Dealership or Independent Repair Shop: Which Is Right for Your Car?

We’re an independent repair shop, so you might expect us to tell you there’s never a reason to visit a dealership.

We’re not going to tell you that.

There are times when the dealer is exactly where your vehicle should go. There are also plenty of times when it isn’t necessary.

When the Dealer Makes Sense

If your vehicle has an open safety recall, start with the manufacturer/dealer network.

The same is generally true for repairs covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.

There can also be highly specialized manufacturer procedures or equipment that make dealership involvement appropriate.

A good independent shop shouldn’t be afraid to tell you when somebody else is the better place for a particular job.

Where an Independent Shop Has an Advantage

The biggest advantage isn’t necessarily equipment or price. It’s continuity.

When the same people see your vehicle repeatedly, we learn its history.

We know which repairs have already been performed. We can see how quickly certain components are wearing. We know whether you’ve been maintaining an older car carefully or just purchased something we’ve never seen before.

That context can be useful.

You’re Not Maintaining a Mileage Number

Two vehicles with 100,000 miles can be completely different cars.

One may have a stack of maintenance records, spend its life on the highway and be in excellent condition. The other may have had five owners and an unknown maintenance history.

That’s why we don’t like making recommendations based only on a number on the odometer. We look at the car that’s actually in front of us.

What About Older Vehicles?

This is where having a mechanic who knows the car becomes especially valuable.

At some point, the question changes from “Can this be repaired?” to “Does this repair make sense?” Those aren’t the same question.

Most things can be repaired if somebody is willing to spend enough money.

Our job is to help you understand what the vehicle needs and what we see coming so you can decide whether continuing to invest in it makes sense for you.

Choose the People, Not the Sign

There are excellent dealership technicians. There are excellent independent technicians. And there are places in both categories we wouldn’t choose.

Look for competence, communication and consistency. Ask questions. Find out whether the explanation makes sense.

And when you find somebody you trust, having that relationship becomes increasingly valuable over the life of the vehicle.

That’s what we’ve tried to build at Automotive Services since our family opened the business in 2009.

Not because “family-owned” automatically makes a repair shop good. It doesn’t. We think it means something only when the way customers are treated backs it up.

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