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Do you prefer your car dealer or private mechanic for auto repairs. At what point would you stop going to your dealer for auto repairs as your car gets older and warranty ends. Who gives better service and is the dealer a ripoff.
I find my mechanic expensive as the dealer sometimes but he does do good work and is conventient . I don't have to go to dealer and take off time if I have to go to work. My mechanic has his own shop and is always jammed, but mechanics at your local gas station do not know what they are doing.
It depends on the person doing the work. Currently I prefer private shops, but the three shops I like are run by guys who spent many years working in the service departments of various dealerships and if they were still there (at the dealerships) that's where I'd take my cars.
Last edited by duster1979; 06-05-2013 at 02:10 PM..
Well priced independent.
Dealers are no good for repairs. They outsource many. Their bread and butter is belts, oil changes, ATF changes, and other piddly stuff. Qualified mechs are expensive and dealers make it off cheap labor force and high volume.
Also, their techs have no imagination. They only follow the book, that's it. I'd place a small private single mech shop in Gadsden AL over any hosh posh dealer mech.
I do everything myself if I can - a Chilton's repair manual and a decent tool box go a long way towards saving major $ on repairs.
I remember once out of sheer frustration asking if a dealer could change a headlight and they quoted me $75 out the door - no thanks, I'll get the replacement bulb for $7.84 at Wal-Mart.
If it's beyond me, then there's always my phone contact list, there's a few more mechanically-inclined people than myself. Failing at that, independent shop.
The dealership only handles warranty repairs on my cars, unless I have a free or $10 oil change coupon, then they will change the oil. Otherwise I do repairs myself from water pump, alternator, AC service, clutch, front suspension, brakes, etc. Learned it all by using my Chiltons or Haynes books and just doing it. Luckily the last 4 vehicles we've bought that are no longer under warranty have not required any repairs; 01 Yukon (sold), 07 Explorer (sold), 06 Vibe, 10 Vibe. If I need repairs I can't make, I am a member of a local car forum with several trustworthy, good mechanics as members that I can consult or hire if needed.
I prefer my own private home garage. Not only don't I rip myself off with ridiculous labor costs but I know the work is being done and the parts I purchased are being installed.
Dealerships are where Monkeys are sent to train on how a vehicle works. Should any of them show any skill at being a mechanic, they tend to realize that the structure at the Dealership is stacked against them and they head out into the world as an independent mechanic.
I have Yet to meet a mechanic who I'd trust to work on a vehicle and they were working for a dealership. With one exception, EVERY mechanic I'd trust to work on a vehicle (not any vehicle, just the ones they specialized in) had left a Dealership because they could abide the poor ethics that are required to survive as a Dealer employee. The one exception? Never worked at a Dealer.
I'm sure there's an exception or two floating around in the world Somewhere... but I wouldn't allow a Dealer hack to touch any vehicle of mine, even if it were free. Thankfully it's illegal to force a consumer to obtain warranty work at a Dealer ~ even your average home mechanic can do the work (normally you buy the part and they compensate you for the cost)
I'll do it myself because I know what products I'm using and I know I'll do a good job.
But when you find a knowledgeable and talented mechanic, keep him or her for the jobs you can't or would rather not do.
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