Mazda finally adds capped price servicing

Mazda has upped the ante on the customer service front and finally added capped priced servicing to its arsenal.

Called ‘Mazda Service Selection’, the new scheme drops mandatory six month services in favour of a more flexible schedule where prices are capped for the life of the vehicle and not restricted by kilometres or time.

The move, which Mazda says is the result of customer feedback, leaves Subaru as the only top 10-selling brand in Australia without capped servicing costs.

Mazda’s new scheme will be rolled out to coincide with the launch of its all-new, and hugely anticipated 3, which is available from February 1.

The remainder of Mazda’s fleet will be covered by mid-year.

Fed up with Mazda’s ‘one size fits all’ servicing policy, Mazda Australia MD Martin Benders challenged his team to develop a more user-friendly and flexible service schedule 12 months ago.

The result is a system that replaces the existing mandatory 6-month, 10,000km service requirement with one that reflects how buyers actually use their car.

The 10,000km cap still remains, but with the average driver travelling 13,000km annually, Mazda says the typical owner will now only need to service their car every nine months.

Drive less kilometres, and this stretches to once a year.

Put this into dollar terms, and Mazda says the average buyer will need to service their car just four times, not the current six, during their first three years of ownership.

As an added bonus, the capped costs apply to the life of the vehicle and are transferrable, which should give second-hand buyers added peace of mind.

How Mazda’s new servicing costs stack up:

All-New Mazda3 Neo 2.0 Auto $5,971

VW Golf VII 1.4 90TSI DSG $6,098

Hyundai i30 Active 1.8 Auto $5,325

Ford Focus LW2 2.0 Auto $6,700

Toyota Corolla Ascent 1.8 CVT $6,850

Holden Cruze Equipe 1.8 Auto $6,823

* Includes fuel, based on average usage of 13,000kms per year, Mazda serviced at 9 months, others vehicles serviced as per maintenance schedule.