Jacksonville dealership offers free oil changes to teachers

Owner wants to honor teachers and school staff during coronavirus pandemic

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hodges Mazda wants to show its support for Jacksonville teachers and school staff who will soon be welcoming students back onto campus.

“It’s a ‘thank you’ to them for all they do for our community and for our kids,” said David Hodges, chief executive officer of the dealership, which is located on Philips highway on Jacksonville’s Southside. “My mom was a teacher for 30 years, so I know the effort they put in behind the scenes. It’s our way to say ‘thank you’ for all they do.”

Hodges said any teacher or school staffer who works in Northeast Florida at a school that teaches kids between the age of kindergarten through college is eligible for a free oil change followed by a free car wash.

“Bring a school ID or something that shows you work at a school — that’s all we need,” Hodges said. “We just need to verify that it’s you and that it’s your car and the registration matches.”

An appointment is required to allow the dealership to space out the number of people waiting in order to follow federal social distancing guidelines. You can make an appointment online at hodgesmazda.com or by calling the dealership at 904-562-1600 and asking for the service department.

Hodges asked that you indicate online when making the appointment or if you call what kind of car you have, so they can have the correct part available to complete the oil change during the day of your appointment.

“Any car is eligible, it does not have to be a Mazda,” he said.

Hodges made this same offer earlier this year to healthcare workers.

“We did over 800 oil changes for them and we just thought teachers are next up and why not reach out to see if we can honor teachers in the same way,” he said. “To us, they are heroes and this is a small way to give back. And we live here, we work here, this is a family owned dealership. My brother and I are in it together, we just wanted to serve those who serve us as well.”

When you make the appointment, be sure to mention you are interested in receiving the “teacher special offer.” This promotion runs through Aug. 31.


About the Author:

Jennifer, who anchors The Morning Shows and is part of the I-TEAM, loves working in her hometown of Jacksonville.