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For many year's I serviced my car at the auto dealer. I just assumed like many people do, that you got the best service from dealers affiliated with an automaker. It's easy to fall for those used car ads that say, "Dealer maintained" and decide that the best thing to preserve the trade-in value of a vehicle is to have records proving that it was maintained by a dealer. I wasn't ever really happy or unhappy about the servicing. I was just doing what most people do - dropping off the car on my way to work and picking it up on the way home. It's not that I failed to notice all those independent maintenance shops all over the place. I just couldn't understand why anyone would risk going to them.
Then one day, I went in search of a dealer in our area to do the servicing on one of my cars that had clocked 120,000 miles. It was common knowledge that certain dealerships in our area overcharged customers and recommended more work than was necessary. So I decided to do a little comparison shopping and the results were eye popping
The estimates from one dealer to another were all over the map. And the ones that had a reputation for providing good service tended to have the most expensive price tags. What I found is summarized below:
Price: The price premium you pay when you go to a car dealer for maintainance is often 50 to 100% higher than what you would pay at a reputable independent shop. In my case, a quick price check of local dealerships resulted in a price of anywhere from $500 to $600 for the service. The independent shops were closer to $300. I had two other mechanical problems that I wanted to resolve. One dealer wanted a $100 just to examine the vehicle. The independendent mechanic said it would cost $50 but didn't bother charging me when it turned out to be "an easy fix". The only thing that's free at the dealer is a cup of coffee.
Personnel: In my experience, the service personnel at the dealer are typically younger mechanics and although they definitely knew the cars, they never really spent time going over the car with me. I picked my independent service guy using research from Yelp and other sites. What I went looking for was the right resume. Because I drive a Japanese made car, I settled for Japanese born mechanic who was trained and certified by their three big automakers. He had over 20 years of experience. His two employees were also from Japan and although they spoke maybe a dozen English words, they all knew the cars cold.
Facility: There is no question that dealerships tend to have a certain ambiance - nice decor, comfy chairs, coffee, danish and all that stuff - stuff that I couldn't really care less about. But its nice. The biggest drawback to going to the dealer is the sales pitch you get when you drive up in a 10 year old car and the sales pirahnas smell blood in the water.
My independent mechanic has a garage. Literally two large bay doors, parts on the walls, and oil on the ground. Coffee and crackers? Not a chance. Bring your own. His desk is a rotted old table assembled by slapping together some two by fours. Lounge? Keep dreaming. My mechanic is not in the hospitality business, he fixes cars, does it well and doesn't charge you an arm and a leg. In any case, there's a Starbucks down the street, but I'm partial to Dunkin Donuts. Aside from the coffee, dealers do offer some attractive perks - like loaner cars. But they always seem to be unavailable when I've needed one.
Information: My wife tells me that in the past some of the dealer service personnel gave her tips about our car and explained the work that they did. I never got much feedback - just a thumbs up. With my independent mechanic, I ended up getting a lecture on my car. Even with his broken English, I learned more about my car on my first visit than what I learned from the dealer in ten years. He gave me some great advice on when to sell and on other models he thought were very good in terms of quality.
Overall: Thanks to the Internet, consumers are able to find good independent service shops. Now that I've made the switch, there's no way I am going back to a dealer. If you are looking to save a few hundred dollars this year and get the same level of service, look up an independent service shop. It will take you a couple hours of research before you to put together a shortlist of service shops close to home - probably closer than your dealer. If you live in a more rural area you might just have to drive a bit further, but the savings and service will be worth it.
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