Reasons To Go To a Car Dealership for Car Service and Maintenance

Whether you drive a brand-new car or an older model, it’s important to keep it well maintained if you want it to continue running well. You can take your vehicle to a local corner garage for service and maintenance, but can you trust them to do the job properly? Would it be better to entrust the upkeep of your car to the dealership service center?

Some people assume that dealerships are more expensive, but having your vehicle regularly maintained at a manufacturer service center can actually save you money and add value to the car. As the saying goes, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” Here are some reasons for using your dealership for maintenance.

Factory Certified Technicians

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The technicians at your dealer service department are manufacturer trained and are experts in servicing the specific vehicle makes and models the dealership sells. Dealers also have ongoing training programs, not just for the technicians, but for all the service staff, including the service manager, advisors, and support staff.

An experienced factory-certified technician is a great asset for a dealer, so they are often offered higher salaries and other incentives to retain them. This generally means that only the highest caliber service technicians are recruited. You just can’t get this level of specialized talent at your local independent garage.

Of course, technicians at independent repair facilities have to know what they are doing. They can keep up with the latest advances in repair techniques by taking classes and they can get certified through the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) program. However, ASE-certified technicians have a more generalized knowledge and not the model-specific expertise you’ll find at your dealership.

Genuine Parts

A dealership will have a large, fully stocked parts department. When parts are required for your car, the dealer service center will only use original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. They will be engineered to a quality standard that you will only find with genuine parts from the vehicle manufacturer, so you can be sure that you’re getting parts that are made for your specific vehicle. In the unlikely event that they don’t have a certain part, the dealership has a direct supply line from the manufacturer, which means no long wait for parts.

If you take your car to an independent corner garage, you can ask them to use OEM parts and they are obliged to do so by law. But they will probably have to order the parts and, without the level of support a dealership gets from the manufacturer, it could take time to get the OEM equipment.

If you don’t ask for OEM parts, they will likely use aftermarket parts which might be cheaper, but won’t be of the same quality. Additionally, if your vehicle is covered by a manufacturer’s warranty, it may be invalidated by not using OEM parts. You should check the fine print before going that route.

Facilities

When it comes to facilities, an independent repair shop can’t compete with your dealership. As part of a large network, the dealer has access to the best resources and facilities. They need to keep up with the latest information on new cars and they will have the most up-to-date diagnostic equipment, tools, and hardware for servicing and repairing your car. It can take some time for the equipment to become available to independent repairers.

Your dealership also has the advantage of size over the corner garage. With larger facilities, more service bays are available to accommodate your car and more technicians will be working on vehicles. That translates into more prompt service and a quicker turnaround, meaning a shorter waiting time for you.

Talking of waiting, dealerships generally have better customer waiting areas that are cleaner, better organized, and better maintained than small repair shops. You’ll usually find clean, comfortable surroundings with free Wi-Fi, spotless bathrooms, a car accessory counter, TVs, and the availability of snacks and drinks. If you don’t want to wait on-site, you may be able to take advantage of the dealer’s shuttle service to take you to your workplace or home.

Guaranteed Work

If your vehicle has a warranty, covered repairs will be carried out free of charge. But, if you’ve previously had work done at an independent repair shop, you may find all or part of your warranty is void. Whether or not your car is still under warranty, repairs carried out at a dealership are backed up with a guarantee that is good nationwide. If the repair doesn’t hold up, you can get it fixed for free at the same or any other dealer.

A corner garage may offer a guarantee for repairs, but it is unlikely to cover you for as long as a guarantee from a dealer, or might only cover the labor or the parts, but not both. It would also only be valid at that repair shop and won’t give you the same network coverage you get from a certified dealership.

Customer Satisfaction

In the automobile industry, reputation is essential and your dealership builds and retains its reputation by offering great customer service. Additionally, they are representing the vehicle manufacturer and the dealer must meet their high customer satisfaction standards. Customers are often surveyed after having their vehicle repaired or serviced to ask how happy they are with the service they received.

A well-established dealership will also have ties to the local community. Each time you visit your dealer, you will be greeted by familiar, friendly faces. You can have confidence that your car is in the best of hands, because the people who are servicing it may very well be your neighbors.

An independent repair shop depends on having a high turnover of customers, and you are not likely to get the individual attention you find at the dealership. If personalized customer service is important to you, choose a dealership for your maintenance and servicing needs.

When it’s time to have your Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram serviced in Louisville, Kentucky, contact Oxmoor CDJR to make an appointment. At our service center, we offer comfortable surroundings, free Wi-Fi, factory-certified technicians, and OEM parts. For your convenience, we also provide a Saturday service, early-bird hours, rentals, and a shuttle service.