My dealer suggests the following maintenance program for cars in Quebec and I wanna get expert advice on whether most of it is BS or not:
http://66.46.69.23/protege/mazda_qc_...ce_program.txt
(Please note that all prices are in CDN dollars (1 dollar CDN =~ 0.71 dollar US).)

I haven't done "Maintenance #1", but plan to take my car in for "Maintenance #2". Is it worth it? I can do everything on that list except:
- Replacement - Spark plugs
- Inspection - Front brakes: ____%
- Inspection - Rear brakes: ____%
- Inspection - Emergency brake
- Cleaning - Engine (interior) + injectors

Do I really need to replace my spark plugs @ 24,000 kms = 15,000 miles? And can I clean the injectors myself or is it too hard (I do my own oil changes and what not)?

Thanks

 

Maybe I'm old school, but I like to perform any sort of service/maintenance on the vehicle during the recommended time-frame.

For two fold reason:

1. Resale- Should I ever decide to trade-in or sell the vehicle I have all my proof of service receipts that show I stuck to the 'program.'

2. Durability- Unless you don't intend to see 150-180k miles on this vehicle, I'm hoping to and I know keeping the maintenance on it to the tee would greatly assist this 'vision.'

 

Thanks for the insight. I suspected they were trying to rip people off and that's why I posted. The dealer claims that they don't follow the maintenance program of the owner's manual because the owner's manual is a guide for all of Canada, but since the weather is a wee bit harsher in Quebec (not that its much better in Ontario) they recommend the maintenance program I posted above.

Does the SI-1 fuel injector cleaner really work or will it do more harm than good to my car?

 

I visited my dealer yesterday evening and spoke to a mechanic friend of mine that works there. He told me its actually a good idea to perform the 24,000 maintenance suggested by the dealer but not necessarily a good idea to pay $165 CDN for it. Since I do my own oil changes and tire rotations, he told me to change my spark plugs myself too. As for the "Injectors Cleaning", all they do is run a bottle of injector cleaner through the fuel system and they charge so much for just that!

So, I'm gonna change my spark plugs soon, never done it before but I'll do it anyways. Is it hard? Anybody got any suggestions on a better spark plug than the factory ones?

 

For spark plugs there are a few different ones you can go with, highest end being iridium plugs which normally dont need to be spaced and are also the most expensive. They will give you a better spark across the power band and some claim a 2-4hp inc but I dont know about that.

Next level down is platnum spark plugs which are a little better than normal, they do need to be spaced. not sure how much better than normal plugs.

then any NGK spark plug that is for your particular car would work fine, also needs to be spaced and the spacing for your plugs will be in your owners manual.

For prices...
NGK V-power plugs 12.00 for 4
NGK platinum plugs 28.00 for 4
NGK iridium plugs 52.00 for 4
prices via protege5online.com

 

Regular plugs are fine, platinum are just "long life" and not any better so to speak (actually they are worse for performance), and all gas has additives to keep your fuel injectors clean, you dont even have to worry about that. If you want to go the extra mile, the stuff you dump in your gas tank can help if USED REGULARLY , but wont do anything if dumped in when your injectors are already dirty, at that time you need to run a strong solution , undiluted, through tthe injectors. This is done by disconnecting the fuel rail and running it through by itself with no fuel.