Dealer service record v. lockdown lay up?

I just called the dealer who serviced my 2017 ND last year because the service hasn’t appeared on the “My Mazda” app. I still haven’t got to the bottom of that because they say it is definitely on the system.

However, my car’s birthday is coming up on 30th March and technically, they say, I should get it serviced next month to maintain the history even though it was done on 17 July 2020 (late, but they cancelled my booking last March due to coronavirus). It’s out of warranty of course, but there’s possible goodwill to consider (e.g. what if the gearbox should break, would Mazda help?) and resale value with irregular history. But it has only done 700 miles since last July.

EMG quotes £303 less OC discount but it’s not a particularly big service - oil and filter, a coat of looking at, and brake fluid change which I’m not worried about from a maintenance point of view at four years particularly as it was change at 2 years. Air filter was done last July. No gearbox or diff oil change is due.

I have decided not to bother doing it next month. If there is sufficient relaxation of the pandemic restrictions to get a few thousand miles on it I’ll consider getting it done this summer, otherwise I think I might leave it until next year.

Any views? I know it’s up to me, but I think it might be more beneficial to the car just to get the gearbox and diff oil changed than to have it serviced. I’m not planning to sell it in the foreseeable future.

EDIT: I have reinstalled My Mazda and it has updated. It seems that where the service was deferred, Mazda calculates that the subsequent one is due a year after that - which in my case would make it 17/7/21. This is as stated on the service record. I’ll post a screen shot to make it clear. The date of first registration was 30/3/17. Whether this applies equally to cars in warranty I’m not sure. I assume that anyone using dealer servicing can do what I have done and download the My Mazda app to see/download their service record.

I’ll still be inclined to let it roll if I haven’t done many more miles by July, as seems likely to be the case.

Goodwill & Mazda UK have so often proved incompatible within the same sentence.
As for fluids, my personal view is don’t even bother with them meantime but do them if / when you can use the thing properly. It’ll still be honey coloured and fresh…or near enough.
Just keep the receipts…and anyone with half a brain will see the logic.
Database record is your priority I’d wager.
I dipped the dipstick on our 105,000 miles 2002 Sport a few weeks back. It had only done around 1200 miles on fresh GTX…and it was still fresh. Garage agrees with me to leave it till better days. Flew it’s MOT last June anyhow…I just Italian Tune it every other week for the brakes’ benefit etc.

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I would get it done 12 months after the last service and I would not expect any issues would arise as a result - it certainly does not need to be done before.

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Under the circumstances I’d leave it until next year. If ever you sell the car potential purchasers will surely appreciate that routines got a bit screwed up during the pandemic.
I’ve got exactly the same with my jet ski: usually get it serviced (~£300) at the end of every season, but it got only ~four hours of use last year so I didn’t get it serviced at the end of the season.

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Go on I’'l bite, what’s an Italian Tune Scottishfiver?

It’s an old sort of in-house “joke” expression meaning you take the car out and rag it’s nuts off.
Good for CATS, brakes, and general fitness.
I think it comes from decades back when Italian mechanics “fault find” by caning stuff till it breaks…
If more people did it, we’d likely see less threads about flat batteries & rusty discs…maybe.

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Good for diesels pre-MoT before DPFs, and (I’m going way back) supposedly a substitute for decokes. Also known as blowing out the cobwebs.

Anyway, as the roads were dry and it was sunny, your suggestion prompted me to disconnect the battery maintainer and take it for a 15 mile run. It might have been longer but I spotted the fish and chip van, stalked it to its next stop, and took some home for lunch.

It really is a lovely little car, making it go is a great feeling that feels fresh every time. There was a new rattle, but it was only the cover on the fuel filler. Soon sorted.

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I’m in a similar situation. Mine is 3 years old on March 5th, but was last serviced last July, again late due to Covid.
Part of me says get the 3 year service in before the warranty expires, just in case, but it’s only done about 1500 miles since the last one.
Also I only drive it in the summer, so it’s taxed April onwards.

I suggest at least getting a print out of the service record, because if it’s like mine it will say the next service is due in July this year. Then you’ll have some sort of argument if the service record question comes up.

You can do your own print out from the My Mazda app if you want, or I don’t doubt the dealer will email you one.

Then you’ll have to decide whether to do it in July or not:)

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Listen to that part of you. Take full advantage of the final bit of warranty. Get an Mot even if its not due while you’re there so as not to miss any warranty items.

That’s what I do anyway when my warranty is up

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The MoT should in any case be due as the three years comes up. Good point - I was conscious of that this time last year, and keen to make sure there was no warranty work outstanding before the deadline, hence getting an MoT after my service/MoT was cancelled even though we were in lockdown. I’d just seen the first reports of rear hub carrier issues (worn/collapsed bushes) and asked the tester to look out for it specifically. It was fine, as I expect it will be this year after <1000 additional miles.

I doubt you would have any warranty issues at such low mileage. A service is at 12 months or 12500 miles since the last service, simple. If the dealer cannot be trusted to work that out, I very much doubt any last minute warranty work or goodwill will happen.

@John_M I’ve got the Mazda app and the service printout downloaded. I’ve not noticed any problems with it at all, but if there was I’d use that to negotiate a warranty claim or contribution at least. I’ve got a CX-5 from them also so if they want to be difficult, they’ll lose both services and potential replacements.

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I wouldn’t bet on them caring about the other car. I’ve recently left my vauxhall dealer after they quoted for a job and then presented a different price when I turned up. They said they’d look at my under warranty car for free to check the fault was covered under warranty. I turned up and they wanted to charge me an hours labour (£90+). I stated what they had said and they pain refused to budge (even though the car was there for a full service) so I did not have the job done. When they phoned up for the other cars yearly service I told them I would not be using them again. They gave it the old what can we do to entice you back line so I told them to honour their original price. They refused. That was October, I’ve since had a cam belt (£450) and a major service (£300) done by another garage. I had been going to that dealer since the cars were new, they are 9 and 10 years old now.

Stupid of them really, the job would have taken about 5 minutes with the car already on the lift

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Short-sighted but not unusual. Something to do with targets I expect. The service manager won’t care about sales targets and the sales manager won’t care about service ones. The service adviser might have his or her own revenue target. None of them care much about future goodwill at that point or what you might do in a year’s time. I’d do what you did unless they were exceptionally and unusually competent.

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On a positive note.
I bought a Volvo just 2 years old in August 2020.
However, the dealer serviced (another minor, so 2 minor’s) it in the March 2020. (Then all went into lockdown so didn’t move).
On booking for the 3rd service this year several dealers told me it should have had a major at 2 years old.
On putting my position politely to the dealer I bought the car from they agreed and also stated they would pay the difference which will amount to £205 contribution.
A nice gesture for once and looking at the long term view perhaps? :slightly_smiling_face:

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