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Mazda CX-5: Faulty alternators

At the 50,000 km service (not a Mazda dealer) on our Mazda CX-5 diesel we were told that the alternator was failing. A warning light later appeared, so I took it back and got the same answer even though my own test with a $10 multimeter said it was fine. In desperation I went to an auto electrician who also said it was faulty, so I arranged for an aftermarket one to be fitted ($775). When I returned to have the work done the auto electrician told me that the vendor was no longer supplying them because of the high failure rate. I eventually found one that was six months old on the net and fitted it myself for a lot less than the $1300 from Mazda plus labour from whoever fitted it. But the light came on again. So I rang a friend at the local Mazda dealership who told me it was the battery and not the alternator. A quick trip to the local battery shop who had the latest and greatest STOP/START testing gear soon confirmed that diagnosis. I was lucky, I only lost a few hundred dollars replacing my good alternator with another one, but I feel for all of those who paid the $775, or worse, $1300 and then having to replace the battery simply because some experts are not keeping up with the latest technology.

If you’d had your car serviced by the Mazda dealer you would have saved yourself the cost of the replacement alternator, and the inconvenience of trying to sort it out.

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