jsharr ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #1 Posted June 9, 2021 Took the new to Ryan car to our local mechanic. Been using them since as long as I can remember. Without spending a few hours of diagnostics, no way to know cost to repair. Could be simple wheel speed sensor of the ABS control module..... They found 7 unresolved codes related to the ABS system and they found that battery acid had leaked and gotten into the battery cables. The cables are part of the wiring harness and the damage has extended far enough down the wires that just replacing the ends is not an option. Harness runs $1100 and labor. Estimate to repair is $2000 total. Dealership has a 5 day money back guarantee. Going to have to invoke that tonight. This sucks, but not sure the Audi dealer is equipped to repair a Mazda and they did not bat an eye when I told them the issues and that I was bringing it back, so not likely they will want to bargain in this market. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #2 Posted June 9, 2021 I am very surprised that a dealership would sell a car without running diagnostics on it first. That's more the land of crash and burn repair shops. Dealerships have at least a shred of decency left. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted June 9, 2021 Share #3 Posted June 9, 2021 Ouch. Possible that you could replace the harness yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #4 Posted June 9, 2021 15 minutes ago, jsharr said: Dealership has a 5 day money back guarantee. Going to have to invoke that tonight. This sucks, but not sure the Audi dealer is equipped to repair a Mazda and they did not bat an eye when I told them the issues and that I was bringing it back, so not likely they will want to bargain in this market. My guess is they will repair it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share #5 Posted June 9, 2021 2 minutes ago, maddmaxx said: I am very surprised that a dealership would sell a car without running diagnostics on it first. That's more the land of crash and burn repair shops. Dealerships have at least a shred of decency left. They are slammed and I think they gave it a once over, a wash and filled it with gas. They were still working on it cleaning it the day we got it. They did not want to bargain on price at all. I was prequalified by my bank for the note, and they tried to play a game with me and add 2 points to the interest. Dealerships are not to be trusted in any way. I expect to be messed with tonight during the return process. If they come up with $1000 I will keep the car. Otherwise it is theirs and I will ask my mechanic to enter a service record on the car fax showing the issues. I am not sure how they can resell it now that the issues have been disclosed to them, but we will see. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share #6 Posted June 9, 2021 14 minutes ago, Zealot said: Ouch. Possible that you could replace the harness yourself? Yes, but it costs $1100 just for the harness. I am not willing to take that kind of hit. I will let the dealership deal with it or offer to replace it, but as they are Audi, not Mazda, not sure what will happen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted June 9, 2021 Share #7 Posted June 9, 2021 2 minutes ago, jsharr said: Yes, but it costs $1100 just for the harness. I am not willing to take that kind of hit. I will let the dealership deal with it or offer to replace it, but as they are Audi, not Mazda, not sure what will happen. Yeah, I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Far ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #8 Posted June 9, 2021 Teachable moment for the JrJsharft, "Caveat Emptor" or "Trust, but Verify". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share #9 Posted June 9, 2021 9 minutes ago, 2Far said: Teachable moment for the JrJsharft, "Caveat Emptor" or "Trust, but Verify". Yep, same deal on the financing. Told him to never trust a dealer. Go to his bank or other lender and get pre qualified so he knows what he can spend, how much it will cost, interest rate, etc.... Was fun to question the dealer as to what rate I got and then have them tell my prequalified offer was the best one.... No mention as to why they tried to add two points... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #10 Posted June 9, 2021 8 minutes ago, jsharr said: No mention as to why they tried to add two points... Uh, you KNOW why they add the points! More money into the kitty for them and their food chain. The reality is that sales people are sales people EVERY DAY. Consumers are usually only "bargainers" very rarely - cars are one of the few things folks haggle about in the US, and how often do you buy a car? So, those folks generally have a lot of practice at tools and techniques for screwing folks at some (or many) point in the process. Obviously, for many of us, we do have the option to walk out the door, which is great in a buyer's market, less useful in a seller's market. If they do fix the issue, does the return timeline "reset"? Sometimes, removing one roadblock reveals others farther down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share #11 Posted June 9, 2021 2 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: Uh, you KNOW why they add the points! More money into the kitty for them and their food chain. The reality is that sales people are sales people EVERY DAY. Consumers are usually only "bargainers" very rarely - cars are one of the few things folks haggle about in the US, and how often do you buy a car? So, those folks generally have a lot of practice at tools and techniques for screwing folks at some (or many) point in the process. Obviously, for many of us, we do have the option to walk out the door, which is great in a buyer's market, less useful in a seller's market. If they do fix the issue, does the return timeline "reset"? Sometimes, removing one roadblock reveals others farther down the road. I had the mechanic check it out pretty thoroughly. He did not find anything other than those two issues. What I plan to do if the dealership resolves the wiring harness issue is to purchase an extended warranty on the open market, not through a dealer and then address the brake issue with them and have coverage for anything major for the next 24-36 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #12 Posted June 9, 2021 51 minutes ago, jsharr said: I had the mechanic check it out pretty thoroughly. He did not find anything other than those two issues. What I plan to do if the dealership resolves the wiring harness issue is to purchase an extended warranty on the open market, not through a dealer and then address the brake issue with them and have coverage for anything major for the next 24-36 months. Where in the world will you find someone selling extended warranties on the open market? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted June 9, 2021 Share #13 Posted June 9, 2021 Being a dad never sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted June 9, 2021 Share #14 Posted June 9, 2021 4 minutes ago, Longjohn said: Where in the world will you find someone selling extended warranties on the open market? Carshield... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share #15 Posted June 9, 2021 6 minutes ago, Longjohn said: Where in the world will you find someone selling extended warranties on the open market? Apparently it is a thing! My mechanic suggested going to consumer reports and looking at the top 3 rated extended warranty firms. I seem to recall someone with a strange (to me anyway) accent calling me about my vehicles extended warranty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Road Runner Posted June 9, 2021 Share #16 Posted June 9, 2021 I get offers in the mail regularly for extended warranties. They don't know me very well, do they? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #17 Posted June 9, 2021 8 minutes ago, Zealot said: Carshield... Best ad ever: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted June 9, 2021 Share #18 Posted June 9, 2021 2 hours ago, jsharr said: offer to replace it I would suggest if the agreement allows you, just return the car. Don't mess with the Audi dealership replacing a Mazda wiring harness. It's exacting, labor intensive work in difficult-to-get-to locations. Their quality focus will be to get the car back out the door with as little effort and cost as possible. If they use the cheaper ordinary splices instead of the watertight splices you won't be able to tell because the harness will be all taped up, and any problems won't manifest themselves until well after any 5 day return period is up. Perhaps they may get every single wire matched and spliced correctly. But then again I would suggest that the risk of errors and of mediocre workmanship is substantial, and the consequences/impact on the car being dependable are significant as electrical problems are notoriously hard to trouble shoot and resolve. In short, not to be a debbie downer, but replacing the harness could create a problem plagued lemon. I'd also suggest reading the contract closely. If the contract gives the dealer the option of repairing the problem(s) and concluding the deal, well, you may have to abide by that. In that case your best option would be to get the car warranty. It won't let you avoid the inconvenience of car problems but it will blunt the expenses. If the contract gives you the option, then I'd suggest dumping the car back in their lap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #19 Posted June 9, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share #20 Posted June 9, 2021 7 minutes ago, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said: I would suggest if the agreement allows you, just return the car. Don't mess with the Audi dealership replacing a Mazda wiring harness. It's exacting, labor intensive work in difficult-to-get-to locations. Their quality focus will be to get the car back out the door with as little effort and cost as possible. If they use the cheaper ordinary splices instead of the watertight splices you won't be able to tell because the harness will be all taped up, and any problems won't manifest themselves until well after any 5 day return period is up. Perhaps they may get every single wire matched and spliced correctly. But then again I would suggest that the risk of errors and of mediocre workmanship is substantial, and the consequences/impact on the car being dependable are significant as electrical problems are notoriously hard to trouble shoot and resolve. In short, not to be a debbie downer, but replacing the harness could create a problem plagued lemon. I'd also suggest reading the contract closely. If the contract gives the dealer the option of repairing the problem(s) and concluding the deal, well, you may have to abide by that. In that case your best option would be to get the car warranty. It won't let you avoid the inconvenience of car problems but it will blunt the expenses. If the contract gives you the option, then I'd suggest dumping the car back in their lap. Warranty would not cover this, as the original issue was caused by lack of maintenance. If they do not replace the entire harness with a Mazda OEM harness, then no deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkpow Posted June 9, 2021 Share #21 Posted June 9, 2021 Can't you disconnect the brakes? It's just for the kid, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeman564™ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #22 Posted June 9, 2021 Don't need ABS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Author Share #23 Posted June 9, 2021 20 minutes ago, donkpow said: Can't you disconnect the brakes? It's just for the kid, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted June 9, 2021 Share #24 Posted June 9, 2021 1 hour ago, jsharr said: Warranty would not cover this, I always wonder what a warranty "gets" you. They are in business to make money, play the odds, and seemingly have a team dedicated to the odds of paying out on theiir policies. What keeps you from just "self insuring" - ie putting the money aside to cover any vehicle repairs for the whole Sharr Fleet? All this AFTER getting a car in the working order you are expecting and paying for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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