Dealer service - fear tactics

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2019 CX-5 GTR
On my 2019 CX-5 GTR with ~12K miles I recently got the oil changed at the dealer where I purchased the vehicle. Oil changes were a perk of this dealer and it always helps to have at least a minor relationship with a dealer if something odd comes up in the future. So the dealer as part of the oil change does a basic inspection of fluid levels, tire wear/pressure, basically things you can see by sight. They then generate a report which uses GREEN, YELLOW, RED to indicate if an item is in need of attention. I am sure we have seen this type of report at one time or another.

This is a pretty new vehicle (purchased November 2019); so about 5 months in service, so the majority as expect was green - great!

But then the cabin and engine air filters were flagged red. Red seems unexpected. That is an immediate action item, something that should not be ignored. The quote to resolve these two items is ~$90 USD. Ouch. I kindly decline and go about my merry way.

I get home to inspect the condition of the filters myself to find:

Cabin:
2t4iOT9.jpg


Engine:
k1itvRb.jpg


crkyW0Q.jpg



So now I am thinking, did the dealer even look at the filters? How can you take the filter out and not even (accidentally) knock off the leaf debris? Looking at the condition - OK the cabin filter is dirty for sure MAYBE it is red condition worthy. But that engine filter -- I'd say that is yellow condition at worst.

Anyways a bit of a rant, I will be sourcing replacement filters from a 3rd party using information from the forum resource.

What do the forum regulars think? Was the dealer correct in flagging both filters as RED in need of immediate attention?
 
It's what some of them do or rather don't do unfortunately. Some will flag whatever is in the maintenance schedule without even seeing if it was already done. I've had many a time where they said I needed something replaced when I had already replaced it 🤷‍♂️
 
On my 2019 CX-5 GTR with ~12K miles

Cabin:
2t4iOT9.jpg


OK the cabin filter is dirty for sure MAYBE it is red condition worthy. But that engine filter -- I'd say that is yellow condition at worst.
No, your cabin air filter is as good as your engine air filter. They’re both in “Green” condition. You don’t need to replace them at this time.

I’ve said this many times before, OEM cabin air filter is a charcoal filter from factory, but OEM cabin air filter from US Mazda parts is a non-charcoal white filter. Don’t throw the factory cabin filter away just because it looks “dirty”! Just follow Mazda recommended Schedule 1 maintenance schedule and replace them at 24 months or 30K miles on cabin air filter and 36 months or 37.5K miles on engine air filter.

Cabin Air Filter & Glove Box Removal

Mazda "Genuine" Cabin Air Filter are Different from Factory Cabin Filter!

Went to my Mazda dealer and pulled the cabin filter out from a brand new 2016.5 CX-5 Touring in the showroom. The cabin filter from factory is indeed a charcoal filter as I suspected. This means my 17,315-mile cabin filter is not as dirty as I thought! Many people may actually throw away a perfectly fine charcoal cabin filter too early as it looks black and dirty comparing to the white "genuine" charcoal-free cabin filter from Mazda dealers.

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Mazda Cabin Filter Comparison

Went to Mazda dealer yesterday and took more pictures on 2016.5 CX-5's new charcoal cabin filter from factory, Mazda genuine non-charcoal cabin filter with P/N KD45-61-J6X, and Mazda Value Products non-charcoal cabin filter with P/N KD45-61-J6X-MV. From the comparison picture below we can see the picture you posted earlier is Value Products with white plastic frame instead of black. Value Products cabin filter is about $10 cheaper than Mazda Genuine Parts on list price.

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View attachment 216193
 
@yrwei52 Thanks for the reply... in my haste to post the thread I did forget the charcoal aspect of the factory cabin filter - thanks for the sanity check.

I started a conversation with the dealer this morning. Reminded them the factory cabin air filter is charcoal so it always looks dirty. I also referenced the Mazda recommended intervals for my vehicle: https://www.mazdausa.com/siteassets...2019/cx-5/2019-cx-5-scheduled-maintenance.pdf

Of course the first person was NOT the service adviser who handled the service ticket, and that particular person wasn't available. The initial feedback I got was the recommendations are by sight condition and not by service interval, but of course couldn't speak directly to the service tech reasoning. I sent the same photos I posted here to them.. we shall see where the conversation goes.
 
Don't get fooled by the original cabin filter. I checked mine at 7,000 miles and said -- Man this thing is filthy, replaced it. Come to find out the charcoal makes it's look dirty and my original was fine.
Unfortunately I threw the original away by the time I found out that the charcoal in the filter gave it a dirty look. Only upside is I replaced it myself so I was only out 10 bucks.

As far as filter go -- replace them yourself on your own terms. You'll save mucho bucks and know they were done.
 
I'd have to have a conversation with those people.

Did the guy really reinstall that filter and not knock the leaves off or were they BSing you when they said Visual Inspection? It's one or the other.

And it will set the tone for future visits. They will be less likely to pull this stuff when it comes to higher dollar issues.
 
....Did the guy really reinstall that filter and not knock the leaves off or were they BSing you when they said Visual Inspection? It's one or the other.

This was my logic as well, how can a person pull a filter out and NOT even accidentally knock off the leaves? Conversation has started .. we shall see where it goes. I am sure right now they have bigger things to concern themselves with (like how are they gonna sell cars to people who don't leave the house and can't be subject to traditional sales tactics). I think Carvana is ahead of the curve on this!
 
I second a conversation with the dealership. How can they pull a filter and leaves stay in tact. Plus it’s common courtesy to just knock them off as you don’t want it getting down in the blower motor. I call BS as they did not check anything. I had a dealership once tell me I needed a new cabin air filter and I said o really. I just changed it last week. Show me my cabin air filter that your talking about. Then they back tracked and it eventually came out that they never checked it and was just going by mileage.
If they were smart they would of said based on your mileage I would recommend a cabin air filter replacement and the engine air filter doesn’t call for replacement at this time but I’ll show you yours and you decide if you want to have it changed. I bet if they did that they would have a better reputation. Unfortunately a lot of people only think about their own pockets and not the big picture.
 
I snapped a copy of the "Multi-Point Inspection Form"

KBTQEQH.jpg


34.95 engine air filter
44.95 cabin air filter

119.95 alignment - note no complaint was given about any problems with alignment and no alignment report was provided.


for reference from the actual work order:
oil filter used: PY8W-14-302
oil filter gasket: 9956-41-400
oil used: FSYN-77-5W30 x 6 quarts charged

also did the infotainment update; reference TSB 09-022/19
start version: 70.77.335
end version: 70.00.352
 
I did not get a copy of that form, and I had the multi-point inspection done when I had my oil changed and tires rotated.

I see it includes Automatic Transmission Fluid Level (not to derail the conversation.)
 
and the saga continues..

Mazda Person said:
"I spoke with our master tech here and we both agreed that the engine filter was probably more yellow, but based on the condition will be ready for the next service."

Mazda Person said:
"As for the cabin filter - being that it's downstream from the blower motor, with the amount of restriction present it can have adverse effects on airflow."


Needless to say I ain't swallowing this line of BS; call scheduled with service manager tomorrow morning.
 
After having my car serviced I check to make sure that they installed the top of the air filter housing correctly if it was checked.I had where the little tabs weren't inserted into the slots but the clips on the other side of the cover were snapped shut.It would have allowed unfiltered air into the engine if I didn't correct it.That's why I hate garages and dealers that have to check a bunch of stuff that is just fine and then I have to double check their "checking".
 
What kind of oil did they use? Synthetic or dino?
Also, what is the oil capacity for the turbo engine? (I truly do not know).
It's not six quarts for the n/a engine, that much I know.
Thx.
 
What kind of oil did they use? Synthetic or dino?
Also, what is the oil capacity for the turbo engine? (I truly do not know).
It's not six quarts for the n/a engine, that much I know.
Thx.
The manual says:
5.1 qts (4.8L) with filter
4.9 qts (4.6L) without

For the n/a 2.5 it's 4.8 qts (4.5L) with/4.5 qts (4.3L) without
 
On my 2019 CX-5 GTR with ~12K miles I recently got the oil changed at the dealer where I purchased the vehicle. Oil changes were a perk of this dealer and it always helps to have at least a minor relationship with a dealer if something odd comes up in the future. So the dealer as part of the oil change does a basic inspection of fluid levels, tire wear/pressure, basically things you can see by sight. They then generate a report which uses GREEN, YELLOW, RED to indicate if an item is in need of attention. I am sure we have seen this type of report at one time or another.

This is a pretty new vehicle (purchased November 2019); so about 5 months in service, so the majority as expect was green - great!

But then the cabin and engine air filters were flagged red. Red seems unexpected. That is an immediate action item, something that should not be ignored. The quote to resolve these two items is ~$90 USD. Ouch. I kindly decline and go about my merry way.

I get home to inspect the condition of the filters myself to find:

Cabin:
2t4iOT9.jpg


Engine:
k1itvRb.jpg


crkyW0Q.jpg



So now I am thinking, did the dealer even look at the filters? How can you take the filter out and not even (accidentally) knock off the leaf debris? Looking at the condition - OK the cabin filter is dirty for sure MAYBE it is red condition worthy. But that engine filter -- I'd say that is yellow condition at worst.

Anyways a bit of a rant, I will be sourcing replacement filters from a 3rd party using information from the forum resource.

What do the forum regulars think? Was the dealer correct in flagging both filters as RED in need of immediate attention?

The cabin and engine filter is the biggest scam Mazda dealers run. Just say no. You can buy them both on Amazon for less than $30 and they are incredibly easy to install.

And let them know you checked the filters and they looked perfect. They will stop messing with you after that.
 
This is why dealerships do the free oil changes for a bit. Most people would say, yup! Change the filters and do an alignment! $200 pocketed by the service center for swapping air filters and checking wheels that are most likely in perfect alignment already. Cha-Ching!
 
This is why dealerships do the free oil changes for a bit. Most people would say, yup! Change the filters and do an alignment! $200 pocketed by the service center for swapping air filters and checking wheels that are most likely in perfect alignment already. Cha-Ching!
Sort of like stations doing inspections.

I've had them "just go ahead" and put in a turn signal bulb rather than hassle with getting the Rejection Sticker, going to the auto parts store, getting the bulb and replacing it myself, then going back to get re-inspected. It's not worth the $3-$4.

(AD, you should check that stuff out before you take it in.) :cool:
 
Lmao at the cost of the filters. Good call declining service on those items.

On my wifes 2018 Touring the local Mazda dealer said I was due for differential fluid replacement at 30k miles, costing ($100+).
Told service manager I didnt see it listed by Mazda officially on scheduled service and declined. SM rolled her eyes as if I was taking some risk for damaging it by not following through.

On the positive side OEM tires were still green along with all brake pads according to the printout :)
 
On the positive side OEM tires were still green along with all brake pads according to the printout :)
Are you saying that you also got one of those printouts? I didn't.

I'm glad I read this thread. The service manager at my dealership is supposed to call me based on a follow-up survey after my service. I'll have to ask about this.
 
What kind of oil did they use? Synthetic or dino?
Also, what is the oil capacity for the turbo engine? (I truly do not know).
It's not six quarts for the n/a engine, that much I know.
Thx.

Synthetic oil - check the part number I listed -- FSYN-77-5W30

Oil capacity already posted -- 5.1 qts (4.8L) with filter ; it is a bit over 5 quarts that is why they round up to the next quart used.
 
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