P
peppercorn
Guest
I own a Mazda 626, live in Florida and recently was stranded 3 hours from home(also in Florida) due to car problems. My car broke down and had to be towed to a repair shop. The estimate for the repairs was over $1500 and included both catalytic converters and O2 sensors. I called the local Mazda dealership, was told catalytic converters are still under warranty. So, I had it towed to the dealer, where I was told that the problem wasn't the cats, but the timing belt had come loose due to the tensioner breaking. The estimate for this and other additional work he talked me into was $600 and they could have it done in 2 hours. I was so relieved that they could fix it quicky and easily, and that they weren't trying to rip me off like the other repair shop. I found out after returning home that the part that was replaced,the timing belt,was recalled over a year ago by Mazda. The dealership at home informed me that I should have been notified by mail(never was) and that the dealer out of town would have seen it was recalled when he punched my VIN into the computer. Not only that, but the day before I left to go on my trip, I called the Mazda customer service 800# to voice my concerns about the car, that there was a noise coming from under the hood, and that the engine light kept coming on.(I had taken the car in twice for diagnosis, both times-the code that came up was for the O2 sensor, which was working fine.) They keyed in the VIN# too, but never mentioned that the timing belt tensioner was on recall. Due to their negligence, I spent over $1000 that could have been avoided if I had been told the timing belt tensioner was on recall by the customer service people. I never would have left town if I'd known. Because of them, I was stranded for 3 days and had to pay for towing, hotels and restaurants where I wouldn't have otherwise. Do I have a case? How difficult would it be to sue them for not only the repairs, but for the hotel, restaurant, towing and gas expenses I incurred during this weekend from he**!? Also, once I found out the part was recalled, I called the guy at the Mazda dealer where the work was done and he said he would call me back in the next few days to let me know that a check for reimbursement would be in the mail and the exact amount of it---never heard from him. Please advise...I know it's not a lot of money for some people, but it has made an impact on me. Also, I believe that people and companies that serve the public should be held accountable for their actions.