MAZDA Cost of Maintenance/Ownership after YOJIN 3

**travajante** · December 21st, 2017 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by ecport

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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**ecport** · December 22nd, 2017 10:35 AM

I checked out Amaron, which is made by Johnson Controls and they do not have an EFB or AGM battery locally. It's a regular lead acid flooded battery BUT they claim to have many CX-5 customers using the their batteries with no problems. Not really sure how true or how good their batteries are, but I've seen posts of users switching to Amaron batteries. Since there are more CX-5 owners, maybe they can post their experience with Amaron batteries. As for the brake pads, I am considering ordering these online but would really rather go to a local shop who can supply and install when needed.

**jtphl** · December 25th, 2017 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by ecport

I checked out Amaron, which is made by Johnson Controls and they do not have an EFB or AGM battery locally. It's a regular lead acid flooded battery BUT they claim to have many CX-5 customers using the their batteries with no problems. Not really sure how true or how good their batteries are, but I've seen posts of users switching to Amaron batteries. Since there are more CX-5 owners, maybe they can post their experience with Amaron batteries. As for the brake pads, I am considering ordering these online but would really rather go to a local shop who can supply and install when needed.

Any instances na di na nag on ang engine dahil sa istop? Like on a traffic, nag off yung engine, then ayaw na magstart.

Aside from the expensive battery, any other untoward incident with istop?

**travajante** · December 25th, 2017 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by ecport

I checked out Amaron, which is made by Johnson Controls and they do not have an EFB or AGM battery locally. It's a regular lead acid flooded battery BUT they claim to have many CX-5 customers using the their batteries with no problems. Not really sure how true or how good their batteries are, but I've seen posts of users switching to Amaron batteries. Since there are more CX-5 owners, maybe they can post their experience with Amaron batteries. As for the brake pads, I am considering ordering these online but would really rather go to a local shop who can supply and install when needed.

Amaron isn't really a Johnson Controls brand, but has a joint venture alliance with them. Here are the brands under the JC umbrella:
Battery Brands | Johnson Controls
A JC brand, Delkor has 100D23L EFB available locally. It is higher spec'd than the Motolite D23Q65 iStop.
There is no harm switching to regular batts. Just don't expect em to last. Think of it this way....If they go beyond 1/3 the life of what came w/ the car, then you've broken above even.[emoji4]
Wanna extend your EFB life? CTEK CT5 Start/Stop will help.
On pads, oftentimes, I grab em online ahead of need, esp when good deals on the best ones are offered.

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**travajante** · December 25th, 2017 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by jtphl

Any instances na di na nag on ang engine dahil sa istop? Like on a traffic, nag off yung engine, then ayaw na magstart.

Aside from the expensive battery, any other untoward incident with istop?

There are conditions to be met for iStop to activate. If the system senses charging irregularities, it won't. This helps prevent the fear you've just mentioned.

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**aRTie** · December 28th, 2017 02:27 AM

Originally Posted by travajante

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.

Are you using them on stock rotors sir travs? How are they compared to other aftermarket like Project Mu?

Looking din kasi ako ng cheaper alternative for my 2nd gen pads. Nasa Php 6k kasi yung pair ng Oems kay Mazford.

TIA!

**Lakwatsero** · December 28th, 2017 03:15 AM

Mahal ng istop battery for skyactiv-D. Nasa 20k for the local motolite deep cycle from casa whew. Pero no choice, tumagal din ng 17 months so di na raw covered ng warranty na 12 months lang.

Now thinking of getting one of those CTEK battery chargers, anyone using this can attest to prolonging battery life? Kung maextend lang ng additional one or two years, I'll get one asap. I haven't read any definitive proof that it can extend the battery life to x amount of years. Also, how often should this be used?

**johnp03** · December 28th, 2017 03:22 AM

Hello mga master. Sino po dito owner ng Mazda Premacy? I need some info about this car. I bought yesterday. Thanks

**travajante** · December 28th, 2017 07:58 AM

Originally Posted by Lakwatsero

Mahal ng istop battery for skyactiv-D. Nasa 20k for the local motolite deep cycle from casa whew. Pero no choice, tumagal din ng 17 months so di na raw covered ng warranty na 12 months lang.

Now thinking of getting one of those CTEK battery chargers, anyone using this can attest to prolonging battery life? Kung maextend lang ng additional one or two years, I'll get one asap. I haven't read any definitive proof that it can extend the battery life to x amount of years. Also, how often should this be used?

Got another brand from the US years ago & have used it on regular batts. Yes, a good trickle charger like CTEK or Deltran will help. Grab the CTEK CT5 Start/Stop available locally.

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**Lakwatsero** · December 28th, 2017 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by travajante

Got another brand from the US years ago & have used it on regular batts. Yes, a good trickle charger like CTEK or Deltran will help. Grab the CTEK CT5 Start/Stop available locally.

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How long can it extend battery life? And how often should I plug it in?