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thank you so much for all of your responses. I learned a lot. I guess what I am trying to get to is, if I buy a new car today, when it is out of warranty, are there features of that car that down the road would prevent me from being able to fix it at the local shop?
The one that I can think of is some security feature. If I remember it correctly, in my ECM replacement example above, the "feature" (that I was lucky not to have) was the chipped key. Has my car used chipped key, even after I replaced the ECM, I would have to tow the car to the dealership to have them reprogram the ECM to talk to the key again.
The chance of my car getting stolen is slim so I would rather stay away from those cumbersome things if possible.
Another one I can think of is I heard some cars need proprietary tools to operate on. For example, VM Passat needs special tools for an oil change and for that you can only go to a dealership (not that the Passat is on my list btw).
There are features that might prevent you from using, what you called "the local shop" but that does not mean you have to go to the dealer. Things like an ECM/BCM failure do require your new module to be programmed for your car. That doesn't necessarily have to be done at the dealer, but many independent shops have not invested in the tools and technology required to program all makes of computers. There is (almost?) always a place to get a new ECM programmed, but it might be on-line through the mail or something like that if you don't have a shop that does it. It might be easier to get it done at the dealer, then perhaps coordinating a shop and a programmer, but not usually required.
Of note, these types of failures are pretty rare, but they do happen.
thank you so much for all of your responses. I learned a lot. I guess what I am trying to get to is, if I buy a new car today, when it is out of warranty, are there features of that car that down the road would prevent me from being able to fix it at the local shop?
The one that I can think of is some security feature. If I remember it correctly, in my ECM replacement example above, the "feature" (that I was lucky not to have) was the chipped key. Has my car used chipped key, even after I replaced the ECM, I would have to tow the car to the dealership to have them reprogram the ECM to talk to the key again.
The chance of my car getting stolen is slim so I would rather stay away from those cumbersome things if possible.
Another one I can think of is I heard some cars need proprietary tools to operate on. For example, VM Passat needs special tools for an oil change and for that you can only go to a dealership (not that the Passat is on my list btw).
No, assuming you don't buy something unique like a Tesla or Porsche. If you have a VW or Hyundai or Chevy or Honda most everything can be taken care of most places. If I had a BMW or Mercedes or VW I would probably take it to an independent mechanic that worked on German cars.
The key thing though, is unique, and you probably would have to go to a special key shop or a dealership.
A few years ago the only set of keys went overboard of a boat, we were an hour + from the dealer, we were able to get a new key cut but they had to go to a specialist in town (locksmith.)
But I wouldn't worry about chipped keys. Most every car has them now, and they aren't a problem, unless you need a new key then they're expensive.
Some independents cannot afford the subscription to the software that it takes to properly diagnose and repair some of the newer models. In this case, all they can do is start throwing parts in it until they hit on whatever was faulty...of course, you, as the customer, have to pay for all of these parts...even if they weren't the problem.
There has been a movement to change this, and make the software available to all, but I don't know whether or not it has been successful.
My previous car had an issue that was dealership only repair. The anti theft system stopped recognizing my keys. Only the dealer could replace the sensor. In some cases there are some proprietary software issues that may prevent or make it difficult for a local shop to work on a vehicle. If you buy new then use the brand dealer for service especially while under warranty. With today’s cars some updates involve software.
While essentially true, if you buy your car at any dealer, because they were a couple of hundred dollars cheaper, but if needed, you want your warranty work done by the dealer that's closest to you, yeah, they'll do the work for you, as they're required to. Just don't expect your car to be taken in ahead of cars that were purchased at that dealership.
This happened quite some time ago, in the area where I live.....A dealer "out in the country" wanted to pump up his sales volume, so he came up with the gimmick that he'd sell new cars at "$49 over cost". And as phony as it sounded, he did exactly that, and in turn, he sold a lot of cars.
However, he "POed" the metropolitan dealers, for two reasons. Number one, he took away a lot of their business. Number two, the general public, if warranty work was required, didn't want to drive the 35-40 miles, each way, back to his dealership, so they went to the local dealerships. The "locals", upset because they didn't make any money on the initial sale, that would help cover the less profitable, warranty work in their shop, weren't thrilled with having to do the work on cars from the "low cost guy". So they did it, as GM required them to do so, but they simply placed the "outside work" at the end of the line......
Makes sense to me. Dealers get pissed at another dealer for taking sales from them so they decide to screw the customer by putting him last. This thinking is just one of several reason I turned away from GM. OP find a good independent mechanic who use to work at a dealer and knows the records you will need to get warrant coverage if an issue comes up.
Another idea is buy a 2 or 3 year old Toyota or Honda or nissan to save a bundle yet still get a great featured newer car.
Makes sense to me. Dealers get pissed at another dealer for taking sales from them so they decide to screw the customer by putting him last. This thinking is just one of several reason I turned away from GM. OP find a good independent mechanic who use to work at a dealer and knows the records you will need to get warrant coverage if an issue comes up.
Another idea is buy a 2 or 3 year old Toyota or Honda or Nissan to save a bundle yet still get a great featured newer car.
What does GM have to do with this? Their dealerships are "independent franchisees", and within reasonable limits, are able to run their businesses as they see fit.
I didn't say, or imply, that the "local" dealers weren't doing warranty work on the cars bought from "Discount Howard". All I said, was they were giving first priority to the customers who bought from them. How's that "screwing the customer"? Say for the sake of argument, I show up at their door at 8 AM, needing warranty work, so they take my car in and start working on it. Several other also show up at opening time, as I did, and get taken in promptly. Does that mean that the customer that shows up at 11 AM, after all the service bays are filled by people who came in earlier, and therefore has to wait, is "getting screwed"??
thank you so much for all the responses. So I am considering a "regular" car with hatchback door for extra cargo space if needed (sedan hatchback?). My budget is around ~20K but I can go higher if needs be. Here are what I gather from my own research and from your replies:
-Avoid Nissan CVT or anything made by jatco. Probably avoid all CVTs even the ones from Toyota. I am trying to find one with regular automatic transmission if any is still available. I think that wipes out all the civics and corollas from last year onward.
-Get the most basic anti-theft feature <- this is probably the thing that will most likely lock me out.
-All cars have chipped keys nowadays. Can't help it. Probably not a problem unless the ECM fails.
-I don't drive around much normally (about 20 miles a day top) and rarely on the highway so I guess fuel efficiency isn't a big factor?
-How long is the average lifespan of a car nowadays? I heard some people consider switching every 5 years or so. I mean my sentra is still going Ok after almost 20 years and about 150K miles (it's not the one I'm replacing)-pretty cheap and easy to maintain. I mostly order parts online and pay someone to replace them. This is what I hope to be able to do once the car is out of warranty.
There's a handful of people here who are absolutely sure that CVT's are the devil. Meanwhile cars are lasting longer than they ever did. It makes me question the idea that the CVT is death to all cars.
thank you so much for all the responses. So I am considering a "regular" car with hatchback door for extra cargo space if needed (sedan hatchback?). My budget is around ~20K but I can go higher if needs be. Here are what I gather from my own research and from your replies:
-Avoid Nissan CVT or anything made by jatco. Probably avoid all CVTs even the ones from Toyota. I am trying to find one with regular automatic transmission if any is still available. I think that wipes out all the civics and corollas from last year onward.
-Get the most basic anti-theft feature <- this is probably the thing that will most likely lock me out.
-All cars have chipped keys nowadays. Can't help it. Probably not a problem unless the ECM fails.
-I don't drive around much normally (about 20 miles a day top) and rarely on the highway so I guess fuel efficiency isn't a big factor?
-How long is the average lifespan of a car nowadays? I heard some people consider switching every 5 years or so. I mean my sentra is still going Ok after almost 20 years and about 150K miles (it's not the one I'm replacing)-pretty cheap and easy to maintain. I mostly order parts online and pay someone to replace them. This is what I hope to be able to do once the car is out of warranty.
Many thanks!
Based on your needs, a pre-owned late model Prius will be perfect. For something less boring, a Mazda 3 or CX5 will work as well.
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