dealership or general mechanic?

[nature boy]

so i took the mazda in today for regular maintenance and some warranty work (rear shocks were messed up). turned out that i was due for a 2-year check up and ended up needing a coolant flush and a cabin air filter. no big deal, i figure, just get it done. after all was said and done, the bill was over $600, ironically, what i thought would be most expensive (rear shocks) was free.

for my golf i never go to the dealer because i know they're usually not a fan of the aftermarket, so i have my own speciality vw shop for that. however, this is my first mazda and i have no idea where to go besides the dealership and winnie's mom's friend whose shop is super far and is retiring soon. where do you guys take your cars for service?

[Duncan]

i go to p&d on renfrew and 22nd... i find that the owner is nice and upfront with you and they do a good job for a pretty cheap fee. it's close by and alicia's dad actually knows the owner so he can be trusted at least. I've been going there for all my work recently, from oil changes to having my waterpump and timing belt changed.

They also have this crappy camery free of charge for a courtesy car haha

[geForce]

It's just a Mazda though. You can probably find lots of reliable small shops that will do your regular maintenance for a cheap price. All I know is, dealerships are crazy expensive.

[Wetundies]

i take it to phil's place for general stuff. BMW covers all services for 4 hours.

[geForce]

That's awesome, maybe we should all buy BMW's.

[Wetundies]

They gave me their new 3 series with the eco-pro mode as a loaner the other day. It shuts down if you stop for more than 2 secs and restarts as soon as you lift the brakes. Didn't know this at first, so i thought it stalled when it first happened. It had only 200kms on it, so i was like, for realz, this car already has problems???

[Duncan]

That's awesome, maybe we should all buy BMW's

[Wetundies]

their idrive still sucks. I wouldn't get another bmw.

[Duncan]

i'll give you a 2001 jetta for your x5

[geForce]

What is idrive? Can i has

[nature boy]

[nature boy]

[nature boy]

[nature boy]

[nature boy]