Do you take your car to the dealer to be serviced?

[Sunday21]

 

Dear Smart people,

Do you need to take your car to a dealer to be serviced? That is, if your car is a Ford as mine is do you need to take your car to A Ford Service station to be serviced? I had assumed that due to the electronic equipment in the car that one needed special proprietary equipment and computer programs to diagnose and fix specific models. As well specific models have different warranties and recalls so each car brand has a lot of information that needs to be tracked.

If you have a late model car, do you take your car to the dealer or a regular garage? 

Do you think taking the car to a dealer makes a difference?

i had my tires changed recently and the garage asked why I never had my car serviced. I say ‘I do. I take my car to the dealer’. The owner of the garage was really annoyed which I thought was strange.

What do you think? 

[Guest Scott]

It depends on what you are getting fixed.  For routine maintenance, I usually don't go to the dealer.

For something like a transmission replacement I'd go to the dealer.  Sometimes (speaking from experience), garages as not as familiar with major work for individual types of vehicles.

Edited May 26, 2019 by Scott

[NeedleinA]

54 minutes ago, Scott said:

It depends on what you are getting fixed.  For routine maintenance, I usually don't go to the dealer.

For something like a transmission replacement I'd go to the dealer.  Sometimes (speaking from experience), garages as not as familiar with major work for individual types of vehicles.

Same here.

[Guest Mores]

Find a shop you can trust.  If that is a dealer, then use a dealer.  

Be aware that dealers will always cost more than a shop for relatively the same work.  And I've NEVER had a dealer give me honest service.  They're ALWAYS trying to upsell and give you services you don't need.

Individual repair shops will also tend to be dishonest as well.  But there are SOME honest shops.

If you live in a low density area, then you have fewer to choose from.  But you also have the benefit that everyone knows the good and bad shops.

[mikbone]

If the car is under warranty and I am not getting charged any $$, and they can get me a courtesy replacement then yes. 

In all other cases nowai.

Reminds me of an off color clip from the movie Lethal Weapon where Leo Getz (Joe Pecsi) goes thru a drive thru and orders a steak sandwich and gets tuna fish instead...

Just do a google search for ripped off and dealership.

As a surgeon I can tell you story after story of people in my community who get questionable / unnecessary surgery.  

When $$ is involved I do my due diligence ask questions and let them understand that I wont tolerate any tom foolery.

Even for tire care I avoid the big tire store with the lines and lots of employees and seek out the mom and pop shops.  I have a guy from India who does all my tire care.  He is fast, there is never a line, and he isn’t trying to rip me off.  One time instead of offering to sell me a new tire he just placed a rubber patch in the tire and I was good to go in like 5 minutes, no charge.  I also know that I am supporting a family and not some corporation.

I freakin hate Walmart.  

Man, you got me all started!

Edited May 26, 2019 by mikbone

[Guest Mores]

3 minutes ago, mikbone said:

If the car is under warranty and I am not getting charged any $$, and they can get me a courtesy replacement then yes. 

Maybe. But be aware of upsells.

[Guest MormonGator]

I know nothing about cars and I can barely pump my own gasoline. But, my sister knows a ton about them. Here's what she said (not verbatim, general idea of what she said)-

Remember that this is 2019, not 1977. Now, if a mechanic is dishonest or slimy, they'll get a bad reputation much faster and eventually, their business will be over. So while corrupt mechanics exist, they are much less common then they used to be. With the internet you can just Google car problems. If it sounds like your mechanic makes something up, check it with Google first. Next, going to a dealer is generally a bad idea. You'll pay more and they'll be more likely to rip you off than the honest guy just trying to make a living doing what he loves fixing cars down the road.  

Edited May 26, 2019 by MormonGator

[mikbone]

1 minute ago, Mores said:

Maybe. But be aware of upsells.

Oh yeah.  

“Nope, not interested”

My BS sensor is hyper aware.

[mikbone]

There is a current thread about Zion with focus on no poor among them.

What if instead of Zion being a place where the rich provide for the poor.  It is a place where no attorneys are necessary and business practices were honorable.  And craftsmen and manufacturers took pride in their work and didn't cut corners.

Can you imagine the prosperity?  

[mikbone]

Just as an example.  What do you see here that is wrong?

I have to fix this today.

Edited May 26, 2019 by mikbone

[Just_A_Guy]

39 minutes ago, mikbone said:

There is a current thread about Zion with focus on no poor among them.

What if instead of Zion being a place where the rich provide for the poor.  It is a place where no attorneys are necessary and business practices were honorable.  And craftsmen and manufacturers took pride in their work and didn't cut corners.

Can you imagine the prosperity?  

No.

 

 

[mirkwood]

 We’ve had good experience at the dealership. We also have used honest mechanics in the past when we found them. 

[Vort]

6 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

Do you need to take your car to a dealer to be serviced? That is, if your car is a Ford as mine is do you need to take your car to A Ford Service station to be serviced?...

If you have a late model car, do you take your car to the dealer or a regular garage?

If the car is under warranty, take it to the dealership. Otherwise, take it to a regular garage. Dealerships charge up to twice the price (or more) for doing the same thing.

[Still_Small_Voice]

I have seen information that most auto dealerships make loads of money selling people repairs they do not need.  I would only take my car to a dealership for recalls I am not charged for and free service.  Find an honest auto technician in your area and use them.  Ask friends, neighbors or nearby family who services their car if you need direction.

[anatess2]

7 hours ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

I have seen information that most auto dealerships make loads of money selling people repairs they do not need.  I would only take my car to a dealership for recalls I am not charged for and free service.  Find an honest auto technician in your area and use them.  Ask friends, neighbors or nearby family who services their car if you need direction.

Just like there are honest auto repair shops and dishonest auto repair shops, there are also honest dealerships and dishonest ones.

If you have something like a Honda that has parts available everywhere and common electronic systems such that an average hobbyist can even soup up the car, an honest independent repair shop can be very cost effective.

If you have a high end car like a Cadillac, especially the models within the past decade, taking it to an honest dealership, more often than not, comes out to be the wiser option due to the diagnostic systems that the dealership have that can point exactly to the problem.  Independent shops just don’t service enough Caddys to afford the cost of these Caddy-specialized diagnostic systems and keep it upgraded for newer models.  For example, there’s an independent shop that specializes in Cadillacs in my town.  My husband took his 2011 CTS there.  The shop kept the car for a month.  We spent a lot less money, though, so we were ok with it even if we ran on one car for weeks.  Less than a month later, the same problem popped up.   I took the car to my favorite Caddy dealership and it took them 2 days (I get a free loaner if they keep the car) to fix the issue that the other shop didn’t properly fix due to putting in a sub-standard part.  No problems ever since.  Yep it cost a lot of money.  But then, we knew if we didn’t want to pay up the yinyang for maintenance we wouldn’t have gotten Caddys.

My brother only buys Honda and he has his very own “car guy” that services all his cars for over 2 decades now from simple oil changes to rebuilding the car after an accident.  He’s become family.

@Sunday21, I’m not familiar with Fords so I don’t know if it is more like a Honda or a Caddy maintenance-wise.  I don’t usually see Fords in the hobbyist circuit.  In my opinion, if an auto mechanic can’t tell that your car has been properly maintained, he’s a bad mechanic.

Edited May 27, 2019 by anatess2

[NightSG]

Fords have a unique repair philosophy. It's sort of like trying to nail soup to the ceiling. 

[NightSG]

On 5/26/2019 at 5:16 AM, Sunday21 said:

I had assumed that due to the electronic equipment in the car that one needed special proprietary equipment and computer programs to diagnose and fix specific models. 

OBDII has been standardized since 1996. I use the same $14 reader and $6 app with my 2002 Ford that I got for my 1997 Saturn. Also works fine on my roommate's 2012 Toyota and my old boss's 2018 Dodge. 

[Anddenex]

On 5/26/2019 at 7:37 AM, mikbone said:

There is a current thread about Zion with focus on no poor among them.

What if instead of Zion being a place where the rich provide for the poor.  It is a place where no attorneys are necessary and business practices were honorable.  And craftsmen and manufacturers took pride in their work and didn't cut corners.

Can you imagine the prosperity?  

Thank you, from this post I have not pondered something previously with regards to Zion that I now will ponder. At this moment, it appears to be a truth I have been missing.

[estradling75]

32 minutes ago, Anddenex said:

Thank you, from this post I have not pondered something previously with regards to Zion that I now will ponder. At this moment, it appears to be a truth I have been missing.

Oh... then to help with pondering... take any one of the 10 commandments... and ponder what the world would be like if everyone obey just that one command.

 

[dahlia]

On 5/26/2019 at 5:16 AM, Sunday21 said:

Dear Smart people,

Do you need to take your car to a dealer to be serviced? 

Yes. I never drove/had a car until I moved here to flyover country after finishing my PhD program. I'd mostly lived on the east coast where I commuted into the city and took cabs when necessary. 

I bought my car here and take it to the dealer. Yeah, the prices may be higher than an independent guy, but I don't car. I know I don't know much about cars and I trust them to deal with the car I bought from them. I should say I 'trust but verify;' I certainly get as much info as I can on suggested repairs, etc. I take it in for regular maintenance 2-3 times a year. 

Is this is where I say I have a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe with 35,000 miles?  It was a dealer car when I bought it at the end of the year. The dealer keeps trying to buy it from me when I take in for service. I don't know why. 😄

[Guest Mores]

10 hours ago, dahlia said:

Is this is where I say I have a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe with 35,000 miles?  It was a dealer car when I bought it at the end of the year. The dealer keeps trying to buy it from me when I take in for service. I don't know why. 😄

He wants to buy it from you because you got it for a steal of a deal.  And that vehicle has maintained its resale value.  With such low mileage for its age, it would be very valuable to him.

[NightSG]

10 hours ago, dahlia said:

Is this is where I say I have a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe with 35,000 miles?

That shouldn't have needed anything but oil changes and tires by that mileage. Maybe front brake pads depending on how you drive. 3+ maintenance sessions a year is wasting money. 

I've put over 200,000 miles on a used car that already had 120,000 when I bought it without that much maintenance. 

[anatess2]

14 minutes ago, NightSG said:

That shouldn't have needed anything but oil changes and tires by that mileage. Maybe front brake pads depending on how you drive. 3+ maintenance sessions a year is wasting money. 

I've put over 200,000 miles on a used car that already had 120,000 when I bought it without that much maintenance. 

2-3 oil changes a year is pretty low on a Hyundai.  Oil changes for that car would be happening every 3,000 miles.  That’s at least 4 times a year on a regular driving pattern or for my kind of driving once a month.

Yes, I take my car to the dealership for oil changes.  They got the fancy oil that I don’t have to change for 15,000 miles and it actually lasts the entire 15,000.  I take my car to the jiffy lube and by 10,000 miles my oil sensor is triggered.

I’m fairly certain Dahlia took her car to the dealership for oil changes too.

Dealerships do their x-point checks on the car as standard procedure for free even if you’re just going in for an oil change, so we call it “getting the car serviced” instead of just an oil change.

[Traveler]

On 5/26/2019 at 4:16 AM, Sunday21 said:

If you have a late model car, do you take your car to the dealer or a regular garage? 

Do you think taking the car to a dealer makes a difference?

What do you think? 

I have many professionals that I personally deal with exclusively.  I have personal relationships with all my professionals.  I have a plumber, electrician, mechanic, doctor, dentist, physical trainer/therapists, lawyer, tax accountant, landscaper, insurance agent and an investment accountant to name a few.  Because I have investment properties I can deduct many expenses.  Since you asked about cars - the same mechanic (company) services all my cars for all services.  If and when I purchase a new car I will consult with my mechanic before making any final decision about a car.  I have dealt with the same mechanic for over 40 years.  I also have a bicycle mechanic (shop) that I deal with exclusively.

I do not select professionals I deal with, just for their price.  I value service, quality of work and a few other things much more than cost - I have discovered that seldom are the best the cheapest or the most expensive.   I also believe that in the long run I save on costs.  For example my car is 25+ years old and still runs like new - with some exceptions - like I never use the tapedec anymore and do not even know if it works.  I have some seatbelt covers that have come off but since the seat belt is still 100% useable - I have not fixed (BTW this drives my wife nuts that demands that everything be just so (or as she says - right).  Though I have nice cars I believe I spend less on cars than just about everyone I know.  As a side note - I seldom fill my car's tank above 1/3 full - this is because I have kids that borrow my vehicle and do not replace the gas they use unless it is about to run empty.  I was taught to always return things better than when you borrowed it - something that I have not been able to pass to the next generation.  My kids have also customized my car with some dings and dents - but the car is old enough that fixing such things is not really worth it - but my vehicle does run perfectly - which is why it is borrowed often - I think my kids put as many miles on my vehicle as I do.  As for my bicycle - I never loan that to anyone it is a trust and customized fit issue.   I do not loan my wife out either.

 

The Traveler

[NightSG]

On 5/31/2019 at 10:47 AM, anatess2 said:

2-3 oil changes a year is pretty low on a Hyundai.  Oil changes for that car would be happening every 3,000 miles.

Hyundai says 3,750 miles for severe service conditions, and 7,500 for normal driving.  That means a total of five changes for her 35,000 miles.

On 5/31/2019 at 10:47 AM, anatess2 said:

Yes, I take my car to the dealership for oil changes.  They got the fancy oil that I don’t have to change for 15,000 miles and it actually lasts the entire 15,000.

And yet miraculously it's the same stuff Tractor Supply carries.

On 5/31/2019 at 10:47 AM, anatess2 said:

 I take my car to the jiffy lube and by 10,000 miles my oil sensor is triggered.

Because you're not bothering to specify a brand so they're using either Pennzoil or a store brand likely made by Pennzoil.

On 5/31/2019 at 10:47 AM, anatess2 said:

Dealerships do their x-point checks on the car as standard procedure for free even if you’re just going in for an oil change, 

"For free" is the same lie socialism uses, and their check is to find anything else they can overcharge you for.