In 2008 my wife and I bought a 2008 Mazda 5. (Here is a review I wrote on the Mazda 5). We love our car. It suits our family perfectly. It is/was also the only vehicle on the market that has all the specific features we wanted. We had the odd warranty issue, though it never really deterred us as we understand things happen, besides, they were covered.
In early 2010 (or possibly late 2009) the left rear shock blew out and leaked all over. Courtenay Mazda replaced it under warranty. In September 2010 the right rear shock blew out. Mazda replaced it under warranty. Our warranty ran out in April of 2011, then in January of 2012, 16 months after it was replaced, the rear right shock blew out again.
We are pretty easy on our car, no off-roading or fast speed bumps. We take it pretty easy. There is NO way a shock should die after just over a year. There is obviously a problem with these stock Mazda 5 shocks.
To reinforce this fact, Mazda is now putting the beefier 2012 model shocks on all older Mazda 5’s when replacements are necessary indicating they acknowledge the previous part was insufficient. (Should this not have been a recall or TSB issue then?)
So here I am. Another blown shock. But the way I see it, even though my purchase warranty is up, the replacement shock Courtenay Mazda put in just over a year ago should be covered under its own warranty, so I take the car into Mazda.
I ask the parts guy about it. He looks me up in the computer and says no, it will not be covered. I am pissed. 16 months for a shock? He tells me he will give me a deal on parts and labour. The shocks are $149 each and the labour is about $100. He takes off 25% and quotes me about $300 plus tax. The shocks they will use are from the new 2012 model.
I tell the parts guy, no, I will take the care elsewhere and put aftermarket shocks on it. The Mazda shocks are not ones I can trust, and besides the warranty is terrible. The parts guy says, and this is an exact quote, “They don’t make aftermarket shocks for the Mazda 5. All shops have to come to us to get them”.
This pisses me off, but fine, if it is my only solution I will let Courtenay Mazda fix the car and shell out the $350 after taxes.
I go home and start researching. Wouldn’t you know it, Monroe makes an aftermarket shock that fits the Mazda 5! (Here it is). And guess what, it also has a LIFETIME Warranty! And Guess what else, they are on sale and cost only $50.54 each right now (regular price was $67.39). Canadian Tire can have them installed for $211 AFTER all taxes.
Not only is this much cheaper, the more important take away is that AFTERMARKET SHOCKS DO EXIST FOR THE MAZDA 5. The parts guy at Courtenay Mazda full out LIED to me. You’re Busted buddy.
My wife called Courtenay Mazda to complain about the whole situation and was forwarded to the owner (I am not sure what his name is). He said he would look into it and promised to call us by Monday. Well Monday came and went and we did not hear a word from him.
Even if the answer was still “no” we will not replace the parts for free, had the owner called us back he could have saved some face with us. While it may not have been enough to keep our business, it may have prevented me from writing this blog post which will hopefully rank well in Google for “Courtenay Mazda”.
Devils Advocate
Okay, while I am 100% certain, the parts guy at Mazda full out lied to me, I want to play devils advocate, because I do recognize that it IS possible that hey truly believed that there were no aftermarket shock options. I find it very hard to believe that this could be true, BUT it is possible.
It is possible that the parts guy did NOTHING wrong. After all, he is just following Mazda’s policies – its those policies that are the problem. In the parts guys defense, he did also offer me a discount on the repairs for what its worth.
So if we take the lie out of the equation, the whole thing is still pretty bad, that Mazda can’t warranty a replacement part that they know is insufficient. It wreaks of “evil doing”. Lets sell this guy a part we know will break soon, then sell it to him again, and again, and again, AND lets charge 3 times what a reliable warrantied part will cost him elsewhere.
The fact that the owner didn’t return his call like he said he would just throws gas on the fire and makes them look worse.
The Parts Guy
I want to add one more thing about the parts guy. I know his name, but am not putting it in here incase he truly did not lie to me, because if he thought he was telling the truth, the only thing he did “wrong” was follow policies set by the dealership. I have run into this particular parts guy a few times at parties, and he is genuinely a nice guy. Parts Guy, you know who you are, If you really believed that aftermarket parts did not exist then then you and I are good, if you really did lie, then you are dead to me.
UPDATES:
Jan 24, 2012: We had the new shocks installed by Canadian Tire. Car is running like new again. Guy at Canadian Tire told me that someone from “Courtenay Mazda” (cause it said so on the call display) called to ask about his “wifes” mazda 5. Certainly this was either the parts guy or the owner, probably checking to see if we could actually get it cheaper there. Funny that they wouldnt “*67″ the call or wait and call from home. Too funny.
Jan 26, 2012: The owner of Courtenay Mazda told us on Saturday Jan 21′st that he would call us back on Monday. Today is Thursday Jan 26, and still no word from him. I don’t think we will ever hear from him, but its too late anyways.
Feb 13, 2012: Well, still no-one has got back to me. I kind of thought someone would have by now. I have added a poll below as well, so please vote, and comment with more details!
Have you dealt with Courtenay Mazda in the past?
Please answer our unscientific poll below. Also, please post more info in the comments (Both GOOD & BAD will be posted – I want to see stories from both sides)
Loading ...Mazda 5 Suspension Issues
Also, here are some places where people are noting that the shocks in their MAZDA 5 are insufficient. I am posting these links to help show, that it is not just my car, but a known Mazda 5 issue.
- Edmonds: Mazda 5 Suspension
- Mazdas257: Strut and shock replacement ideas
- Forums.RedFlagDeals: Mazda 5 Suspension Issues
- MPV Club: SICK of Suspension issues on my 2006 Mazda5 GT
- Yahoo Answers: Does anyone else have 2008 Mazda 5 Suspension/busing issues?
- Have a related link? Please post in the comments!
I’ve had 2 incidents with Courtenay Mazda service and will never go there again. The first was with a loose console on my Mazda B3000, I took it to Courtenay Mazda and they said the console had to be replaced at a cost of $200 plus labor. I thought this to be a bit much and went to a friend’s shop and borrowed a telescoping mirror to have a look inside the console. Turned out there was a loose hex nut which I tightened. Have had no problems with it since. There wasn’t a damn thing wrong with the console.
The second was more recent – I had the timing belt done on my 626 a couple of years ago. At the time they said the water pump was leaking and should also be replaced, which I did. After getting an oil change at a fast lube place recently they noticed the valve seals were leaking, so I took it in to Courtenay Mazda to get this fixed. Surprise, surprise, while doing this work they said the water pump was leaking (2 years and 20,000 km since the previous one was replaced) and needed to be replaced again, which cost me an extra $200. I talked to the service manager about this and he was unable to explain why the water pump would need to be replaced again so soon but after humming and hawing he finally said that parts were only warranted for 1 year, tough luck.
I have also had some equally bad experiences with the salespeople at Courtenay Mazda.
Bottom line, I don’t trust the service or sales departments at this dealership and will never set foot in it again.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comment.
I see no reason why a water pump would go after 2 Years / 20,000k. I am no mechanic but I would say that it would have to either be a faulty part, or installed incorrectly. Its not like its a wear and tear item like your breaks or clutch that you could kill early on your own.
We haven’t had the same issue with sales people. When we bought our Mazda 5, we went dealt with Mike (can’t think of his last name). Didn’t have any problems with him at all. I do though, to this day, regret not trying to get a better deal on the car. We paid sticker, but got about $500 in free credit for accessories (which were things we wanted to buy anyways). so effectively we got $500 off the sticker. I always wondered if we pushed if we could have done better, I suspect we could have, but I of course mostly blame myself for not trying harder, after all they certainly wont offer a bigger discount when they know they have made the sale.
Another thing that irked me a bit with them was scheduling for servicing. I would schedule the car in, arrive on time, and it would sit in the parking lot for easily a half hour to an hour before they would even get started. Often I would be stuck there for as long as 2 hours for an oil change! Sure they washed the car, but 2 hours just wasn’t working for me, so I started taking it to the oil change place next to A&W – in and out in 15 to 20 min, and the cost was pretty much the same – Time is money!
i live out of town,devoted to coutenay mazda since 2005…currently having issues with dealership,and car .have bought 2 new vehicles there.well treated untill ,2011, i had a major issue with car.not satisfied with there fix(safety concern).now have real concernes regarding the engine,due to lack of service on thier part. will definetly update later.find you need to deal with Doug(owner) to get results.
I think it is hilarious that a few days after I put the first review ever for Courtenay Mazda on Google Places, two more reviews were posted right away, both raving about how awesome they are.
I smell a rat. Seems like a pretty odd coincidence if you ask me. Probably the sales manager or someone posting these reviews.
Yes!!! I have similar issue with my 2008 Mazda5, rear shocks blew about 2 years back, got it fixed under warranty and here I am, Agincourt Mazda is telling me to fix the leaking rear suspension will put me down by about $420/- plus taxes. I hope someone starts something with Mazda, as I read they have so many suspension issues, especially with the Mzada5 and not to mention about the power steering issue which they had. The dealers want me to service the power steering which they fixed it like 18 months back! what a rippp offf these guys! and my car has only 63,000!!!
Just a word about parts replaced under warranty: replacement parts are usually covered by the original part’s warranty, they do not typically come with a ‘new’ warranty of their own. Say a part has a 1 year warranty and it fails during the first month. For the next 11 months you can have that part replaced as many times as is necessary for free, but if a replacement part fails after that year is up you are out of luck. I’m not saying it is right, it’s just how it is.
Hi Dean,
You’re right. I have since learned that. That said, that single item alone is not what resulted in the writing of this post. It was a series of things, from that, the fact I was told I had no alternative but to get the work done at Mazda (when in reality I got it done elsewhere with a better warranty for half the price), and the fact that this was the third time the shocks went. BUT the real tipping point was when my wife called Courtenay Mazda and spoke with the owner. He said he would look into it and call us right back. We never heard back from him again. That was the straw so to speak.
(On a side note, turns out the Lemon Laws in some states, including California, would come into effect at the third replacement and result in the vehicle being replaced at the cost of the manufacturer… therefore, if we lived in California, our vehicle would have been replaced! Too bad no law like this exists anywhere in Canada!)
The Mazda5 is a lemon and both Mazda Canada and the dealerships know that. Have a 2007 and have wrestled with issues from day 1 and am still dealing with brake and suspension problems. Warped rotors at 20K (replaced) and 60K and a never ending list of suspension issues (front and rear) that they never seem to be able to diagnose or repair. The vehicle has spent more time in the service bay than on the road and an online search reveals I’m not the only one. Mazda dealerships won’t warranty their stuff past one year so recommend going elsewhere, where you’ll find service that cares about the customer and is accountable. Last time I buy a Mazda or have it serviced at a Mazda dealership. Very helpful blog!
Hi Sonny,
I don’t necessarily agree that the Mazda5 in general is a lemon. Certainly, it sounds like yours is, and that just sucks!
I think searching online is misleading to determine if a vehicle in general is a lemon – simply because those who want to complain (myself included) take their complaints, questions, etc, to the forums and blog world and make themselves heard. Those who are totally in love with their vehicles and have no problems tend to just keep quiet.
You are right though, aftermarket repairs seem to be the best bet once out of warranty – I am getting that impression from a few places along with my own experience!
Thanks for the comment!
I don’t trust Courtenay Mazda and tell people to avoid them. Every time I used to go I there for an oil change, I get a ‘ sorry for the bad news but you need 1400-3000′ of work done. Every time. So I’d take the quote elsewhere and either it was half the price or worse, not required. They’ve told me I needed new brakes when I have just had them done elsewhere….the last service manager told me that my warranty would be void if i got work done elsewhere. I reported this to Mazda Canada and they assured me it wasn’t true. Also, they don’t rotate your tires when you ask them to, then tell you that you need new tires because they are cupping. I could go on. I will never buy another Mazda because of courtenay Mazda. Do not trust them!
Wow
Sounds like there is company uncertainty.
When 1 buys a car from a dealer the incentive is to have your service done there. To keep repeat business ongoing. Good to khow before 1 buys what’s ahead. Thanks to all for their stories about after the sale. Will think about what we will buy and which Mazda dealership.
Wayne