Hi all,
Just wondering what would the pros and cons of maintaining your car at a dealership vs non-dealership? Things like oil changes, alignment, winter tire swaps, etc to heavier things like 1 year maintenance. I saw in the affiliated dealership section that they offer some discount to some labour/parts, however it seems to exclude some services such as oil change. Why would one go to a dealership to say get an oil change done as opposed to going to Jimmy or some other highly reputable mechanic on the forum?
I guess it might be easier to resell your car if you have a track record with Mazda?
Would things change if the car was leased?
My gf has been servicing her 2010 sport 2.5 at the dealership and I'm pretty sure she's paying a lot more than she should be. She said her oil changes cost about $55 and last time the dealership said she had to get alignment done (which she probably did as she said she's never done it) her bill ended up being somewhere around $200+ (or something outrageous). I'm still new to this car ownership thing, so I'm still trying to figure out what is a reasonable price for services, but $200+ for oil change and alignment sounds way too much (unless other things were serviced)
My 2012 sport is leased, so maintaining it at the dealership would be better so they know I am taking care of the car? I guess I don't have a choice unless I actually own it? So I guess this question/post is really for my gf. I'm going to try and get her to sign up for tm3.
Anyways, thanks. Any help is appreciated.