Should I Get My Car Serviced at the Dealer?

Your vehicle is one of the biggest investments you’ll make. Having your vehicle serviced on a regular basis helps to ensure that your car runs in tip-top shape. You have many choices when it comes to choosing where to have your car serviced, from a local mechanic to a dealership. Check out this list of advantages you get when you have your truck, SUV, or car serviced at your vehicle brand’s dealership.

Factory Trained Service Technicians

Service technicians working at a dealership have gone through factory training to understand the intricacies of the brand of vehicle they work on. For instance, if you bring a GMC truck in for servicing at a GMC dealership, the technician is a GMC Certified Service expert. Service technicians also take continuing education classes to keep up with changing automotive technology and advancements of their brand. In addition to highly trained technicians, dealership service centers use state-of-the-art equipment and diagnostic tools designed specifically for the brand of vehicle they service.

Original Manufacturers Equipment and Parts

Most dealerships carry a large inventory of parts for your vehicle. Having the ability to pull parts on-site instead of ordering them speeds up the servicing or repair time. In addition, dealerships use Original Manufacturer’s Equipment (OME) and parts. These parts are the same as the ones used in the factory that made your vehicle. OME parts, as opposed to generic alternatives, fit your car as designed and help to provide optimum performance.

Validates the Warranty

Most new vehicles come with a manufacturer’s warranty. The warranty guarantees that a faulty product gets replaced at no charge to the customer for a certain length of time or mileage. A full-warranty guarantees the replacement or repair of all parts, while a limited warranty covers only specific parts or faulty products. Dealerships under your car’s brand must honor the warranty, even if it’s not your local dealership. This service is especially nice if you’re traveling as you’re not able to bring the car to your home dealership.

When you bring your car to the dealership for repairs and parts replacements, the dealership documents the work so the manufacture will pay for the parts and repairs. When you take your car to a local mechanic, they can’t honor the warranty and you end up paying out-of-pocket for replacement or faulty parts. Once the original warranty runs out, the dealership will often offer you an extended warranty. In some cases, dealerships even offer a lifetime warranty on certain parts of the vehicle. Taking your car to the dealership helps to ensure that your warranty stays valid.

Recall Notices and Technical Service Bulletins

If there’s a recall for your particular vehicle, the manufacturer sends out a notification to the dealership. The dealership then sends you a letter letting you know you need to bring your vehicle in for the necessary repair. Manufacturers take recall notifications seriously as they only send them out when the faulty part has caused the loss of life and limb, so these are important safety recalls.

When you bring your car into any of your brand’s dealerships, whether your local one or one far away, they’ll check to see if your particular vehicle has recall notifications. This is an important step for the dealership to take to ensure your safety. Recall repairs come at no cost to you as the manufacturer pays the dealership for the parts and labor to fix the issue.

Dealerships also receive Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) which are different from a recall notice. A TSB comes from consumer complaints as opposed to a manufacturer’s recall and may not pose as big of a threat as an official recall notice. The TSB details the procedure for the issue or repair.

While the manufacturer pays the dealership to fix problems associated with a recall notice, the dealership doesn’t have to cover the cost of a TSB as TSB’s aren’t considered life-threatening. However, most dealerships want to establish good customer relations along with their reputation and will often cover the cost of Technical Service Bulletins if the car’s under factory warranty.

Convenience and Comfort

Dealerships often have extended hours and will service your car on the weekends, making it convenient if you have a busy schedule. When you wait for simple repairs or a quick oil change from the express lane, the dealership has a comfortable waiting area usually with free Wi-Fi, snacks, televisions, work tables, and comfortable seating. For added convenience, most dealerships offer a complimentary shuttle service to take you to and from the dealership to your home or work.

Some dealerships may offer loaner cars, especially if they need to keep the vehicle for an extended amount of time. An upcoming trend for dealerships is to offer a pick up and drop-off service. A team member will come to your home or workplace and take the car to the dealership’s service center. When the technicians finish the work, your car gets delivered back to you.

Supporting Your Local Dealership

Your local dealership is a franchise and they pay the manufacturer to do business under the brand’s banner. Most dealerships are family-owned-and run, often for generations. When you bring your vehicle into the dealership for servicing, you help them stay in business so they can continue to give you excellent customer service, fair pricing, and numerous owner’s benefits.

Bringing your car to a dealership also helps to support the local community. Most dealerships have a strong commitment to supporting and donating to local charities and organizations. Dealerships want to establish a good rapport with their customers who live in the community as this is how they get repeat business and keep their doors open. Support your local dealership and you help to support your community as well.

Whether you take your car to a local garage or the dealership is a personal decision. As you can see from the above list, the dealership offers plenty of advantages. Is there an advantage that we missed? If so, feel free to drop us a line and we’ll add it to our list. If you’d like to schedule an appointment to have your vehicle serviced at United Chevrolet Buick GMC, you can contact us here.