ComplaintsforMed Center Mazda

• Initial Complaint

  06/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My daughter and I own a 2016 Mazda 6. My daughter takes the vehicle in to be serviced on April 2, 2022, stating that she wanted to get the brakes checked. While there, the service dept. changed the calibers, replaced or serviced spark plugs, changed the oil etc. When she arrived to pick the car up, they said nothing about the problem she came in for. She asked them if they checked the brakes. The technician prepared a video of the full circle inspection. In the video he says that the "brakes" are fine & the "rotors" are ok. On June 6, 2022 she takes the car in again to get the brakes checked. The technician informs her that she needs to have the back brakes and rotors replaced and the front rotors resurfaced. She had these things done, paid, and left the facility. Later the same day she informed me of what was done. I called and spoke to the Service Manager to let him know of the unsatisfactory service we had received. The inspection 2 months earlier was green. She trusted the technician's video saying that the "brakes" & "rotors" were fine. No additional services needed. The Service Manager said rotors are not normally check with a full circle inspection but the technician clearly says on the video that the brakes and "rotors" were fine. The Service Manager stated the brake complaint was never listed on the April ticket however if the calibers needed to be replaced, a technician should have checked the rotors before replacing the calibers due to the fact that Calibers can cause the rotors to be warped. I asked the service manager if the warped rotors could be covered under a warranty. He explained that the warranty was up at 36,000 miles. We purchased the car at 69,795 miles and now the mileage reads 100,675. We've only put 30,880 miles on the car. The Service Manager asked what I wanted him to do about the issue and I said I would like a discount on the $****** service fee my daughter had been charged. My daughter was taken advantage of. He chuckled.

  

  Business response

  07/15/2022

  Sorry for the late response, I have tried updating our contact information, but it doesn't seem to be saving. 

  In regards to the complaint, the customer had the vehicle in our shop on 12/06/2021 and mentioned the brakes were squeaking and scrubbing when pressed. We had our technician take a look at the brakes and did not find anything wrong with them. The technician actually noted the brake pads seemed fairly new(not performed by Med Center Mazda), as they were not genuine Mazda parts. It is not unusual for brakes to squeak sometimes as they heat up and cool down. 

  On April 2, 2022, the vehicle was in for service, but no mention of any brake problem was told to the service advisor. We performed an oil change, tire rotation and the replacement of 4 spark plugs. All normal and routine maintenance for a vehicle with 97,000 miles at that time. Customer noted in complaint, "that we changed the calipers", however, we did NOT replace anything related to the brakes on this visit. 

  On June 6, 2022, the vehicle was in for service, the customer stated her car may need new tires because it was shaking very badly in the steering wheel when the brakes were applied. After the technician inspected the vehicle, he recommended replacing the rear rotors on the vehicle, new brake pads and the right rear caliper. 

  I do agree with the customer that if the calipers had needed to be replaced in the April visit, then we should have also caught any issues with the rotors, brakes, etc, The problem is, the customer is mistaken, because there were no calipers replaced during the April visit. In fact, there brakes were not touched, just a simple visual inspection to make sure the pads were still measuring above replacement level. Basically, a check to make sure the pads were not worn out. And at that visit in April, the technician didn't see any wear problem with the brakes. Many times, if we notice brake pad usage is getting lower, but still above minimum levels, we will prepare the customer for the needed brake pad installation on their next service visit. 

  I believe with information being relayed from daughter to mother, that there was some misunderstandings on what we actually performed on a specific visit and what was recommended for their next service visit. 

  To be told we took advantage of our customer is disappointing to hear. We only recommend services that are necessary on that specific visit. To say we took advantage of her daughter is completely false, see below:

  December 2021 visit, customer stated brakes were squeaking. We didn't lie and say the brakes needed replacement. That would be taking advantage of someone. Not to mention, it would be just flat out wrong. As a matter of fact, we actually said we didn't find anything wrong with brakes. 

  June 2022 visit, customer stated she thinks she needs new tires because the vehicle is shaking when brakes are applied. If we were dishonest, we could have simply said you are right. Instead, we did not recommend tires and instead said the vibration is coming from the need to replace the rear rotors and brake pads, along with a caliper. Not both calipers, but just one, since only one was damaged. 

  That is a 6 month time span between the two service visits dealing with squeaking brakes and/or vibration in the steering wheel. Anything could have happened in that time period that would have caused our technicians to not see something as a concern in December 2021. A small pebble/rock could have gotten lodged in the caliper and caused the brake pad to start damaging the rotors, rotors that are hot from a lot of braking and then run through water, can cause damage, or it could have just simply been time to replace the rotors. The vehicle is noted as having 100,658 miles on its last visit, with no record of ever having the rotors replaced. 

  Thank you, 

  ***** ******

  **************************

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