Dave Wood Mazda DAMAGED my painted wheels and LIED about it!

[Crimson]

Story:

I had gotten my RX-8 wheels sandblasted/powdercoated at Carcone's up here in Aurora about 2 weeks ago and just last week I went up to Dave Wood Mazda up in Newmarket to get an oil change.

I had put the wheels on myself, very very careful mind you to not scratch anything, before heading up to Dave Wood for the oil change. Spoke with Cecily at the service desk and during the oil change she told me that I put on 2 of the tires on the wrong sides. So I figured, OK, I must've mixed up 2 of the wheels and put them wrong. So Cecily tells me that they are going to rotate those 2 tires and they did (charging me $10 for it by the way).

So after oil change/rotation is done, I head to work only to realize that my steering wheel is vibrating between 90-120km/h or so. I figured I would drive a day or 2 more just to make sure it's consistent, and it was. So I called Cecily back and told her about the vibration and she told me to come back. (I posted this vibration issue in the Wheels section a few days ago.)

So this morning I went up to Dave Wood Mazda and they looked at my car and told me it was a balancing issue, and I told them to go ahead and get them balanced.

So after close to 1h30min later, balancing is done, and I'm charged $62.15 for the balancing. Everything was done and I was out the door heading towards my car and I see the following:

http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_01.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_02.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_03.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_04.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_05.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_06.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_07.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_08.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_09.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_10.jpg
http://aci.on.ca/~arvinz/wheel_11.jpg

That's on EVERY wheel, not just one.

Thinking it was dirt at first, I tried to brush it off with my finger only to realize they were scratches! I couldn't believe my eyes as I had just cleaned the wheels before I came in to Dave Wood.

I went back into Dave Wood very calm and asked Cecily to come outside with me to see the car. I told her that those scratches were NOT there when I brought the car in, and to my surprise her response was that the scratches were there before I came in. I almost did a double-take at this point. That's when I said "You gotta be kidding me".

I told her that I JUST gotten the wheels painted not too long ago and they were perfect when I picked them up and perfect when I came here. She completely denied any involvement in it, in fact, she went as far as saying they were "paint drips" or "touch-ups" as she carefully stated.

At this point I was extremely furious because you can CLEARLY see that the markings indicate they used a cone device to balance the wheels, and as a result, they damaged every single wheel. The markings are exactly the same on all wheels. Even after I mentioned this to her she still denied anything.

So this is when I figured I'd chat with their service manager Troy and get things straightened out. He comes out to check out the car and once again, HE SAYS THE SAME THING: the scratches were there before I came in, and he also mentioned that Cecily had told him before getting the balancing done that the wheels had scratches on them.

I literally wanted to punch this guy in the head because I couldn't believe how blatantly they were lying right to my face.

In the end, they did not take ownership over the damaged wheels.

I stormed off and went directly to Carcone's and told them the issue and how Dave Wood Mazda lied to face about it and everyone there couldn't believe it. They were literally laughing at how ridiculous it was. The gentleman at Carcone's new right away that the balancing device damaged it.

On the good side of things, Carcone's will redo my wheels, free of charge because they didn't want to stir any trouble up with Dave Wood Mazda (since they get a lot of business with them).

So to sum everything up:

A big "**** YOU" to Dave Wood Mazda, and,
A big "THANK YOU" to Carcone's.

- Crimson

[mleblond]

Holy F*** man that is really bad! you did not talk to the owner of the dealership? Man I would be pissed and would make them pay. the guy who did the job probably got yelled at when you left lol

[Crimson]

Believe me when I tell you that I won't step back into that dealership without a bat or a 9 iron.

[chinsterr]

What idiots. Had that been my car ... man, I would have taken out the service manager :)

[Mafty]

i would have been at the manager instantlly if every single rim was damaged. especially after just having them powdercoated. im glad carcones is fixing it for you.

[Fobio]

Holy F*** man that is really bad! you did not talk to the owner of the dealership? Man I would be pissed and would make them pay. the guy who did the job probably got yelled at when you left lol

Or maybe Carcone's already got the call as soon as you left the dealership and "somebody" will be paying for the wheel refinishing...prolly took them the whole hour and a half to hash out the plan for denial... In essence, the dealership "didn't do anything" and you owe Carcone's a favour...

"The US gov't will not say sorry. They will pay you, but they won't say sorry." Gerry Spence, defence lawyer for the beseiged family at Ruby Ridge.

[07Speedfreak]

wow that sucks so bad man :(

[WeatherB]

Ya, very sad that you cannot trust a Mazda dealership. They fix one thing and damage two others.

We need more Jimmy's out there.

[Cardinal Fang]

My mechanic who puts on my winter tires is farking anal about these types of things. When I first brought my car in to have the tires changed to winters before he even took off a wheel he called me to let me know that the OEM rims had some scratches on it. I said that's no problem and to go ahead. He's rational was "I just don't want you thinking I did it."

Maybe it's too much to ask for them to call you.

[mEtH]

WOW! That is ridicoulous... :loco Makes me think twice about that place.
On the other side it makes me want to take my wheels to carcone :)

[cwp_sedan]

I would be pissed!!!! That sucks man. Definitely don't let them get away with out fixing them!!

[Crimson]

Ya I haven't planned anything yet but I might head back to the dealership with some support and talk with whoever is in charge.

When I came home today from work I immediately wrote up my story just to share it with you guys so you know to NEVER get ANY work done there.

What's incredible is I just took a look at the receipt for the balancing and it says on it that the marks were there prior to them working on it. That blows me away.

I'll see what I can do, hopefully I can get Mazda to pay me for the rims, and since Carcone's is repainting them for free, it would be a win/win situation for me.

- Crimson

[Cardinal Fang]

Crimson, please check your PM please.

[DWMmotorsport]

I will look into this for you. If I think the is a chance we damaged the wheels I will have Carcone's send the bill to us.

[Donutz]

Ouch! It looks like this may get worked out for you, but what a p!sser. I'd be absolutely irate.

[Fobio]

:pop

I have heard that Dave Woods is actually one of the more "mod friendly" and better dealerships to deal with...so I'm very interested in the outcome of this.

[Crimson]

:pop

I have heard that Dave Woods is actually one of the more "mod friendly" and better dealerships to deal with...so I'm very interested in the outcome of this.

Well to be quite frank, I've had several of my mods done at Dave Wood. I've had 2 intakes installed there with several other little tidbits done. And I agree, they have been very friendly until today.

I just find the whole thing really outrageous. I have two receipts from them in the past week and a half and a bunch of pictures I took of my car before and after the rims got damaged. I posted 2 pics in my section under members (Crimson's CTR3) which was right after I got my wheels put on and they were in perfect condition. I have NOT been to any other dealership in the last 2 weeks so there is NO reason to think anyone else did this. If they want proof I have tons of stuff to show them.

- Crimson

[3GFX]

I hope it turns out man. Jeese that sucks.

[bunchi]

ouch! the scratches are bad man... go back there and ask for the cone that they use to hold the wheels in the balancing machine and prove to them that it is in fact, them who scratched ur rims! sorry to hear that, glad that Carcone's willing to do it for you fee of charge.

[baymoe]

Why on earth was the cones used on that portion of the wheel to balance in the first place. Don't think the wheel guy is even trained/qualified to do such a task. Hope you get all this sorted out.

[Crimson]

Why on earth was the cones used on that portion of the wheel to balance in the first place. Don't think the wheel guy is even trained/qualified to do such a task. Hope you get all this sorted out.

Good question, I hope to find out about this real soon.

- Crimson

[msequence]

ouch.. those hurt wheels :( im sure they will get it sorted out for you.. DWM are good guys...

[Crimson]

I will look into this for you. If I think the is a chance we damaged the wheels I will have Carcone's send the bill to us.

I appreciate you looking into this but with all due respect, I will be heading back to you guys on Saturday to get this sorted out myself.

- Crimson

[Dragazn]

It feels like we need to take a bunch of before pictures before we even step foot into a dealership. Makes me feel so unsafe and uneasy about getting a Mazda car serivced at a Mazda dealership. Unfortunately I hear too many stories similiar to this situation.

[oni]

Man, that sucks dude. I'm glad that you are getting it fixed one way or the other. Makes me nervous too since I'll be having my first maintenance check done my car.

Does the process take a long time...maybe you can just watch them next time so we can see exactly what they are doing. That's probably, what I am going to do.

[DWMmotorsport]

Nothing will happen on a Saturday. Left message on your home phone numer on record.
Please give me a call (KEVIN) at the dealership. I have talked to Carcones this morning and can resolve this problem quickly.

[Crimson]

Man, that sucks dude. I'm glad that you are getting it fixed one way or the other. Makes me nervous too since I'll be having my first maintenance check done my car.

Does the process take a long time...maybe you can just watch them next time so we can see exactly what they are doing. That's probably, what I am going to do.

Well, I did find it odd that it took a little over an hour and a half to do wheel balancing. I can understand it taking that long if it was extremely busy and if I hadn't booked a time, but I had booked a time for 8:30am and there were maybe 1 or 2 other people there, so I can't see them using that angle for any reason.

By the way, any mechanics on the board that can confirm that the damage done is clearly from the balancing machine or the cone they used? It would be great if someone can post a picture of it the cone so I get an idea of what it looks like.

This is the best picture I could find that shows a cone shape piece that fits into the lug area:

http://www.prealign.com/images/wheelbalancer.jpg

[yellowmp5]

hurts to see those scratches,

but DWM has been very very very friendly w/ me,
espeically Eric @ the counter and Kevin..... i've had my yellow protege 5
serviced there....nothin' but good feedbacks!
nevertheless, i live in SCARBOROUGH TOO!

i've had my P5 lowered + Front lip, when goin' onto the alignment machine,
they cracked my lip and they were very very responsible by fixing it
and repainting the whole lip....

sorry for your misfortune, i'm sure it may be a little mis-communicating there...
best of luck...

[Fobio]

Looking at that peice of equipment and having seen it many times myself before, I can honestly say that some noob mechanic completely fuxxed it up...because if you've ever worked that machine, the cone is supposed to fit snug against the face and not spin agiainst it to create those marks on your wheel.

Hopefully, the good dealership is taking care of you and this get resolved to your satisfaction.

[mleblond]

I don't think your supposed to use the cone! From what I remember when I used to do tire and wheels one summer. There's 2 different pieces you can use to secure the wheel. One like the picture with a cone and one that just tights the center ring like this...
http://www.aa1car.com/library/wheel_balancer.jpg
or this:
http://www.discounttyresuk.co.uk/112_1282.jpg

[Crimson]

Looking at that peice of equipment and having seen it many times myself before, I can honestly say that some noob mechanic completely fuxxed it up...because if you've ever worked that machine, the cone is supposed to fit snug against the face and not spin agiainst it to create those marks on your wheel.

Hopefully, the good dealership is taking care of you and this get resolved to your satisfaction.

Yea....I think I'm more angry for the fact that they aren't admitting their fault. The damage done could've been way more extensive but if I knew that they admitted fault, then I also knew that they would resolve the issue and I wouldn't get all pissed off about it.

The fact that both the service lady and service manager deny it and blame Carcone's for a crappy paint job is what kills me.

- Crimson

[whiteomega]

Yea....I think I'm more angry for the fact that they aren't admitting their fault. The damage done could've been way more extensive but if I knew that they admitted fault, then I also knew that they would resolve the issue and I wouldn't get all pissed off about it.

The fact that both the service lady and service manager deny it and blame Carcone's for a crappy paint job is what kills me.

- Crimson

make sure you call Kevin back (he left you a message to do so further up in the thread). i'm sure he can get it sorted out.

[Wild Weasel]

It looks to me like someone didn't know how to secure the wheels to the balancer, and that's where the damage came from.

I can't help but wonder if they realized what they'd done, and then tried to cover for themselves by saying they were already like that.

Then... what's a service rep to do? If they're guy says they were like that, and you say they weren't... they're in a bit of a bind, eh?

I'll bet though, that if you take your wheels into the back of their shop, you'll find a machine that fits perfectly into those grooves if the wrong attachment is used.

Sounds like it's all being resolved though. Seems that Kevin has a good idea of what happened and is making it right. Good stuff!

[Crimson]

It looks to me like someone didn't know how to secure the wheels to the balancer, and that's where the damage came from.

I can't help but wonder if they realized what they'd done, and then tried to cover for themselves by saying they were already like that.

Then... what's a service rep to do? If they're guy says they were like that, and you say they weren't... they're in a bit of a bind, eh?

I'll bet though, that if you take your wheels into the back of their shop, you'll find a machine that fits perfectly into those grooves if the wrong attachment is used.

Sounds like it's all being resolved though. Seems that Kevin has a good idea of what happened and is making it right. Good stuff!

Going to give Kevin a call soon to see what he has to say. I'll keep you guys posted.

- Crimson

[Crimson]

Bah, he's out of the office, left him a message to call me back.

- Crimson

[Junior]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience at Dave Wood, but I'm with Yellowmp5 on the fact that there may have been some miscommunication.

I have only ever taken my car up to Dave Wood and have always been more than happy with the service, prices and people that work there. I know them all personally, and they all know me, but that doesn't deny the fact that something happened to your rims when the balancing was done.

Maybe a new guy on the machine that didn't know how to properly work it or what not, but it happens, and I'm glad to see (and read) that Kevin will be looking into getting your issue resolved.

I have done multiple balancing, alignments and rotations at Dave Wood Mazda with my aftermarket wheels, and have yet to see any form or damage come from their services. Just sharing my story, in case it sways anyone into thinking that this is common practice at one of the best Mazda dealerships I've ever been to.

[Dragazn]

I was planning to get my service done there as I have also heard they do good work and is mod friendly. I bought and service the car at Avante but recently lowered it on springs and was gonna give DWM a try.

[Junior]

I was planning to get my service done there as I have also heard they do good work and is mod friendly. I bought and service the car at Avante but recently lowered it on springs and was gonna give DWM a try.

If you were thinking about giving them a try, then why not?

Everyone has different experiences and you will only know if you're happy or not, when you take your own car in for service. As far as being mod friendly ... They are.

Even lowered-car friendly, as they have a hoist that can get to the lowest of cars out there. Again, I've been a happy customer of Dave Woods for almost 5 years.

[midnightfxgt]

Stuff happens, and its a part of life. I think the reason Crimson is mad is the fact they deny the damage, and then blame someone else. It is sad that it has to be resolved because of a post on an internet forum. It should have been resolved in person.

That being said, I have used DWM once or twice and loved it there. I need an alignment, but this makes me wonder. My wheels are brand new, and wouldnt want to powdercoat them!

-John

[Crimson]

Stuff happens, and its a part of life. I think the reason Crimson is mad is the fact they deny the damage, and then blame someone else. It is sad that it has to be resolved because of a post on an internet forum. It should have been resolved in person.

...

-John

Exactly. Like I said earlier in the thread, I've been going to DWM almost exclusively. I bought both of my MZ3's from Avante but I got all my mods done at DWM after hearing how mod-friendly they were on these boards.

I've had no issue with their service until yesterday. Not that it's common, but a lot of dealerships do get away with lying to their customer, but to blatantly lie about something that's so obvious is hysterical. I was told by both Cecily and Troy that the mechanic who was working on my car told them that there were marks on the rims before doing the balancing work.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but would it not be a bright idea to tell the customer immediately or right after the same thing? How on earth were they expecting to cover their asses if they didn't tell me about it before hand.

- Crimson

[rallyboy]

My brother-in-lawhad asimilar problemwith one ofhis mazdaspeed rims on his rx-8 but at an independant tire shop. Whem they tried to deny it, he said lets take the wheel off, take it to your tire machine and see if anything could hit the wheel where the scratch was.
At that point they offered to replace the wheel with a brand new one.

[Crimson]

Well, just finished talking with Kevin on the phone. He assures me I will be taken care of and the issue will be resolved as soon as possible. It's going to be at least another week before all is said and done.

I'll keep you guys posted.

- Crimson

[Cardinal Fang]

That's great to hear Crimson.

[S.F.W.]

Well, just finished talking with Kevin on the phone. He assures me I will be taken care of and the issue will be resolved as soon as possible. It's going to be at least another week before all is said and done.

I'll keep you guys posted.

- Crimson

Nice to hear all will be resolved. However, did he own up to DWM causing the scratches?

[Mafty]

Well, just finished talking with Kevin on the phone. He assures me I will be taken care of and the issue will be resolved as soon as possible. It's going to be at least another week before all is said and done.

I'll keep you guys posted.

- Crimson

good to hear things are getting resolved. but more than monetary value it would be nice for a customer to hear the dealership to say "we scrweed up, it was our fault, we caused the damage"

[Crimson]

Nice to hear all will be resolved. However, did he own up to DWM causing the scratches?

He didn't come out and say that they did it but he said it was very possible that their balancing machine did indeed scratch the wheels. It might of been entirely accidental as their technician might of not noticed that the wheels were painted could potentially get damaged because the paint is still fairly fresh and didn't bother to ask any questions about it.

He also said that their service department dropped the ball on the fact that if they HAD seen marks on the wheels before the balancing that they should have told me about it before hand.

Regardless, Kevin is going to make sure that he is present when the wheels are put on and he's going to take care of all the repainting issues with Carcone's.

At this point Kevin is more focused on keeping me as a customer and is willing to have his service department take the blame for it (even though he won't fully admit it) so that he can move along with the process of fixing my wheels.

I'll keep you guys posted on the process.

- Crimson

[TheProfessor]

I don't think those scratches happened as a result of the 'fresh' or recent powder coating. I had a set of rims powdercoated years back and you could take a hammer to them and they wouldn't chip. This simply looks like the tech screwed up.

[Dan Da Man]

Glad to hear they are doing something about it.

Interesting to see that once you put a story up on TM3 and the dealership lurkers see it something gets done.

[LockOut]

I don't think those scratches happened as a result of the 'fresh' or recent powder coating. I had a set of rims powdercoated years back and you could take a hammer to them and they wouldn't chip. This simply looks like the tech screwed up.
Isn't the beauty of powdercoating that it's a dry application, which basically nullifies the point of 'fresh'-ness? Isn't it dried and cured immediately, and before it's given back to the customer?

[Noisy Crow]

I don't think those scratches happened as a result of the 'fresh' or recent powder coating. I had a set of rims powdercoated years back and you could take a hammer to them and they wouldn't chip. This simply looks like the tech screwed up.

+1

Power coating is a heat-activated process. It literally fuses the coating to the wheel. It's not like paint that needs to cure.

[mEtH]

I am very pleased that this is being resolved, Dave Wood has never disappointed me before. Kevin is a great guy to deal with and very reasonable.

As for Dan Da Man's comment about how when a story gets posted here something gets done with it... we urge people not to try and use this forum as leverage to get something resolved. Some cases are different to others but we would like to try and resolve them peacefully. We have had many people try pulling moves to get what they wanted when it seemed they could possibly be in the wrong. The mod team has kept an eye on each and everyone of them.

We ask that everyone attempts to resolve their issue with the person or company on their own in person. Most of the time there has just been a miscommunication but we as people sometimes act irrationally.

In no way am I saying Crimson was out of line, he tried to work it out but that was getting him no where. He wanted input from people but at the same time mention something that has happened to him they could happen to anyone else. Especially as many people are powder coating their wheels now a days.

[Dan Da Man]

Im not saying its for leverage but this forum is for experiences with dealerships and im just saying its interesting to see that that some dealerships are watching them.

Kevin might not have known about this issue at all if it was never posted on the boards.

its nice to know some dealers will respond here to help their customers.

I have yet to take my car to dave wood, i have family that works there and had my gf's father bought a car there a few weeks back, and he said it was the best experience hes had with a dealership. i like the look of the place and the fact that their garage has a large glass window so you can see whats going on. i dont know any other mazda dealers that have that. i hate not being able to see my car.

i willl take my car to DWM for its next service. even if its out of my way.

[Crimson]

Im not saying its for leverage but this forum is for experiences with dealerships and im just saying its interesting to see that that some dealerships are watching them.

Kevin might not have known about this issue at all if it was never posted on the boards.

its nice to know some dealers will respond here to help their customers.

I have yet to take my car to dave wood, i have family that works there and had my gf's father bought a car there a few weeks back, and he said it was the best experience hes had with a dealership. i like the look of the place and the fact that their garage has a large glass window so you can see whats going on. i dont know any other mazda dealers that have that. i hate not being able to see my car.

i willl take my car to DWM for its next service. even if its out of my way.

Agreed. Regardless of whether I got this issue resolved or not, I wanted to share my experience. I didn't post my story up so that a dealership member would hopefully look at it and get it resolved; I was planning on heading back there to deal with it myself anyway.

I'm glad Kevin saw this thread and took charge and contacted me, but I wasn't banking on him to do so. In fact, I didn't even know DWM had a member on these boards!

- Crimson

[Junior]

The sad part of using a forum for resolving issues is just that.

It's rare for someone to do a very long and intriguing write-up giving praise to store's service or products. BUT, when there's a negative experience, then we will put more effort into explaining how BAD the service was. Why not take the same time to make a long entry in why the experience was GOOD?

Why?

Because it's not as interesting to read as the bad stuff. It's like newsmakers. The bad stuff makes us look and take notice, while the good work just goes over our heads as .. "oh well, that was expected" .. or "oh well, who cares"

We must change our mentality when leaving feedback for places we use and take the time to do the long-winded threads posts, whether the shop did a great job, or a bad one. Not only the BAD stuff.

[Crimson]

The sad part of using a forum for resolving issues is just that.

It's rare for someone to do a very long and intriguing write-up giving praise to store's service or products. BUT, when there's a negative experience, then we will put more effort into explaining how BAD the service was. Why not take the same time to make a long entry in why the experience was GOOD?

Why?

Because it's not as interesting to read as the bad stuff. It's like newsmakers. The bad stuff makes us look and take notice, while the good work just goes over our heads as .. "oh well, that was expected" .. or "oh well, who cares"

We must change our mentality when leaving feedback for places we use and take the time to do the long-winded threads posts, whether the shop did a great job, or a bad one. Not only the BAD stuff.

Well, if you really want to expand on that idea what could be useful is under the "Mazda Dealership Experience" have 2 sections: Good Experiences, Bad Experiences. Maybe go even as far as having some sort of Dealership rating system using a poll/piechart/graph/5-star rating.

Personally, hearing stories is a good way of figuring out which dealership is great or not, but showing numbers is is even better.

Just a thought.

- Crimson

[Cardinal Fang]

Numbers just like words are subjective. I rather read what happens so that I can decide for myself whether the complaint is valid or simply nit picking.

[whiteomega]

The important thing I think here that everyone is overlooking is that Crimson was understandbly upset, yet he managed to keep his temper under reasonable control and post a clear, consise message of what went wrong, and the history behind it, without resorting to insults, veiled threats (ok, maybe one or two) etc.

Props to Kevin for not losing his temper either at the negative review, but instead doing whatever he could to work things out. I have to say, this level of service does make me want to head up to Dave Woods for my next service to see what it's like.

[Crimson]

The important thing I think here that everyone is overlooking is that Crimson was understandbly upset, yet he managed to keep his temper under reasonable control and post a clear, consise message of what went wrong, and the history behind it, without resorting to insults, veiled threats (ok, maybe one or two) etc.

Props to Kevin for not losing his temper either at the negative review, but instead doing whatever he could to work things out. I have to say, this level of service does make me want to head up to Dave Woods for my next service to see what it's like.

I tried really hard not to throw out too many insults! LOL

But in all seriousness, I've been going to DWM exclusively for regular maintenance and I'm really glad that they are stepping up to the plate and taking care of it for me.

I was initially upset at them because they didn't handle my case properly, but after Kevin called me and told me that he's going to make sure I'm well taken care of and that he's going to personally supervise the technician when they do my wheels, that's when I realized that they do value their customer.

All that this experience has done is made me more aware that this kind of thing will happen and you just have to work through it.

Has this experience changed my mind about how I feel about this dealership?
Of course it has.

Has this experience made me second guess about going there?
Yes it has.

Will I go back to DWM for future maintenance/mods/etc?
Most likely yes because they are conveniently close, they are superb for booking times (*coughAVANTEcough*), and now that I know that they will admit to fault and fix the issue, they have regained my trust in matters like this.

Will I stop posing questions to myself like as if I'm writing a survey?
Yes.

- Crimson

[Crimson]

Just an update:

I just came home from seeing Kevin. He took off my rx8 wheels and switched them with 17"'s until he gets them repainted by Carcone's.

Oh, and he showed me the cone they used for the balancing and it's a perfect fit to the marks on my wheels.

- Crimson

[matt9]

Good you're getting your wheels fixed, they were sexy!

[Crimson]

Good you're getting your wheels fixed, they were sexy!

Thanks Matt9, can't wait to see my rims again :)

[BETRTHNU]

Glad everything got sorted out.

[mEtH]

Thats great news! I am glad they showed you the cone as well rather then just saying we will fix it or anything. The black leather glove was found :chuckle

[LockOut]

After they showed you the cone, did they concede that they might have potentially caused the damage?

[Crimson]

Thats great news! I am glad they showed you the cone as well rather then just saying we will fix it or anything. The black leather glove was found :chuckle

Yep. And I know I've mentioned this before but I am still very surprised at both Cecily and her service manager Troy saying that it was paint drippings caused by the powdercoating. Both of them came out to my car to look at the marks and as they touched the marks with their fingers they completely denied the chance that their balancing machine created the marks.

I don't know if this experience has changed anybody's opinion on the knowledge of the service people, but it definitely has changed mine. They definitely are very friendly, but the next time something like this happens, I will not take their word for it and will go straight to their boss' boss.

I'll post pics in a week or so as my wheels are probably being redone as we speak and will take a few days for them to cool down and put back on.

[Crimson]

After they showed you the cone, did they concede that they might have potentially caused the damage?

Well, I walked inside their garage as they were switching tires and Kevin was the one who showed me their cone. He put it on my RX-8 rim and it matched up perfectly with the marks. He pretty much said it was their machine that did it and was extremely surprised at their service people saying what they did. I think he said that if Troy had gone back and brought out the cone and placed it on, that he would've realized he was at fault.

- Crimson

[LockOut]

Well, I walked inside their garage as they were switching tires and Kevin was the one who showed me their cone. He put it on my RX-8 rim and it matched up perfectly with the marks. He pretty much said it was their machine that did it and was extremely surprised at their service people saying what they did. I think he said that if Troy had gone back and brought out the cone and placed it on, that he would've realized he was at fault.

- Crimson
Well that's good that they're taking ownership of the fault. Glad to hear it's all workin' out for you, man.

[Bean]

I see I am not the only one who got %%$# by them. I am so sorry about the wheels, but Carcones is awesome.

[Bean]

Maybe I should speak to Kevin too???? Mr Kevin, please PM me.

Thanks

Leslie

[whiteomega]

Yep. And I know I've mentioned this before but I am still very surprised at both Cecily and her service manager Troy saying that it was paint drippings caused by the powdercoating. Both of them came out to my car to look at the marks and as they touched the marks with their fingers they completely denied the chance that their balancing machine created the marks.


i suppose it's possible they weren't aware of what kind of lock was used on balancing machine. it's good to know they're taking care of you though.

[Bean]

Maybe I should speak to Kevin too???? Mr Kevin, please PM me.

Thanks

Leslie

Disregard. I am taking my business elsewhere. It seems Dave Wood Mazda does not care about some of their customers.

[allen@simplytire.com]

Hey Crimson, sent you a PM.

[Swerny]

I see I am not the only one who got %%$# by them. I am so sorry about the wheels, but Carcones is awesome.

you're still bitching about the "ping"?

Did you bring it to another dealer yet?

Did they diagnose it as anything?

[Bean]

you're still bitching about the "ping"?

Did you bring it to another dealer yet?

Did they diagnose it as anything?

Taking it to MoT in July. I have explained the problem and will see what can be done. The thing that upsets me is that Dave Wood is taking a IGNORE me attitude and that upsets me.

[Crimson]

Hey Bean, sorry bout your ping, let us know if you get it sorted out.

Just an update on my wheels:

Kevin put my wheels back on mid last week and they look as good as I got them the first time. Once again, I want to thank Carcone's for their incredible customer service; I would do business with them again and I would hope everyone that wants to get their wheels painted and is in the same area to consider them. They did an awesome job on my wheels.

I also want to thank Kevin for taking charge, admitting fault of the dealership, and arranging everything to get my wheels repainted and put back on.

I'll post up some updated pics soon.

- Crimson

[Bean]

Thanks.

I am looking forward to seeing pics of the wheels. I bet they are "sick" as my daughter would say :)

[RX9]

wooooo, thats bs. i will never let them touch my rims but only stocks. they dont care your car.

[wikdslo]

Wow.
I just read through this. I'm pretty shocked (yet oddly not surprised) to find out that the service rep blatantly lied to the customer, and had her boss back her up on it.

I know Kevin may have stepped up and resolved the issue, but I would would hope that a customer wouldn't have to go through such an ordeal and have the reps lie and somewhat gang up on you like that.

Not cool folks.... Not cool.

[Bean]

Unfortunately, they are known for that. Some other people have told me this and although I am all of 3 km from them, I will not step foot in that place again.

[Swerny]

Unfortunately, they are known for that. Some other people have told me this

Known for what, scratching wheels?

Since we're playing the he said/she said song, DWM Service was always the top choice of the guys in the Toronto Protege Club.

[wikdslo]

Known for what, scratching wheels?




I would assume lieing to customers.

I'm not discounting the good experiences there. I'm sure there are plenty.

But if I had my pick of where to go, I would rather be an informed consumer than blindly walk in to a place and expect 100% satisfaction when it doesn't always seem to be the case.

Just food for thought.

[Crimson]

Well,

Let me just tell you that I have not gone back to DWM since that incident. Regardless of the fact that Kevin went out of his way to help me out (I greatly thanked him for that), I still am sour from the whole ordeal and I am just like Bean about 2-3km from them but I choose to go somewhere else for my service.

When something as grave as this happens to me, personally, all the good service that I've gotten from them goes straight out the window. It's amazing how much of a difference a little ownership to the mistake would've made. Had they confessed up front, I probably would've began and ended this post with a positive for DWM...

[Malcolm991]

Wow that is too bad, you would think they have better machines then that for balancing wheels! I would want to burn the place down if they did that to my wheels!

[thefish]

I'm glad everything worked out Crimson. Good job staying cool throughout the whole ordeal.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

I use DWM for all of my dealer related servicing and Jimmy from Street Performance for performance mods or just mods in general. Jimmy now does all the minor services on the wife's hatch too since it is now out of warranty, but I will still take it to DWM for the 24K services. For my cars, only the Mazda Master tech at DWM services the vehicles as per request.

I've been going to DWM for at least 9 years now and have had nothing but positive experiences with them regarding service. I used to own a Protege also, may she RIP, and I know full well how the Protege community feels about DWM, but keep in mind that they also do sponsor the Protege forum, so they have built up a following from that.

All this said, I can't blame Crimson at all for not going back to DWM. Obviously, every story has two sides, but I remember reading through his posts and the experience he had and was dissapointed with the apparent lack of accountability from DWM and how things transpired throughout. Kudos to Kevin though for making things right in the end. However, I wouldn't go back either if I had Crimson's same experience and I know it is something I will keep in mind everytime I go for servicing.

Mistakes are inevitable, but when they happen, like they did to Crimson, I would expect the mistake to be owned up to and the customer treated and compensated accordingly.

[5_Alive]

I met Dave Wood a few years ago at one of the Meet of the Mazda's.. was a real cool guy for sure.. I still have a plate frame hung in my garage..

If I'm ever down there in TO, I'm stopping by to check out the dealer and whatnot. The TOP club has always praised that place, and its strange to hear this about such a good dealer.
However, everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, its certain employee's that give a great place a bad name, not the owners.

Great for Kevin for taking care of the situation in a professional manner, and great stuff to Carcone's for helping out the way they did. Crimson, good for you for handling it so well man.

I really don't know who I'd go to for service with my car if I lived in the GTA.
I bought my car through Ajax Mazda(excellent team btw), but all my stuff and history was through Avante Mazda, such as the registration and whatnot.
The car had normal, white Ontario plates on it, was a Mazda Canada car from what I was told, and it was sold as brand new.

You guys have it great. There is ONE dealer in Windsor here, and boy oh boy, to get something done, they will always have an excuse to not fix it.

[seelsy]

noone ever wants to take responsiblity for their mistakes, they want to pawn it off on others so they dont need to admit that their not perfect, good job on staying so cool, i know i definitely wouldnt have. Thats what seperates the good and the bad, the ability to admit you made a mistake and fix it without stirring up a big issue.

[Crimson]

I'm glad everything worked out Crimson. Good job staying cool throughout the whole ordeal.


I use DWM for all of my dealer related servicing and Jimmy from Street Performance for performance mods or just mods in general. Jimmy now does all the minor services on the wife's hatch too since it is now out of warranty, but I will still take it to DWM for the 24K services. For my cars, only the Mazda Master tech at DWM services the vehicles as per request.

I've been going to DWM for at least 9 years now and have had nothing but positive experiences with them regarding service. I used to own a Protege also, may she RIP, and I know full well how the Protege community feels about DWM, but keep in mind that they also do sponsor the Protege forum, so they have built up a following from that.

All this said, I can't blame Crimson at all for not going back to DWM. Obviously, every story has two sides, but I remember reading through his posts and the experience he had and was dissapointed with the apparent lack of accountability from DWM and how things transpired throughout. Kudos to Kevin though for making things right in the end. However, I wouldn't go back either if I had Crimson's same experience and I know it is something I will keep in mind everytime I go for servicing.

Mistakes are inevitable, but when they happen, like they did to Crimson, I would expect the mistake to be owned up to and the customer treated and compensated accordingly.


I met Dave Wood a few years ago at one of the Meet of the Mazda's.. was a real cool guy for sure.. I still have a plate frame hung in my garage..

If I'm ever down there in TO, I'm stopping by to check out the dealer and whatnot. The TOP club has always praised that place, and its strange to hear this about such a good dealer.
However, everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, its certain employee's that give a great place a bad name, not the owners.

Great for Kevin for taking care of the situation in a professional manner, and great stuff to Carcone's for helping out the way they did. Crimson, good for you for handling it so well man.

I really don't know who I'd go to for service with my car if I lived in the GTA.
I bought my car through Ajax Mazda(excellent team btw), but all my stuff and history was through Avante Mazda, such as the registration and whatnot.
The car had normal, white Ontario plates on it, was a Mazda Canada car from what I was told, and it was sold as brand new.

You guys have it great. There is ONE dealer in Windsor here, and boy oh boy, to get something done, they will always have an excuse to not fix it.


noone ever wants to take responsiblity for their mistakes, they want to pawn it off on others so they dont need to admit that their not perfect, good job on staying so cool, i know i definitely wouldnt have. Thats what seperates the good and the bad, the ability to admit you made a mistake and fix it without stirring up a big issue.

Thanks for the comments guys. I tried my best to act as professional as I could when it happened because I really had enjoyed the service I was getting at DWM and I didn't want to seem like the annoying customer who stirred up trouble.

I mean, when you get right down to it, the one thing that really separates a dealership from one another is customer service. And that day, I did not receive it in the worst possible way. The service workers and managers both didn't believe me, they denied any involvement in the incident and I walked out of there with my issue not resolved.

It's funny, it's been quite the lesson for me in many ways, one of which is how powerful an internet forum can be. If it wasn't for this website and my posting, Kevin might not of have seen this and I would've had to find an alternative route to solving my problem, which might not have been pretty.

Kevin was great, I very much enjoyed HIS customer service; he did everything right. Can't say enough about Carcone's either, a great bunch of guys working there. I got a tour of their facility the first day I went there to ask about powdercoating. I wish they were a sponsor on here so other people could enjoy their service as much as I did.

Crimson