Is dealership servicing necessary?

roddydogs

mr_accountant wrote: »

looking at the Mazda web the warranty is 3 years or 60000 miles, so its long past its warranty, goodwill is virtually zero now, start independent would be my advise

imo whilst a car (any manufacturer) is still under warranty best to get the stamp at the main stealers for piece of mind so they cant wriggle out of warranty, but out of warranty go elsewhere, unless the dealer price is competitive

a good compromise may be the (minor) oil and filter service get done at the Mazda dealer, and the full service (sparks, pollen, air, brake fluid etc) get done at an independent, that way you still have some dealer history but also show its well maintained, without to much extra outlay

You think Mazda will do just an oil change?

Newly_retired

sacsquacco wrote: »

Most of the time a service is no more than an oil and filter change and some mechanic ticking off a load of check boxes.My last fleet car service the cheating !!!!! never even changed the oil . It was black on taking it in and same colour collecting it. They thought being a fleet car no one was bothered about checking it..They did wash it tho.
OP get the few tools needed and do your own oil and filter changes, its a doddle.So is the air filter and plugs and fluid checks and top ups.This is a money saving forum so the advice is do it yourself.

Yes, I know that is a very MSE answer, but as a 70 yr old lady I have no plans to take up motoring DiY! Thanks for the thought, which my Family finds very amusing.

roddydogs

Plugs a "Doddle" have you seen some engines, you cant hardly see them.

Rain_Shadow

I bought two Mazda's brand new in Sept 2009 and have had them dealer serviced ever since. My dealer is excellent. They have done nearly 180k between them and had one fault in all that. That was quite an expensive one but, despite being 18 months out of warranty and at 80k+ miles, Mazda met half the cost.


Even though I have a very good and reliable local garage that I use for my sons' cars, and which I have used for mine in the past,I will continue with the dealer servicing

[Deleted User]

WellKnownSid wrote: »

Was your car a diesel?

What did they say when you caught them cheating?

Petrol, ( Citron C1 ) and they just said "sorry " its an oversight. In my view it was attempt theft. None of my mates ever check their cars after a service. We re a bunch of G4S meter readers and drive our cars hard so an oil change is vital. I think fleet car services probably get ripped off because the drivers don t check the work and are not bothered anyway. I don t trust garages, thats why I do my own servicing properly on my own car.
OP, sorry, yes I ll let you off. but its sad to see that nowadays people find the thought of doing basic car services as beyond them and your family just find the whole concept of home servicing so advanced that its amusing. I know families who have to take their bikes to the shop just to mend a puncture.

Horizon81

OP, have you compared their prices to local independents? You may find there is little difference. Many dealers aren't as expensive as what people on here think. In fact, having studied a Good Garage Scheme member's invoice, it was dearer than the dealers. Mind that's another story, please avoid the nonsensical good garage scheme.

Equally, OP, are you happy with the service your dealer provides?

hollie.weimeraner

Horizon81 wrote: »

OP, have you compared their prices to local independents? You may find there is little difference. Many dealers aren't as expensive as what people on here think. In fact, having studied a Good Garage Scheme member's invoice, it was dearer than the dealers. Mind that's another story, please avoid the nonsensical good garage scheme.

Equally, OP, are you happy with the service your dealer provides?

My wife has a 5 year old Toyota Yaris and the dealership have been cheaper every year than the local VAT registered garages that I would trust it with.

gabitzul

Same experience with my Toyota dealer in Reading, similar price for a basic service to my preferred garage. So I only do a basic service each year just so I can keep a bit of histroy and I do the rest to a full service (filters etc) as it's a doddle.

AS it's now past the 5 yr warranty I might switch to self services now.

On my C Class Merc 2009 diesel I already do full servicing as the prices at the dealer make you cry!

bod1467

sacsquacco wrote: »

and your family just find the whole concept of home servicing so advanced that its amusing.

Wrong end of the stick ... the family find the concept of their 70 year old female relative doing home servicing amusing, not the concept itself.

mr_accountant

roddydogs wrote: »

You think Mazda will do just an oil change?

[FONT=&quot]Essentially yes, a service on modern car (by modern I mean from 1990s onwards) is little more than an oil and filter change, on my Hyundai i10 the small service is exactly that oil and filter, everything else is check this and check that.

Whether they check these items is also another matter, for e.g. I remember the service checklist (the one with all the ticks) at the Hyundai dealer, they ticked the box for ‘check hydraulic clutch’ and also ticked the box for ‘check rear drum linings’, so what’s the problem you may ask? well the car does not have a hydraulic clutch, its cable operated and, secondly the rear brakes are discs, when I told them they were still in shock as most people don’t know their left hand from their right when it comes to cars, and would not know what half the service checks are.

So I would doubt they do a full check, just a quick look under the car and ticked everything off and send a nice bill for what is essentially an oil and filter change.

a full service is as above plus filters and sparks and brake fluid, again simple cheap stuff[FONT=&quot], parts cost [FONT=&quot]a few pounds from a motor factors and mostly easy to fit, trying changing the air filter [FONT=&quot]blindfolded[/FONT], very [FONT=&quot]possible on most cars and proves my point[/FONT][/FONT]
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