Do You Take Your Car in to the Dealership Exclusively?

[happymomma]

We have a 2005 Honda Odyssey. The dealer warranty has run out but we do have an extended warranty. We are scheduled to do a big maintenance checkup on the car. It has about 35,000 miles. But I was told that it would cost me $580. It's just crazy. We've always taken our car to the dealerships for everything (including oil change) but now with the way things are, we are looking into a regular car repair shop. I'm using checkbook to find one. But I am curious to see if others also take their cars exclusively to the dealerships or both. My concern is that supposedly the 05 and up Honda's have a lot more computer parts and I am concerned that a regular repair shop wouldn't really understand it. But I feel like this is something the dealerships try to make people think so that we would come back to them. Any advice would be appreciated.

ETA: If you go to both, let me know why you wouldn't do regular maintenance with a repair shop instead of the dealership? Thanks

[lisams]

Dealership for regular scheduled maintenance. For repairs (out of warranty) we go to our awesome mechanic. We feel so fortunate to have a mechanic we trust.

ETA For regular maintenance I've found the dealer to be the same cost but faster and they have Honda parts which makes me feel better for some reason.

[SnuggleBuggles]

When under warranty we did everything at the dealer. Out of the warranty I started going to our neighborhood mechanic. The prices were exactly the same between the dealer and the garage so that wasn't a factor. However, we recently started going back to the dealer b/c we didn't feel like the local shop was taking good enough care of the car- they would miss things that should have been caught during routine maintenance. I know mistakes happen but after the 3rd we gave up. We had been really happy there though and it was nice that we could walk to it.

Beth

[vludmilla]

I have a mechanic I trust so I use him for anything not related to warranty. I wouldn't go near a dealership if I had to pay because they tend to mark up the prices a lot.

[maestramommy]

We only go to the dealership if there's a recall, or problem that is covered under warranty.

[specialp]

:yeahthat:
I have a mechanic I trust so I use him for anything not related to warranty. I wouldn't go near a dealership if I had to pay because they tend to mark up the prices a lot.

[HIU8]

For scheduled maintenance we now go to the dealership. We had an awesome mechanic who decided it was less stress to work for carmax. His coworkers at his old shop (where he was manager) are not reliable at all so my entire family stopped going there (6 cars they lost business on). I have yet to find another reputable repair shop, but am still looking. Meanwhile, knock on wood, we haven't needed anything major done to the car lately.

[wellyes]

Hondas are extremely popular cars and any busy mechanic will have a lot of experience working with them. I would not hesitate to go to an independent mechanic. If you're nervous about it, you can call up local mechanics to find one that has specific experience with Honda vehicles. My FIL is a very loyal Honda driver, and his mechanic is a guy who worked at Honda dealerships for years -- but is way cheaper, works out of his home.

There are cars that pretty much require dealer maintenance, but that's the really high-end brands like Bentley & Ferrari.

[srhs]

I do all our regular maintenance at the WalMart automotive. That way, I have something to do with DS. And I don't have to mess with coupons for oil changes and such because their prices are low for the routine stuff.
eta--I didn't vote because I wouldn't even consider WM a "repair shop." :) Works for us though!

[s7714]

Like PPs, anything covered under warranty goes to the dealership, other things we have a great mechanic to use. We'd use the mechanic for regular stuff as well, but he's so busy even an oil change would require leaving the car for a whole day or overnight, which we can't handle with loads of places to be each day! And between the dealership vs. some oil change shop where they barely train the employees, I'll gladly pay more to go to the dealership. Jiffy Lube seriously messed up one of my old cars because of their crappy oil and transmission fluid changes.

[khm]

Nope. When I had a Honda I used a local shop that only fixed Honda's. I loved those guys.

Now, we have an Audi and was thrilled beyond reason to find an "import shop". They are amazing.

Before I found them I had nothing but grief and expense from the dealer. They couldn't diagnose an alignment problem after I'd hit a curb during an ice storm. Charged me $95 to say, "Don't know what's wrong. Computer says it's out of tolerance, but not why. Guess we can just start replacing stuff 'til it's in tolerance." Gee, thanks.

Found the import shop and they saw the issue within 5 seconds with their bare eyes. They were stupified that the dealer couldn't see the C shaped part that was very obviously FLATTENED.

They also are certified to whatever standard it is to keep the warranty in force. So, no worries there, either.

[Snow mom]

Unless it is under warranty, find a good mechanic who works on the type of car you own and build a relationship with them. I brought my VW which had its engine light coming on in to the dealer because there was a part that had been recalled that was a likely culprit. They replaced it, checked it, and said everything was fine. Then the light came back on. I brought it back in and they could not for the life of themselves figure out what was wrong. They wanted to clean out/ replace the entire vacuum system (multiple hundreds of dollars.) I specifically asked them "you are sure the part you put in is fine? It didn't just quickly stop working." "Nope, we're sure," they responded. So I took it to a good mechanic who might have some idea other than let’s try a $500 repair to see if that solves the problem. They called me and guess what was wrong? The. dealer. put. in. the. wrong. part :32:. Yes, I gave the dealer the chance to catch this mistake and they completely missed it. I will never again assume that the dealer knows the cars better than a competent mechanic.... and that is the long story of why I don't take my car to the dealer.

[Piglet]

We stick with the dealership when the car is under warranty and then go to a regular reputable repair place after the warranty expires. Our theory is that while under warranty the dealership might catch something like a recall, service bulletin, or just something particular to that brand earlier than a car repair place and I would rather they fix the problem while under warranty. I am not even sure if that is a legitimate reason, but I also haven't found a local repair place I like, so for now I am at the dealership with both cars even though one is well past warranty.

[JTsMom]

Disclaimer- DH works for Toyota, and he makes all of our car decisions. ;)

We only take our car to dealerships, and we hand pick the mechanic. DH's theory is that when you buy a ______ (in our case, Toyota), you are paying for a _______, and it's probably for a reason. When you start putting discount/after market parts on it, you don't really have a _______ car. You have part of one. One of the reasons we stick with Toyotas is because they run forever. X brand auto parts doesn't necessarily have that rep.

Also, in the case of any future problems with the car, having a relationship with a dealership really tends to work in your favor. A good dealership (and yes, there can be a HUGE difference between them) will take care of their loyal customers.

As far as cost, some dealerships are pretty competitive on some things. Obviously though, when you're paying for a higher quality part, the cost may be more.

If you choose to take your car to somewhere other than a dealership, I would be very careful to keep records of any maintenence performed in case of a recall/warranty issue.

[ltmommy]

I take mine to the dealership, mostly because I haven't found a mechanic I trust, and I am worried that something might not be fixed properly - I feel like the dealership would (with a lot of prodding, perhaps) take responsibility and fix their mistake, while a mechanic might not.

I have noted something interesting, though, and I have a Honda too. The owner's manual tells you what scheduled maintenance you should have done and when. However, the dealer's scheduled maintenance package doesn't always correlate - for example, for say the 30,000 mile checkup the manual might say to get X,Y, & Z done, but the dealer offers a package for $600 that includes A,B,C,D and maybe X. I know next to nothing about cars, but after talking to some coworkers that are quite knowledgeable, I have learned to go by the manual. It did end up being quite a bit cheaper, as a lot of the stuff in the dealer package was useless.

[codex57]

I do both.

For the truck, I take it to the dealer for most things. They're not too outrageous in price and I like how it's logged in Honda's system. I have a Honda extended warranty so I want most of my maintenance logged in their system in case I have a problem later on.

For the Lexus, except for that first free oil change, I do it at home. Well, I have one of my brother in laws handle it at their house. They're Toyota mechanics and my car is essentially a Camry. If they weren't around, I'd do it at a local shop. Lexus charges an arm and a leg (tho not as bad as the Germans) and without an extended warranty, I have no reason to take it to the dealer.

[codex57]

I know next to nothing about cars, but after talking to some coworkers that are quite knowledgeable, I have learned to go by the manual. It did end up being quite a bit cheaper, as a lot of the stuff in the dealer package was useless.

I agree. I ran my dealer's schedule by one of my BIL's (he's a Honda fan so he is willing to work on my car - the other is still mad I bought a Honda instead of a Toyota). BIL said the dealer's schedule had tons of useless crap.

[kijip]

Our repair place specializes in our make of car and is *really* good- affordable, honest, quality. We always go there now rather than dealership or any chain place. The guys that run this shop are fabulous. They recognize my voice, know what car I own by heart and it's general history. I could never use a different place. Ever. :wink2:

[niccig]

I'm thinking of taking my new Honda to a local guy that only deals with Hondas and gets great reviews on some websites. My only problem is that the dealer has the courtesy shuttle so I don't have to sit around and wait and they pick me up when the car is ready. DH commutes too far to not have a car, and I like to take the car in on a preschool day, so I don't have to drag DS with me. I know it's a silly reason to use the dealer as I know it's costing us more. I just need to work out the logistics.

We had a Ford that the AC stopped working, Ford dealer said it was because the internal computer was saying it was overheating and shutting it off, but it wasn't overheating. The dealer said it would be close to $2000 to get a new computer and no other options. We took it to a local mechanic that specialised in AC issues, he was able to bypass the faulty sensor, and the AC worked again. Total cost was about $200. So, I don't think the dealer always gets things right, or they just have one way of fixing things.

DH's car is a Prius, so we'll keep taking that to the dealer. I do need to look at the car manuals to work out what work needs to be done, and not what the dealer package is.

[JTsMom]

I agree. I ran my dealer's schedule by one of my BIL's (he's a Honda fan so he is willing to work on my car - the other is still mad I bought a Honda instead of a Toyota). BIL said the dealer's schedule had tons of useless crap.

I'll third that. The manual is your friend.

[egoldber]

When you start putting discount/after market parts on it, you don't really have a _______ car.

When you go to a non factory mechanic, you can still ask for factory parts.

[codex57]

When you go to a non factory mechanic, you can still ask for factory parts.

That's what I do. If you search online, it often doesn't even cost much more (if at all) than aftermarket parts.

For maintenance work, I've never encountered a mechanic who refused to use OEM parts. They might charge you the diff, but they don't care. If you buy the part yourself and just pay them to install it, it should never be an issue.

For major recalls, the manufacturer sends out notices. For minor stuff, you're better off trying to keep track yourself. A good dealer will tell you. A bad one won't.

[JTsMom]

When you go to a non factory mechanic, you can still ask for factory parts.

Oh definitely! But if you're going to Pep Boys, Sam's, or Jiffy Lube, for an oil change or new battery, you're not getting OEM (unless you bring it in). It all depends on where exactly you're going. I have a lot more faith in a reliable, non-dealer mechanic that you know you can trust than some of those huge.... less than stellar, chains iykwim.