Reason #1 and #2 why it's better to change your own oil Vs a dealer

[sm1ke]

I agree that he was treated fairly, but he is also being treated poorly. That being said, we're only hearing one side of the story. Your neighbour may be making unreasonable demands and may be speaking impolitely (for lack of a better word) due to their frustration, and the dealer is being short with them as a result. Cooler heads would prevail.

The text I quoted from the manual is there because if you replace only one tire at a time, the new tire will have better traction than the others due to the difference in treadwear. In extreme cases, the new tire may also have a slightly larger diameter, which can cause damage to the AWD system in the long term, and cause the AWD the behave unexpectedly due to the new tire having more traction than the others. This is why the manual advises to replace all four tires at the same time.

All that being said, it is common for tire shops to shave down a brand new tire so that the new tire's tread matches the remaining tread on the other tires. They do it all the time for tire warranty claims and insurance claims on vehicles that need it. If the dealer doesn't do this for whatever reason, just drive the car to the nearest tire shop and get them to shave the new tire down.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

The CX-50 Owner's Manual states the following:



Asking for 4 brand new tires, while not totally unreasonable in some situations, is excessive. It would make sense for the dealership to replace all 4 tires with a brand new set if the original tire is no longer in production, for example.

What the dealership should do is replace the damaged OEM tire with a brand new OEM tire. Sounds like they're already doing that, but the new tire must also be shaved down to match the other 3 tires. This way, the tread pattern and traction is the same for each tire, resulting in safe operation of the vehicle.

I don't know how common tire shaving is, or even what a machine that does the job looks like. I've heard of it being done but never seen it myself. Although I don't know but I believe that it's not all that common and not many tire shops have the machine to do it.

I don't know what the charge would be to shave a tire, but a MUCH better solution would be to replace two tires. If the dealership refuses to put two new tires on, if I were the OP, I would pay for one tire and keep the used tire as an extra, just in case.

 

[Koko_Bandit]

I don't know how common tire shaving is, or even what a machine that does the job looks like. I've heard of it being done but never seen it myself. Although I don't know but I believe that it's not all that common and not many tire shops have the machine to do it.

I don't know what the charge would be to shave a tire, but a MUCH better solution would be to replace two tires. If the dealership refuses to put two new tires on, if I were the OP, I would pay for one tire and keep the used tire as an extra, just in case.

You can order tires from Tire Rack and have them shave them down to the desired tread depth. I had to do it for one of our cars because $$$$ was sparse.

 

[sm1ke]

I don't know how common tire shaving is, or even what a machine that does the job looks like. I've heard of it being done but never seen it myself. Although I don't know but I believe that it's not all that common and not many tire shops have the machine to do it.

I don't know what the charge would be to shave a tire, but a MUCH better solution would be to replace two tires. If the dealership refuses to put two new tires on, if I were the OP, I would pay for one tire and keep the used tire as an extra, just in case.

Today I learned that tire shaving is also called tire truing. Here's a video I found:

Tire Truing How To

Learn how to properly true a tire with this how to video. Tire Service International has 3 different tire truers, the one shown here is our most popular Amer...

www.youtube.com

Doesn't seem to be much work if the shop has a machine to do it, and it sounds like it can be pretty cheap ($20-50).

Two new tires could work for managing AWD stresses, but then the owner has to be sure that they only rotate tires front to back, and mark them accordingly. On top of that, the car will behave differently if the difference in traction from the front to the rear is significant enough. More traction up front could result in the rear stepping out during a turn, while more traction in the rear could cause understeer in the same turn.

 

[stickerbush]

My local Discount Tire shop does not shave tires. Their road hazard warranty however will cover replacement of all 4 tires if one tire is damaged and the remaining tires are worn such that the new tire doesn't meet the car manufacturer's specfications for replacing a single tire.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

You can order tires from Tire Rack and have them shave them down to the desired tread depth. I had to do it for one of our cars because $$$$ was sparse.

I didn't know this. I doubt that the OP's dealership is going to be ordering a shaved tire from Tire Rack.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

Today I learned that tire shaving is also called tire truing. Here's a video I found:

Tire Truing How To

Learn how to properly true a tire with this how to video. Tire Service International has 3 different tire truers, the one shown here is our most popular Amer...

www.youtube.com

Doesn't seem to be much work if the shop has a machine to do it, and it sounds like it can be pretty cheap ($20-50).

Two new tires could work for managing AWD stresses, but then the owner has to be sure that they only rotate tires front to back, and mark them accordingly. On top of that, the car will behave differently if the difference in traction from the front to the rear is significant enough. More traction up front could result in the rear stepping out during a turn, while more traction in the rear could cause understeer in the same turn.

Of course, you're right about the front-to-rear tire rotation. But the small difference between the new and the old tires isn't going to be all that great and I don't think that it will cause an issue as long as the new tires are on the same axel.

 

[jadmt]

so my buddy went to get the tire replaced and is delayed. He is leaving on a 4-5000 mile road trip. So by the time he gets back he will have 13000 or so the original tires and then they will put the other one on. he said Mazda corp called him last night and told him they could get him a coupon for a free oil change......he said he about lost it. He said Mazda told him that the dealership service departments were experts and Mazda would always back the dealerships. He said he told them that couldn't be too much of experts as they popped his tire....he said this morning he got a call from the dealership asking if he was interested in trading in on a new Mazda......he said he could not believe it...I believe he told them he would not be buying another Mazda ever again.

 

[ceric]

So he got ahold of Mazda corporate and they told him that they had no control over what independent dealers did. They advised him he could get ahold of the regional area manager if he wanted to escalate it further. He asked for that contact info and they told him he needed to get it from the local dealership. He called the dealership and ask for the regional area manager and he said they would not give him that information. He said they told him he was treated fairly and one new tire was all he was going to get. He did refer the manager to the owners manual where it stated not to replace just one tire and he said that went no where......

Call a few more times. You might get a different case handler that are more sympathetic to your situation. "You" means OP.

One co-worker told me long ago... His motto:
"Don't take B*S* from anyone without putting up a fight..."

Small claim court, BBB complaint, whatever.

 

[jadmt]

Call a few more times. You might get a different case handler that are more sympathetic to your situation. "You" means OP.

One co-worker told me long ago... His motto:
"Don't take B*S* from anyone without putting up a fight..."

Small claim court, BBB complaint, whatever.

I figure Mazda lost at least 2 future customers over less than $600 their cost. He said he is done with it. I doubt my buddy will spend another nickel there and I won't go there unless it is for warranty work. I had planned on buying my oil filters from them but just ordered bunch from mazdaswag.

 

[madar]

A woman at work asked me about oil change prices. Her Chevy dealer wanted to do an oil change for $149, a wheel alignment for $189, and a tire rotation for $42. What are these people thinking? I mean I know they have high overhead but this is way over the top.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/most-expensive-oil-change-rotate.378800/

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

@jadmt …. my normal purchases of a couple oil change kits are still cheaper at Med Center Mazda since their free shipping kicks in at $100. I suppose if I was ordering more than $300 (their free shipping tier) then Mazdaswag would be cheaper.

 

[jadmt]

@jadmt …. my normal purchases of a couple oil change kits are still cheaper at Med Center Mazda since their free shipping kicks in at $100. I suppose if I was ordering more than $300 (their free shipping tier) then Mazdaswag would be cheaper.

it did not work out that way for me. I emailed them and they reduced the shipping. I have used both and had good service from both places.

 

[chickdr]

For me, getting them done at the dealer is the way to go while within warranty. That way, I have history with the dealer if something goes wrong and they have the records of time/mileage it was done. I do this with my new cars until out of warranty, then DIY afterwards. I just had my 20 Nissan Frontier oil change on Monday. They had a $50 special. With the 5w30 full synthetic oil they use, that number isn't bad at all.

 

[jadmt]

For me, getting them done at the dealer is the way to go while within warranty. That way, I have history with the dealer if something goes wrong and they have the records of time/mileage it was done. I do this with my new cars until out of warranty, then DIY afterwards. I just had my 20 Nissan Frontier oil change on Monday. They had a $50 special. With the 5w30 full synthetic oil they use, that number isn't bad at all.

never had an issue in close to 50 years doing my own service when it comes to warranty just keep receipts and document the services..it is unlawful to deny warranty as long as you have documented your oil changes. My local dealer put an extra qt in mine and popped my neighbors tire...would you trust them? Nobody cares more about your car than you do.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

For me, getting them done at the dealer is the way to go while within warranty. That way, I have history with the dealer if something goes wrong and they have the records of time/mileage it was done. I do this with my new cars until out of warranty, then DIY afterwards. I just had my 20 Nissan Frontier oil change on Monday. They had a $50 special. With the 5w30 full synthetic oil they use, that number isn't bad at all.

Depending on your dealer, that history may mean nothing to them. As long as you keep records, and use the recommended oil, your warranty can't be deigned.

 

[chickdr]

I don't want to give them any reason to try...

 

[anyman]

Thought I’d chime in since this topic is something I’ve been dealing with lately. I used to do my own oil changes years ago on my cars but stopped once I just got too busy and lost the desire (and the space) to do it.

I had been taking our 2015 CX5 to Southtowne Mazda here in Salt Lake for years because they always did a great job servicing the car. Prices were very reasonable for things like brakes as well.

A few years back I believe they were bought out by Dahle Mazda and things just changed for the worse. I was now waiting an hour or more for a more expensive oil change. Brake jobs doubled. Customer service severely declined.

So at that point I just decided that if I can do my own oil changes in 45 minutes at a time convenient for me (early weekend mornings) why take time out of my work day (and lose money since I’m self employed) to have somebody else do it?

Somebody here mentioned the decline of work ethic and I totally believe this is one of the main problems. And it’s not entirely the worker’s fault. Businesses exploit labor. Labor becomes resentful. But it also can start with the worker too. Whatever the cause is it’s why I try to DIY as much as possible. I just have trust issues with contractors, mechanics, etc. due to past experiences. It’s more me than them probably.

My hope is that the sales side of dealerships eventually goes away. It’s a useless piece of the overall car-buying puzzle. If dealerships could focus on service I think things could get better but I don’t know if that business model would make any sense.

Anyway, glad forums like this exist because it makes DIY work much less intimidating. So far I’ve done a couple of oil changes on the CX5 and it’s laughably easy with the right tools.

 

[murky]

Thought I’d chime in since this topic is something I’ve been dealing with lately. I used to do my own oil changes years ago on my cars but stopped once I just got too busy and lost the desire (and the space) to do it.

I had been taking our 2015 CX5 to Southtowne Mazda here in Salt Lake for years because they always did a great job servicing the car. Prices were very reasonable for things like brakes as well.

A few years back I believe they were bought out by Dahle Mazda and things just changed for the worse. I was now waiting an hour or more for a more expensive oil change. Brake jobs doubled. Customer service severely declined.

So at that point I just decided that if I can do my own oil changes in 45 minutes at a time convenient for me (early weekend mornings) why take time out of my work day (and lose money since I’m self employed) to have somebody else do it?

Somebody here mentioned the decline of work ethic and I totally believe this is one of the main problems. And it’s not entirely the worker’s fault. Businesses exploit labor. Labor becomes resentful. But it also can start with the worker too. Whatever the cause is it’s why I try to DIY as much as possible. I just have trust issues with contractors, mechanics, etc. due to past experiences. It’s more me than them probably.

My hope is that the sales side of dealerships eventually goes away. It’s a useless piece of the overall car-buying puzzle. If dealerships could focus on service I think things could get better but I don’t know if that business model would make any sense.

Anyway, glad forums like this exist because it makes DIY work much less intimidating. So far I’ve done a couple of oil changes on the CX5 and it’s laughably easy with the right tools.

Hardest part is cleanup and disposal. In other words, not hard.

 

[jadmt]

took less than a minute to change the air filter ..