Annual servicing

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#1404812 13-Oct-2015 09:42

Hmm FWIW, I got myself a oil pan and some ramps, and do the oil changes (check air filter) at the standard 10,000km intervals. And then for the larger more comprehensive ones I take it to the dealership to get the major ones done. Yes they do check a lot of other stuff, so I see the value in that. But I don't see the value in it every 6 months or 12 months.

Also something to take note of - when comparing dealership servicing versus "other" mechanics, ask for a price for a standard 10,000k service and also a standard 50,000 or 100,0000k service; then check what they actually do and compare that from both. I found them vastly different - most "other" mechanics, just do the basics, whereas the dealerships do a hell of a lot more (hence it costs more)...literally a case of you get what you pay for....and yes the hourly rates are likely to be more expensive from a dealiership, but then they also work on those cars all the time (it's their bread and butter), so arguably may be able to diagnose issues quicker (thus saving money)....just playing devils advocate here :)

Oh and when I got the dealer to replace my light bulbs, interestingly enough, they cost less than half than what I would have paid to go and get them from a local auto parts store...so they are not always more expensive :)

Jase2985

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#1404815 13-Oct-2015 09:48

dclegg:
It was stressed to us on purchase that we have to follow the schedule exactly in order to get all free services. If we're late for one, we miss it and will have to wait for the next scheduled service.

as i mentioned earlier thats fine while its still under warranty, as you dont want to jeopardise that, but after the warranty ends i certainly wouldn't be doing that

dclegg

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#1404817 13-Oct-2015 09:50

Jase2985:

as i mentioned earlier thats fine while its still under warranty, as you dont want to jeopardise that, but after the warranty ends i certainly wouldn't be doing that

Yeah, that sounds fair enough.

To be honest, we've always been very slack with keeping our cars serviced. But this is the nicest (and newest) car we've ever owned, so we'll be far more onto keeping it in tip top condition.

MikeB4

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#1404822 13-Oct-2015 09:59

scuwp:
MikeB4: Our vehicles get serviced as per manufacturers schedule. The dealer contacts us, confirms appointment and picks up the vehicle concerned and returns it all pain free and groomed. All adds to worry free ownership.

Sounds like an ideal situation if you can afford it. Full service lease perhaps? I am sure you will be paying handsomely for this service somewhere along the line.

My dealer services use to be upwards of $700 - $800 each time. Since changing to a local garage that is now sub $300 on average. And yes they have all the tools and diagnostic equipment just the same.

The service costs on average Circa $300 per vehicle. The newest car doesn't need a service for two years then yearly. My Nissan is yearly.

nzkiwiman

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#1404960 13-Oct-2015 12:16

I just had the 1 year service on my Mazda3 (covered by Mazda)
As others have mentioned, the first 3 years of servicing is covered by Mazda New Zealand, so I am not bothered by having to take it in every 6 months.
Once it is out of warranty period then I will probably drop it back to a yearly service at the dealer. If I was going to keep the car past its 10 year birthday, then I would probably change to a 6 month service at a local garage

Mazda Dunedin also had to provide the cost breakdown of the service - $233, which was about $60 more than I used to pay for my 96 Civic every 6 months.

MikeAqua

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#1404969 13-Oct-2015 12:25

We recently bought a new Mazda. The first three years/100,000km of servicing are included in the purchase price.

The last time bound service is 36-months. Beyond that it's purely 10,000km service intervals.

In other words Mazda want to make sure their 'free' service obligations do not extend beyond 36 months.

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#1405295 13-Oct-2015 22:46

I think it depends on the vehicle.

My Land Rover, for example, has more oil requirements than most cars (2 gearboxes, diffs and so on) and many more oil seals. LR recommended oils have special additives to help preserve the seals in the sort of conditions Land Rovers are intended for. I imagine that a corner garage would probably just use oils that match the base type (e.g. 20/40 or whatever it is) rather than the more detailed requirement. A main dealer 'light' service is about $450 and a more involved one about another $200 on that.

Some cars are also just too complex for the corner garage. There are often independent specialists for specific manufacturers (although I've not seen too many Land Rover ones in NZ - many in UK of course) which can be a bit cheaper.

I keep up the maintenance on all the good cars we own - and even our clunker Pajero we use as a dog/farm car gets a service every 12 months from the local MTA dealer - and goes to Mitsubishi for cam belts etc. when needed.

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elpenguino

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#1405312 13-Oct-2015 23:14

Geektastic: I think it depends on the vehicle.

My Land Rover, for example, has more oil requirements than most cars (2 gearboxes, diffs and so on) and many more oil seals. LR recommended oils have special additives to help preserve the seals in the sort of conditions Land Rovers are intended for.

To be honest, I don't think the conditions are that bad between your house and the local supermarket.

Seems to be where most land rovers get used around here .....

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1eStar

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#1405326 13-Oct-2015 23:35

British vehicles have never had a good rapport with oil seals.

mattwnz

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#1405327 13-Oct-2015 23:43

scuwp:
dclegg:
Jase2985: that doesnt say which ever comes first like some do? or does it say that somewhere else.

Yeah, it says that somewhere else. Every 6 months or 10,000KM, depending on which you hit first. For us it'll be the former

Wow. That would certainly make me reconsider buying another Mazda. 6 months is ridiculously short.

In Oz, I believe it is 12 months for pretty much the same spec of vehicle. So I suspect it is more about giving the dealer some regular income. My mazda has 3 years free servicing, so doesn't bother me too much. After 3 years if I still have it, I will just take it to a local non dealer service agent. But it is the first car I have purchased that has a 6 month interval, as others I have had all have 12 months.

nakedmolerat

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#1405329 14-Oct-2015 00:27

1eStar: British vehicles have never had a good rapport with oil seals.

I thought that has now changed since they're now owned by the Indians Tata.

jonathan18

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#1405433 14-Oct-2015 09:12

mattwnz:
scuwp:
dclegg:
Jase2985: that doesnt say which ever comes first like some do? or does it say that somewhere else.

Yeah, it says that somewhere else. Every 6 months or 10,000KM, depending on which you hit first. For us it'll be the former

Wow. That would certainly make me reconsider buying another Mazda. 6 months is ridiculously short.

In Oz, I believe it is 12 months for pretty much the same spec of vehicle. So I suspect it is more about giving the dealer some regular income. My mazda has 3 years free servicing, so doesn't bother me too much. After 3 years if I still have it, I will just take it to a local non dealer service agent. But it is the first car I have purchased that has a 6 month interval, as others I have had all have 12 months.

What's the situation with the car warranty at the point where one starts taking the car to an independent mechanic? I've managed to mis-place my manual so haven't looked this up, but I wondered if it's similar to the nice five-year warranty that comes with many heatpumps... valid only if they're serviced regularly by an authorised firm.

Our Mazda 6 has got two more of its free services to go (but would have two years of its warranty to run), at which point I'm going to have to make the call about whether to get overcharged by the local dealer or take it to my normal mechanic; it's a diesel as well, so of course the price is going to be higher than for petrol.

Do diesels typically require more regular servicing than a petrol?

And can our 'local mechanic', not set up with all the wizz-bang technology of the dealership, be expected to service a modern car to an acceptable standard? (This is a genuine question!)

ajobbins

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#1405564 14-Oct-2015 11:06

jonathan18: What's the situation with the car warranty at the point where one starts taking the car to an independent mechanic? I've managed to mis-place my manual so haven't looked this up, but I wondered if it's similar to the nice five-year warranty that comes with many heatpumps... valid only if they're serviced regularly by an authorised firm.

In Oz at least, as long as the service is done by a 'professional' and is done according to the manufacturers check list, you can take it anywhere. They changed the law specifically to allow this as it had become a racket for the dealers trying to force people into over priced servicing if they wanted to maintain their warranty.

My local (non dealer) mechanic also told me there is currently a push for a law change to force manufacturers to make software updates available outside of the dealer network. I had to have a software patch installed on my Commodore earlier this year. Cost $200 at Holden. My local guy used to be a service manager at Holden before he opened his own shop and told me it's a 5 minute job, tops - and most of that time is unattended. Plug in Tech2, start update - come back 5 mins later and confirm success.

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MikeB4

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#1405568 14-Oct-2015 11:11

ajobbins:
jonathan18: What's the situation with the car warranty at the point where one starts taking the car to an independent mechanic? I've managed to mis-place my manual so haven't looked this up, but I wondered if it's similar to the nice five-year warranty that comes with many heatpumps... valid only if they're serviced regularly by an authorised firm.

In Oz at least, as long as the service is done by a 'professional' and is done according to the manufacturers check list, you can take it anywhere. They changed the law specifically to allow this as it had become a racket for the dealers trying to force people into over priced servicing if they wanted to maintain their warranty.

My local (non dealer) mechanic also told me there is currently a push for a law change to force manufacturers to make software updates available outside of the dealer network. I had to have a software patch installed on my Commodore earlier this year. Cost $200 at Holden. My local guy used to be a service manager at Holden before he opened his own shop and told me it's a 5 minute job, tops - and most of that time is unattended. Plug in Tech2, start update - come back 5 mins later and confirm success.

It is the same here, we have our cars serviced at the same dealer.

Geektastic

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#1405574 14-Oct-2015 11:15

elpenguino:
Geektastic: I think it depends on the vehicle.

My Land Rover, for example, has more oil requirements than most cars (2 gearboxes, diffs and so on) and many more oil seals. LR recommended oils have special additives to help preserve the seals in the sort of conditions Land Rovers are intended for.

To be honest, I don't think the conditions are that bad between your house and the local supermarket.

Seems to be where most land rovers get used around here .....

But not mine.

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