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Our 17 has 205,000km so far. Has been great. Have gone through 4 sets of rear brakes, maybe 2 front but it might only be one, had to recently replace the alternator.
The V8s are good. I've had 2 pulleys/bearings go bad. The second failed completely, dropping the aux belt and damaging the timing cover. If you hear any weird noises from the engine bay, check your pulleys.
They're also not as bad on fuel as you'd expect. I've regularly seen 25mpg+ on a good run.
ABS modules and siren modules always fail, but are relatively cheap & easy to replace. Alternators also seem to be a weak point and are _really_ awkward to get to.
Maintenance I do oil every 10k km including all filters except fuel filter (every 2nd oil change). Basically never burns any oil, didn’t have to fill up at all. Only alternator broke down in extreme heat at 150k km but that’s expected.
I was able to remove/replace the alternator on my Mazda CX-5 without removing any parts as has been mentioned.
Next and least expensive, would be to buy a new alternator from Volvo and have them install it. It could be that there is a known issue with the alternator that you put on there if it's not from Volvo.
Mazda's DO NOT like aftermarket alternator. Most don't work out of the box. You need to get a genuine Mazda alternator.
My 2017 Mazda 3 touring felt like it was cursed. I had the direct high pressure fuel pump injector go out like 1.5 years after purchase. About 2k for just that repair. Thought that was the end of it until the following year where there was a persistent evap problem that nobody could find, despite clearing the code it wouldn’t pass smog. One smoke test and several hundred dollars in appointments later they found the smallest leak from one of the hoses, replaced it and passed smog. Then the check engine light saga started, at first we thought it was the battery/alrernator until after replacing both it kept happening. Turns out that was the start of my catalytic going out(76k miles exactly). Idk if it’s Stockholm syndrome but i did trade it in for a new Mazda. Hoping the curse has been lifted.
Labor time is like .7 on the RX8 alternator if I remember my time at Mazda right… imma say like 900 or so for labor is a rip
HAVE a 2022 CX30 @ 79,000 miles. Alternator went out today
This was a new genuine Volvo alternator I had Volvo put in, not a cheap or rebuilt part. Also, the battery is only about a year old. Could this really be a failing alternator or could something else be going on?
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In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator OEM Volvo were overall better than OEM Mazda.
Alternator OEM Volvo and OEM Mazda were equally popular according to data in March 2026.
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