Mazda 3 2009 Problems

Most modern cars would be perfectly fine for your country commuting, that's not really an issue like it was in the past where it was felt you needed a six-cylinder car at least to handle the long distance, higher-speed cruising. Smaller cars like the Yaris or Mazda2 are perfect for city use; they're small, manoeuvrable, easy to park, safe and cheap to run. A larger car, like the Mazda3 would be a little more comfortable for a longer journey. It would also have better performance, but being larger is a little more difficult to park, and would cost more to run. For your money you could get a 2008/2009 Mazda3, which would also be a good buy. For mine, I would go for the smaller car, the Yaris or the Mazda2.

You could take your complaint directly to Mazda's customer relations people. You might get a hearing because the warranty had only just expired.

Get a paint specialist to inspect the paint on your car and give you a report on his findings. Assuming the report confirms your claim that the paint is dodgy go back to Mazda and lodge a warranty claim.

You need to consult an independent paint specialist who can assess the quality of the paint for you, and then take that report to Mazda to back your warranty claim. One expert that could do it for you is Graeme Cuthbert (0422 444 335).

Bird droppings can eat into the paint if they’re not cleaned off relatively quickly, but you’re right not accept the explanation, it’s rubbish. I would press my case with the dealer before going direct to Mazda. If, as you say, it happened while the car was in their care they are responsible for it. If you get the brush-off from the dealer’s service personnel demand to talk to the dealer principal. If that process fails to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion then go to Mazda. You could also have a paint expert give you an opinion, which might help your case, but you would have to pay for it.