Imagine this: You buy a used car and while going through the paperwork, notice a bizarre line item. A $1,500 bill for oil changes. A real driver posed this problem on Reddit. And not a Bugatti or Ferrari owner–but a Mazda driver.

The Mazda owner took to the internet to ask, “Did I pay $1,500 for oil changes?” They posted a photo of the bill land said, “I’m going back over my contracts a month later and if I’m not mistaken, I paid almost $1500 for 12 oil changes. It’s a 2022 CX-5. Not sure if they’re more expensive than the $60 I paid for my car…”

The first commenter specified that at that price the Mazda owner got: “Oil change, tire rotation and inspection every 5 month/ 5k miles until 2/19/30 or 95k miles.” But obviously the most expensive item on that list to do elsewhere is the oil change. So did they get a good deal or were they ripped off?

Not everyone feels the Mazda driver got a good deal on the $1,500 oil change bill

Commenters were split. One broke it down and said it’s not a horrible deal: “that’s $125 per oil change. The CX-5 takes 4.5 quarts of 0w20 oil. That means you’d probably be buying 5 quarts and spending $45 on oil. A filter is around $12 as well. That means you’re paying around $70 in labor for both the oil change and disposal of the old oil, which is pretty reasonable, all things considered. I wouldn’t stress over it.”

A second commenter added that locking in this price now might be wise: “You hedged your bet that the price of oil and labor is going to go up and locked in a lower rate now.”

Someone else feels these Mazda dealership oil change numbers are high: “spending $45 on 5 quarts? 5 quarts of Mobil 1 is <$30 at Walmart.”

The truth is that dealership service is often 2x or 3x what a private mechanic will charge. But a final commenter did a good job summing up why many owners splurge on dealership service: “It’s also good if you’re not a car person and the dealer is on the level, getting your car up on a lift where a professional can notice something out of place can save on some major headaches.” So while some rightfully feel you might be able to save by getting this work done outside a dealership service department, other owners prefer to pay for the peace of mind. You can read the original Reddit post embedded below:

Did I pay $1500 for oil changes?
byu/wellthisisawkward86 inAutos