Is this right? Maintenance costs and what to expect.

[zoom-zoom 2]

Hi all,

Recently took my 2011 Mazda2 Touring (standard) for 60,000 mi. maintenance. I follow Schedule 2 and get my car serviced every 5K mi. Up until this point, I haven't had to do anything with my car outside of oil & filter changes, tire rotations, engine and cabin air filter changes, and topping off fluids. I have always had my car serviced at Mazda dealerships, at least until the warranty expired. Every Mazda full point inspection has indicated that my car was green in all areas. My car is now in the service dept of a Mazda dealership (first time at this specific location) and I've been slammed with a $1600+ estimate. Because I haven't had any major work done to the car until this point, I'm not sure how much of it is probably legitimate... but I also don't want to be taken advantage of. Not sure if anyone out there can comment on this? They're telling me I need new tires, brake pads and rotors, shim kit, carbon cleaning for AIS and TBS, and a new serpentine belt.

 

[PassivAggressor]

I know for a fact you can save hundreds by ordering new tires online. A lot of that stuff you can probably do yourself. Hell maybe a mazda guy is near you and you and him can tackle most of that with a six pack. I know its not the "dealer" but you'll know its done right and you'll grab some valuable experience.

 

[mykflo]

Just say no. Get more quotes before u decide to pay. The serpentine belt is only around $20. New tires from $400 to $600. Theyre probavly killing u on labor costs.

 

[Jond63]

Can you go back to your original dealership and have them verify? If you have a Discount Tire near you they usually can do pretty well on tire prices. Sounds to me like the dealer just wants to make $$ on the 60k mile service.

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

The brakes are simple to do and is probably the labour that has added $300 to the job.

they might be shop quoting the tire installation even though they have to come off for the brakes.

Personally I think it sounds quite reasonable for the work that is being done.


Get dirty and save money, or pay up and stay clean.

 

[samsavell]

Get dirty and save money, or pay up and stay clean.

In all of my nearly-a-decade of inhabiting car forums, this is the best truth about car ownership I've ever read.

 

[skullsroad]

Make it a t-shirt samsavell and Brian!

To the OP. A lot of that is preventative maintenance. The brakes and belts are something I'd do myself. As well as the tires but that's because I have access to a mounter and balancer. In your case I'd either get a second opinion on tires (dealers are notorious for lying about someone needing new tires) or post up detailed pictures of your tread here.

 

[Gravity]

I Agree with the above. That doesn't sound too far out of line. Having upgrade or replaced all these parts I have at least some idea of where the dealer cost is. I mean the rear shoes alone are $100 from my dealer. Front pads probably another $80-$100. Rotors probably $50 each. Tires could easily be $600, so theres around $900 right there. Add labour and mount and balance and yea... You're up there.

Originally Posted by BRIAN_MP5T
Get dirty and save money, or pay up and stay clean.

In all of my nearly-a-decade of inhabiting car forums, this is the best truth about car ownership I've ever read.

I agree completely. I do what i can on my car and its saved me a bundle. Where I dont feel comfortable I pay someone to do it right, and I accept it as life. As my father says it's all the joys of car ownership!

 

[DrWebster]

WTF is a shim kit?

Serpentine belt is easily done yourself, all you need is a wrench to manipulate the tensioner.

I'd recommend getting a quote from somewhere like Discount Tire for the tires.

A can of throttle body cleaner from Autozone is $5, and clean shop rags are a couple bucks from Target.

If it were me I'd consider doing the front pads myself (unless they're warped or excessively worn, your rotors are probably fine). The rears, though, I'd have the dealer or a reputable shop do because drum brakes are a PITA. That said, they should also last longer than the front pads so you may want to get a second opinion.

The one thing I'd add to the list would be a coolant flush; you're probably due. The one thing you'll NEVER need to do on your 2 is a power steering flush -- our cars don't have any power steering fluid!

 

[kcdirtbro54]

Coming from Dealership life as a tech the last 7 years, all that sounds about on par with what they quoted and the cost. If there isn't a DiscountTire near you, you can always order the tires you want from their website (free shipping no tax) and save a ton there. If you aren't getting any pedal shake when you're braking, then you don't need new rotors. I can BS on needing rear brakes replaced at 60k, unless you keep your parking brake engaged at all times. But a pad slap and belt replacement you could do yourself. You're on a car forum afterall, so you most likely have some sort of mechanical skills and a socket set.
The fuel system cleaner is a total money making gimmick. Depending on the manufacturer, there are 2 and 3 stage cleaners. If you're worried about it, go to a parts store (autozone, oreillys, etc) and buy a $3 bottle of fuel cleaner and dump it in your gas tank and be done with it.

And what's the shim kit for? Are they talking about adding that on an alignment that they haven't even checked yet, therefore not knowing if the rear of the car is even out?

 

[Rotaryknight]

atleast $600 of that estimate is from tires if they want to replace all four.
When I had the car at the bodyshop, from the estimate they gave me, the tires itself were about $170 for some yokohama avid each....and thats straight from the dealership OEM.

Being that this is from the dealership, the estimate does seem right. Though, I would just bring it to a local trusted mechanic, or do it myself if I were you.

 

[eyeballs]

If you're at 60k on the original tires, you definately need new tires. I've yet to get more then 15k out of a set regardless of alignment settings, rotation frequency, or treadwear rating. Pads, rotors, and carb cleaner can be had cheap from auto-zone. I also agree that discount tire is the place to go for tires, you do NOT need to replace with the same type or size tire as OEM. Falken ziex 912's can be had very cheap and are great tires. If you have a little bit of free time you should be able to easily cut that price in half.

 

[ScorpioGTX1]

Considering you've done 60k miles, I'd say you're getting off easy.

Just be thankful there isn't anything serious that needs to be repaired, all of that is basic maintenance stuff.

 

[shaowq]

https://www.amazon.com (commissions earned)

Fronts 2 each $36 per rotor =$72.

https://www.amazon.com (commissions earned)

Brake pads front, 1 set, i recommend these for stock replacements, $41.87 for the set.

Total for your rotors and brake pads is $113.87 for just parts. Now although I don't completely know much about Raybestos for the rotors, I know that we develop the centric oem rotors and brake pads to exceed, not just meet, they have to exceed oem quality for that line for us to make them. They would be priced similarly too at around $30-$40 per rotor for passenger cars and sold on Amazon with free prime shipping.

Tires, I got a new set of tires in my neighborhood, Falken 912's not the stock yokohamas for $332 installed and balanced.

Our stock tires are some ****** up size that noone carries so they are expensive. So instead of that 185/55-R15 or something that comes stock, go to a 205/50-R15. Much easier to find, and very miniscule changes in terms of tire width, ride quality and so forth. Tire is wider by about 5mm or something, and you can't even call the speedo "off" with the new sized tires. When your speedo reads 100mph, your actual speed would be 100.66 according to all calculations.


https://www.amazon.com (commissions earned)

Serpentine belt easily replaceable yourself. Now I don't know bando, but you can go to autozone or o'reillys or however you spell it and get a name branded one for right around $20 as someone mentioned.


So lets do your math for you.

Brake Parts $113.87
Tires $332
Serpentine Belt $25(to be safe $25 and not 20)
Bottle of thottle body cleaner from autozone $10 to overestimate.
1 bag of rags or microfiber towels $10

Your grand total comes out to $490.87

You're paying over $1100 for labor which is complete bullcrap. I'm a DIY kind of person and I know how to shop, because of this. I'd also be an embarrassment to where I work if i didn't know how to change my own pads and rotors.

Go get quotes from other dealers and places like pepboys or something, or go to a mom and pop shop and ask them how much they would charge for just labor if you brought your own parts. I know a place that will replace your pads and rotors per axel for only $45.

That would bring your total to a whopping $670.87 which is still less than half what you would be paying at a dealer and the mom and pop shop would also warranty their work.

I'd say you look further buddy

 

[shaowq]

I Agree with the above. That doesn't sound too far out of line. Having upgrade or replaced all these parts I have at least some idea of where the dealer cost is. I mean the rear shoes alone are $100 from my dealer. Front pads probably another $80-$100. Rotors probably $50 each. Tires could easily be $600, so theres around $900 right there. Add labour and mount and balance and yea... You're up there.





I agree completely. I do what i can on my car and its saved me a bundle. Where I dont feel comfortable I pay someone to do it right, and I accept it as life. As my father says it's all the joys of car ownership!

I don't mean to piss you off or anything, but $100 for rear shoes is ridiculous. On a new corolla, employee cost to me was like $10, retail was $20-25. Your rear brake shoes should last you 3-4x longer than your front brake pads. The rear drums were about $15 retailed for about $30-40 bux.

Seriously speaking, if you're going to do your own work, please do more shopping. Don't just go blindly into the dealer to order everything. Even with my sponsorship at the toyota dealership parts were overpriced and so unless they were straight up TRD parts I went elsewhere. I got 60% at the time too, and I paid more for the same parts made by the same people, just branded "Toyota". I can give you part numbers that you'll find on your rotors that are stamped on the edge but are sold for 4-5x more because they get shoved into a toyota or mazda box, but are the same parts.

If you guys need help finding equivalent parts specially for brake parts, shoot me a PM, I'll look through my catalogs if and when I have time. I don't frequent this forum but part numbers are easy to find if you know where to look.

 

[Racebrewer]

Was there a Vaseline surcharge? They should include lube at that price.......

 

[kcdirtbro54]

Shaowq - I'm not trying to come down on you at all, just a couple corrections...

The 205-50-15 option compared to the stock 185-55 size is actually 20mm wider than the stock 185. The first number of a tire size is the width of the tire in millimeters. The second number 50 or 55 is the aspect ratio for sidewall height. I will say that when my tires wear out, I will be going to a 195-50 or 205-50 just because there's more options in those sizes.

2nd. The rear shoes may only cost 10-15$ to the dealer BUT msrp on Mazda2 rear shoes is $91.39 online through mazdapartscenter.com and they're "discounted" online to $73.11. Can you find them cheaper elsewhere or through a hook up? Yea, I'm sure you can.

To the OP, I would take off a drum and see how much life is left on the shoes before you let someone change them.

 

[Gravity]

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume you misunderstood my post.

The OP asked if the price he was quoted seemed unreasonable for a dealer quote. I used prices my dealer had quoted me for those parts and passed them along. If i gave you the impression that I buy my parts from my dealer at their markup I should then make it clear that I generally don't. I was simply using that info to respond to the OP's original question. As far as a DEALER price goes, thats not unsurprising.

Yes, the OP or anyone can shop around and get better deals and learn to DIY a bit and save some cash. I'm all for that and have argued for it numerous times in other places on this forum. In certain situations I've bought a part from my dealer simply becasue it was easier or more convenient, and i did so knowing it was gonna cost me more. So be it, that's my prerogative. However I don't need to be condescended to about where or how I buy my parts, based on assumptions made about what I said responding to the OP's question. (jerkit)

I don't mean to piss you off or anything, but $100 for rear shoes is ridiculous. On a new corolla, employee cost to me was like $10, retail was $20-25. Your rear brake shoes should last you 3-4x longer than your front brake pads. The rear drums were about $15 retailed for about $30-40 bux.

Seriously speaking, if you're going to do your own work, please do more shopping. Don't just go blindly into the dealer to order everything. Even with my sponsorship at the toyota dealership parts were overpriced and so unless they were straight up TRD parts I went elsewhere. I got 60% at the time too, and I paid more for the same parts made by the same people, just branded "Toyota". I can give you part numbers that you'll find on your rotors that are stamped on the edge but are sold for 4-5x more because they get shoved into a toyota or mazda box, but are the same parts.

If you guys need help finding equivalent parts specially for brake parts, shoot me a PM, I'll look through my catalogs if and when I have time. I don't frequent this forum but part numbers are easy to find if you know where to look.

 

[shaowq]

Shaowq - I'm not trying to come down on you at all, just a couple corrections...

The 205-50-15 option compared to the stock 185-55 size is actually 20mm wider than the stock 185. The first number of a tire size is the width of the tire in millimeters. The second number 50 or 55 is the aspect ratio for sidewall height. I will say that when my tires wear out, I will be going to a 195-50 or 205-50 just because there's more options in those sizes.

2nd. The rear shoes may only cost 10-15$ to the dealer BUT msrp on Mazda2 rear shoes is $91.39 online through mazdapartscenter.com and they're "discounted" online to $73.11. Can you find them cheaper elsewhere or through a hook up? Yea, I'm sure you can.

To the OP, I would take off a drum and see how much life is left on the shoes before you let someone change them.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123824874-Anyone-with-bronze-wheels-on-their-2&p=6094145&viewfull=1#post6094145

post# 14, according to my calculations it's actually only 1 mm section width difference.

 

[genericmoniker]

You're thinking sidewall section width, not physical section width of the tire/tread itself.