The closest dealership to me of a particular car make has a sales force that is absolute scum. I’m wondering now if that same screw the customer mentality is likely to carry over to the service department? If I buy the same make at another dealer, I"ll still want to have it serviced close to where I live. Is it worthwhile to gamble on the sales scum dealership’s service department? Or should I expect bullshit from the service department as well? I really don’t want to have to spend my time arguing with a service guy about a $200 headlight fluid change every time I take the car in.
And no, I don’t have a trusty independent mechanic I can take the car to.
Don’t take it to them, I’ll do your headlight fluid for $80. I’ll even top off your blinker fluid.
I feel like I can trust dealers more than some random independent mechanic. Obviously, anyone I have had past experience with is better. Depending on the make, some may be harder for non-dealers to fix (VW I’m looking at you). It always seems to me that Toyota salesmen are very sketchy, while the repair department is great.
I had a horrible sales experience with one of the local Toyota dealerships when I bought my Scion a few years ago – so bad that I filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s office. However, the service department at the dealership has been nothing short of wonderful.
I had to bring my car in a few weeks ago when the check engine light went on. The dealership fixed the problem quickly, paid for a rental car while the repairs were being done, and looked over the car to make sure I’d have a safe drive to my parents’ house for Christmas (the dealership kept the car an extra day when I mentioned that I had travel plans). And I didn’t have to pay a penny out of pocket. I plan to bring my car back to that dealership in a few months for the 30,000 mile maintenance.
That’s just my personal experience, of course. You may want to ask your friends and coworkers where they take their cars for repairs. Can you check the dealership’s service department online, maybe through the BBB or another site? That would give you a better idea of whether to use the dealership for service.
I would be less than optimistic that if the sales force were jerks that the service department would be worth dealing with. If you’re wanting to find an independent shop, you might check Car Talk’s website as they have listener submitted comments about mechanics in the area.