Mazdas have some major corrosion issues right now. If it is any solace to you, you car is not out of the norm. Virtually every Mazda that has hit our lot in that 3-5 year range as a trade in, has the same issues, usually around the badges. I believe Mazda offers a 6 year unlimited distance corrosion warranty which is capped at $1500.
Have it inspected by an independent body shop first so they can confirm the rust is not due to surface paint damage. That is the first thing they will try to blame it on to avoid the claim. Rust is a major known problem on these cars, but a lot of car dealers seem to assume nobody knows how to use the googling.
If that fails however. Chippy auto appearance, or MPS (Micro paint systems) are freakin magicians with this kind of stuff, and they usually only charge a couple hundred bucks for a little surface rust repair. Almost every dealer in the city uses them. My dad dragged the side of his 2003 Dodge truck down a concrete pole, and put a 5 foot scrape in the paint down to the metal. These guys fixed it for $600, the body shop quoted $2700, and the repair Chippy did looks better than your typical body shop repair, as they blend the whole thing, as opposed to repainting the entire panel. When I crashed my Hayabusa, I took off a few body fairings I thought were toast, and let them take a crack at them. They actually refinished them to a better standard than the factory finish, and saved me close to $900 on plastic once all was said and done.
|
