Complaint Review: Med Center Mazda - Pelham Alabama

I purchased a 2008 Pre-Owned Certified Mazda CX-7 from Med Center Mazda in September 2009.  It had approximately 48,000 miles on it.  But since it was certified, I figured it had been thoroughly checked over and was okay.  After all, it had been given their seal of approval.  I also purchased the "Bumper-to-Bumper" extended warranty and paid out the butt for it too.  I had the car for only 2 months when a dash light came on.  The Check Engine light.  I took a day off of my job, took it in and was called back the next day and the service tech guy told me that it was an exhaust problem.  I told him to fix it and that my car was under warranty.  He said that he'd have to check to see if it was covered.  So, I was like "WTF"?  Bumper to Bumper??? Isn't the exhaust between the 2 bumpers?  The exhaust problem was fixed the next day.  In the meantime, I had to miss a day and a half of work (taking it in, picking it up) and pay for a rental car.  No, they didn't furnish me one.  I have to pay for it and then get the extended warranty company to reimburse me.  This was an inconvenience since I do not believe in credit cards and credit card are a must for renting a car.  Flash forward 9 months.  August 2010, and the car is only 11 months old.  I hear a grinding noise in the front of the car but only when driving and not sitting still.  My husband insisted it was the tires.  I went and got new tires (the tires on the car when I bought it were the factory tires that were originally put on it and they dealer didn't even put new ones on it before selling it even though it had almost 50k miles on it).  After the new tires went on, the noise still persisted so I took the car by a local mechanic.  He said that it was a busted wheel bearing.  Once again, I had to take off work early one day to take it in, then take off early again 2 days later to pick it up.  I also had to come out of my own pocket again for a rental because they refused to give me a loaner or rent one for me.  Once again, I was given the run around about the extended warranty covering it until I insisted they check.  It was also covered.  I asked at that time for EVERYTHING to be checked out for any damage because I could not continue taking off work for repairs on this car and suggested that some of these issues might have been present when I purchased the car.  My suggestion was ignored and the car WAS NOT checked thoroughly for anything else but more busted wheel bearings.  I did not do anything to the car to bust a wheel bearing.  I drive on the interstate 5 days a week (60 miles each way) to work and back and occasionally make the hour drive to see my parents.  Oh, and I took it to the beach for a short 4 day vacation this past summer.  Interstate use only.  No off roading in it, no driving on bad roads and no wrecks.  A day or so after I got the car back, I received a letter  in the mail from Mazda stating that there was a defect in some of the air conditioning components and should I have problems, I should take it to my nearest Mazda dealer to have it fixed.  I wasn't having any problems with the air conditioner at the time, thankfully.  Fast forward again 3 months to November 2010.  3 months since the wheel bearing was fixed.  I was driving home on Thanksgiving Day and the air compressor burned up.  The next day, I took it back (AGAIN) to Med Center Mazda to have it fixed.  Once again, I got the spill about how that might not be covered since the car had exceeded 60K miles.  I informed the little twit that it was a defect and that I had received a letter.  She stated then that although it was a factory defect, it was not a recall and that I would be responsible for fixing it.  I came unglued at that point and told her that she better call the extended warranty company and make sure it covered it because I wasn't fixing it when it was a known factory defect.  She came over to me a little while later and said that it was covered under the extended warranty and that it would be ready later that day.  I opted to leave it and pick it up the next day since I live in another county and it was too inconvenient to hang around there for hours, or to go home and then drive back.  I once again instructed that the car needed a complete diagnostic check for whatever else might be wrong because I had just been in 3 months before and having to bring it in 3 times in 14 months was a little ridiculous.  Don't the foreign car companies claim to produce more reliable automobiles?  The twit called me later that same day (the day after Thanksgiving) and informed me that the service tech had done the diagnostics and found a broken motor mount.  Oh, and it's on the SAME side as the busted wheel bearing.  How convenient.  She then said that she called the extended warranty company and that they informed her that a broken motor mount was "part of normal wear and tear and was not covered".  Ummmm....no.  I've owned many vehicles and have never replaced a motor mount on a vehicle that hadn't been wrecked.  I have asked about 50 people and they have never replaced one either.  I do believe the motor mounts are between the 2 bumpers too though.  To make a long story short, they won't fix the motor mount without me paying out of pocket.  Then when I picked the car up today and drove it down the street, I turned the heater on and it began making a strange vibrating noise that it had never made before.  I took it back in and was told to sit in the lobby AGAIN while they "took a look".  At what?  Didn't they just fix it?  So, while waiting, I walked around and engaged in conversations with other patrons waiting for their repaired cars to be finished, as well as some new customers coming in to look.  I shared my experiences with this dealership and warranty company with them and they seemed genuinely glad to hear it.  One couple stated that they too had been screwed over and also regretted purchasing a vehicle there.  One of the salesman overheard and went running off to tell the general manager about it and he came out into the lobby in a huff wanting to talk to me "in his office".  Well, for starters, I am not a child in grade school getting called to the principals office.  I told him he could speak to me right out there in front of God and everyone because I had nothing to hide.  His face got all red and he went to the service area and had the technician bring my car back around and said that they were not going to fix it again.  I informed him that they didn't fix it the first time and that it was brought back due to the noise that it wasn't making until they worked  on it the day before.  He insisted that the noise was due to the broken motor mount.  I called Bullshit on him and he got mad and told me to leave and never bring the car back to be repaired there again.  Believe me, I won't and neither would I recommend that anyone take their car there to be repaired.  Nor do I think anyone should buy a car there unless they want to get completely taken advantage of and misrepresented on warranties and extended warranties.  I took my car to my local mechanic and he checked the car out and said that the noise was NOT a broken motor mount and most likely the result of the repairman at MedCenter Mazda shifting something against the front of the car.  He also stated that he didn't even think I had a broken motor mount and that those are NOT part of normal wear and tear because they are rarely replaced unless a vehicle has been wrecked or driven off-road (without a 4X4 package).  He also said that a Mazda's motor mounts are made of rubber.  The General Manager at MedCenter Mazda is Mike Williams.  He is a total anal-retentive jerk who hates having an independent woman disagree with him or know what she is talking about.  He is condescending and has no business in a customer service profession.  Boycott this place and help women STOP getting screwed over by car dealers and repairmen.  Also boycott to stop dealerships from taking advantage from the hardworking citizens just trying to make an honest living by having a car to drive to work, a car that works and isn't always being repaired!