Poll: How was your Mazda dealership service experience?

[sm1ke]

I'd love to hear your feedback regarding Mazda's dealership service, specifically experiences regarding maintenance, warranty and recall work (purchasing experience excluded). Feel free to comment below if you'd like to go into more detail about your experience.

 

[sm1ke]

I personally have only had two experiences with dealership service so far.

The first experience was my first oil change. I bought the car from a dealer located an hour and a half away. For my first oil change, instead of having me drive all the way to the dealership, my salesperson met me halfway with a loaner CX-9. We exchanged vehicles for the day so I wasn't without transportation, and when the oil change was done, we met halfway again to switch back.

My second experience has been mostly positive so far. Recently (Nov 5th) I brought my 2018 CX-9 in to diagnose a minor problem (brake squeal and clicking at low speeds). They told me that they would book another service appointment for the part installation (new brake pads and shims) once the parts arrived at the dealership. They called me yesterday (Nov 19th) to book the appointment, which is now scheduled for Dec 7th.

I don't like the fact that they didn't have some common parts on hand (why wouldn't you have brake pads for a current model available?), and I also didn't like the fact that they didn't book the service appointment ahead of time. Maybe they did it this way because they couldn't guarantee when the parts would arrive due to C-19? Who knows.

What I did like was that there was no pushback from the service team. Parts and labour are covered under warranty, so there are no out-of-pocket expenses, and they also plan to have me in and out of the dealership in about an hour, so no need to deal with a loaner.

 

[Buzzman12]

First experiences were not bad. Routine oil changes and one warranty visit for a defective seat heater element. The negative stuff came when I pushed for some help outside of the normal routine service request. You've seen it on here already regarding my premature rusting and wear of the rear brakes.

Once I went outside the norm, the attitudes completely changed.
The selling dealer chastised me for not going back to them with my routine oil changes (they are too far away), so they basically blew me off, and the closest dealer to me where I had been going, all of a sudden pulled the "well, you didn't buy the car here, so why should we help you?" bullsheet.

Mazda Canada was also quick to dismiss my issues. I guess as long as you come back for oil changes and buying unneeded cabin filters, they love you. Come to them with an issue, and it's a different tune altogether.

 

[davmac]

I am lucky to have an excellent Mazda dealer service department near me. For me this is only relevant for warranty repair because I do all my own maintenance and repairs. But I have two close friends who use this dealership service for all maintenance and repairs. Dealership maintenance is more expensive, but has some benefits. Both of these friends (separate cars and cases) had the dealer service make and win cases for transmission and oil consumption repairs by Mazda.
Good dealership service may be rare but does exist. Great independent repair shops also exist - and are almost always less expensive compared to dealership service. It doesn't matter what the car brand is: it will need to be repaired.

 

[badgx]

I'm generally handy around cars and do my own servicing so I haven't used services provided by Mazda dealership other than a telephone call enquiry. When I contacted them by telephone during lockdown i found them very helpful and professional. Basically I needed a part number for a factory boot spoiler. I also called at another time for advice regarding auto door lock, it was actually a technical question about software. The lady who I spoke to was polite, patient & knowledgeable, which gives me the impression, staff have been trained up fairly well which is a good think thing. Well that my experience. I know it's not much as I've not used their services but I do get the impression they are well trained and professional. My local dealership is Romford Mazda (UK). I give them thumbs up.

 

[sm1ke]

I'm generally handy around cars and do my own servicing so I haven't used services provided by Mazda dealership other than a telephone call enquiry. When I contacted them by telephone during lockdown i found them very helpful and professional. Basically I needed a part number for a factory boot spoiler. I also called at another time for advice regarding auto door lock, it was actually a technical question about software. The lady who I spoke to was polite, patient & knowledgeable, which gives me the impression, staff have been trained up fairly well which is a good think thing. Well that my experience. I know it's not much as I've not used their services but I do get the impression they are well trained and professional. My local dealership is Romford Mazda (UK). I give them thumbs up.

IMO your experience is just as relevant, and maybe even more important. Dealing with service reps over the phone or via email is basically the "first line" of communication for more and more people these days, so they should be knowledgeable, polite and professional. I've heard some stories of reps from other manufacturer dealerships being rude and unhelpful from the moment they pick up the phone.

 

[Trip CX90]

I was a long time Honda fan and purchased my first Mazda in 2009. My *Service* experience has been overall very good, no complaints. Earlier Service experiences, before Mazda started to push upmarket, were typically at dealerships that treated the brand as an afterthought. Service Centers were clean but rarely modern and certainly not plush in anyway. The last dealer I leased my 2018 6 from updated their entire facility and the shared Service Center was nice.

My most recent dealership where I leased the CX-9, has been significantly heads and shoulder above the rest. The dedicated Mazda Service Center is very nice - done over in a swanky, modern theme; coffee bar; fully enclosed drop off/pick up area; comfy furniture to wait, USB equipped workstations, multiple TVs, and staff is constantly walking through to check on people.

As far as interacting with the Service staff, I'm volunteering what a dipshit I've been with this new car. I've been back twice for "warranty work" that turned out to be mostly operator error. First time I thought the DRSS safety system wasn't working but apparently it just operates differently from my previous 6. And I thought my key fob was defective but it went into "sleep mode". Both times were a learning experience for the staff, too, but they never once treated me like I was wasting their time or tried to rush me out the door. They were friendly, polite, joking, and always helpful.

Luckily I've never had real issues with any of my Mazdas except for regular maintenance, but I hope to continue seeing this newer Service environment to match their upmarket push.

 

[sm1ke]

I personally have only had two experiences with dealership service so far.

The first experience was my first oil change. I bought the car from a dealer located an hour and a half away. For my first oil change, instead of having me drive all the way to the dealership, my salesperson met me halfway with a loaner CX-9. We exchanged vehicles for the day so I wasn't without transportation, and when the oil change was done, we met halfway again to switch back.

My second experience has been mostly positive so far. Recently (Nov 5th) I brought my 2018 CX-9 in to diagnose a minor problem (brake squeal and clicking at low speeds). They told me that they would book another service appointment for the part installation (new brake pads and shims) once the parts arrived at the dealership. They called me yesterday (Nov 19th) to book the appointment, which is now scheduled for Dec 7th.

I don't like the fact that they didn't have some common parts on hand (why wouldn't you have brake pads for a current model available?), and I also didn't like the fact that they didn't book the service appointment ahead of time. Maybe they did it this way because they couldn't guarantee when the parts would arrive due to C-19? Who knows.

What I did like was that there was no pushback from the service team. Parts and labour are covered under warranty, so there are no out-of-pocket expenses, and they also plan to have me in and out of the dealership in about an hour, so no need to deal with a loaner.

Just to update - The dealer replaced the front brakes and added shims to eliminate the noise. They kept me up to date as I waited in the Lounge. I was there for about 2 hours because I also asked them to change the brake fluid. Price for brake fluid service was fair. I did end up staying for a little longer than I planned, but it was because the tech doing the work said that there was still some noise. They asked me to schedule another service appointment since they were closing up for the day, but I've been driving the car for a week and there is no noise, so I haven't bothered to do so. I've got a year of warranty left so I'll just keep an eye (or an ear) on it.

All in all, I appreciate that they were so thorough, and that they didn't try to upsell me on anything (I was the one who requested the brake fluid service).

 

[HyFlyer]

I'm a capable DIY'er and do most things myself. However, the last several Mazda's I've purchased came with either $9.95 or free maintenance so I'm regularly at the dealership for the oil changes putting 25,000+ miles/year on our cars. In the beginning, they tried to sell me air filters and cabin filters and tune up service and whatnot but I do all that myself so they don't bother me about it anymore.

5 mazda's now. 2 of them over 100k miles. The only actual problems (not routine maintenance) I've had was a bad wheel bearing on my '15 mazda3 (that was my own fault for missing that the axle nut had loosened up) and pulsing brakes on an '18 mazda3 that was front rotors/pads replaced under warranty.

All in all, compared to other car brands I've owned service departments, Mazda has been good to me. IMHO, You've got to take it upon yourself to be an informed consumer/shopper to protect yourself from being taken advantage of by any vendor. They're in business to make money after all and will make it from you if you let them. I am careful not to let them make it from me . It's all subjective and varies dealer to dealer. I'm sure you can find customers who are unhappy with the same dealer I'm very happy with.

The dealer I visit service department isn't perfect. I wish their parts dept operated differently so I could put money in their pocket instead of another dealer through the internet. But, in the end, I'm glad they are there and close by in case I need some automotive help.

 

[AuraNova]

I haven't gotten any major service other than the recall that took place over the summer. There wasn't anything spectacular to report. It was a simple in and done thing.

Sadly, I haven't driven my car all that much since I picked it up due to being on furlough and not being able to go much of anywhere since then. So I haven't had much of a need to get it serviced. I picked up my CX-30 on the last day before my place of work shut down back in late March.

 

[jal142]

I've been back to the dealer a number of times for recall work. Otherwise, I do my own maintenance.

EVERY trip back to the dealer results in a hard sell for services that I don't want or need. I always get a phone call with a list of fluids that need flushed/replaced, air filter, cabin filter, etc. Like clockwork. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth - I'm already there against my will to repair manufacturer defects, and the hard sell for things I don't want is the last thing I expected.

The last time the car was in for recall work (rusting lower suspension parts), the dealer tried the same thing but my wife took the car in. They went ahead and did a bunch of things after my wife told them to only do the recall work, then tried to charge her for it. They eventually backed off after my wife made it clear that she never approved the work and would not be paying.

I've got to go back again for a second airbag replacement, and I can't wait...

 

[sm1ke]

I've been back to the dealer a number of times for recall work. Otherwise, I do my own maintenance.

EVERY trip back to the dealer results in a hard sell for services that I don't want or need. I always get a phone call with a list of fluids that need flushed/replaced, air filter, cabin filter, etc. Like clockwork. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth - I'm already there against my will to repair manufacturer defects, and the hard sell for things I don't want is the last thing I expected.

The last time the car was in for recall work (rusting lower suspension parts), the dealer tried the same thing but my wife took the car in. They went ahead and did a bunch of things after my wife told them to only do the recall work, then tried to charge her for it. They eventually backed off after my wife made it clear that she never approved the work and would not be paying.

I've got to go back again for a second airbag replacement, and I can't wait...

Good on your wife for standing her ground!

 

[theblooms]

Last time I went in, it was for a recall on rear hatch struts. Quick and efficient, in and out.

 

[Trip CX90]

Dealership service/sales varies wildly from place to place. I’ve had good and horrible experience at Honda, Audi, VW...Fortunately the 3 or 4 Mazda dealerships I’ve been to have all been at least decent to the current one being stellar. We had one small issue at the Lexus service department (asked to replace rear wiper blade and they did front too) but they immediately comped it and gave us Starbucks for the road.

Always check the service order before you sign it and definitely hold your ground if they’ve done something without consent.

 

[Unobtanium]

For the last half decade (since I owned a Mazda), my dealership experiences have been absolutely perfect and positive.

 

[BushWickz]

Weeks ago I stopped by one of these dealerships here in MA. The service manager who took care of my case was very courteous and attentive. I would say it was the most pleasant visit I've ever had in any dealership in many years. Also we had a good conversation about customer behavior, expectations and his own expertise with Mazda cars.. so on and so forth. While into the conversation, I started asking some technical questions about Mazda Turbos and obiously about things I've been learning in the forum since I switched from Honda cars. They showed me a video about how they work, how's the flow inside the turbo itself (graphically) and why is it called a Dynamic Pressure Turbo. We agreed on the idea of the video being posted publicly so people can understand more about their vehicles and what makes Mazda car so especial. But later on in the conversation I noticed they didn't know about how and why you should wait couple minutes (Mazda recommends 30 sec) before turning off your engine if you've driven aggressively. They (the guys at the service dept.) asked me where did I hear such thing cause Mazda cars are so advanced and they doubt such practices on modern cars not only Mazdas. (I sent them to the online owners manual lol)

I also took a jug of Idemitsu oil, a tokio roki but they said the jug itself wasn't enough and that my vehicle would need a jug and a little bit more so they told me they could put the Synthetic one. Since I know Mazda doesn't have a synthetic 5w-30 I've assumed they would put the regular one 0w-20 which I agreed based on this

Sooo I went to roam around looking a the new cars in the facility and saw this picture...

...do you trust the service department at your dealership?

 

[sm1ke]

Weeks ago I stopped by one of these dealerships here in MA. The service manager who took care of my case was very courteous and attentive. I would say it was the most pleasant visit I've ever had in any dealership in many years. Also we had a good conversation about customer behavior, expectations and his own expertise with Mazda cars.. so on and so forth. While into the conversation, I started asking some technical questions about Mazda Turbos and obiously about things I've been learning in the forum since I switched from Honda cars. They showed me a video about how they work, how's the flow inside the turbo itself (graphically) and why is it called a Dynamic Pressure Turbo. We agreed on the idea of the video being posted publicly so people can understand more about their vehicles and what makes Mazda car so especial. But later on in the conversation I noticed they didn't know about how and why you should wait couple minutes (Mazda recommends 30 sec) before turning off your engine if you've driven aggressively. They (the guys at the service dept.) asked me where did I hear such thing cause Mazda cars are so advanced and they doubt such practices on modern cars not only Mazdas. (I sent them to the online owners manual lol)

I also took a jug of Idemitsu oil, a tokio roki but they said the jug itself wasn't enough and that my vehicle would need a jug and a little bit more so they told me they could put the Synthetic one. Since I know Mazda doesn't have a synthetic 5w-30 I've assumed they would put the regular one 0w-20 which I agreed based on this

Sooo I went to roam around looking a the new cars in the facility and saw this picture...

View attachment 303853


...do you trust the service department at your dealership?

A very late response to this post, but letting your car idle for 2 mins isn't really necessary on modern turbo cars. 30s is more than enough time to prevent oil coking from aggressive driving. Usually, once I pull off of the highway and make my way to a parking spot, that's enough time to allow the turbo to cool.

You can mix 5W-30 synthetic and conventional. And if you ask to verify the work order before the oil change is done, you can make sure they're topping up with 5W-30 instead of 0W-20. Of course, the best way to make sure the oil you want is used, is to do it yourself, but not everyone has the time, space, or tools to do that.

 

[sxa]

It's been awhile since I have serviced either of my Mazdas at the dealership*. Roger Beasley though has been good. The service advisors friendly. I got annoyed once by the difference in advertised oil change rate vs actual charges (have to read small print that the price doesn't cover shop materials). It was a small difference but I wish they would just advertise the actual price.

Never had any major things done at the dealership. Had some recall work done (rear hatch issue) in the CX-3. They have done good work. Service advisors aren't too pushy.

They have recently remodeled their waiting lounges but even before they were comfortable. The coffee selection isn't the best. Not like the Subaru dealership with a barista on staff.


*I have been using a shop local to me for the last couple of years for oil changes since both Mazdas are out of warranty. They do good work. I change my own air filters, batteries, wipers and all the easy stuff. Oil changes I could do but a bit lazy about it so use the local shop. My father in law is a mechanic and owns a shop but it is 6 hours away so don't bother him much. He did help me replace a parking sensor. Much easier to do in a shop with all the proper tools.

 

[GTEyes]

I drive almost 2 hours to get to my preferred dealership. I've got a great working relationship with the Service Manager and I know if I raise an issue with my rig, they will do whatever they can to make things right. I've dealt with a fair amount of awful Mazda dealer service departments over the years (I have some unbelievable stories) but very happy with my current spot.

 

[mdc921]

Did my first oil change on our 2017 Mazda 3 couple weeks ago after local service center got a new owner. No issues fortunately, but I balked at the ~$500 quote they gave for CarPlay upgrade. Opted to buy part myself from trusted source & DIY instead. Shop supplies charge is 13% of bill - ouch! Are other dealerships similar now a days?