I went to Mazda for a new key because the 2022 CX5 fob just crumbled when it slipped out of my butter fingers onto concrete floor and they cost $500 to replace. It does not really function any better than the old fobs.

It now has a LED Headlight malfunction and the dealer is charging $2000 to replace it.

“Recommended service Bulb - Headlight Assembly: REPLACE DRIVER HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY The entire casing that includes the bulb and the lens that mounts into the front of the car. $2,004.17”

Has it always cost this much for everyone else? I owned Chevy Silverado’s before and my 2016 Mazda 6 never gave me any issues. Chevrolet gave me bumper to bumper so any issues it gave was just repaired.

I love Mazda but… this is getting ridiculous for simple issues. Can’t imagine what the next minor inconvenience is going to cost me now. I remember mechanics charged less for removing the entire dash to get to the AC compressor.

Genuinely curious about these costs.

  • imothers@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    Automotive locksmiths can almost always make you a new key or fob for a lot less than the dealer.

  • xXxDickBonerz69xXx@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    Yeah I mean all those fancy new features aren’t cheap.

    If you had two working fobs it’d have been cheaper to reprogram. Also locksmiths can often make keys for cars cheaper than the dealer.

    Headlight assemblies with integrated LEDs look great and help sell new cars. They’re an absolute nightmare for the subsequent owners. LEDs do eventually burn out and you’re gonna end up with beaters that cost more to replace the taillight assembly than the car is worth unless the aftermarket steps up.

    You know how all cars replaced normal parking brakes with those stupid electronic buttons? Well now you need an expensive scan tool to do something as cheap and easy as replacing rear brake pads.

    All manufacturers in all industries are making servicing their products as cumbersome and expensive as possible. That way they can sell more service, or more new equipment quicker. It’s why right to repair laws are so important. Unfortunately our government has no interest in protecting people from corporations.

  • schwartzki@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    LED Headlights are expensive. $1265 for base LED and $1790 for directional beam headlights.

    • Jgordos@alien.topB
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      10 months ago

      in other words, around 2k for the directional headlights, which is what OP was quoted.

      Nothing slimy about the dealer’s service department.

  • TotesMcGotesJr@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    If you know the problem, don’t go to the dealership.

    Sadly I’m in the same boat and have to go to the dealership tomorrow AM for some pesky suspension issue that was caused my trying to change the rear shocks on my 2014 3. Big mistake. This shocks are near impossible to remove and we stripped the knuckle trying to do it all.

  • egomxrtem@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    Look at those silicon key fob covers from Amazon you can get a pair for $10 and prevents any disasters when you’re clumsy

    Ask me how I know lol

  • DM725@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    You’re over 36,000 miles and out of warranty on the LED headlight?

    Edit: Nevermind it’s a crack. Then go through insurance?

  • devilpants@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    Next time you can just buy a new fob assembly for around $70 and swap all the parts from your old one over. If it’s really just the shell that got destroyed, replacement ones are under $20.

    • Troy-Dilitant@alien.topB
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      10 months ago

      Oh yeah…the key fob is pretty cheap online. It’s the programming that makes it work for your car, though, and unless you can find someone with the tools (and does it cheaper) you have to go back to the dealer for that and that’s going to be the expensive part.

      Buying a replacement shell is a great idea, though, if that’s all that’s broken.

  • condor1985@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    Just go to a non-dealer mechanic. Mazdas are mechanically simple vehicles and ubiquitous - anybody can fix them.

    • Jon3141592653589@alien.topB
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      10 months ago

      Agreed. And while I would normally prefer going to a Mazda dealer for routine maintenance, the new one we are closest to is 2x as expensive as the old one, and quite defensive about their high prices (also 2x higher than Subaru or Honda that we go to). So I went to the local garage that I used to take my '88 to 25 years ago and had my 10k service done for half the price. Really, Mazdas 2013-present are all about the same under the hood, so I have no idea how some dealerships try to differentiate their prices.

      • condor1985@alien.topB
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        10 months ago

        I’d your bulb burns out, they’ll tell you they need to replace the entire housing vs just swapping out the bulk fir a new one that costs 15 dollars.

        Brake jobs when brakes aren’t anywhere close to needing it, etc. Times are tough for people right now so they’re screwing people extra hard

  • mildcaseofdeath@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    The thing that’s killing me is the diagnostic fees used to go towards the repairs at my old dealership. Then either the policy changed company-wide or they were always the only dealership that did that around here, cos my other two local dealerships want to charge $200 to diagnose a problem I already know the cause of, and not take that $200 off the repair. I’d DIY it but I hate doing stuff like taking off the inner door cards.

    • Kingburrr@alien.topOPB
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      10 months ago

      They basically started changing everything to maximize profits. I’m afraid to do things myself, after owning a ford. Replaced one part and something else gave out and it became endless and unlike a mechanic shop it took me forever to get it running and had loss in wages while fixing it. Couldn’t get to work.

  • AutoX_Advice@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    Headlight crack, I would just call around some junk yards eBay or marketplace. Though I could replace one you may need to consider your skills and or having an independent so doing it.

  • jawnlerdoe@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    You went to the dealership. There’s your problem. Prices are sky high at every dealership.

    I had an oil change, transmission fluid change, Ac repair ($100 I’m parts), and 4 wheel alignment done for $800 at an independent shop. Some job would have been about $2000 at the dealership ($450 for a transmission fluid change alone lol)