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Brown's Alexandria Mazda
Categories: Automotive Car Dealers Automotive Body Shops Car Dealers, Body Shops [Edit]
7400 Richmond HwyAlexandria, VA 22306
(703) 660-8400
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:30 am - 8 pm
Sat 8 am - 8 pm
Sun 12 pm - 6 pm
About This Business:
Our specialties include Expert Insurance Claims Handling, Collision Repair and Paint Work, General Cosmetic Repair and Paint Work, Rust/Corrosion… read more »
9 reviews for Brown's Alexandria Mazda
9 reviews in English
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Review from Keon D.
6/3/2009
5 Stars for giving me a great price on my Mazda 3 years ago
-2 stars for charging me a whopping amount for 30k mile maintenance then not putting my wheels back on properly and consequently endangering my life.
I'm going to assume that they usually are a bit more careful with things and thank god I was off the highway when i realized something was very wrong. I've been here twice. Once to replace a side mirror that some idiot in dc knocked off (it was on the side next to the sidewalk....grrr). They did a great job and had a new one back in place in a jiffy. The other time was to get my 30k mile maintenance. I think they did a good job with everything besides actually tightening the bolts on my wheels and since they didnt fall off on the highway leading to my untimely demise... I can move past that. However I doubt that ill return to pay 500 bucks for a major maintenance since they havent exactly inspired a lot of confidence. Service is generally good and friendly and you can get anything done pretty quick.
Pretty good prices on cars even if they play the "let me talk to my manager" game. Do your homework and youll get a great deal. -
Review from Dave A.
Baltimore, MD
3/4/2012
I will admit up front that I got a good deal on my used Mazda 3 just a few days ago, but ONLY because I went there with someone who was in the know.
I was lowballed for my trade-in (about 25% of its KBB value) and they were ready to jerk me around for hours if it wasn't for my friend.
Also, there were a bunch of annoyances related to purchasing the actual car:
1) I'm from MD and they messed up charging me the proper tax rate
2) Tried to get me to take the car without floor mats
3) Only gave me one key but didn't tell me that it has a chip, so a duplicate will cost me around $100
5) Tried to screw me on the price of the "Certified Pre-Owned" warranty. The price started at $800, then dropped to $400, then while doing the financing, just gave it to me for "free." Not sure what the deal was.
Won't give this location my business again. Too many games. -
Review from Peter L.
Alexandria, VA
12/1/2011
I bought a used 2009 Mazda 3 at this dealership in June of last year and had been proudly bringing my car back to them for general service and maintenance until just a few weeks ago.
I brought the car in for a replacement of a recalled windshield wiper motor and when I picked it up from the service center, I noticed my iPhone charger was missing from my car. Nobody there from a manager in the main office to the person I spoke with in person in the Service Center wanted to help me or do anything about it.
It's simply sad when you can't bring your car back to the dealership you bought it at for service because you think something as small as a phone charger might get swiped.
I will never go back to this dealership or buy a Mazda again. Nothing against Mazda, I just don't want to give them any more of my money. -
Review from Rachel M.
Fairfax, VA
9/30/2010
Thinking about purchasing here? They are using classic techniques to "get over" on you. Here are the ones they tried to pull on me last night.
1. "I'll just have whatever car is available for you to test drive."
That's just asking for them to sell you the more expensive/highest profit car.
2. "Your car is badly damaged"
A small dent for a dealership with a body shop is not bad damage.
3. "We make a very slim profit... On Japanese cars."
First of all, hardly japanese! LOL Second of all, read "Confessions of a Car Salesman".
Also, he revealed the sale before mine and bragged about giving some poor woman only $5,000 dollars (LESS THAN 50% KBB TRADE IN VALUE) for her like new SUV and sold her a 2009 Highlander.
He kept saying, "domestic cars are not worth anything". Really? Last time I checked there's a Mazda plant in the US and Ford was the fastest growing automaker...
His appraiser laughed at my car. I laughed because he was still at work...
Read, "Brown's Mazda. Worst Dealership Ever? Car Buying 101." for more details. -
Review from Lauren C.
Alexandria, VA
10/28/2008
I purchased a semi-rare and testy little 2003.5 MazdaSpeed Protege used about two years ago. Knowing what I do about turbos, especially the one I have (a bolt-on to the standard Protege engine) I really wanted to have the car dealer maintained. When I discovered I live only a few miles from a Mazda dealer, I was stoked.
I take my precious gunmetal baby to Brown's for everything. Their oil change prices are competitive with quick lube places. When I started shopping for [very $$$] tires for my car last winter, I decided to give them a shot because I wasn't finding many choices at affordable prices anywhere else. Not only was their selection unbeaten by anywhere within a few miles of my house, their prices were great and they didn't charge a lot of the other silly fees tire places do.
I can't speak for everyone, but recently I received some diagnostic services for free when they did not find anything currently worth repairing. A dealer who chooses not to sell you products you don't need? I'm sold.
I also like the way they assign you to a rep that you see every time you bring your car in. It's no substitute for the mom-and-pop mechanic services I grew up with, but it's an improvement over most places. Also, I've noticed that the staff there has been very consistent in the two years I've been going. That says something, I think, and also gives me a little more faith in Mr. Brown.
The only reason I can't give Brown's 5 stars is because I haven't had them fix anything major, so I cannot attest to the quality of work they do for more complicated repairs. -
Review from Matt H.
Washington, DC
3/30/2011
Had a horrible experience shopping for a car here. First they claimed the Carfax website was down so they couldn't give us a car report (they said they would email it, but never did), then they said their printer wasn't working so they couldn't give us a price quote. And to top it off, everytime my wife asked a question the salesman looked at her curiously and spoke as s-l-o-w-l-y as possible as if she didn't get what he was saying. Don't waste your time here.
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Review from David P.
Alexandria, VA
3/17/2011
This review is for the service department. I haven't experienced the sales team or the body repair shop.
I took my Mazda to Brown's for a regular oil change and an inspection. These were simple things, but I found the service team to be very courteous and friendly. The waiting area was clean and comfortable with complimentary coffee and a television. Friendliness, courtesy, and cleanliness tend to be overlooked by a lot of businesses nowadays, so it's refreshing to get those things when you pay for a service. They even gave my car a quick wash before I left.
I found the rates to be fair. However, i just paid for a simple oil change and inspection. It'll be interesting to compare their rates when I have more extensive maintenance or repairs done to the car. -
Review from Ross S.
Reston, VA
9/16/2011
Let me begin by stating part of this bad experience is my fault as I should have bought the car my wife and I needed before she had our baby, which led me to not spend as much time to ensure getting the best deal possible. Now, having said that, I'll get to my review of this dealership, which is not good at all. These points are in no particular order.
First, the 2008 Mazda CX-9 we ended up buying was missing a rear AC vent cover/grill as well as a rear AC control knob. I'm not sure why a Mazda dealer wouldn't be able to address this issue prior to putting a Mazda on their lot for sale. Secondly, the car did not come with any of the owner's manuals (original or replacement). Again, not sure why a Mazda dealer wouldn't be able to address this issue prior to putting a Mazda on their lot for sale. Thirdly, their idea of detailing a car prior to putting it on their lot is to simply wash it, wax it (I think) and perform a cursory vacuuming of the interior. On top of that, they charged a detailing fee in addition to a delivery fee. I should have refused to pay for either (particularly the detailing fee) as any fee they felt compelled to charge should have been rolled up into the sales price of the vehicle. Fourth, after dropping off the bank check and finishing the sale, the finance manager forgot to have me endorse the check, which meant I had to drive back to the dealership (from my house is about thirty miles from the dealership) to do so. This ended up not being completely irritating in that they needed to install the above mentioned AC vent/grill and knob as well as provide me with another owner's manual (for a 2009 CX-9), which wasn't even for the same year of car (I purchased a 2008 CX-9). Again, how can a Mazda dealership not be able to provide the owner's manual for the correct year? At the very least, go on Ebay and buy one; I know they are available because I checked. We also just received the permanent vehicle registration, more than two months after we purchased the car. And the most annoying thing was the mistake I made by letting them try to match the interest rate of the loan we had secured thru my credit union. I should have know they wouldn't be able to match it or come close but like a fool I let them try so they pulled my credit report. What they didn't tell me was that four different banks pulled my report. I'm sure there is something else I'm forgetting to mention but I didn't make a complete list of all of their deficiencies.
While I like the car we purchased and it is mechanically sound, the experience was more painful than the used car experience should be. Bottom line is that I don't expect to have to endure these types of problems when purchasing a $25K car, used or not. -
Review from Michael K.
Arlington, VA
8/9/2010
This review applies to the body shop. The sales team gave me what, I think, was a good deal (I did some research). However, the body shop manager, Linda, should be fired.
Here's me story. One month after we bought a brand new Mazda 6 from Brown's, my wife had a pretty terrible car accident. The car required major work and, since we didn't really know where else to have it towed, we sent it to Brown's.
The accident occured on 4/30. Towards the end of May, Linda informed me she thought the car would probably be ready during the first week of June. When it wasn't ready and Linda told me that it would take another week I figured, "Eh, stuff happens. I just want it fixed correctly." Over the next 4 weeks, Linda repeatedly proceeded to promise me the car would be ready in another few days, always telling me that the car was basically ready, but they had caught one little detail that needed to be fixed. On three separate occasions she gave me a firm guarantee that the car would be ready, but, of course, it never was. Finally, one Thursday in late June, she told me that the car simply needed a new bumper (apparently, the one they had ordered had a flaw) and that it was being overnighted to the body shop. She told me it would take 1 day. It was not ready on Friday.
Over the next week, she constantly put me off, saying that it would take 1 more day. I started to realize that something did not seem kosher. I started calling her managers. Finally, I got a promise from her manager that the car would be ready on Friday afternoon. One hour later, Linda called me to tell me that the car might not be ready on Friday and that she was having problems dealing with my insurance and that, if the insurance hadn't approved a final $3K by Friday, that she wouldn't release the car without me paying. As I was very angry at this point, I called her manager again. I managed to reach another floor manager who told me Linda was out of line, getting the $3K was their responsibility, and the car would be ready on Friday. My wife went to pick up the car (since I was too angry). Basically, she said that it sounded like Linda had been having problems dealing with our insurance and, as a result, she'd been delaying fixing the car. As a result, I'm pretty certain she added another month to the time it took her to fix the car. In the end, she kep the car from 4/30 until 7/2.
However, that's not the worst part. After several weeks, we noticed that the car made a noise and vibrated when driven over 40 mph. (We live in Crystal City and work in DC, so we don't actually often drive on highways). We were loathe to give up the car again for another indefinite period, so when we called Linda and she (predictable) ignored us we waited a week or so to take action. When we decided the problem was probably too worrisome to ignore, we took the car in. It turns out that the car has a faulty hub and ball bearing. Linda had the car for two months and she didn't manage to fix the thing correctly! Moreover, it's apparently somewhat dangerous to drive a car with this problem.
Supposedly, Brown's is going to fix the car now. We'll see. In any case, if the body shop is important to you, I highly recommend you don't buy a car from this dealership.
