Service question

[Cylon2007]

OK so the MX 5 is now due a 3 year service (3 1/2 years) actualy but it only has 13,600 miles on it. Seems the service is a simple oil and filter service that Mazda want £250 to cary out!!.

Car is now out of warranty so do I gvo back to Mazda, use a local 'known' mechanic who is good but not Mazda specialist, find a local Mazda Independant garage or 'shock horror' buy the oil/filter/air filter (Mazda specific) myself and self service?

What would you do and why.

BTW if it makes any difference the car is my daily. Yes I don't do many miles

[Orcadian]

Ah! The old Chestnut again.
For me it would depend on how long you intend keeping the car - if selling anytime soon, then it MIGHT be better to keep up the service record. If it’s a long term keeper, then DIY is for me. Just simply doing some sums, if you always have it done by main agents and keep the service record up to date then a trade in deal might be better but you will have paid a lot of money in servicing to get that ‘possible’ extra bit when selling. If you are competent enough then do it yourself. I have seen many cars advertised with full service history but no preventive anti corrosion maintenance done in 10 years - so brake pipes poor and wishbones about to give up. Similarly we have bought cars with little or no service history but enthusiast owned and cared for - I know which I prefer!

Ian

[Cylon2007]

Thanks for the reply Ian, kind of goes along with my thinking, I do intend to keep the car as I love it, but then things do change. I am perfectly capable of doing the service myself having dine most of my previous cars as they were all older and well out of warranty.

I suppose the main reason I asked is it's a Recaro Sport (no 166 of 600) so a limited edition (but we all know how common specials are in MX5s).

I think I'll buy the specific Mazda oil and genuine filters and do it myself.

[finishing touch]

My MX5 is one of only 1,120,000 ever made.


On a more serious note, main dealers are no better than your average garage, some worse. (Personal experience)

If you can build a relationship with a local garage then they often need the custom so do a better job, IMHO.


However, I'm happy to work on my own cars and use quality parts. Mazda doesn't make oil or filters so I just use recognised named products.
In the case of my MX5 Mobil oil and a Bosch filter. I also service yearly even though millage wise it isn't due.

Paul G

[izzybella]

Yes do it yourself use good oils and a Mazda filter not much more money of one plus you have the chance to give your car a good coat of looking at whilst you are underneath it plus you get the self satisfaction of doing it your self, or you could ring round your dealers for a quote as the main dealers have to do a price match. I changed all the oils in my Myiako 1.8 (2010) for Castrol oils engine, gearbox and rear axle. But then when I saw the progress of rust and paint fade on the os front wing I sold it with 23k on the clock although it had not rusted through it took a wire brush to get it off before underseal.

[mrciarano]

IMO if you're asking that question and still debating, it's probably worth preserving the service history. If the dealership is charging that much (crikey!) it might be worth ringing a specialist nearby - there's surprisingly more than you think. See below thread for reference

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

If you get to a point where you honestly don't care about resale value or want the fun of a project car - no questions asked before you do it