I go. Back in the rental.

Call 2, They didn't notice that the Crank pulley had been damaged also. They have to order that part too.

3 Days later, my car is ready. I pick it up, drive 3 miles. Check engine light comes on again. Back I go. Back into the rental.

Call 3, OK, We ran diagnostics on it and ran it through 6 key-on / key-off cycles and the check engine light is staying off.

I go pick up the car again. At this point it has been nearly 2 weeks since the tow truck dropped it off. Finally, it's fixed. At this point I blow-off the goop that was left on the passenger door handle and the sill plate from them removing the door panel to fix a balky window. I still haven't gotten all that crap off.

[onething]

Altiain - was this the Hiley on I20? I've always had good experiences there; even when I lived in Athens and stopped using the dealer in Tyler.

On the other hand, my Honda experiences at the dealer whose name sounds like a NASCAR guy called Rubberhead went way worse . . .

NEW 1st year CRV shifter would not move out of D when we stopped in my GF's front yard. Called assistance, told them it was AWD and needed a rollback. They sent a regular wrecker and had to go get a rollback. Then they hauled it to the wrong dealer and it became an insurance claim since the car had been wrecked - all undercarriage damage and a flat RR tire!

Final analysis a month later: mud in the housing where the shift cable goes into the tranny

[Majik]

NEW 1st year CRV shifter would not move out of D when we stopped in my GF's front yard.


Final analysis a month later: mud in the housing where the shift cable goes into the tranny

hmmm

[brock]

I have had some rather interesting experiences with Hiley of Hurst as well.

My engine started running really rough and started losing power one day on the way home from work. The check engine light came on when this started.

The service department was already closed by the time I got home, so I called them first thing in the morning. They told me to drive it in and they could look at it that day. GREAT! I managed to get about 200 yards from my driveway when the check engine light started blinking, and it felt like it was missing on 3 cylinders. This is usually REALLY BAD, so I killed the engine and called the service department. They said that it would be fine, and just to drive it the rest of the way (about 8 miles). I calmly told them that it felt like the car was only running on one cylinder, and they said just to try driving it. Like an idiot I went and started the car and drove it about another 50 yards before it died totally, and smelled like something was burning.

I called a tow truck and had it towed the rest of the way. After getting the car there I was told that they could not even start looking at it until the end of the day, and the soonest that I could have it back was "tomorrow." This was not a major problem, because at this point the miata was not a daily driver.

I got a call a few hours later. Bonus points for them for getting to it before the end of the day. They said that the O2 sensor was out, and that was what the problem was. I had them replace it, and picked it up that evening. I didn't even get it out of their parking lot before I noticed that it still did not have any power, and it still smelled like something was burning. Back it went. The next thing replaced was the plug wires. Picked up again. Still no power.

"Did you guys ever think about test driving it?"
Blank stare...

Next thing they tried was the coil pack. Still no power. Finally after several trips up there and over 1000 in parts and labor they finally found out what was going on.

Apparently when the O2 sensor went out unburnt fuel was deposited in the exhaust system. This burnt the cat out and partially clogged the exhaust system. It sounded fine under idle, or while moving around to park it in a parking lot. If you pressed the gas down half way however it started losing power and almost died. They replaced the cat and rear O2 sensor. Finally after 6 working days it was fixed, almost.

I started hearing an annoying rattle under acceleration and deceleration. Pulled the exhaust from the manifold back and started checking. A large piece of the cat had come loose and lodged itself in the muffler. Needless to say I was fuming by this point. Almost 2000 in repair bills and now I have to get a new muffler.

I doubt that they were just trying to sell parts that were not needed. I think that their approach to the matter was "just throw parts at it until something fixes it." Unfortunately this happens all too often, and not only in the automotive repair industry. It boils down to an issue with experience / training.

[POS Racing]

I have had some rather interesting experiences with Hiley of Hurst as well.

When did this happen??

[brock]

It was about Sept/Oct of 2000.

[POS Racing]

It was about Sept/Oct of 2000.

Were they still Freeman Mazda of Hurst back in 2000?

[brock]

I think that they may have been, now that you mention it.

[POS Racing]

I think that they may have been, now that you mention it.

It's good to know they haven't changed their level of service even with the new owners!

[bigDstars]

Iain, curious to know what's on your list of cars if your not considering another Mazda......

[altiain]

Iain, curious to know what's on your list of cars if your not considering another Mazda......

Well, I'll be keeping the Miata for the forseeable future as a track/autocross car. The extended warranty has finally expired, so I won't be going back to the dealer again for anything.

My "fun" side had seriously been considering a base RX-8 or a loaded Mazda3 (my price range for the next OTM will be in the low $20k area) as my next car. However, with this current servicing debacle I'll probably let the practical side win (which would consist of my wife ), and go mid-size SUV shopping instead. I don't want a car-based 'ute (not enough towing capacity), but at the same time I don't need a seven seater Expedition-sized land yacht. The two I've done the most research on are '01+ Infiniti QX4s and '98+ 4Runners, but I might cross shop the '02+ V8 Exploders as well. All three will tow over 5000 pounds (although that requires getting the "Towing Package" with a tranny cooler and different rear-end ratio with the Exploder, while it merely requires a Class III hitch and brake controller on the QX4 and 4Runner), and the Q and the Exploder both offer pavement friendly AWD versions.

As much as I'd prefer to have another sports car, we've both agreed that it would be a good idea if my next car had room for a child seat, since we intend to start a family some day soon. I thought the RX-8 might be a good compromise (sporty car with an easily accessable back seat), but I won't buy one now - I can't imagine how hard it would be to get it serviced if I can't even get a radio fixed in six weeks.

Besides, buying a tow vehicle would open up the possibility of replacing the Miata with something truly impractical in four or five years - Birkin? Used Radical? Spec Miata?

I'm leaning towards a QX4 at the moment. Infiniti has a good reputation for service (second highest ranked behind Lexus) and reliability, and the QX4 offers a bunch of stuff that I can't get on a previous gen 4Runner (memory seats - good when you're 6' and your wife is 5'1", Xenon headlights, seat heaters, full-time AWD, limited slip rear diff, 50 more hp and 40 more lb-ft of torque). They also don't seem to hold their value like Toyotas, which means more truck with fewer miles for the same money. But we'll see - I won't be buying anything until after the new year, and who knows what oculd happen by then? Gas could go up to $4 a gallon, in which case I'll probably go looking for an Insight or Civic Hybrid.

[jason hiley]

My name is Jason Hiley. I am the owner and president of Hiley Mazda and I see that some of you have had problems with the service department at the Hurst location. I would like you to email me personally in the future with your concerns at [email protected]. You should give us another shot if you haven't been in lately. We had a lot of problems when we bought the store but have since gotten them fixed and are currently running nearly 100% customer satisfaction - the highest in the area. Sorry to anyone who had problems in the past. Jason