I have a 2003 Mazda6 with 22770 miles. At 7093 miles, it had a 7500 mile service. At 14228 miles, it had a 15,000 mile service and the transmission fluid flushed. At 17790, the rear brake pads were replaced. They told me last time that I would need the power steering flushed when I brought it in again. That's tomorrow, when I think they will also recommend a 25000 mile service. Does all of this sound reasonable? I do a lot of short distance driving. Thanks!

 

All of that is just to keep it running exceptionally good. If you plan on keeping the car for a while Id do it, some of it you may be able to wait a little bit on, but the best person to ask is baby huey.

 

Well, maybe he'll see this post. But your opinion makes me feel better. I don't know much about mechanics but I love driving Mazdas! And I plan on keeping this one for a while. Considering that I had buy it pretty quickly (after my 98 Protege was totaled in a crash -- not my fault), I think I made a good decision.

 

Me too!

 

I would def. get the service done, especially if your trips are short trips, the short trips actually cause a little bit more wear on your care. I love my 6, and plan on keeping it for a while, I know when I get there, I will be having the service done as well.

 

i do believe that it is a good idea to get the flush... if you want to keep your vehicle running well and keep your vehicle in good condition for a long time to come, the recommended services that mazda says should always be performed. that's just my 2 cents that i feel about this topic.

 

Power steering flush at 22k??? Seems a bit soon.

Transmission flush at 14k seems a bit soon.

Rear pads at 17k is way too soon.

You can always err on the side of caution and over-maintain it, but in my mind that's just throwing money away.

I do all my own maintenance, and here's my rule of thumb on how long things should last:

Oil: change every 4k
Coolant: change every 60-100k depending on how it looks
Transmission: Change fluid and filter at 60k for automatic, 120k for manual
Tires: should go about 50k depending on driving style
PS fluid...I've never flushed it...so I guess that means change it only when you have a problem.
Shocks/struts...should go 50k at least, depending on the number of potholes they see.
Brakes...fronts should go 50k, rears 80-100k
Timing belt: Change per manual, not sooner, not later

Others may certainly disagree, but this approach has kept many cars going for many miles over many years for very little money in my extended household.

I think they saw you coming when they said you NEEDED to have your PS flushed at 22k.

Mark in MA

 

Your normal maintenances of 7500 and 15000 were a good idea but I find it hard to believe that you needed a transmission flush at 15k unless it was badly burnt. Were you shown the fluid condition as compared to new? Rear brake pads at 17790 sounds quite a bit early but if you do a lot of stop and go then may be reasonable. Why would they need to flush the power steering fluid? The V6 is easy to check condition yourself but 4 cylinder is not that easy as it does not have a dipstick. The fluid should be a pinkish red color and smell kind of sweet. I would ask them to demonstrate to you why the fluid needs to be flushed by comparing what is in your car with new fluid. It is your money and absolutely your right to know why work is being recommend and if it is really necessary. Make sure you watch your fluid being taken from the car so you know it is actually yours too. P/S flush at 22500. Never heard of it.

 

I had my tranny fluids flushed at 26,000 miles. Havent had anything else replaced.

 

Wow! Thanks, guys! Okay, so here's the scoop. When I brought the car in, they didn't even bring up the power steering flush. They did a 22,500 service and when I picked up told me that the brakes would need to be checked again next time, that it would need a transmission flush soon (again?!) and they recommended a 30,000 mile service soon (at 25, 776 miles?!). As I said, I do mostly short distance driving. I'm on the brakes a lot, though I try to be gentle with the car, but I was really surprised that the rear brake pads needed to be changed that soon. I'll read all your posts again and try to figure this out. I really appreciate all the advice. Go Mason Patriots! (I couldn't resist -- we're thrilled here in Fairfax, even though the carriage finally turned into a pumpkin.)