3 months of ownership... Am I numpty for having falling in love with my CX-3

[fillip2k]

So I've now had my 2018 CX-3 Sport Nav + for a couple of days over 3 months...

Its not been plain sailing, far from it. Since having it I've needed a wheel bearing replacement (after 3 days of having it and after it had just passed an MOT), the coolant control valve is scheduled to be replaced, the reversing camera needed to be replaced and there's a dodgy wing mirror motor that needs replacing. There's also corrosion that needs sorting on the rear door hinges and the bump stops of the bonnet.

Yet there's something about this car I just really love. When I'm driving it I just feel happy, it seems to have a personality and feels good to drive even relatively slow around town. Prior to this I had a diesel Nissan Note which I loathed, it was a horrible little car that felt dead to drive. It sounded agricultural and the interior was horrific. Although it was reliable, I'll give it that (I still liked it enough to name him though, his name was Wilbur) . Other than that I had a Mk1 Panda which I loved, I don't think my dad really understood why. But we did spend an entire summer searching the darkest corners of Norfolk for a black one. He was called Paddy. Paddy was replaced with a blue Mk2b Punto (imaginatively named Son of Paddy) which I had for 13 years till he was uneconomical to repair. It was a just a pokey little 1.2 8v poverty spec car but it had personality in spades and was a joy to drive and own. in 13 years the only things I needed to do it were service items.

So now we get to "Christine" my CX-3 I've only had a short time and it has had a lot of issues and Johsons are an awful dealership that I would never buy another car from again. But I still really love the car, also think I might need to change the name, I don't really like Christine as a name. My friend dubbed it Christine one night in the pub when I was telling him about the issues I've had with it but how I still really liked it...

[TEB]

I swapped a 2018 Panda 4x4 for our CX3, and while I very much liked the Panda, it had regular faults and my wife found it uncomfortable to travel in. However the CX3 has also had its far share of issues too, in the 12 months we've owned it its needed, a battery, DC to DC converter and Storage Capacitor to fix an i-eloop issue, a mirror motor and door lock to fix a wing mirror folding issue, new rear discs and pads due to seized callipers, new tyres as the factory ones perished prematurely and corrosion around the rear number plate lights dealing with. Also like yourself, there is corrosion around the bonnet bump stops which I've sealed with Lanoguard, and a very small patch on the roof too.
In January the car is back to the dealers for a new drivers seat base due to weak output from the seat heating element. Thankfully though I've only had the tyres and brakes to pay for, the rest being sorted by the Mazda used car warranty, or dealer goodwill. Really like this car and its ideal for living in a rural location, but I wish it was as reliable as my brother-in-laws Mazda 2, in the near eight years he's had it, its had a software/firmware update to fix a sat nav issue and two new rear seatbelts (a known issue).
Had to smile when I recently received a letter from Mazda asking if I wanted to pay for a years extension to the used car warranty, decided it was probably a good idea, though it would in many ways be nice if it turned out to be a waste of money.

[fillip2k]

For me the biggest thing that's making wonder if I'm a bit stupid for still thinking I would buy another Mazda, isn't necessarily the issues. Its the completely awful customer service experience from the dealership. It feels like I've paid a lot of money to be treated like a mug at this point.

I kind of oscillate between being happy about my car to just being really stressed and anxious about it. The anxiety being about what new problem will I have to deal with. From now on I'll be taking my car to a different dealership for any repairs. Time to kick Johnsons into touch I think. They're just an utterly awful dealership.

[Dogfuzz]

In 60 years of motoring and owning variety of cars I have never enjoyed a good relationship with the servicing department of any dealership. Having said that if I have ever suffered serious malfunctions or complex maintenance issues, generally speaking, dealers tend to deliver better than an independent. Mazda dealers have been fine with me although the admin and communication is not all that good.

[fillip2k]

This is probably my number 1 issue with the dealer experience so far. The admin and communication is awful. Although I guess from talking to others at work the general experience with dealerships is pretty poor. Maybe this is just the way it is, I haven't been overly picky or demanding. Coming up with imagined problems etc, at the end of the day I just want a car that gets on does it thing without me having to worry about it. Well hopefully once these issues are dealt with the new year will be less dramatic as far as car trouble goes!

[Idiomsa]

What measures are you considering to address the issues you've encountered with your CX3, and have you explored alternative dealerships for better service experiences?