I have found a nice used MX-5 Mk3 at a local dealer and put down on a deposit (foolishly) based on a verbal assuarance by the salesman that the car had a full service history. When I was able to check the documentation they tell me that the Digital Service Record doesn’t include anything before when they acquired it from Mazda (UK) - (it was originally owned by Mazda UK for 18 months) . This was after some other flannel which turned out to be untrue (they couldnt give the info for data protection purposes etc). Anyway the car is only just 3 years old but the only service recorded on the DSR was after two years and 25k miles. They tell me that Mazda (UK) would have done all the necessary services and that they have approached Mazda for the details, but after a couple of days they have not had any response. I called Mazda who told me that the car would have had a service book and if it was missing then there was nothing they could do. They said that the car was registered just before DSR started, but the dealer says no thats incorrect and all Mk3 MX-5’s have a DSR. Who to believe?
Does anyone have any experience of gaps in the DSR, and can the dealer fill in gaps as they say they can? I am getting a bit worried and a bit pissed off with the dealer.
Any thoughts welcome.
G’day mate, welcome to the Forum
Sounds to me as if they have broken any contract that they had with yoy. Ask for the deposit to be returned and find another Mk3, or put loads of cash in the bank and by a far superior Mk1…Mariner Blue…Roadster…with a Supercharger…[;)]
I had almost exactly the same issue with a dealer last year - buying from Mazda in a certain north yorkshire town…
A Mk3, 1 owner, 26k miles.
They claimed that the car had full dealer service history, said I would buy subject to the paperwork all lining up. Then there was a gap (implying the car hadn’t been serviced for 25k), then they said “it had been stamped so it was all ok”… undermining that the DSR is the only full record for Mazda. He then said they could retrospectively update the DSR. Not according to Mazda UK, you can’t… (I think you can update the last service details on the DSR, but not fill in gaps prior to that) The dealer then said Mazda were lying… so I walked away… it was still unsold 6 months later, I guess it went to auction in the end.
I wouldn’t have minded so much on an older car, but on a Mk3, it’s taking the p&ss.
Mazda UK told me last year that all customer Mk3s have a DSR, I guess an early dealer reg’d one might have slipped through the net (press car?)
Walk away, there are plenty about. Demand the deposit back, unless they can prove, in writing, the full history - or enhance the warranty FOC?
Data protection sounds like an excuse, not a reason. Sounds like they have something to hide.
Thanks for the welcome and help. The outcome was that Mazda had not serviced the car at all, so its first service was at 25k miles when the dealer bought it from them. The dealer offered me a second year warranty but still wanted top dollar on the price so I walked. I am not sure if the way we were treated by the dealer in Crawley is typical of their business practices but I have to say that I am not impressed by either their honesty or their willingness to sell at a price that reflects the cars value. It should be remembered that they sold the car to the previous owner with no service history at all and no doubt told her it had a full history, they told me on several occasions that the car had a full history and I had to push pretty hard to get to the real facts.
Maybe this is an isolated example but if you are going to use this dealer beware.
ps - in fairness though they have not quibbled over refunding our deposit
Yup - sounds familiar practice.
Worrying thing is that 90% of customers would be fobbed off and be exploited.
Quick add to my story… once I had called Mazda and go the facts as best available, and called the dealer to tell him the deal was off, he swore at me. Hadn’t paid a deposit, only shaken hands on it. It was the end of the month, so I guess it hurt their numbers.
After he had sworn, I felt the gloves were off and very calmly stated the facts back to him and highlighted how they had mislead me, and had they been straight and honest from the start he would have had a deal. I gave them the option to come back with a better price to reflect the true state of the vehicle.
I won’t name them, but they are in a large spa town in North Yorkshire, starting with “H” and ending with “arrogate”