Dealership as apposed to smaller garage

LundiMardi

Relating the thread regarding the cost of the first service....

My car is due a full service, long overdue infact.. I was originally going to go to a local garage and get it done due to the cheaper price, but i had my first service at the Fiat dealership, and the car was perfect afterwards(it had to have some work done other than service), so all in all i was impressed with the work they did, top notch. Although, it wasn't cheap...

I was just wondering, when people get a service, do they usually go to a dealership, or a local guy? Obviously there is a huge difference in price, but is there any other difference? I probably have to have more done on the car this time around too... so i'm think of going with the dealership...

Opinions?

Thanks,
Dan

Henry Ford III

When a car is under warranty you may be obliged to us a main dealer to keep the warranty valid.

It's also nice when selling a car to have a folder of main dealer service invoices to validate the car's service history.

On older cars it's not so important.

The Muppet

With my last car a Toyota Corolla I always got it serviced in main dealer, It cost around €100 for a small service and €160 for a full service. I think that was pretty reasonable. I don't have any idea what a "local garage" would charge but i don't think it could be much cheaper than that. I recently traded the car in and the full main dealer service history was usefull in getting a good deal on it.

Anan1

The Muppet wrote:

With my last car a Toyota Corolla I always got it serviced in main dealer, It cost around €100 for a small service and €160 for a full service. I think that was pretty reasonable. I don't have any idea what a "local garage" would charge but i don't think it could be much cheaper than that. I recently traded the car in and the full main dealer service history was usefull in getting a good deal on it.

Toyota dealers have a pretty good rep when it comes to servicing, though. In my experience, FIAT/Alfa dealers are nothing short of atrocious.

LundiMardi

A fiat dealer charged 280 the last time i got it serviced, i've been quoted 130 locally.. There is a considerably difference...

It's a 97, so no warranty.

bazz26

Henry Ford III wrote:

When a car is under warranty you may be obliged to us a main dealer to keep the warranty valid.

This used to be the case but afaik these days as long as the parts are within the manufacturer's specifications then the warranty is still valid. I think this is an EU regulation.

crosstownk

Henry Ford III wrote:

When a car is under warranty you may be obliged to us a main dealer to keep the warranty valid.

Not quite true. Warranty is warranty - it's even transferable between owners. However, the car must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturers specifications and requirements. So if you do opt for a non-franchised garage then you MUST ensure that genuine parts are used and be sure to get an itemised invoice for the work.

If you end up with a warranty issue at a later stage, then the main dealer will require proof of correct servicing. If you don't have this proof then they may deny your warranty.

Hotwheels

Last time I got the car serviced it cost €180, this time around its included for 3 years with the car..
IMO, if your car is under Warranty I'd get the main dealer to service it, because if something does go wrong and the car is under Warranty, they have to repair it....
And a fully stamped book with recipts etc does help sell a car...I keep them all

Shop around between main dealers, it took me a while to find a reliable one

LundiMardi

Ok, i don't have a warranty... so...?

crosstownk

LundiMardi wrote:

Ok, i don't have a warranty... so...?

So why pay main dealer prices when you can get the job much cheaper elsewhere? I'm a fan of using genuine parts but not a fan of main stealer labour charges.

JHMEG

I've a few simple rules that I've always stuck by:

When the car is under warranty get the scheduled work done at a main dealer. That way there's always a stamp in the book.

Any unscheduled work (when in the warranty period), get that done in a local garage* using OEM parts only. They won't stamp the book for unscheduled work.

Out of warranty, get the work done locally, but use OEM parts if it affects the reliability of the car. E.g. use an OEM timing belt, but use aftermarket brake pads if you like. OEM stuff is generally of higher quality than spurious, but a decent mechanic will be able to tell you from experience which is better.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS keep receipts and a record of work done, regardless of who did it.


* or do it yourself.

Henry Ford III

crosstownk wrote:

Not quite true. Warranty is warranty - it's even transferable between owners. However, the car must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturers specifications and requirements. So if you do opt for a non-franchised garage then you MUST ensure that genuine parts are used and be sure to get an itemised invoice for the work.

If you end up with a warranty issue at a later stage, then the main dealer will require proof of correct servicing. If you don't have this proof then they may deny your warranty.

Understood. Thanks.

Moanin

[OEM stuff is generally of higher quality than spurious, .[/QUOTE]

Dunno about that.I know for a fact that bosch make most spare parts like oil & air Filters for VAG models, so I would have no problem buying spurious parts for that reason!

maidhc

JHMEG wrote:

When the car is under warranty get the scheduled work done at a main dealer. That way there's always a stamp in the book.

Any unscheduled work (when in the warranty period), get that done in a local garage* using OEM parts only. They won't stamp the book for unscheduled work.

My idea of "scheduled" work is the normal servicing, and "unscheduled" the kind of work I like to avoid. Certainly if my car breaks down under warranty the main dealer is getting it!

JHMEG wrote:

Out of warranty, get the work done locally, but use OEM parts if it affects the reliability of the car.

All true, but to give a small example:

A delphi solenoid from Ford costs €100 and something, while the SAME delphi solenoid from auto distribution costs €40.