Automobile maintainance...

[The_Tick]

Do you go to the dealership or to a local autobody shop? I am curious at what most of you would choose.

I usually handle all of it at the dealership. It doesn't seem to be that much more expensive, and it is easier to justify an asking price when attempting to resell a vehicle when you can trace all work through the dealership.

We just did a bunch of work on TK1's new older car. The dealership had only seen it 1 time and that was back in 2006.

What do you all do?

[San Juan Sun]

Do you go to the dealership or to a local autobody shop? I am curious at what most of you would choose.

I usually handle all of it at the dealership. It doesn't seem to be that much more expensive, and it is easier to justify an asking price when attempting to resell a vehicle when you can trace all work through the dealership.

We just did a bunch of work on TK1's new older car. The dealership had only seen it 1 time and that was back in 2006.

What do you all do?

I do it myself or take it to the local JiffyLube. But I drive a 2002 Mitsubishi Montero that was paid for a loooonnnngggg time ago. I can see why you'd want to take a nicer car to the dealership, especially if you were going to trade it in or sell it.

[BigPiney]

I use a local guy that I know is honest. I prefer to help out the little guys.

[kccougar]

I wouldn't take a car older than 5 years old to a dealership. Dealership service departments are set up to do warranty work, and it is very rare that they have people qualified to actually diagnose and repair problems. Under their model, they most often just throw parts at a problem until it goes away, which is fine when the manufacturer is footing the bill, but that gets expensive once the car is out of warranty.

I do routine maintenance myself and anything I don't have the time, tools, or knowledge to tacke myself I take to an independent shop that specializes in that particular brand of auto.

[old_gregg]

Depends on the work being done. If it's ecu/electrical related dealership. I will also have my clutch done at a dealership because it's such a pain in the ass to get to.

[wuapinmon]

I take to an independent shop that specializes in that particular brand of auto.

Cleverbrag.

[Jacob]

Since I don't buy from dealerships, I have no reason to take the car to the dealer for maintenance. If I did buy new, I wouldn't feel like getting screwed twice by returning to the dealership for maintenance.

[kccougar]

Cleverbrag.

Seriously, not a brag. Find an independent shop that caters to your brand. These guys are typically former dealer-trained techs that have left to go out on their own.

[TripletDaddy]

Seriously, not a brag. Find an independent shop that caters to your brand. These guys are typically former dealer-trained techs that have left to go out on their own.

You just said dealer repair places dont know what they are doing.

[EuropeanFootballMale]

I've always gone to the dealer because I figure they are the only place with any incentive to make you happy with your car.

[kccougar]

You just said dealer repair places dont know what they are doing.

Right. The smart ones - the guys that are clever enough to actually troubleshoot and diagnose problems - don't stick around to be a wheel in the cog. They leave and set up their own shop.

The point is that independents are just as familiar with the brands they service (having been factory trained just like the dealership techs). There are people that think only the dealer technician is qualified to touch their car. They may not realize that the independent guy has the same background as the guy at the dealer.

[kccougar]

I've always gone to the dealer because I figure they are the only place with any incentive to make you happy with your car.

While under warranty, of course you'd take it to the dealer because it's free. Once outside of warranty, why would the dealer have any more incentive to make you happy than the independent? On the contrary, the dealer wants you out of your current car and into a new purchase. The independent wants you and your car as a long-time customer.

[mUUser]

Agree with most of the other posters:

Under warranty = dealer
Not under warranty = independent ASE technicians

I simply keep all records for my cars in a notebook for future reference, whether the work was done by the dealer or an independent shop.

[EuropeanFootballMale]

While under warranty, of course you'd take it to the dealer because it's free. Once outside of warranty, why would the dealer have any more incentive to make you happy than the independent? On the contrary, the dealer wants you out of your current car and into a new purchase. The independent wants you and your car as a long-time customer.

Because I don't think that a car that breaks as soon as the warranty has run out would make anybody happy and the dealer would presumably want repeat mechanic business as well as car business. It's worked well for me, but I might be a sucker.

[mtnbiker]

I have multiple car brands, and a good relationship with an honest mechanic. He helps me keep the cars on the road. If I have a question about a possible problem with a car, he doesn't mind chatting with me about solutions. If an expensive repair can reasonably be done with a used part, he'll mention that option. I can go into the shop and have him show me exactly what he sees. I appreciate the time he takes to work with me.

The times in the past that I've gone to a dealership for service, I'm treated like a number. The service managers don't know me, and hardly give me the time of day; I might see one guy one time, and another guy another time. The mechanics never see me, and I never see them; there's always the manager interpreting things.

I prefer to go to the guy I know and trust.