[David_K]

Hello everybody,

I have a mazda 6 2005, 61000 miles. I bought it January 2009. Its MPG has dropped significantly. I took it to a Mazda Service company and ask them to see what kind of tune up services my car needs. They gave me following quote (I did not tell them about the MPG problem though, cause i thought this gives them an excuse to charge me more).

Air Filter: $45
Cabin Filter: $55
Trans./Brake/Coolant Fluid: $270
Spark Plugs: $110

I asked them whether these are routine 60,000 maintenance services or they actually checked the engine and recommended those replacements. Obviously they said the latter is the case.

I was thinking of buying Air Filter, Cabin Filter, and Spark Plugs myself and ask a mechanic to replace it. It would be much cheaper. However for the fluids as some machinery is needed, I think it might be a better idea to take it to a Mazda service company.

Any suggestion would be appreciated.

 

[zoomzoomz6]

I am not sure if yours is a 6i or 6s but here is what I did:
Air filter - 2 clips and 20 seconds to replace. Just pop the two clips, open the airbox compartment, take out air filter, put new one in, clip back. $15.00 @ Autozone
Cabin air filter - 5 minutes - pop out glove compartment, its right there. There are threads on this forum on how to do it - $15 on amazon
Transmission fluid - For a manual transmission its 1 bolt that needs to be removed to drain, you will need to pump the fluid back in(3 quarts I think) and replace with new gasket. I paid $45 for 3 quarts of redline and $2.50 for the gasket. Automatics you need a machine and its like $90 or so..
Brake fluid - I did my service at Mazda. I suggest you register with MazdaUSA and under the owners tab you can get online car care coupons with deals in your area from dealerships. In my area I can get $14.95 oil changes, $39.99 4 wheel tire rotation, & $29.99 brake flushes(At mazda).
Coolant - This should be drained every year. It can get a little messy but there are threads showing you how to do it. Or you can pay a local shop $40 or so to fix it.
Spark plugs: 4cyl is easy. I paid $8 at walmart for some autolite plugs, gapped them with a $1 tool and its as easy as popping the boot and swapping the plugs. I think its a lot harder for the 6cyl.

I do not know how technically inclined you are but some stuff its good to try yourself especially since there are tons of walkthroughs on google and this site. If not, many local shops can beat the prices you mentioned.

Hope this helps,
Eddie

 

[backroad101]

I would assume if they quoted you $110 for spark plugs, you have a 4cyl. I have a V6 and was quoted 3 times that. 4cyl spark plugs (gapped properly) as well as your air filters should be easy enough to do yourself.

.

 

[David_K]

Thanks a lot Eddie. That was really helpful. I registered on MazdaUSA as you said and got a $25 coupon off of $200 or more repair!

I have one more question, is there any reputable website to buy Mazda parts online? I assume that Mazda Genuine Parts are not sold online, right?

 

[ydrone]

Hello everybody,

Air Filter: $45
Cabin Filter: $55
Trans./Brake/Coolant Fluid: $270
Spark Plugs: $110

The Air Filter and the Cabin Filter are easily replaced, even by someone who is not mechanically inclined. There should be a bunch of "how-to" articles here or elsewhere, just have to search a bit. Do it cheaper too.

Spark Plugs - that's pretty cheap ... did they just look at them or replace them with new ones? Personally, with my V6, I preferred to have the dealership replace them, since screwing up will cost a new engine.

Fluids - If these were replaced (flushed as opposed to topping off) ... I suppose the price is ok. Again, personally I prefer to have the dealer replace fluids, including oil, due to things going wrong and not having the time/resources to do it myself.

I would have done the Fluids at 60k miles as opposed to 30k.

You can buy "genuine parts" online without issues ... just shop around for the cheapest price. The OEM part numbers are the same if they are "genuine."

 

[David_K]

You can buy "genuine parts" online without issues ... just shop around for the cheapest price. The OEM part numbers are the same if they are "genuine."

How can I find the OEM part numbers for Air Filter and Cabin Filter?
Would you recommend some websites to shop genuine parts?

Thanks

 

[ydrone]

You can start with RockAuto Auto Parts ... just look up your year/model and select the parts. Then you'll find the OEM part numbers, then google the part numbers to research other online sites. For example, my cabin air filter for 2006/6s is part #GK3J61148.

 

[zoomzoomz6]

Glad it worked out for you. I use rock auto as well. It's amazing how a stealership charges $89.95 for an alignment or $36.95 for an oil change and if you register your Mazda you get it for half of that. No wonder everyone hates them. I almost threw up laughing after waiting for my car and hearing a service advisor say that a cabin air filter was a 1 hour job and would cost 69.95 to replace. I wanted to speak out but they still had my car so who knows what they would have done. 5 minutes and a screwdriver is not worth $70 imo.

 

[2SoonJr]

you can also get the OEM part # by just calling the parts dept at the dealership and asking. fyi the oem cross reference for the motorcraft spark plugs is sp-500, available at autozone or advance auto, where i got mine at.