Servicing for older cars. Your options explained

It’s time to arrange some TLC for your trusty four wheeled friend, so who do you turn to, who'll do a good job and who can you trust?

The following info should hopefully make some sense of the options open to those of you with a car no longer under manufacturer’s warranty (Typically 3 years old or more).

Assuming you don’t want to tackle the car service yourself there’s three main types of service centres who’d like to  persuade you to part with your hard earned cash.
These are; Main Dealers, Independent Garages and ‘Fast-fit’ Centres.

Let’s take a look at each of these and weigh up the pros and cons…

Main Dealers

These prestigious new and shiny franchise dealerships are here to sell new and used cars of on behalf the manufacturers and to service these cars in the early years of their ‘life’.  They’re under pressure from the manufacturers to meet certain standards across all areas of their business including the appearance of the premises, the whole customer service experience, technician training, sales process, meeting sales targets and selling manufacturer’s genuine spare parts.

This may sound reassuring in some ways but it doesn’t come cheap.  It’s probably no surprise to know that you’ll probably pay more for a car service at a main dealer than you would elsewhere. This is because the ‘labour rate’ is likely to be much higher and genuine manufacturer parts will often be more pricey than their equivalents.

In a bid to tackle this thorny issue many manufacturers now offer attractive servicing ‘bundles’ where you can commit to a few years servicing at a fixed monthly cost. My advice is to read the small print before you decide as expensive items such as tyres and brake pads often aren’t included in the service.

But what are the arguments in favour of using a main dealer?

There are several to bear in mind, particularly when it involves maintaining the more sophisticated components of your car.

Benefits of car servicing at a main dealer include;

• Technician training standards will be higher
• The parts used will be correct and of a guaranteed quality
• You’re likely to get more ‘goodwill’ if your car is just out of warranty and you have been a loyal customer
• The main dealer servicing stamp can make your car more attractive when you come to sell it
• The modern car is a complicated animal and a main dealer will have access to the latest software upgrade improvements and all of the diagnostic equipment needed to do the job properly.

The Independent Garages

These are usually small local businesses, privately or family owned and free from manufacturer demands and overbearing dealer group ownership.

They generally earn their crust by catering for older vehicles no longer covered by manufacturer warranty. Most are happy to service all makes and models but some choose to specialise in a particular brand in a bid to compete directly with the local main dealer.

Despite their lack of specialist manufacturer knowledge, in general the independent garages perform very well indeed. They tend to offer attractive servicing prices and do well from a customer service aspect. A well known consumer magazine survey thousands of motorists each year about their car servicing experiences and their findings are striking; they report that in 10 times out of 10 the independents get better customer satisfaction ratings than the main dealers.

A major motoring association’s view of the independents (one of the big 2!) state that independants are often charge less than half the labour rate of their franchise equivalents.

Sounds good to me, but how can you make sure you avoid the ‘dodgy’ garages?

You should look for motor industry code of practice accredited centres (normally a certificate displayed in their reception area) and also rely on good old fashioned word of mouth referrals from family and friends.

Fast-Fit Centres

These are normally part of large chain you’ll probably associate with tyres, exhausts, brakes, MOTs and batteries. If you know a simple service is all that’s needed, or if your car just needs one of the above items replaced these type of centres are worth a look.

How popular are these Fast-Fit centres?

According to a recent report by a major oil company, Fast-fit centres are losing out to independent garages. Their market share is reported to have dropped from 9.2% in 2010 down to 7.7% in 2011.

The same report stares that the independent workshops dominated the MOT market with a share of 71%. They also come out on top of the servicing, maintenance and repair market for cars over four years old.

So what does all this mean?

Where you should go for a car service really depends upon the extent of the service your car needs. If it’s a straightforward service then using a reputable independent can save you a lot of money.

Make sure you shop around for best price and if it’s a standard service you require be clear about the age of your car and its mileage. Get a firm estimate before the work is started. The age and mileage can effect whether the car needs extra attention in addition to the usual items such as an air filter, oil, brake fluid, and antifreeze.

Here’s an at a glance guide of the points covered;

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Main Dealer	Specialist knowledge and equipment Training to manufacturer standards 'Goodwill if you are loyal Main dealer service stamp	Cost Older vehicles often less of a priority as compared with vehicles within warranty
Independent Garages	Cheaper parts prices Cheaper labour rate Overall customer satisfaction Personal service	Less diagnostic facilities Less specialist knowledge
Fast-fit Centres	Speed ‘Menu’ style fixed pricing	Cover of basic items only Less specialist knowledge

     

That’s all for now. I hope you found this useful.

Please comment by telling me where you last went for your service and why!