PSA - Consider paying for inspection prior to warranty expiration

[hal2]

A big YMMV, but....

Many people consider it money well spent to pay for, what could be considered the equivalent of a pre/post purchase inspection, a few months/miles prior to the end of your warranty. A Mazda dealer will, for a fee of maybe $100 - $200, give your car a thorough going over to find any issues that the can may have. The stated purpose would be for them to TRY any find areas that might be covered under warranty but may have not yet created a problem. Worn boots, warn axles, loose suspension parts, worn motor mounts - any non wear items that might need replacing. The dealer gets to charge the mfg for repairs (ching ching) and it costs you nothing. There are times when the replacement/repair need is questionable but they may still be able to mfg authorization. Again, the dealer loves it because you'll approve it because it costs you nothing.

 

[ceric]

Full-circle inspection is free. Dealer has the same incentive to find problems to fix. Do you think the dealer will find more problems if you pay them?

 

[cz5gt]

Thats the irony...It's free and usually not really performed in depth...Just some check-marks...Except tires, brakes and cabin filter...May be battery.

 

[hal2]

This ^^^

A) According to Mazda the Full Circle is free when you bring the car in for servrice..
B) No, they're not going to give you an hour @ $135 for you free "inspection". You'll notice this list from Mazda of a whopping 15 items (I'm not counting "checking to see if the horn & lights work, or checking for windshield cracks)

Here's your Full Circle Report Card. Notice how they didn't pressure check the cooling system? Check the alternator? Test drive the car for odd sounds.

So yes, a with a paid inspection they'll probably be looking for items they can replace under warranty. It is not unusual at all for them to have customers who pay for this inspection prior to the end of a warranty. Now, I never expect someone to believe something just because they read it on the internet, so I encourage someone to talk to the service advisor about the paid inspection I am talking about vs the 'free' (with service) Full Circle inspection.

FULL CIRCLE SERVICE REPORT CARD: WHAT IS IT? | Beach Mazda

Do you know what Full Circle Service Report Card is? Keep reading to learn some important service information! Full Circle Service Report Here at Beach

www.beachmazda.com

 

[MyFirstMazda]

Maybe pay an independent garage for the inspection. Most dealerships can't even find problems when the customer tells them symptoms of the problem. And I think the dealerships rather do the work after the warranty expires so they get paid more by you. I do like the idea of finding things that need fixing before the warranty ends.

 

[hal2]

I'm still going with the dealer as they have an added incentive to find things. They also know what parts to look for that have known abnormal wear issues and what items they can wrangle the mfg to fix. - but that's just me.

While informational, almost no one will go this route. Many eople will spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars upgrading the radio, ceramic coatings, new rims, lowering the suspension, etc, but won't invest a couple hundred bucks to do the things that really make a difference as many are more concerned on how they look. In business it's the mistake called form over function when it should be function over form.

 

[sm1ke]

I think dealerships would probably want to do the work before the warranty expires because, for example, it would be a lot easier for them to convince Mazda HQ to replace an engine and eat the cost vs a customer who has to pay out of pocket. That customer would likely look into sourcing a used engine and having it replaced by an independent shop because the overall cost would probably be much lower than what the dealer would charge.

 

[MyFirstMazda]

I figure the dealers don't want to do under warranty work because they usually say "Oh, that's normal" when a customer comes in complaining about noise or leaks or thunks when it is under warranty. I don't think they make as much money doing warranty work.

 

[hal2]

I figure the dealers don't want to do under warranty work because they usually say "Oh, that's normal" when a customer comes in complaining about noise or leaks or thunks when it is under warranty. I don't think they make as much money doing warranty work.

Yes, they get paid less from the mfg, but they still like warranty work

 

[madar]

I frequent two Mazda dealers in my area...full circle inspection is a joke. you don't even get a check off sheet over half the time. I can tell you for a fact that trans fluid level is almost never checked....

 

[cz5gt]

if course its not checked even washer fluid isnt checked most of the time.
A paid inspection is easy money.. get car in, check tires, check brakes. quick visual under ... all good off you go.

Of course I wish its different but there is no guarantee and thats the problem. Each dealer is also different. There are great ones and others not so great. Google reviews process is faked as well. I wish I could say more positive things.

 

[hal2]

if course its not checked even washer fluid isnt checked most of the time.
A paid inspection is easy money.. get car in, check tires, check brakes. quick visual under ... all good off you go.

I don't want them to check my fluid,.

That's not the idea behind this thread - it wasn't a discussion on the value of an inspection. Just like a home inspection, the inspector can always find something. And that's what's happening here, they want to find something to get service work paid for by the mfg

 

[cz5gt]

I am with you on this one. I would gladly pay and do it if I know it would be done properly. I even like extended warranties. What we are mostly trying to say would be that its tough to know it would be done properly. It all depends on the dealer honesty.

 

[hal2]

Actually, in an odd way I want a dealer that would push the limits of honesty to get a manufacturer to pay to have a "questionable" part replaced? - hehe

 

[bluegrass]

That's not the idea behind this thread - it wasn't a discussion on the value of an inspection. Just like a home inspection, the inspector can always find something. And that's what's happening here, they want to find something to get service work paid for by the mfg

You are giving WAY too much credit to the dealership hacks performing these inspections, and the willingness of dealerships to do warranty work.

There is a severe shortage of intelligent/qualified/capable workers in service industries.
Dealerships are lucky to find & hire anyone with a pulse to work the service bays.
Just Google "auto mechanic shortage" to see how bad the problem is.

The person doing your "inspection" is not going to be an ASE Master Certified mechanic who is motivated to find every minuscule issue to be repaired under warranty. Instead, they are going to spend 15 minutes looking over your vehicle for obvious issues, then move on to the long line of other cars needing more profitable service.

You are also completely wrong about the dealership's desire to do warranty work.
They don't have the manpower/resources to keep up with regular, high-paying service work.
So they certainly don't want to waste their limited resources on your low-paying, low profit margin warranty claims, that they must fight with the manufacturer to get approved.

 

[yrwei52]

Actually, in an odd way I want a dealer that would push the limits of honesty to get a manufacturer to pay to have a "questionable" part replaced? - hehe

IMO the idea is good, but it has too many variables and too much dealer dependent. Even my Mazda dealer which I consider it’s a good one couldn’t find some problems I brought up before my new car warranty expired. I had to show them all the TSBs I collected to convince the tech. And the major one, rear disk brake calipers on EPB dragging, not only I had to show the tech the TSB, but also I had to fight all the way up to a master tech who eventually agreed my point, and did the job in person upon my request.

I did a hard work to find as many TSBs as possible to identify possible (and likely) problems when I still had warranty. But for those who may not have time to do it, your idea having the Mazda dealer doing a check up may be fine, but most likely the money will be wasted.

 

[yrwei52]

You are giving WAY too much credit to the dealership hacks performing these inspections, and the willingness of dealerships to do warranty work.

There is a severe shortage of intelligent/qualified/capable workers in service industries.
Dealerships are lucky to find & hire anyone with a pulse to work the service bays.
Just Google "auto mechanic shortage" to see how bad the problem is.

The person doing your "inspection" is not going to be an ASE Master Certified mechanic who is motivated to find every minuscule issue to be repaired under warranty. Instead, they are going to spend 15 minutes looking over your vehicle for obvious issues, then move on to the long line of other cars needing more profitable service.

You are also completely wrong about the dealership's desire to do warranty work.
They don't have the manpower/resources to keep up with regular, high-paying service work.
So they certainly don't want to waste their limited resources on your low-paying, low profit margin warranty claims, that they must fight with the manufacturer to get approved.

You raised an excellent point!

Yes, there is a severe shortage of intelligent/qualified/capable techs in automobile service industries. Dealerships are lucky to find and hire anyone with a pulse to work the service bays. Younger generations aren’t interested to get their hands dirty, are more interested sitting in front of computer screen in the air-conditioned office. And get paid a lot more too!

 

[erhayes]

I would go with a trusted independent for this. Maybe a Dealer mechanic who works of the clock? Ed

 

[ceric]

Checking is a good idea, but you need to find someone/dealer trustworthy since you actually pay them to do the works. For free full-circle inspection, I doubt check their claims before I say "Yes" (out of warranty, that it).