> It's horror stories like this that I've heard time and time again (and
> some
> of my own experiences) for at least the past two decades.  >
> I remember having a few similar experiences with that Ghia where you
> really
> had to "arm twist" the dealer in doing the right thing and honoring not
> only
> the "spirit" of the warranty, but the legality of it as well.

My brother-in-law in Calgary has had the same experience with his 98 Mazda
MPV. In warmer weather the engine would begin to stumble going up hills,
and sometimes he'd have to stop and let it sit for a few minutes before it
would get to the top. The dealer he bought it from secondhand, Kramer
Mazda, claimed that it was owned from new by someone working in the
dealership & serviced regularly; they refused to divulge who on "privacy"
grounds. Well, recently by BIL discovered from another Mazda dealership
that there were NO service records after the first 16000km, and it was not
recalled for PCV valve replacement when the recall went out. Kramer Mazda
"could not" find any error code and so refused to believe (or more likely
to admit) that there was a problem. Now, at least a year later, another
Mazda dealer has found a faulty fuel-pressure regulator, which did not
show a code (but Herr Kramer, you don't deny presence of a problem when a
code doesn't show!). So include Kramer Mazda in the ripoff category.

In Canada, it seems, independent extended warranties do not cover
diagnosis of a problem, only labor & parts actually involved in the
repair! That's another (unrelated) ripoff.

You guys, tell us who the ripoff dealers are by name & location. Help
others to avoid them.