Blown Transmission

[cwp2016nd]

Well, on the way to work yesterday, I made a right onto my street from the service road and waited at a traffic light behind somebody. When the light turned green I took off casually and shifted into second. As I started to accelerate in second gear, I put my right blinker on to pass him so I gave it about 1/2 throttle to go around. Out of nowhere it felt like I hit rumble strips going 80mph so I quickly depressed the clutch pedal and shifted into third, then fourth. The vibration went away but there was a horrific "marble like" noise coming from the middle of the car now. I made the left onto the street where my job is and coasted into the parking lot in third gear. 

 

As I slowed down I had to put it in first and MAN, it was really rough. I pull into my parking spot and shut the car off. There was an ominous sound that resonated once the idle came down that sounded like a metal ball being bounced around a container. 

 

These cars are notorious for transmission problems so I thought to myself GREAT! Now the original transmission is blown and I'll get a replacement with a new, updated version. I called a tow truck, got the car towed to the dealer and they have it now. They said it will be a couple days before they can look at it because they're "short handed". They continued on to tell me that they only have TWO loaner cars and they're both being used. After this I'm a little upset because I'm paying for a new car that I can't use and I have no way of transportation besides my DRZ-400SM. I rode it this morning but a bike ride in 34 degrees isn't my idea of ideal conditions. 

 

In conclusion, my transmission is properly blown up, the weather is cold and I'm stuck riding my bike and my dealer really sucks at customer service. I'm calling in a little bit to complain because its unacceptable that I am paying for a new vehicle and am stuck without transportation to my job. 

 

Just wanted to vent. /rant 

[tlbullet]

That sucks! Just curious...What type of car and milage?

[cwp2016nd]

4 hours ago, tlbullet said:

That sucks! Just curious...What type of car and milage?

2016 Miata. 29,000 miles on the clock. 

[tlbullet]

Jeez.  Hoping its still under warranty?!? 

[cwp2016nd]

4 hours ago, tlbullet said:

Jeez.  Hoping its still under warranty?!? 

Thankfully it is. I've had my fingers crossed that the transmission will blow sooner rather than later for that reason. At 29,000 miles I figured I had a "good" unit. I'm glad it broke when it did LOL. The best part is I was down the block from my job which is convenient. The tow through my insurance was only $36 to my dealer which is great. 

[Rich]

My worst nightmare.  My 6 year old Cadillac is starting to jerk a bit lately and I'm going to get the transmission flushed and hope that solves the issue.  Don't even want to think about what a tranny costs.    Good luck buddy.

[falcaineer]

Well that sucks. Can't they get you a rental/reimbursement?

[the Camaro show]

3 hours ago, Rich said:

My worst nightmare.  My 6 year old Cadillac is starting to jerk a bit lately and I'm going to get the transmission flushed and hope that solves the issue.  Don't even want to think about what a tranny costs.    Good luck buddy.

My mom had a 2007 Cadillac CTS she bought new and her tranny went out at 91k miles at 8 years old. 

[ObsessedDetailer]

Dang man well i hope all goes well. Please keep us updated. I hope your situation works itself out. I hate dealing with dealerships. its always something right?

[ocdrifter]

13 hours ago, cwp2016nd said:

2016 Miata. 29,000 miles on the clock. 

 

I felt bad for a second and then I read the word Miata by Mazda, I’ll keep the chick car jokes to my self ??

[Black Bowtie]

Will your insurance cover a rental car?

[cwp2016nd]

14 hours ago, Rich said:

My worst nightmare.  My 6 year old Cadillac is starting to jerk a bit lately and I'm going to get the transmission flushed and hope that solves the issue.  Don't even want to think about what a tranny costs.    Good luck buddy.

I'm sure a new transmission in that Cadillac isn't cheap at all....Good luck with that. I was just really hoping it would happen before my warranty expired and it did which I am thankful for. Thank you. 

14 hours ago, falcaineer said:

Well that sucks. Can't they get you a rental/reimbursement?

I spoke to my salesman last night. He called back after I left him a message and he said he will speak to the manager today about getting me a car to use. 

10 hours ago, ObsessedDetailer said:

Dang man well i hope all goes well. Please keep us updated. I hope your situation works itself out. I hate dealing with dealerships. its always something right?

Of course it is! Lol. I will keep you guys posted. 

6 hours ago, ocdrifter said:

 

I felt bad for a second and then I read the word Miata by Mazda, I’ll keep the chick car jokes to my self ??

Yeah.......You're one of those people I see LOL. 

[cwp2016nd]

10 hours ago, Black Bowtie said:

Will your insurance cover a rental car?

I didn't even think to ask that. But in my eyes thats the dealer's responsibility. 

[falcaineer]

Did they give you a car today? If not and it was me, I'd be all over them tomorrow!

[cwp2016nd]

14 hours ago, falcaineer said:

Did they give you a car today? If not and it was me, I'd be all over them tomorrow!

They're pulling the transmission today. They dumped the fluid yesterday and saw nothing. He's going to call me today and let me know about a car. I spoke to my salesman about a loaner because the service writer is less than helpful. My salesman said "they need to bring the car in. As soon as its in the shop they will touch base with you"

 

Basically I'm going to need to call them later and ask for a car again. This is why I have a new car with a warranty. I shouldn't have to worry about transportation. 

[shane@detailedreflections]

Man. What a mess of a situation. Hopefully they’ll do right by you. They have the chance to make a client for life or lose one forever based on how they handle this one situation. 

[cwp2016nd]

4 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

Man. What a mess of a situation. Hopefully they’ll do right by you. They have the chance to make a client for life or lose one forever based on how they handle this one situation. 

That is exactly right. This is why customer service is so important. When you get a bad taste put in your mouth you can't get it out. I hope they make it right too. 

[cwp2016nd]

Close to a week into this and the dealer called me (after I’ve been calling them) and told me they spoke to Mazda. A new transmission will be at the dealer tomorrow and I’ll get a rental car tomorrow as well. The car should be done Wednesday so I’ll have a rental for all of a day and a half. 

 

They definitely had had bad customer service. Terrible, avtually. But I’m glad the car will be done soon. 

[falcaineer]

Glad it'll be done soon. But man, that's a foul. Maybe they'll comp you some future service(s). Oil changes, maybe. Can't hurt to ask...since you've been asking for a week!

[cwp2016nd]

11 hours ago, falcaineer said:

Glad it'll be done soon. But man, that's a foul. Maybe they'll comp you some future service(s). Oil changes, maybe. Can't hurt to ask...since you've been asking for a week!

As nice as comp'd future services seems, I don't want to deal with that dealer any more than I have already. It is also weird to me that someone else is working on my car. I usually do everything myself. Even something as simple as an oil change I like to have my own hands on. 

[falcaineer]

11 hours ago, cwp2016nd said:

As nice as comp'd future services seems, I don't want to deal with that dealer any more than I have already. It is also weird to me that someone else is working on my car. I usually do everything myself. Even something as simple as an oil change I like to have my own hands on. 

 

Really good point, and totally agree. I retract my suggestion!

[pirahnah3]

Sorry to hear of all the issues, my advice is get it fixed and then go back and calmly and politely talk to the owner of the place. Its amazing what can happen when you sit down when its all done and work thru things. If they dont offer you the satisfaction you desire start writting to Mazda on a regular basis until they give you the time of day. Be polite but stern at the same time. 

 

I can relate to having people work on your stuff, I typically do most of my own work as well (Sans oil changes because its just not worth it) but having a really good mechanic you can trust is key to owning cars. 

[cwp2016nd]

On 11/7/2018 at 7:04 AM, pirahnah3 said:

Sorry to hear of all the issues, my advice is get it fixed and then go back and calmly and politely talk to the owner of the place. Its amazing what can happen when you sit down when its all done and work thru things. If they dont offer you the satisfaction you desire start writting to Mazda on a regular basis until they give you the time of day. Be polite but stern at the same time. 

 

I can relate to having people work on your stuff, I typically do most of my own work as well (Sans oil changes because its just not worth it) but having a really good mechanic you can trust is key to owning cars. 

Luckily that mechanic I can trust is my father. He's been working on cars for almost 30 years now. 

 

I was going to write the dealer a letter when this was all said and done because it is unacceptable how the service writer handled the situation. The other manager I dealt with (presumably in sales) handled the rental car for me in the matter of 10 minutes which was refreshing. I will make my feelings known. I'm not "that guy" when it comes to complaining, so hopefully my words come across to them in a meaningful way.