This article might stir up a hornet’s nest of opinions, but it is an important question to consider. Does a person need to return to the dealer to get their vehicle serviced properly? Is there an advantage to dealer service over independent repair facilities? What can I or should I expect from both? What’s in my best interest as a vehicle owner? Today we will answer these questions and more. The opinions in this article will be based on my more than 30 years of experience in the automotive industry working as an automotive technician, parts store manager, business owner, and vehicle owner.
We all know what a dealership is, it’s the place where many go to buy a new ride or new to you used vehicle. It’s usually a big place with lots of windows, shiny new vehicles, and some used vehicles. They like to proudly display big well-lit brand specific signs out front. Let’s focus on the service departments of those car dealers. Typically, when you purchase a vehicle from a dealer, they are very good at making you feel like you need to bring the car back to them only for service or it will somehow void your warranty. Or they will try to entice you with free or reduced cost oil changes, to make you feel obligated to return. Many are very good at selling extended service contracts that makes it seem like you need to return to them to get coverage.
The truth is that you don’t have to bring the car back to the dealer for maintenance or service. Having your vehicle maintained at your trusted local repair facility will not void your warranty. I can also see how tempting it is to take advantage of the free oil changes, but you need to be aware of the downsides. First, the service department is annoyed with the free oil change people as it is a profit loss for them and the company. To minimize the loss, they will use the least expensive oil and filter possible, will extend the oil change intervals out as far as possible, the inspections will be minimal because they want to reduce the technician’s time investment, and they will be tempted to sell you any additional service they can think of. Then, the extended service contracts, that they sell up front, take extra effort from the service team to get repairs covered so they are inclined to only deal with them if they must. The dealer makes more money selling the contracts than the service covered by the contracts. None of this is in the best interest of the vehicle owner or the long-term longevity of their vehicle. I’m not saying every dealership is this way. There are some out there that have very good service departments staffed with caring people, but in my experience the majority don’t have great service departments.
What about independent repair facilities? The honest answer is, there are good and bad independent repair companies too. The main difference is, unlike dealerships, the independent repair facilities are solely focused on maintenance and repair, not selling vehicles. Unless they are a specialized shop, they are equipped to handle most makes and models. They are not beholden to specific vehicle manufacturers, which gives them an edge as they used to thinking outside the box. They are used to looking beyond the brand and will focus on the individual vehicle issue by performing the detailed testing procedures needed to isolate the problem. Overall vehicle inspections are done on a regular basis and maintenance schedules can be tailored to the specific vehicle and what benefits the customer based on manufacturer recommendations and real-world feedback. They can adapt to the changing demands of aging vehicles. They have access to manufacturer information and extensive repair databases. They are accustomed to working with many different extended service contract providers. In other words, they work for the customer instead of trying to please a vehicle manufacturer by moving cars.
I know what you are thinking, “This guy is biased towards the independent repair facilities.” Yes, there is some truth to that as I have spent more time working in the independent repair world but hear me out. When you purchase a vehicle what is your ultimate goal? Do you plan to keep the vehicle long term or short term? Do you purchase a new vehicle to only drive it for a few years, then trade it off for the next one? That is an expensive way to avoid vehicle maintenance, but the dealer service will probably be best, because you will need to keep that sales relationship going for your next purchase. The extended health of the vehicle is less of a factor. If you’re purchasing a vehicle with long-term ownership in mind and want to keep it as reliable as possible then the independent repair facilities might be a better choice, because that is their focus. They are not concerned with the next car sale; they are looking to keep the vehicle operating at peak performance as long as possible, if it is a quality independent repair facility. They will keep you educated and informed about the needs of your vehicle. They can work with your extended service providers and help you maximize the benefits of those policies. They have virtually the same access to repair information as the dealers and are more adaptable to changing vehicle maintenance needs. The independent repair technicians are more skilled in inspecting, maintaining, and repairing a variety of vehicles and vehicle problems. Dealer technicians are very good at repairing vehicle problems of vehicles less than 5 years old that are of the same brand as the dealership they work at. Most of their time is spent doing manufacturer warranty work and a minimal amount of time looking for long-term solutions to your vehicle problems. Warranty repairs just need to get the vehicle past the manufacturer warranty period. Let me illustrate this point with a story. In 2004 I was working at a GM dealership (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, and GMC). A common recall at the time was on vehicles with the 3.8L engines, like Pontiac Bonneville or Buick LeSabre. The recall involved swapping out three throttle body nuts for nuts with washer built in and adding 2 cubes of stop leak (Bars Leak) to the cooling system. The problem was with the composite intake manifolds would leak coolant because the hot EGR gases entering the intake would warp the manifold. The better solution that aftermarket companies developed was to swap out the EGR tube with a smaller one that better protected the composite intake manifold by creating an air gap between the two. The stop leak was a less expensive solution by GM and it usually got the vehicle out of the factory warranty period.
The only thing that a dealer can do that independent repair can’t is factory warranty repair. If you are driving a vehicle with the initial factory warranty still in effect, then you will need to return to the dealer to get the repairs covered by the factory warranty. That doesn’t mean that your vehicle needs to be maintained by the factory dealer. If your vehicle is regularly serviced and you keep records, you can go anywhere you like for maintenance. It will not void your warranty! At our facility, we can see what work was previously done to your vehicle, identify if it has open recalls, and assist you with ensuring that the warranty repairs get done properly and completely. We regularly work with extended service contracts too. In most cases, if you paid additional money during your vehicle purchase to secure a service contract on the vehicle, we will be able to work with the contract company to get your repairs covered. We know how to phrase and word the proposed repairs to ensure that you get the maximum benefit from the service contract.
Think about it. Would you rather work with a company always looking to sell you a replacement vehicle or one that focuses on providing you with the maximum benefit of the vehicle you’re currently driving. A company that exists to provide you with excellent service and supreme vehicle maintenance and repair so you can enjoy many, many miles of reliable vehicle operation. The choice seems clear to me, how about you?
Aaron Bjorklund
