When your car breaks down or needs a repair, finding a reliable mechanic who can fix the problem quickly and at your convenience is essential. Pressed for time, many consumers make the common mistake of selecting a car service solely based upon the convenience of its location versus its mechanical expertise. When you consider that there are almost 300 different models offered in 2008, it’s no surprise that one mechanic cannot be an expert on all of them. What is often discovered is that mechanics at corner garages lack experience and knowledge about specific car models, making it difficult to provide the fast, quality service as compared to a franchised dealership.

Make/model expertise is just one of the many advantages of getting your car serviced at a new car dealership, which include:

Technical Expertise: Automotive technicians at dealerships are specialists in the make and model of your vehicle. Technicians are trained by the manufacturer, and dealerships require their service staff to attend ongoing training programs to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest repair techniques and vehicle enhancements. Dealerships place high value on the knowledge and experience of their technicians so they can quickly diagnose and repair the problem.

Convenience: While independent repair shops might be closer than a dealership, many repairs are covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. This often translates to complimentary services – making the trip to a dealership worth a few extra miles. To accommodate their customers, most dealerships provide a shuttle service for transportation to one’s home or office and many dealerships provide customers with a loaner car to drive while their car is being serviced.

Warranty Guarantees: If a car is still under warranty, dealerships perform all warranty repairs free of charge. They also provide a nationwide warranty for their repair work as a guarantee for service. This means that if a repair needs to be reassessed, a complimentary repair will be performed by any dealer in the country.

Access to Recalls and Service Bulletins: Dealerships have a significant advantage over independent shops with direct access to manufacturer recalls and technical service bulletins. Every car brought into the dealership for service is immediately checked for open recalls. Dealerships carry on-hand inventory for parts and are the only service providers that can perform these tasks. In addition, technical service bulletins are sent directly from the manufacturer to the dealer services department with detailed instructions on the best repair techniques and new procedures. While these bulletins can be obtained by independent shops, the number of makes and models is so vast that acquiring information for each is not economically feasible for them. Thus, they will often have difficulty assessing problems that dealership services know how to repair.

Equipment: Dealers are required to acquire the best diagnostic equipment available and maintain computer links to factory service and repair experts. These tools enhance dealers’ ability to diagnose and repair problems more efficiently than independent shops.

Quality Parts: Since manufacturers only offer Original Equipment parts of high quality, a warranty is often provided for parts as well as dealer service labor for repairs and part installations. Dealers are also required to carry inventory of all parts needed for repairs of vehicles they sell, so customers do not have to wait for parts to be ordered and shipped before service.

Price: With the technical expertise of factory-trained technicians, problems can be diagnosed and repaired quickly, allowing dealers to offer quality services at competitive, low prices.