Dealer vs Normal Mechanic

Qwerty321 · 10-01-2016, 11:29 PM

I've noticed a lot of people on this forum saying they've taken they're car into the ford dealer team to get issues checked out etc. when they're car is quite obviously out of warranty. I've always taken my car to a standard mechanic whenever it's needed work and from my experience that always works out a hell of a lot cheaper than the dealer quotes. Never had any issues with bad work, shoddy parts, recurring issues or anything of that sort (touch wood).

So my question is simple. Why take a car into the dealer team for repairs when it's out of warranty and purely out of your pocket? Am I missing something here?

Franco Cozzo · 10-01-2016, 11:31 PM

I didn't even take my new cars to the dealership to be serviced, I just sourced genuine filters and oil that meets Ford's specs and had my mechanic do it all and had minimal issues with claiming warranty.

FlipXW · 10-01-2016, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I didn't even take my new cars to the dealership to be serviced, I just sourced genuine filters and oil that meets Ford's specs and had my mechanic do it all and had minimal issues with claiming warranty.

Truth ^^. Unless you get roped into a contract for extended warranty which states you MUST get serviced at the dealer I have absolutely no idea at all why anyone would. Even brand newys. Fixed price service on my ranger and I still get it done for less than half the dealer price. Rip off deluxe.

SYZ · 11-01-2016, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlipXW

Unless you get roped into a contract for extended warranty which states you MUST get serviced at the dealer I have absolutely no idea at all why anyone would. Even brand newys.

Agree completely. My partner drives a newish Suzuki SX4 AWD (the Japanese version, not the Hungarian-made!) and Suzuki Australia try and suck you in to paying over the odds "fixed" servicing costs if you wanna increase your warranty period from 3 years to 5 years. Of course it's a con job.

We said stuff the extra 2 years, and take it to our local mechanic who does a book service for around $100 to $150 less than the Suzuki dealership. We figured the nebulous extra 2 years wasn't worth the extra bucks. It's a trap for young players though, as you'll notice Suzuki ads invariably mention a "Five Year Warranty". Which is—technically—not untrue, but it helped suck us in somewhat.

mechanic · 11-01-2016, 08:59 AM

The mechanics at the dealership will be the same mechanics that were working for a privately owned garage a week ago and vice versa.
How do I know this? Because I worked for dealerships and small business garages for about 30 years.
It's the same in NZ, or it was in the early 70's when I worked there.
Mechanics keep changing workplaces looking for a better deal, there's no career path and it's a very limiting choice of work.
The only option is open your own business, whether you're a dealership trained mechanic or not won't influence how good your service to the public will be.
Dealerships have to pay salespeople and their salary has to come from somewhere.

Bit of a rant but that's just my 2c

Windsor220 · 10-01-2016, 11:42 PM

Genuine parts that are proven and people that are familiar with the cars. Whether you can afford it is another thing.

Carrion · 11-01-2016, 12:31 AM

Made me LOL

katefactor · 11-01-2016, 07:14 AM

The other side is as a buyer would you put more value on a car that has been regularly dealer serviced from new

STINKY NINJA · 13-01-2016, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katefactor

The other side is as a buyer would you put more value on a car that has been regularly dealer serviced from new

Unfortunately I agree,most people that buy second hand cars know nothing about cars or mechanics and would instantly think genuine servicing is better and means its always been done correctly...
Just because a mechanic works at a stealership it doesn't mean hes good at his job.

SumoDog68 · 11-01-2016, 08:36 AM

For a new car that's under warranty dealers can be a good option . They have access to factory training and diagnostic equipment. They follow up with recalls but are generally more expensive. Key is finding a well run local dealer which is not always easy.

**Polyal** · 11-01-2016, 09:14 AM

Really depends on the car and where you are, for example Im not to sure where I will take our Citroen out here, closest Euro dealer is 2hrs away and thats a fir hike for a general service.

I really only want an OEM dealer so they have the right software to check for faults, otherwise its all just standard mechanical stuff.

sexyxe · 11-01-2016, 01:19 PM

I plan on keeping my car for a long time... So I do it myself.

If it was my Mum or GF though, I'd send them to a local not a dealer.

Qwerty321 · 11-01-2016, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexyxe

I plan on keeping my car for a long time... So I do it myself.

If it was my Mum or GF though, I'd send them to a local not a dealer.

Yea I try do whatever work I can on my car myself. I find it works out a lot cheaper and I know for sure that my car is getting the good stuff. Just the other week I flushed and replaced the radiator coolant myself (The old coolant was atrocious) and I worked out to only cost me $80 including buying a drain pan and getting the good coolant etc. and took about 1 hour. My local wanted $200 for the job.

The only times I'd go to a local is if it's a big job and I don't have the equipment and/or the equipment is too costly to buy. Or if it's just something I'm not confident doing, like the braking system. The dealer on the other hand, I'd only ever go to a dealer if it was immobilizer related.

NX74205 · 12-01-2016, 03:20 AM

Mine goes to the dealer. Have done since new and will continue to do so as long as I own it, and as long as they don't give me a reason not to go back. Why?

1. I like having genuine Ford parts on my car.
2. I like the service I'm getting from my dealer.
3. I like the fact that I get to try out new Fords for a day when I take a loan car. I've driven the Fiesta, Focus, Kuga, Falcon and Territory as loan cars. Right now, my dealer has LWII Focus Trend and TFII Kuga Trend TDCi AWD in their loan car fleet.

sprintman1 · 12-01-2016, 05:47 AM

The worst mechanics and I use that term loosely are at dealerships. The worst of the worst are at the Ford stealership I worked at. You'd have to be half brain dead and have more money than sense to trust your vehicle to the average Ford dealership!

katefactor · 12-01-2016, 08:35 AM

You will get good and bad everywhere you just have to do your homework and learn by experience. Hobart is not that big that we get a choice of factory dealerships and so far my ranger services have been perfect. They are always on time, have a pre inspection with you before hand and mark any damage etc on the car. Been happy with the costs and have never had to go back because something wasn't done correctly. You could argue about this all day but it suits me today, tomorrow we will see.
On the other side I left the local Toyota dealer because my Cruiser managed to get a big dent in the back bumper during a service which they took no responsibility for. They just leave the cars in their public car park till they are ready so bad luck where the Ford dealer takes your car out the back. Not to say the same won't happen but at least with an inspection prior there is no room to argue responsibility.

Stefan · 12-01-2016, 08:45 AM

Sound silly, but I'll take my F6 R-Spec to get it's 60K km service to Ford just to have a Ford dealer stamp in the log book, as opposed to some mechanic.

Service will be under $650 with brake fluid change, if I go local mechanic I bet I'll still get slugged over $500 if I roll up to get a service in an FPV. Likely a small premium to get a dealer service.

However, I'd not get ford to change pads and discs on my Brembos as I'll likely need a small personal loan to pay for that type of work.

4vxc · 12-01-2016, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

Sound silly, but I'll take my F6 R-Spec to get it's 60K km service to Ford just to have a Ford dealer stamp in the log book, as opposed to some mechanic.

Service will be under $650 with brake fluid change, if I go local mechanic I bet I'll still get slugged over $500 if I roll up to get a service in an FPV. Likely a small premium to get a dealer service.

However, I'd not get ford to change pads and discs on my Brembos as I'll likely need a small personal loan to pay for that type of work.

mate, you're being paranoid if you had a local independent that you had a good relationship with I cant see why you wouldn't use him. Its not a problem for any workshop to use genuine oils and filters. Its not a exotic car like some crazy Euro cars, only servicing a Falcon at the end of the day.
The guys don't get exited when a F6 or whatever rolls in.
Where I work all sorts of cars come in for the first service and stay there for the life of the vehicle. Will not effect your warranty like people who don't know any better think.

Stefan · 12-01-2016, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4vxc

mate, you're being paranoid if you had a local independent that you had a good relationship with I cant see why you wouldn't use him. Its not a problem for any workshop to use genuine oils and filters. Its not a exotic car like some crazy Euro cars, only servicing a Falcon at the end of the day.
The guys don't get exited when a F6 or whatever rolls in.
Where I work all sorts of cars come in for the first service and stay there for the life of the vehicle. Will not effect your warranty like people who don't know any better think.

You're right....but last independent service cost me $500 for a basic no frills service, 60K service on my F6 quoted at $550 at Fraud....and I get a free car if I book early. So Fraud is better value.

Wasn't paranoid about the service just saying I'd rather get a Ford Dealer stamp in the log book and for simple servicing they're not much more expensive.

theBlake · 12-01-2016, 08:32 AM

The dealers pay a commission to the mechanics for any extra consumables they recommend during the service. One mechanic told me many of his colleagues just replace things unnecessarily to get their commission up.

I remember the old days mechanics would put all the parts they replaced in the boot so you could check. Nobody seems to do that anymore.

Franco Cozzo · 12-01-2016, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theBlake

The dealers pay a commission to the mechanics for any extra consumables they recommend during the service. One mechanic told me many of his colleagues just replace things unnecessarily to get their commission up.

I remember the old days mechanics would put all the parts they replaced in the boot so you could check. Nobody seems to do that anymore.

The service department I worked at, to make bonus you had to clear over $10,000 minimum a day over a week period to get the bonus.

Team effort between the service counter and mechanics to upsell everything, you'd be doing power steering fluid flushes on cars with 40,000km and doing them every service or AC deodorise.

katefactor · 12-01-2016, 11:22 AM

[QUOTE=Big Damo;5561441]The service department I worked at, to make bonus you had to clear over $10,000 minimum a day over a week period to get the bonus.

I remember back in the 80's my local service station used to get bonuses like holidays etc for selling the most oil, I knew one of them really well. What they did was to check the oil of every car in the driveway service and add some oil. You can always sneak in another half a pint even when full

Windsor220 · 12-01-2016, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Damo

The service department I worked at, to make bonus you had to clear over $10,000 minimum a day over a week period to get the bonus.

Team effort between the service counter and mechanics to upsell everything, you'd be doing power steering fluid flushes on cars with 40,000km and doing them every service or AC deodorise.

The dealers may be the worst at it but this happens at most workshops. Not just the dealers. They sell as much as possible to make the most they can to cover the bills. Its getting worse atm because work has been dying down so they try and make more on each car. The advantages of being a mobile mechanic is there are no overheads. I dont need to sell everything to make money. Customers like that.

Franco Cozzo · 12-01-2016, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windsor220

The dealers may be the worst at it but this happens at most workshops. Not just the dealers. They sell as much as possible to make the most they can to cover the bills. Its getting worse atm because work has been dying down so they try and make more on each car. The advantages of being a mobile mechanic is there are no overheads. I dont need to sell everything to make money. Customers like that.

I've got my own workshop, my competition left a workshop and has gone mobile.

The issue with mobile is while you have no overheads, you're also crawling around on the ground, out in the weather and you're limited to what you can take out to your jobs, plus you have to work in customers driveways or out and about.

The issue with my workshop is I've got big overheads

Qwerty321 · 12-01-2016, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theBlake

The dealers pay a commission to the mechanics for any extra consumables they recommend during the service. One mechanic told me many of his colleagues just replace things unnecessarily to get their commission up.

I remember the old days mechanics would put all the parts they replaced in the boot so you could check. Nobody seems to do that anymore.

My local just leaves it in a pile next to the car. He always talks you through everything though. He'll show you what was wrong with the part and why it needed changing.

sexyxe · 12-01-2016, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qwerty321

My local just leaves it in a pile next to the car. He always talks you through everything though. He'll show you what was wrong with the part and why it needed changing.

That's great customer service

Itsme · 12-01-2016, 08:41 AM

Quote:

The worst mechanics and I use that term loosely are at dealerships. The worst of the worst are at the Ford stealership I worked at. You'd have to be half brain dead and have more money than sense to trust your vehicle to the average Ford dealership!

Bit odd this comment, my mechanic I now use is an ex ford dealer mechanic which I must say his quality of work is excellent, you would get good & bad mechanics at dealerships & independent businesses, this is what I have experienced over the years using both.

99AUXR · 12-01-2016, 10:04 AM

Last service I did was like touch over NZD$300 on a GT, genuine filter and castrol oil. You guys get ripped.

Me If I was getting my car serviced? I would go a decent place recommend by someone.

vztrt · 12-01-2016, 10:48 AM

I've had rubbish independent and good independent mechanics.

The dealership is an interesting one as I've noticed an improvement over the years at my local Ford one.

I've priced up a proper log book service at good independents and they're not much cheaper. I get free roadside with Ford so it actually works out to be a better price.....I've also had warranty work out of the warranty period approved quickly cause the servicing is done through a dealer. They're also close.

Funny enough went to an independent for my wifes old XR. I wanted a proper logbook service (I stated this over the phone) and was told a price (funny enough Ford pricing). Also had the coolant changed at the same time.

After picking it up the wife noticed the log book hadn't been stamped. So I was in the bad books because I said to go here. I had to go back and I was told that they don't do log book servicing but they do their special servicing. Personally I don't care. I asked for a log book service for a reason. The bit that got me really worried was the fact that they thought the car was an auto.

Funny enough the coolant change wasn't done properly and was about 800ml out. Which I replaced and never lost till the car was traded about 18 months later.

This car went back to Ford for servicing after that. Also I won't go to the independent anymore because the trust was lost. Also I cannot recommend them.

But there are Ford dealerships I wouldn't touch with a 10ft pole.

1970galaxie · 12-01-2016, 11:20 AM

I can't see why you'd pay an apprentice at a dealership to check your brake lights, indicators, air conditioning, top up windshield washer etc at probably around $130 an hour, when you can do it yourself.

I remember when I bought my BA XR8 ute brand new, I used to get the dealership to do the servicing while it was under warranty. Just before the very last service, I topped up the windshield washer bottle to see what would happen. Yep, they charged me at the service for the same top up. Never went back again.