Not so great Oakville Mazda experience...

[doughboyr6]

OMG....i like Oakville Mazda and what not....but i'm not too happy right now. I brought my car in for an oil change today (saturday). From the dealership, i went straight home, then in the afternoon i went out and about 10kms into the drive my CEL came on....I'm like WTF....

I called Oakville Mazda right away and they said nothing was wrong with the car when it was in and to just bring it in again for them to inspect.

I continued driving as i didn't feel anything was wrong with the car and I had a wedding to get to....so i continued driving as normal. This evening upon returning from the wedding, whenever i was stopped at a light, i smelled burning oil.

When i pulled into my girlfriends driveway and got out, i noticed there was smoke/mist coming from the engine. I popped the hood and oil was everywhere....they forgot to put back on the oil cap....OMG...

So what am i supposed to do now? I'm stuck at her house, can't drive anywhere and tomorrow is Sunday....dealerships are closed...and its the long weekend....WTF...

[philipfreire]

I'd personally set up an appointment to talk to the manager and explain your situation. The burning of the oil on your engine block isn't the bad part, the fact that the cap was left off and no pressure was built with the result of loss of oil is the problem.

Let them check it out to make sure it safe, they should compensate with free oil changes or extended warranty or something as this is such a stupid mistake to make!

[cwp_sedan]

Make that a free oil change (on top of the refill that was lost), engine shampoo and a huge apology.

[blackspeed3]

Make that a free oil change (on top of the refill that was lost), engine shampoo and a huge apology.

I dont think there is any kind of apology good enough for that. Such a simple thing to remember and they didnt do it?

[stevenma188]

well it sucks, but i guess people do make mistakes, and you should offer forgiveness, as long as they are sincerely sorry for their mistake, and make it up to you by fixing the problem.

[Fuman]

check your engine oil level...
hopefully theres no engine damage.

[-cj-]

I'd get another Mazda dealer to check out your engine. If anything is wrong/worn, it isn't like the original dealership will own up to it...

[B&T's 3]

I too, hate to say it, but I had a rotten experience there too. After some prodding from Jason, I thought I'd give the dealership a try. It took six calls to finally get through to book an appointment and when I went to my appointment, it went pear-shaped in a hurry. They installed my short ram intake incorrectly and within a couple of days the metal frame of the intake had rubbed and worn through my wiring harness. thank heavens select mazda was able to fix it for me properly. I know that most people on this site love oakville mazda, but I will not go back myself. I guess that I should have perhaps checked out the install for myself afterwards, but really, should you have too after a factory trained technician has installed it for you?

[doughboyr6]

well i'm stranded on her driveway right now....i'm kinda worried to drive it. i didn't realize there's a pressure problem/issue. We took her car out and went to parts source and they don't carry a generic oil cap for this car. Drove by Erin Mills Mazda and they're closed as i assumed all other dealerships are also (I know Oakville Mazda is). Went to Canadiantire and they said no stores carry it in stock and is a special order which means earlier Tuesday...

WTF....this is brutal, long weekend and i can't drive my car????

[FLIPDADY]

It happens, hell I've been guilty of this when I was an apprentice at Honda. I'm sure they"ll take care of you Freddie. Just sucks that it had to happen on a long weekend.

[cwp_sedan]

It happens, hell I've been guilty of this when I was an apprentice at Honda. I'm sure they"ll take care of you Freddie. Just sucks that it had to happen on a long weekend.

+1. Everyone makes mistakes.



Though if it EVER happens again...hell to pay lol.

[Kaiserhead]

I had a similar problem with the brake fluid cap not being put back on properly.

This is a good lesson for everyone, when I bought my first new Mazda back in 2000, the sales guy told me that the first thing you do after an oil change is check the oil level, this advice saved my then 6 month old Protege after a piss poor job at a Jiffy Lube.

To this day, after I leave a service appointment, the first thing I do is pull over around the corner and check everything they touched (oil, fluids and caps, wheel lugs, etc.) to be absolutely sure that its all ok. It takes about two minutes and two pieces of paper towel, but its good piece of mind to know that everything's fine. I've found the oil level was low (dealer agreed and topped it up), loose caps, rags left in the engine, clamps not put back together on the air filter, there's always one thing that's wrong.

[5_Alive]

Like others have said, people make mistakes. However, they did offer to diagnose your car when you called and said the CEL had illuminated.

If you had gone back right away (you had a wedding, understandable), you wouldn't have had such a huge issue.
Now, it may or may not have caused damage. In all honesty, it isn't something to really worry about unless your car had run dry with no oil.
The least they will probably do is change the oil again, give you a free oil change voucher, engine shampoo, car wash & vacuum, and an apology.
This will cost them very little to themselves, but it goes a long way to you as a customer and them having you return for future services.

Hope all goes well.

[-RJ3-]

I really feel bad Freddie, since i hear horror stories about this not with threads like this, but in general with any other dealership, I do my inspection before i leave after getting my car done anywhere.

Im sure you will probably be doing this for now on.

I know after Andrew and Oakville Mazda reads this, it will be taken care of and your customers satisfaction will be met.

Good luck, and keep us updated!

[MRT_MS3]

+1 this is definitely a lesson to everybody. People makes mistakes plain and simple. I can vouch for Jason or Andrew that they will take care of you.

[sevsev]

Make that a free oil change (on top of the refill that was lost), engine shampoo and a huge apology.

This is what kieswetter mazda gave me when they did exactly the same thing

[b]

Dash DB hope nothing serious comes from this.

[SKYMP3]

Everyone make mistake, but it is not forgivable when you already charge 30-40$ more than other garages per labour hour.

[aris]

Something like this should not happen...out of all the years i change my oil i have never done anyhting like that!

[blackspeed3]

Everyone make mistake, but it is not forgivable when you already charge 30-40$ more than other garages per labour hour.

Totally agreed!

[hatthi]

Any news on the outcome of this situation?

[doughboyr6]

hey guys. first of all, thanks for all the comments, feedback and support.

here is an update as to the outcome of my situation above. I'm glad to report that Oakville Mazda has resolved the issue to a very satisfactory level.

After a frustrating weekend and inconvenience caused due to it being a long weekend i was was pleasantly surprised to have received a call first thing on tuesday morning at 9:17am. This was before I even had a chance to call them and they took the ownership to call me because they were made aware of this post.

I immediately spoke with Tiffany who was very reassuring that i would be looked after and that the problem would be rectified.

They arranged for the vehicle to be picked up by one of their drivers at my girlfriend's house where the vehicle has been sitting since saturday evening.

I later on Tuesday stopped by the dealer to see if the vehicle had arrived and if it had been worked on yet. They were finishing up the vehicle as I had arrived. They cleared the CEL code and went out and bought Mobil 1 Syn oil as that's what I'd been using and did a complete oil change for me again. They put on a new oil cap for me.

Tiffany asked that I left the car over night so they can ensure there is no further issues and had the car cleaned inside/out for me and cleaned the engine because of the oil issue.

Tiffany also further provided me with a compensatory offer which the details I won't disclose, but is more than fair for the inconveniences caused. All in all, I was very happy with the end result, but more so the proactivity they took to ensure the problem was corrected.

THanks Oakville Mazda.

[stevenma188]

Glad to hear everything worked out in the end. See what a bit of patience can get you. :D

[dj_chinaman2097]

Don't forget they washed your car too, I could barely recognize it :chuckle

[cwp_sedan]

Glad to hear everything worked out in the end.

+1

[aris]

Good to hear that they took care of you:)

[Fuman]

wow, even went to get mobil 1.
glad it to hear it worked out, and glad oakville took great care of you

[doughboyr6]

ya, Tiffany asked me which oil it was that I was using and i think she sent someone out to get some.

[Krakor]

This is one of those posts that you hope every dealership would follow.

I agree that from time to time there will be mistakes. It's how the dealership and it's people treat you and rectify the problems that matters most.

They need to be aware of the size of the inconvenience and the emotional attachment it has as well.

By them calling you before you could call them, it showed they cared to fix the mistake.

This is a sign of a good dealership.

I have heard a few poeple say that they would never go back to this or that dealership, but the truth is, if the dealership owns up and takes care of you, you should give them a second chance.

It's the dealerships that don't try to help with the mistake you need to avoid.

I have been a service manager for 16 years in my industry. The #1 thing I tell my staff is to put yourself in the clients shoes. Feel their pain.

Clearly Oakville Mazda felt your pain.

You had every right to post your message here. Afterall, this is how we learn from each other and most importantly, the greater the numbers, the greater the voice.

I hope we don't hear too many more of these situations, but I am very glad you were taken care of.

[Reaper]

I have been following this post and good to hear that they resolved the issue for you.

[-RJ3-]

Mods, shouldn't this be locked now since the problem was resolved?

[5_Alive]

Dude glad to hear everything went smooth as silk and that they went above and beyond to take care of everything for you.

Kudos to Tiffany and Oakville Mazda for taking care of things the right way.
I'll have to try and check out Oakville Mazda in a couple weeks when I come down to Mississauga for my 4 day vacation.
Moe

[QEWmazdaPrez]

Freddie,
Thanks for the opportunity to fix this issue. It was a simple mistake by a new apprentice, who didn't screw on the oil cap tightly. As some of you have already noted, nobody is perfect.

My quick thoughts: The difference between an average business and a good business is the number of problems they have. The difference between a good business and a great business is how they handle a problem. We value our customers and want everyone to know that when you can feel confident about getting your service done with us.

I don't think there are any other Dealer Principals active on the forum, and if you get stuck on a long weekend, or after hours, and it's an emergency, you can email me at j.guttman@oakvillemazda.com. I carry my iPhone almost everywhere, and if you need help and can't find it, let me know.

J

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Freddie,
Thanks for the opportunity to fix this issue. It was a simple mistake by a new apprentice, who didn't screw on the oil cap tightly. As some of you have already noted, nobody is perfect.

My quick thoughts: The difference between an average business and a good business is the number of problems they have. The difference between a good business and a great business is how they handle a problem. We value our customers and want everyone to know that when you can feel confident about getting your service done with us.

I don't think there are any other Dealer Principals active on the forum, and if you get stuck on a long weekend, or after hours, and it's an emergency, you can email me at j.guttman@oakvillemazda.com. I carry my iPhone almost everywhere, and if you need help and can't find it, let me know.

J

Huge thumbs up to you and your team Jason.
:TTT

[b.rabbit]

That's awesome! Great job Oakville Mazda team!

[She_Prime]

Good stuff Jason and crew. Makes me happy to know I'm taking my car to the right place :)

[Scottobot]

Good stuff Jason and crew. Makes me happy to know I'm taking my car to the right place :)

+1!

[She_Prime]

I'll be there tomorrow actually for my 24k service! Come spend time with me people! :) (appointment is for 11)

[JashiK]

glad they were able to address your problem and provide you with a solution you were happy with.

[Darkfrosty7]

+1 this is definitely a lesson to everybody. People makes mistakes plain and simple. I can vouch for Jason or Andrew that they will take care of you.

yea they will take care of you, just a small mistake