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Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:36 pm
by idavies1
2 year service in halfords is about £100 less than my main dealer is it worth it or am i best sticking to main dealer?

Re: Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 7:13 am
by AndyRen
First thing to do is ask main dealer if they'll match it!

I personally would never get work done at a Halfords - I'll buy certain parts there but stop short of them touching my car.

Re: Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:57 am
by Deleted User 1511
Do you want your local dealer to survive?
Might be worry a small premium to help them survive.

As above, i wouldn't let Halfords change a bulb or wiper blade on my car but i guess there are good and bad Mazda dealers as well as good and bad independents / Halfords...

Most Mazda dealers run a price match and are open to a bit of negotiation ..Does that Halfords quote include OEM Mazda parts or pattern parts?

Re: Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 4:28 pm
by Strangways
Are they like for like? Does the Halfords price include the correct oil? And the disposal of the old oil? Do they both include oil filters etc. that may be required for this service?

Re: Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 5:37 pm
by jtonline
It's up to you. Franchised main dealers labour rates per hour are usually higher than independents, so that may be the majority of the price difference.
I've always had mine looked after by a local Mazda dealer, because I trust them to follow manufacturer's requirements, e.g. resetting ECU oil data after an oil change. However, I appreciate not everyone is happy with their local dealers.

Mazda UK say: "...We are committed to keeping your Mazda safe and reliable, giving you complete piece of mind. It is a franchise requirement that all technicians employed by Mazda dealers are trained on Mazda products at our dedicated training centre. This training, combined with the necessary specialist tooling and regular products updates, ensures that your Mazda is serviced or repaired to the highest standards."

Re: Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 7:33 pm
by TheBiker
Eight months ago I bought a CX3 from my local Mazda dealer. As time went by it gradually developed a knocking sound from the front of the car mainly on right hand corners over poor road surfaces. Two months back after spending some hours looking for the source of the knocking I traced it back to front brake calipers and pads. The pads had been replaced but no anti squeal grease had been applied to the back of the pads so the pads were rattling around in the caliper. A little dab of grease on the backs of the pads and problem solved. Who fitted the pads, Halfords. A small thing that really frustrated and annoyed me and makes me unlikely to use or recommend them in future.
I, like others have said, try to support the local Mazda dealer and hope that the service I get from them is up to a good standard for the cost paid. If I don't need their services until it's time for the next vehicle schedule service then it's all worthwhile.

Re: Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:15 pm
by st3v3cx-3
idavies1 wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:36 pm 2 year service in halfords is about £100 less than my main dealer is it worth it or am i best sticking to main dealer?
On the assumption your 2018 car is still under the Mazda 3 yr warranty, in your position I'd definitely have the car serviced by them so if there was any problem with the car before the warranty ran out you'd hopefully get it resolved without any hassle. One would also hope a good dealer is likely to bat on the side of their customer if a fault is 50/50. Saving £100 is nice but could be very small beer if something major happened on the car and Mazda UK tried to get out of it claiming the independent service failed to spot an impending problem before it turned into a failure.

If you have another Mazda dealer in the area you could check the price from them and if your preferred one is dearer try to get them to price match the other one. I've done that previously with other makes I've owned.

Re: Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:12 am
by idavies1
Thanks to everyone who commented on my post. Was going on the side of main dealer because of the remaining warranty and after the comments will look to get it a bit cheaper :D

Re: Halfords or main dealer?

Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2020 6:06 pm
by Strangways
idavies1 wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:12 am Thanks to everyone who commented on my post. Was going on the side of main dealer because of the remaining warranty and after the comments will look to get it a bit cheaper :D
I think that is very sensible. You didn't buy a CX-3 because it was the cheapest small SUV, so buy the service it deserves :D