already has 23 000km

cost me $147 and 120 of that was for labor

hehe it was funny i go and pay at the parts dipartment and there is nobody around, well 2 minutes later a guy comes round and says "sorry we were looking at pictures of Anna Cornicova on the internet"....LMAO at least he was honest

 

puahahaha..

 

What a waste of your $$. Honestly, what needed done after that few miles that would cost that much? Ther dealer knows---they found a way to lube your butt hole up and give to you square.


Sorry for the haste, but what a rip off!

Curt B. Shumaker

 

i know but i don't have the time/patiance/tools to do it myself..

edit: this was in canadian dollars

 

What exactly did they do?

 

All they do is change oil and top up fluids.

 

The 24,000 Km service also includes a tire rotation.

 

... along with a few other inspections that aren't done at the 8 and 16,000 km services. That extra labour is where the cost goes up.

 

Wow...I paid $140 at the Midas my Uncle works at and I get 4 oil changes/year and tires rotated every second oil change for as long as I own my car (ie. not transferrable).

Oh...and I had him rotate my tires, check my brakes, fluids, etc. at the same time on this last oil change.

Lubing the locks is something that I can do myself.

 

damn see this is why i do all my own maintanance.
$9/4 quarts oil
$2/oil filter

free/tire rotate
$2/wiper fluid
$5/brake fluid


That's a rippoff like mad. All you need is a 23mm (i think) ratchet or vice grips to take the oil pan bolt off-that's the only tool. That and the top of a 2 liter soda bottle for the funnel. Since Dis. Auto Parts disposes of oil for free for you. So grand total is $11 for the oil and $7 for the fluids, give or take $5 if you need other fluids but these are used for months/years before needing to buy again. I know time is money-but in this case it would only take me about 2 hours to do it all myself since it takes longer to let the oil drain then to put in the fresh oil/filter, and top the fluids.

Pro_fan, that's expensive man-they are makin about $80 profit on you. Then again, this is the business they are in.

 

Huh? How do you figure that?

Oil change at Jiffy Lube or like=$20+

So if I'm just talking about oil changes alone, then that's 8 oil changes before I'm breaking even. And if you factor in the tire rotations (I'm talking done by somebody) then I'm laughing.

Anyway, you didn't mention that you just can't jack a single wheel to do a rotation. So you gotta buy jackstands and a jack for car.

Also, I know that I can't do this kind of stuff year round. I don't have a garage and we get a hella lot of snow in the winters. It's much easier to take it into my Uncle and let him have at it. Of course, he goes over everything with me while he's doing it, so I know what's going on.

 

Ummm.... no, the 24K also includes brake caliper service / lube ... but a few extra BS items as well... But for the most parts the 8K is just oil and filter as mentioned. Look at the manitenance schedule carefully and ask yourself whether you want to be paying someone effectively $60 per hour for the other fluff like..... check coolant level, check belt tension, check trans fluid level, check parking brake, check steering flid, lube locks and hinges, check washer fluid, check lights, check air filter, etc... all these things can be checked in 15 minutes by most anyone who knows how to open the hood, and/or are not important in terms of maintaining warranty coverage... so my tendency will be to say 'oil and filter please" for the every 8K and in addition tell them 'service disk brakes please ' for the 24K. This will save you a load of money in the long run....

 

Hi there !

Well here is my 2 cents worth. I own a 4 bay independant auto shop and one of the things that I see regularly with owners of new cars is the way they are misled by the dealership. By this I mean they are quite often told ( or given the impression ) that they need to return to the dealer for service work for the length of the warranty, so as not to void it. This is crap !! The only time that you do need to return to the dealer is for warranty work. period. You can choose to have your service done wherever you like. The drawback to doing your own service work is that you are not a certified mechanic or shop. If , down the road something does happen all you have to back up your claims of regular service is your word, and that will not be enough believe me !

My recommendation is to call your local Auto Association and ask for a recommended shop in your area. This way you can rest assured they are honest if the have been approved by such an association. Find one you like and that treats you well, there are many out there. Generally they have cheaper labour rates, actually care about you, and will sign your owners service manual which will maintain your warranty with Mazda.

Just thought you'd like some info !!

P.S. Before you jump on the bandwagon that ALL shops are out to screw you, just think about this. There is always a mark up, thats life and business. Sometimes us shop owners come out ahead on a job and sometimes we totally lose our shirts. Regardless of how good or bad business is we ALWAYS have to pay rent/mortgage (which is usually quite high to be in a good location), utilities, payroll, advertising, leasehold improvments, pay bank charges, shop upkeep, purchase the latest in tools and equipment, send our techs to training so as they can use these new tools and equipment, do any warranty or comeback work at our cost ( parts suppliers help us out only marginaly), purchase and maintain courtesy cars, pay our suppliers, etc. And after all of this we get to take what's left and put it in the bank.
So think about this the next time you may feel like you are paying too much for repairs. You should never pay too much, but do pay a fair and honest amount for good service. Demand and expect something for your dollar, and be sure the billed is explained so you are aware what you are paying for.

 

The Mazda dealership here charges $29.95CDN for an oil change + 50 or so point inspection (covering all the fluids, brake wear, belts, boots, lube hinge points, etc.).

Now the Suzuki dealer here is a freak! Getting our Suzuki serviced there is always a guess as to the price, since they charge based on "market prices" of the parts and fluids and Suzuki keeps adding inspection work to the n kilometer servicing, which means the shop time increases, so the $ increases.

But I am not going to be bothered changing my own oil. I ask myself, "What is my time worth? More or less than what the shop charges?" If it's more, I leave it to the shop, otherwise I do it.

 

Great post Wreckage, sent you a PM.