Hi new-ish Mx5 NC owner in Sunny Southampton. I joined the owners club to find out more about my little red bundle of joy and hopefully enjoy some drive outs with the local branch. It’s a great car to drive and the running cost seam so far to be quite reasonable.
As a female when I look at some of your more technical posts, you might as well be talking about Higgins Bowen or warp drive coils to me lol.
Could anyone recommend a reliable Mx5 mechanic or specialist in the Southampton area that you guys use, rather than a main Mazda dealer that seams so impersonal? What are your thoughts on Main dealers today?
Thanks
Labour will be expensive (compared to an independent garage/specialist) but your actual experience will vary. My main dealer in Wolverhampton has always looked after me whenever I’ve been there and dealt with me fairly. The service manager was happy to speak to me and I was allowed in the workshop with the tech who helped me sort out a malfunctioning Carplay upgrade installed into my ND by another garage. That said, most of the time I’ll be using someone that I met through my local area meetings.
That brings me on to my suggestion: go along to your local area meets (normally monthly) and ask other members where they take their cars.
DoctorMX5 took over the old Autolink premises when Andrew relocated to Scotland, I think. I havem’t used them since the Autolink days but am considering them for the 11 year service because I can’t believe Mazda will properly change the coolant.
I’ve had some very poor experience with main dealers in general on various makes, but my MX-5 goes to EMG Cambridge for services, who haven’t caused me any problems. They also do a discount for MX-5 OC members on production of membership card.
As a club member use the local knowledge. Logic says your local independent specialist is more likely to be jealously guarding his reputation than the main dealer as they are so often multibrand franchises.
Nice shiny car!
I’ve always used main dealer servicing for all my cars. Some are good, some (not many) are bad, and some are OK. But the exact same can be said for independents.
As with any business, a lot depends on how you interact with them. If you show an interest in your car, and talk sensibly to them, then most main dealers, in my experience, will be helpful and friendly. They can also be no more expensive than some independents - yes, they have to do things by the book, and for liability and reputation reasons can’t always do a bodge that an independent might do, but on the other hand they will always have the latest factory information, updates and diagnostic tools.
I’m also near Southampton and also have a 25AE. I use Magna Mazda in Bitterne to service it (as I have my previous two MX-5s). I’ve always found them to be very good and certainly not “impersonal”.
In my opinion Main stealers are generally a rip off and much more expensive than smaller places.
Eg. My daughter has just been quoted £540 for a Volvo service, a local vat registered independent quoted £250.
Of course I could do the same for about £100, but there would be no labour charge.
It’s always nice to think that your car has had the best to offer, but smaller places with fewer overheads can equally offer just as good if not better service.
Welcome RoxC42. while there is little chance I’ll get my 22 yo Madge serviced at a main dealer, which is mostly aimed at the business community who buy new cars, I have found my local main dealer Millcars near Watford really friendly and helpful when it comes to ordering parts that are not available from MX5 parts.co.uk. Millcars also came up trumps when I needed some locking wheel nuts removed without a booking on a Saturday morning before heading up to Harewood to take part in a hillclimb 18 months ago,
Anecdotally I have also heard good things about Doctor MX5 in your area.
I have never used main dealers for any cars unless bound by warranty. Their pricing has become pretty ridiculous in my experience for what’s being done. 300 pounds plus for services that only actually replace engine oil and filter is taking the p1ss…
I went to my local dealer about my difficult to move ND1 roof as there were some reports of some roofs not being installed correctly. They couldnt see anything wrong but said they could investigate it but there would be a minimum charge (I think it was 1.5 hours )with no guarantee of any change.
I am putting up with the roof!
I’ve had my MX5 serviced at the dealership I used to work at, as for a while I got staff rates. However there is only 1 technician left who was there when I worked there, and who I would trust to work on an old car like mine. I have had work done at MX5 Restorer and C&C Sparkes which I am happy with. It all depends on the person who works on your car and their relationship with the brand. Get quotes from your local dealer, ask if they give a discount for the Club, and compare. If the dealer takes half the time to service your car, because that’s what they do everyday, then the hourly rate isn’t so relevant.
We had our car serviced at the same main dealer for 3 years and it was not a good experience.
In order to ‘halve the time’ it transpired that the technician doing the brake fluid change just syringed the master cylinder and topped it back up.
I think that’s SOP for main dealers everywhere. They must think it magically gets down to the calipers. I wonder if any owner has ever taken a sample from a bleed screw after a service, tested it for water content, then taken the dealer to task? It would be very hard to prove without paying an expert witness more than the service cost in the first place, and the dealers know that.
