Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues

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Wed 12 Jul 2023 18:37
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - RDavies

I posted a while ago about my brother who eventually bought a Mazda 3 from a national dealer. The car was in Mazda's workshop for most of the time he had it as the battery kept draining. Now he's got his refund, here's what happened...

He bought the car from Arnold Clark and almost daily the battery would die. It had gone to Mazda for investigation multiple times but they couldn't find anything. Eventually he complained to the finance company who agreed a full refund and compensation. Meanwhile, Mazda found the problem(s)..... A tracker fitted to the vehicle.

Apparently, AC had bought a load of Mazdas, given them to a leasing company who had fitted trackers to them and later returned them to AC, but they hadn't removed the trackers or told AC about them (apparently). Mazda only found the problem when a visiting engineer noticed my brother's car had similar issues to another with a similar reg and put two and two together. Mazda are obviously unhappy and they've spent a fortune on work under warranty, courtesy cars, etc. The tracker wasn't showing up on diagnostics, nor was there any power drain when they had it, possibly because when indoors it was not activated.

Anyhow, there's now hundreds of Mazdas out there with this problem and Mazda don't know where cos the leasing company won't tell them where the cars have gone for privacy reasons! They've had to tell AC that they won't cover this work under warranty and to tell their customers.

My brother was in mixed thoughts as to whether to continue with the refund until Mazda shown him the paintwork. AC had carried out repairs (denying that they have) but used the wrong paint. Mazda said you wouldn't notice unless looking for it as it was a very close match, but said it will be difficult to sell in a few months as the paint will turn a different colour - a whole respray would be needed.

So, he's dodged a bullet and is settled well in the Golf he bought instead. While it doesnt have all the bells and whistles the Mazda has, hes much more comfortable in it. And hes speaking to a solicitor for potential breaches of GDPR.

If you have a Mazda and it's having battery drain issues, look for a tracker. He's never buying from AC again!

Edited by RDavies on 12/07/2023 at 18:42

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Wed 12 Jul 2023 18:58
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - _

Thank you for that Post, and happy all sorted for you.

If the leasing company have trackers on the cars, Have they been tracking actual mileage?

Hmmm?

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Wed 12 Jul 2023 19:16
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - elekie&a/c doctor
Incompetent dealers . Don’t know what they are doing . Any aftermarket tracking system will not show up on the car diagnostic system, because it’s not connected to it . Hat to think how much money was thrown at this .
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Wed 12 Jul 2023 19:23
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - RDavies

I believe from what my brother said of the conversation he had that Mazda insist on a specific order of tests. They were convinced he was leaving cables or peripheral devices plugged in or had something switched on. Because the tracker isn't connected, that's why their tests couldn't detect it. And because it wasn't activated when it was indoors, it was showing no power drain. That only started when the car was taken back out, at which point its not being tested so the drain isn't picked up. Shame as its a b***** lovely car, but the shine (figuratively and literrally) had been taken off.

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Wed 12 Jul 2023 19:29
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - elekie&a/c doctor
Tracker may not be “connected “ to the network on line , but it’s still being powered up . Specific order of testing means they can’t work out the box .
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Wed 12 Jul 2023 19:30
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - RDavies

He's more concerned they've been tracking his locations when working. They're in trouble if they have been.

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Wed 12 Jul 2023 20:41
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - SLO76
Handy to know. I found it strange that he had any issues with a petrol Mazda 3, I’ve often recommended them both on here and to friends and colleagues none of whom have had any issues at all. They’re genuinely great cars. But should any turn up with a battery drain I’ll know how to advise. Thanks very much for letting us know the outcome.
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Thu 13 Jul 2023 11:40
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - Engineer Andy

Rather worrying, but in my experience (reading post-sales accounts of problems with cars, not just Mazdas), not the first time that chain of dealers has come up associated with less than stellar practices.

I recall wondering why cars sold (nearly new ones) by said group always appeared to be a decent amount under the competition, and I'm seemingly getting a good idea why.

I'm also wondering whether the buyer in this case should've also pushed for more than just a full refund, but compensation for time spent, fuel costs and punative damages, and perhaps they need to pass their experiences on to the authorities in order to investigate further.

I may speak to my local dealership (different franchise, thankfully) about this as they may not be aware of the situation (or at least to let them know that customers increasingly know about it) and to take steps to avoid such issues when PXing cars previously sold by AC or leased to that secondary firm.

What is odd is that when I checked the stock of second hand cars at my local main dealership, there was a Mazda3 that had a reasonable spec and not that old new (2019 latest model), but was listed about £2k - £3k less than other very similar models in stock, some older as well with higher mileage. Then I noticed that the car had 3 previous owners - that's barely one year each. I then started to wonder...

One thing I did mention to the OP on the other thread - admitedly after the fact (apologies as I should've mentioned it up front [and have done in the past]) that Mazda dealers are, in my view, like Ford dealers, very variable in quality, and you always need to do your homework to check to see if those you can potentially use are decent or not.

Unfortunately for the OP's brother, they made a very quick decision (more than I expected) to go for that Mazda and possibly got caught out. I do recall on the owners forum site some less than stellar reviews of AC and tales of poor experiences, and I'm glad that back in 2017 I did not choose to buy a (new / nearly new) car from them (I wasn't just considering a Mazda3, but a Golf and others).

The above is just my own personal opinions based on things I've read over recent years.I know that there are many decent Mazda dealerships out there, and sometimes it can be a matter of luck (with any dealership / make), including which sales person or mechanic you get at any one time.

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Thu 13 Jul 2023 13:03
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - SLO76
This particular large dealer chain have in recent years lost the local Honda and Toyota franchises due to substandard customer service and now in my town they’ve also lost Ford which was a very busy dealership. When the man himself left the business it was clear very quickly that the money men were in charge. Previously the firm was known for offering good value, particularly on new or nearly new cars which they bulk bought then offered substantial savings to the public. Latterly they’ve not been any cheaper than rivals despite not offering a standard 6/12mth warranty (unlike most rivals) and in fact they’re usually dearer when you add in this cost.

The standards of prep their used stock goes through has always been subpar but at least they were cheaper in the past, not now though. Speaking to one dealer principal a while back regarding the poor condition of some of his stock revealed that they are charged a fortune (near retail) to do paintwork repairs by their own body shop nearby. This deters dealers from properly prepping cars and minor paint defects are left as they are. They get a bare minimum through the workshops too, the least they can get away with. If a timing belt is due then you can be guaranteed that it won’t be done for example.

The founder of the firm will be turning in his grave.
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Thu 13 Jul 2023 16:43
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - Wils
This particular large dealer chain have in recent years lost the local Honda and Toyota franchises due to substandard customer service and now in my town they’ve also lost Ford which was a very busy dealership. When the man himself left the business it was clear very quickly that the money men were in charge. Previously the firm was known for offering good value, particularly on new or nearly new cars which they bulk bought then offered substantial savings to the public. Latterly they’ve not been any cheaper than rivals despite not offering a standard 6/12mth warranty (unlike most rivals) and in fact they’re usually dearer when you add in this cost. The standards of prep their used stock goes through has always been subpar but at least they were cheaper in the past, not now though. Speaking to one dealer principal a while back regarding the poor condition of some of his stock revealed that they are charged a fortune (near retail) to do paintwork repairs by their own body shop nearby. This deters dealers from properly prepping cars and minor paint defects are left as they are. They get a bare minimum through the workshops too, the least they can get away with. If a timing belt is due then you can be guaranteed that it won’t be done for example. The founder of the firm will be turning in his grave.

Indeed i bought a pre reg Golf GT TDI from them at a very decent discount approx 15yrs ago ( still own it ) . On the day i collected it from a Glasgow branch SIr A .... C himself turned up and during his walkaround inspection of his dealership spoke to my salesman and also thanked me for my purchase . The salesman advised that he turned up unannounced at one or two of his dealerships each day much to the various branch managers irritation . He was getting on even them but kept them on their toes . They were indeed excellent for pre reg deals for a good few years but not much else . Times seem to have changed

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Thu 13 Jul 2023 18:28
Mazda 3 & battery / tracker issues - Engineer Andy
This particular large dealer chain have in recent years lost the local Honda and Toyota franchises due to substandard customer service and now in my town they’ve also lost Ford which was a very busy dealership. When the man himself left the business it was clear very quickly that the money men were in charge. Previously the firm was known for offering good value, particularly on new or nearly new cars which they bulk bought then offered substantial savings to the public. Latterly they’ve not been any cheaper than rivals despite not offering a standard 6/12mth warranty (unlike most rivals) and in fact they’re usually dearer when you add in this cost. The standards of prep their used stock goes through has always been subpar but at least they were cheaper in the past, not now though. Speaking to one dealer principal a while back regarding the poor condition of some of his stock revealed that they are charged a fortune (near retail) to do paintwork repairs by their own body shop nearby. This deters dealers from properly prepping cars and minor paint defects are left as they are. They get a bare minimum through the workshops too, the least they can get away with. If a timing belt is due then you can be guaranteed that it won’t be done for example. The founder of the firm will be turning in his grave.

Indeed i bought a pre reg Golf GT TDI from them at a very decent discount approx 15yrs ago ( still own it ) . On the day i collected it from a Glasgow branch SIr A .... C himself turned up and during his walkaround inspection of his dealership spoke to my salesman and also thanked me for my purchase . The salesman advised that he turned up unannounced at one or two of his dealerships each day much to the various branch managers irritation . He was getting on even them but kept them on their toes . They were indeed excellent for pre reg deals for a good few years but not much else . Times seem to have changed

Sad to say a sign of the times. I used to work for a top engineering consultancy (by numbers of staff and reputation), then the long-standing directors (who, bar one [the MD, an accountant] were all engineers sold out to a huge US firm (who has since bought two other previously top 10 firms in the industry) and made a packet.

Within 18 months (this was 20 years ago BTW) the company name (of many decades, known to many and associated with quality) changed (and again, later on - now just another faceless corporation) and the layoffs begun - one member of staff who'd been there 25 years said he'd never heard of this, through more than one recession (2003 obviously wasn't one - just a few months of less work coming in), corners apparently were then cut by using less experienced staff, many peopl left in disgust and today their reputation, IMHO is nothing compared to what it was.

I've also seen this sort of thing happen with car dealership franchises, inlcuding with one Nissan one I used to use on occasion. I would've recommended them in the past for going 'above and beyond' (including doing checks for free, unlike my normal local dealer, who actually wasn't that bad), but both are now owned by (IMHO) yet another faceless big firm and who have a poor reputation for customer service.

Shame really, as I might've recommended my Dad buy a (last version up to 2022) Micra if it weren't their reputation (every dealership in his area is of that 'group'. Saying that, from the reviews, they aren't any worse than his local Ford franchise, but in my view that's not saying much.

It seems as the years go by, less and less car manufacturers and dealerships / franchise groups have decent reputations.

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