Car dealerships: We have a love/hate relationship with them. We love the excitement of buying a new car, that moment when, after the last papers are signed, the keys are handed over to you; you walk out to the lot, click the key fob and climb into your new car. There’s nothing like it.
But months later, returning to the car dealer service department and hearing “oh lady, you got a problem,” well, there’s almost nothing else as nausea-inducing.
Many people try to avoid going back to the dealer for service because it can be expensive; authorized service departments generally charge more for labor, and most service department advisors are on commission, so their suggestions can result in expensive bills for services that weren’t necessary. However, there are reasons that a visit to a car service dealer can be necessary or even unavoidable. Going a different route, from a private mechanic to DIY repairs, may actually be worse in the long run.
This story is 100% human researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
What Makes the Car Dealer Service Department Special?
Dealerships maintain a service department in order to service and repair the cars they sell, as well as others from that brand or brand family. Their service technicians are trained by the brand and have a direct line to the brand’s engineers to help them diagnose and repair issues, especially new ones that may pop up on new models or with new engines.
Dealership service departments also have direct access to manufacturer-built parts, recall information and technical service bulletins. Technical service bulletins are sort of a pre-recall notice sent to service departments letting them know that an issue has come to the company’s attention, but it hasn’t reached recall status.
Car dealer service departments can also perform more routine maintenance and repairs such as oil changes, tire rotation and fluid top-offs, though they typically charge a higher rate for labor, so it may be worth going to another mechanic for these services, as long as they are qualified and use the right parts on your car.
Before Making An Appointment, Know These Basics
Before having service of any sort done at a car dealership service department, be sure to:
- Go to an authorized dealership; you don’t need to go to the dealership where you purchased your car
- Get a diagnosis and a list of suggested work to be done, with a cost estimate
- Approve all work before it’s performed
- You can decline suggested work items that you don’t want done
- Not everything on the work estimate will need to be done immediately; ask which items are urgent and which are suggested and get a timeline for those repairs
- Understand if any items are included under your car’s warranty; some cars come with included maintenance for several years
- If work is expensive or seems pricey, shop around; call other dealers for an estimate
- It’s fair to negotiate the repair bill estimate by asking the service manager to discount some of the items or offer them complimentary
- It’s fair to take your car elsewhere (as long as it’s safe to drive) for a repair if you don’t think the estimate or your treatment is fair
1. Warranty Repairs Should Always Be Done at a Car Dealer
This one is easy: the car maker maintains and pays for the warranty, so any work done while your car is under warranty is at the manufacturer’s expense, not yours. Don’t put off any work that may fall under warranty; you don’t want the problem to get worse, the warranty to expire, or other factors impact it and void the warranty.
Also, look closely at any suggested repairs or maintenance that isn’t under warranty and get a second opinion if it’s a pricey suggestion. New cars should not need a lot of attention.
2. The Car Dealer Service Department is the Only Place for Recall Repairs
If your car has a recall—and that’s not necessarily a scary thing, recalls can be simple fixes for small things—call and get an appointment right away. To know if there’s a recall on your car, set up a Google alert; you may not always get a note in the mail or see it on your app. Recall repairs will be covered by the car maker and should not incur any cost to you, and you have the security that it’s being done by authorized and manufacturer-trained and certified service techs.
Even if your car is not under warranty, take it to the car dealer service department for recall repairs; you’ll be sure it’s done right and you’re not charged for the fix. If you bought a used car, you can always run your VIN through the NHTSA’s database for active recalls. If anything pops up, then you can call your local dealership and verify it hasn’t been done already. If it hasn’t, make an appointment ASAP.
3. Check For Technical Service Bulletins
If you suspect there’s an issue with your car, ask the dealer service department if there’s a technical service bulletin on your car. Dealers are not required to notify owners when these are issued and repairs may not be offered for free.
If an issue is found and a technical service bulletin is issued, ask for the repair to be covered by the manufacturer or dealer. If your car is under warranty, the repair should be free, and you’ll get ahead of a recall if there is one.
4. Specialized Repairs Should Be Done By Authorized Techs
There’s a lot of highly technical equipment on cars, from sensors to screens to motorized computer-connected components. Many of these are repairable with a software update; others will require special equipment, or training, or both. The factory-trained car dealer service technician is the one to go to for diagnosing and fixing these issues.
5. Software Updates Will Improve Your Drive Experience
This is another one to set up a Google alert for and to keep tabs on in your car’s app. Mostly, these updates will be free and may do things like fix bugs, update functions and perhaps even give you better fuel economy, longer EV range, or let you change the wake word that the voice-activated assistant responds to.
Because there are dozens of computers in a car and not all of them are connected, updates may need to be done at the dealership, though over-the-air updates are becoming more common—but you may still need to schedule and activate the update.
6. Equipment Upgrades Should Be Done By an Authorized Tech
This one can be crazy scary: You decide to lift your SUV an inch and add all-terrain tires for better off-roading and find out… you’ve voided your warranty. Before doing any modification work on your car while it’s under warranty, double-check to make sure it’s allowable; some modifications will change how the car’s systems work and the manufacturer won’t take responsibility for malfunctions or breakdowns.
However, by taking it to the authorized car dealer service department, you can likely work around that issue. If they are authorized to do the lift and tire install, your warranty will remain in good standing.
7. Mystery Ills Other Mechanics Can’t Figure Out
This one happened to me: my 10-year-old car had a ghost in the machine and my trusted mechanic couldn’t figure it out. Luckily, he knew it was beyond him; he didn’t have the diagnosis capability for these electrical issues and recommended that I take it to the car dealer service department. I did and found it wasn’t something I wanted to deal with, so I sold the car.
I was glad my mechanic was honest with me, but had I taken the car to him twice for the same issue and not had it solved, I would have gone to the dealer anyway for a diagnosis. After all, they are closer to the issue, can get an engineer from the car maker on the phone (called TechLine) and have more experience with the brand overall. It may be more expensive, but in the long run, it’s often the best thing to do to ensure your car delivers you the dependable and delightful experience you expect.
