Quote Originally Posted by ecport View Post
Mazda6 2014 owner here. The car is now 46 months old. Replaced my front and rear disc brakes 4 months ago (41K Kms) - cost me approx 15K for the parts excluding labor. The front disc brakes were worn out but the rear ones were still at 50% thickness (I think) but had them replaced anyway. Called all the Mazda parts suppliers in Banawe prior to going to the casa but nobody carried original brake pads for the Mazda6 . Today, Dec 21, I had the battery replaced, only after 18 months (July 2016)with a Motolite EFB (for start-stop engines). Unfortunately,you can't purchase the EFB battery at Motolite, only at Mazda because of some tie up between Mazda and Motolite(I called Motolite) I went to look at Amaron as a friend who owns a CX-5 tells me that a lot of CX-5 owners with i-Stop now use Amaron. Amaron Pro is a regular lead-acid battery, not a deep cycle battery like the EFB battery from Motolite. I have read too from Aussie forums that some have replaced their their deep cycle batteries with regular lead acid batteries. True enough, the Amaron sales lady said they have many CX-5 owners using Amaron. The difference in price? Motolite EFB, PHP 14,800 (including PHP 300 labor); Amaron Pro 1SM, PHP 5,600. I really don't like the i-Stop, it is next to useless as I just turn it off every chance I get because of our traffic situation. The fuel you save is not worth the hassle of having to replace the very often with an expensive start-stop battery. Maybe next time, I will try the Amaron or hopefully they bring in an EFB or AGM battery.

My frustration is that I'm stuck with the casa and have no option but to have the car serviced there.
Sorry to hear this common uncommon car predicament. I have a few old endangered ones myself & 2 Skyactivs. Like you, I hate to have no options. If I had a car your age, I'd definitely be weaned off dealership's breast milk by now....& there's a science to weaning. Remember....
Not all Dealerships are motherly....Regular maintenance like fluid changes, brakes, basic mechanical work can all be handled outside....even the iStop batt swap procedure has a DIY.
Flock w/ like feathered birds.... Know about your car more from ownership experiences of others. Badge & model-specific forums are a rich resource here. Proven mods, cheats, better parts, good shops, detailers...these are all shared in these rooms. With the shrinking world, communities have become the modern day Haynes & Bentley Workshop Manuals.
Going back to your case, Motolite isn't your only choice. Johnson Controls has start/stop EFB batts available locally. Higher specs & priced competitively. Viber +639174726847 for details.
For my 3, I've in storage a set of better bite, lower dust UK-made EBC redstuff pads at half the cost of locally available stock ones....from Amazon.
Post-warranty, dealerships are a convenient 1st option.....but can be better last. DIY, if you're able, is best.....
Wean to win.[emoji4]

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