So, my little brother bought himself a new Mazda3 not long ago. He took it to the dealer for the first oil change not long ago, and on his way home noticed that the car was not running right. A quick check of oil level indicated that there was very little oil in the engine-- a call to confirm with them seemed to indicate that they had filled it up less than 1/4 of the way (and the tech seemed to indicate this was not the first time that had happened there).

Anyways, looking for advice on how to deal with this. They want to add oil and call it good, claiming they will "inspect the engine for any possible issues", but we all know they won't bother checking anything. Anyone have any experience with a situation like this or any suggestions on how to handle this?

 

Write a letter, post on Yelp/forums/make it public until they satisfy you. Service/oil change certificates/credits?

I hate businesses who don't take responsibility for their actions. Accountability these days is hard to find.

 

Anything more specific than the car wasn't running right? If he could tell there was a problem with low oil from the way it was driving, then my thought is that there could be damage. Unless something is knocking or the rings got knocked out of it, the dealership isn't going to find anything.

I would contact Mazda of America to see what they say. I would insist on:

a. Free maximum extended warranty. If it gets a clean bill of health by a factory mechanic or mechanic from another dealership.

or

b. New motor.

Who know's what the cam bearings look like now, valve seals, crank/rod bearings? If they are scuffed you might not see any problems for a while. It would take a full tear down to make sure.

Play hard ball. Get an attorney if you have to.

 

Yup, they screwed up and should give you an apology, this can be in form of what exb00st suggested. Of course, do you really want free service from a place that just screwed up a simple oil change?

 

M of A basically said, in so many word, f you, deal with the dealership. It's not our problem...


I'm planning on at least an extended warranty--there is likely damage, but not necessarily anything that will manifest itself immediately.

 

I deal with these exact types of situations everyday. Calling Mazda of America will not accomplish anything. If a McDonalds employee undercooks your burger resulting in food poison, you don't call their corporate office. MCDonalds North America or even MCDonalds Global cannot control the culinary proficiency of its thousands of cooks. You deal with the franchise owner.

That said, a new engine is out of the question because the existing one is still running. Is that correct? And you have no existing proof the engine has any damage. You are just speculating there will be future problems but the truth is you really don't know, correct? Thus no new engine for you.

A lawyer will accomplish nothing because your brother has not suffered any ACTUAL damages at this time except for a lot of stress and some wasted time.

Your best bet is to work with the dealership general manager and discuss all of the events. Negotiate a free extended warranty (total longshot) or a bunch of free oil changes and car washes (more likely). Unless the engine is demonstratably damaged/seized, the dealership only owes you a completed oil change and an apology.

 

I would run it at redline in park until the motor seized and get a new one and sue them for a new car....

or you could add oil and have them document the hell out of the oil starvation caused by their negligence. Then if the motor lets go under warranty, you'll get a new motor anyway.

 

I work for a dealership, I work for MINI and BMW and with us actually if you contact the corporate office they take action also.

We've had mishaps when a seal broke on a oil service and they replaced the engine no questions asked.

 

What caused the seal to fail? Faulty part, manufacturer defect, or a technicians error? There is a BIG difference between a mechanics error and a faulty component. You should clarify to avoid misleading anyone into thinking the manufacturers will hand out engines.

 

Do what I did with Ford. Sell the car and never go near a Mazda store for 25 years. Voting with your cash is the only way to make a statement.