TTAC Long Term Update: 2015 Mazda3 Sport
What was supposed to be a milestone in my life – taking delivery of my first new car – ended up being thrown off by a slight mishap during PDI. And one that raises questions about Mazda’s Mexican operations.
Before I took delivery of my new Mazda3, myself and my Dad gave the car a thorough once over on the dealer lot. There, we noticed the faint gouge just above the rear badge, as well as some white marks in and around the badge (less visible in the photo). I decided not to take delivery of the car and let Yorkdale Dufferin Mazda’s PDI guy work out the problem.
The next day, I got a call from the dealer, saying the Mazda would replace the hatch with an entirely new unit. It turned out that the original hatch wasn’t sprayed correctly, and Mazda would send a new, pre-painted unit to replace it. The 2.0L versions are built at Mazda’s all-new Salamanca, Mexico facility. Perhaps there are some teething problems with the plant. One OEM quality engineer I spoke to suggested that there may have been pre-delivery damage. But according to the legal disclosure given to me at delivery, there is none. Should it emerge, I have legal recourse.
Almost immediately, I ordered snow tires – and the timing was perfect, given that we have our first snowfall today. On the advice of my tire vendor, I went with the Hankook W419 RS, which are apparently performance oriented winter tires. We’ll see how they fare.
Thanks to Jason Donio and Yorkdale Dufferin Mazda for their assistance. They can be reached at 416-789-4521.
Thanks to Jason and Mitch at Tirespot. While they tires were purchased at retail with no discounts, I cannot recommend them enough. 416-283-1300.
More by Derek Kreindler
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Shoulda gotten the sedan!
If your definition of being a cheapskate is keeping a car for more than 3 years then count me in. I buy my cars and trucks new and I have had one for 18 years, one that I presently own going on 16 years, and my wife had a Honda Accord for 17 years. If something gives me good service I usually will keep it for a long time. I don't expect Derek to keep his car that long but just wanted to add my comment.
I wouldn't start pointing fingers at the Mexican plant yet. The same thing happened on a newly built for me MINI Cooper back in 2012. They corrected the situation to my satisfaction. One thing I've learned when buying brand new cars is that no car is perfect if you're a perfectionist.
There is a lot talk on here about Mexican assembly. I just brought home a new Mazda 3 hatchback today and the point of final assembly is listed as Japan, with 85 percent Japanese parts content? Very impressive vehicle by the way. The best seats I have found on a Japanese vehicle, an area where I always felt they fell short.