48k maintainance

[Mulder]

I called markham mazda, got a quote for 380 + tax...I thought this was overpriced so I called another Mazda dealership and I got quoted $280 + tax...I called markham mazda and told them to cancel the appointment and when they found out why, they quoted me $260 + tax...

Now I am confused to what should I do...I had my brakes serviced by a non-mazda company about 10k ago and don't really need any work done. When I told the service dude that I dont want my brakes checked and I dont want an oil/filter change ( since I can get it done elsewhere much cheaper ), he quoted me 200 + tax...The first time which I got my oil changed at the dealership costed 75 dollars ( BIG rip off and Ill never do it again )...So this guy is just looking to make some profit on the side http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/bs.gif .

Right now, I dont want to give ANY of my business to these friggen bastard dealerships...anyone know any reliable/trusty/cheap mechanics that know Mazda cars?

I dont care about warranty anymore, I know my car will be OK until the warranty expires anyways.

[MP5Navy]

I didn't goto Mazda for my 48k service. I did my own engine flush and oil change. I had a K&N filter that didn't need cleaning. My brakes were fine. All I needed was a spark plug change and a few other things. I took my car to my good ol' mechanic of 8 years and had handed him the check list. He did all the work minus what I didn't need and charged much less than the prices I was quoted from Mazda. (Around $100).

Mazda has to pay for it's working bays, mechanics, rent, blah blah blah. It's no wonder why it's expensive. And since you also realize that your car will be fine for the period of it's warranty take your car to a regular mechanic.

I recommend:

GB Auto
Eglinton and Renforth (One block south on east side)
Etobicoke.
Paul
416.622.9111

Honest, hardworking, knowledgable staff, and courteous (if you're not an idiot http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif ).

[Protege5girl]

There is also a GB Auto in Thornhill. 7 harltech RD. Bayview and.... damn I can't remember...905-882-2400

Toronto Star uses them as their "service center experts"

[Protege5girl]

Oh yeah, contact person is David Gerson.

[macklum]

I must say shop rate in TO are expensive. I had my 48K done for 150 . That included the plugs and filter ,I supply my own oil .
250 to rotate tires ,lube the brakes ,change the plugs and an oil/filter change is way to much .
I would find another garage ,Keep the work order ,this will be needed if you have a warrenty claim later .

[ChopstickHero]

yikes... coming up to 48k as well.

can people who have done this post their final price and the dealership where it was done? thx

[Protege5girl]

The APA posted something about Mazda Dealerships ripping off people on their 48k services. Price ranged from 250-over 800$. So beware.

[Action Jackson]

There was a story on CBC's Marketplace, where one of their employee's was seeking service for his Mazda vehicle at a Mazda dealership. Apparently all over Canada, there's no set rate for the same type of service.

Believe it or not, Toronto Mazda dealers actually had the LOWEST rates compare to some Mazda dealers across Canada.

[Mulder]

thanks for the replies. I'll contact GB auto and hopefully the price will be right http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif .

[Bumblebee(Word!)]

as i ran an auto mechanic's garage for a bit (my father's, when he was away).. there are usual set times for certain jobs that are in manuals (i.e. a break job on a 1992 cavalier will be about 2.5 hours).. so the mechanic should charge according to that timeframe... but since they are allowed to charge different rates for labour, as well as have any amount of markup on parts that they want, the price varies greatly for everything, which is unfortunate, but these prices that they charge depend on their expenses. Mazda unfortunately takes people for granted, and thinks that they are all idiots, and i feel that canadian tire is exactly the same.. i cringe whenever people tell me that they take their car to crappy tire... their mechanics are trained as well as normal mechanics in a small shop, just with that name behind them, they think they can take customers to the cleaners..

i was watching W5 a couple of weekends ago, and they did their annual "let's see what they charge for a loose negative wire terminal" test along with the APA... canadian tire was one of the worst in terms of service, and price.. total ripoff..

but back on track.. i'd suggest having a look-see at a service manual (if you can get your hands on one) and see the relative timeframe it takes to do a certain job that you're looking for, and then ask for labour costs, and determine the relative price you should be paying.. you can call up a parts place also if you'd like to know the relative total price of the job assuming that a relative markup on a part (if you get the jobber price of the part) to be roughly 10%-15% markup..

happy hunting y'all... http://msg.toprotege.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif