[willehwalton]

Hey...

My mom has a 2005 Mazda 3. Talked to her today to find that she took it in last week for her 72,000 KM checkup/service and they told her they needed to replace the rear brakes.

She doesnt really know anything about cars, and figured she could trust the dealership, and gave the go ahead.

They replaced the REAR brakes: rotors, pads, full deal, charged her $450.
However, the front brakes are original and still have plenty of wear left on them.

Now.. thinking about this.. something wrong here? I coulda sworn that the front brakes usually do most of the work, and therefore should wear out first...

Is this a common problem on these things? should it have been covered by warranty?
anywhere i can find out about TSBs on these cars?

your help is greatly appreciated,


Also, on a secondary note (maybe not the right thread for this) but, at the same time, she took it in because her windshield wipers had quit working, and was told that the motor was worn out and it was her fault for trying to run them when the wipers were frozen. (which is absurd, because the car lives in a garage, and we havnt had ice/snow here at all this year, and therefore wouldnt replace it under warranty either ($500 fix)

 

[ViperKillerWannabe]

Yes, this is commonly known about these cars. No, it's not covered under warranty. If you had searched for "rear brake wear," you would have found this thread, which shows that dozens of people have the same problem.

About your secondary note, that really sucks. You shouldn't have paid it, but I know it was your mom's car and not yours. You *may* be able to call mazda corporate and file a complaint about the dealer and get a refund, but don't bet on the refund part. Either way, it sounds like you should find another dealer soon.

 

[crazyfast]

there are many threads on this topic already, but i'll help if i can. for some strange reason the brakes on the rear of this car wear at a much higher rate than the front ones do. that explains why there is much more brake dust on the rear wheels than on the front. i'm not sure why this occurs, but it does on all mazda 3s. as for the windshield wipers i would ask for my money back and scold them for trying to rip off an older lady...

^Edit: oops, he beat me to it...

 

[willehwalton]

thanks for the help guys.. sucks to hear about the fact that the rear brake issue isnt under warranty... built in obsolescence i suppose... sorry i neglected to search for the topic - didnt think of it :?