If you buy your car at a dealer, it’s only natural that you take your car there for auto repair. You may be under the impression that if you don’t get it done there, you’ll lose warranty coverage, or that only dealer mechanics know your car. Neither of these are true. So watch out for them and these three things that dealer mechanics don’t want you to know:
3 Reasons To Consider Outside Sources vs. A Dealership For Car Repair
- Shop supplies cover anything Dealerships like. This is essentially a miscellaneous charge that can relate to anything that can’t be itemized, such as rags or the cost of recycling fluids. (A car repair shop would build the cost of these supplies into overhead.) If you see “shop supplies” on your bill, ask for what it covers exactly, and see if you can get it removed.
- Service recommendations are based on severe driving, no matter how your drive. If dealer mechanics classify your driving as severe, they can recommend that fluid flushes, for example, happen more often than under normal driving. More service equals more money in their pocket. When trying to decide whether it’s time for service, ask for recommendations based on “normal” or “light” driving, depending on how much you do. Then look in the car’s service manual to see if that service schedule is reasonable.
- The dealership service advisor is a salesperson. You may be under the impression that the service advisor is a head mechanic who’s been promoted to deal with customers because of his expertise. He’s actually a salesperson, often paid on commission, whose primary job is to make money for the dealer. So he’ll always try to sell you more service or supplies than you need. This is called “upselling.” Your only defense is to stick with the service you came in for and go for nothing more.
The easiest way to avoid all these shenanigans is to go with a Willmington DE auto repair shop whose main business is fixing cars, not selling them. We’ve been family owned since 1986 so we’re interested in long-term relationships with our customers. Why don’t you contact us and see how we can help you.