Lifetime capped price servicing arrives

Mazda has joined the car manufacturers offering capped price servicing -- but with a twist that raises the bar for the industry. Unlike other brands, where the capped servicing is available for only a set number of years (usually three or five), Mazda's Service Select will cap the price for the entire life of the car

The lifetime servicing will roll out first on the coming Mazda3 in February, and then to other models by mid-year, applying to both new and current model used cars.

There have also been changes to the service schedule, with cars now needing to be services only every 10,000km or 12 months, rather than the current 10,000km/six months.

In addition, Mazda will publish the full list of service prices for all models on its website and through dealerships, so all buyers -- and prospective buyers -- are aware of the ongoing costs.

Mazda Australia managing director Martin Benders said the lifetime servicing and schedule changes recognised that vehicle owners had vastly varying driving habits, many of which were reflected by a shrinking number of kilometres travelled per year.

“Mazda is committed to ensuring customers have a safe and enjoyable driving experience irrespective of what distance they travel and Mazda Service Select matches a service program to individual owners based on their driving habits rather than the ‘one size fits all’ approach adopted by some other brands," he said.

”Mazda Service Select means our customers are not locked into a schedule that may not reflect their driving habits. Over time the average number of kilometres travelled by our customers has dropped from 15,000km five years ago to 13,000km today. That means a typical Mazda customer will only have to service their car every nine months or so, meaning just four rather than six trips to their dealer over three years.

This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott