LexusMan77

So where do you guys take your car for maintenance, the dealership or local shop?

Wondering if its worth it to take my car to the local shop rather than drive out to the further dealership(Longo Lexus/Toyota). I'm afraid though that the local shop might not do as well of a job as the dealership. The warranty on my car has expired so in terms of price going to the local shop will be cheaper than going to the dealer. Any opinions or advice?

chrisyano

I don't think there is a clear cut answer to this question. You could come down on either side of the line and create a completely defensible reason why you chose that side.

My thoughts are that the service department has worked on a lot more of my model than a local shop. They have more initmate knowledge about the workings of MY car, not cars IN GENERAL. They also have direct access to the newest information available on their own cars.

I just did a bunch of little things (recalls and a few of my warranty nitpicks) and my guy went out of his way to fix at least four or five things that I hadn't even brought up (or noticed) and had them covered under warranty. Yours is expired, so I guess that point is moot.

A good mechanic can do the same for your car if you have one. The specific knowledge of a dealership comes at a premium and only you can decide if it's worth the extra money. I like this car, so this time it is worth the money to me.

<VENOM>

Depends what your getting done, But I have found dealers are usually right on the money when it comes to having competitive prices with outside shops, check your local Toyota dealers, slightly cheaper then the Lexus dealer and some have Lexus days

You also have to think about peace of mind with dealerships, if you go to a local shop and you feel like your pulling in, in a Bugatti, thats the 1st sign to get the hell out of their, nothing makes me feel better then a shop owner telling me they have never worked on my car before, but will figure it out and work slow.

Local shops lack of knowledge on cars is scary and will cause you added money issues in the long run, but everyone needs to take that hit where they then realize I should of just brought it to the dealer in the 1st place, would have cost the same

IS-SV

Lexus --> dealer (mostly annual Mobil 1 oil changes, only costly major svcs are at 30K intervals, service is excellent)
Mercedes --> independent MB master tech (verified cost - 30% cheaper than dealer and better service at 13K intervals w/Mobil 1)
Jeep --> independent tech (haven't done the math on savings versus dealer, but service parts are so cheap for these things it hardly matters)

Och

iTrader: (3)

This is what I do.

1) Whether its maintenance or a problem, I first research it and learn what and how needs to be done.

2) Buy my own parts, and if possible do the work myself.

3) If doing the work myself isn't viable, I take the parts to the local shop and WATCH the mechanics work on my car, often telling them what to do and what goes where. If you dont watch them, they will often mess up, or just do a sloppy job, not put all the bolts where they belong, etc. This is the reason I don't like to go to dealerships - they don't let you in the work area.

RXSF

Its hard to trust an independent mechanic, unless you know them personally. I find myself going back to the dealer, but my SA goes out of his way for me. Specifically, loaners for just quick oil changes, and even fixing some things on "goodwill" even when Im out of warranty

Sup2jzgte

+10000000

I have been kicked out of bays before because I told the guy who was changing my tired to use a torques wrench to tighten the lugs, he looked at me confused. So I again told him not to use the impact gun to put my wheels on, he then told me to leave the bay........which pissed me off and I spoke with his sup and come to find out....THEY DONT HAVE ANY TORQUES WRENCHES IN THE ENTIRE SHOP! Needless to say that was the last time I brought my car to Firestone for tires.

The other example of BS I have encountered is at the local Toyota Dealer paid for a new starter to be installed..........well they replaced the starter alright., but just the motor with one from Napa billed me Toyota pricing and full labor.

IS-SV

Agreed on all of your notes.

I found a independent certified Master Tech for my Mercedes that I now know very well (he used to work at the dealer where I personally know a tech).

But for the Lexus, the dealer service is 1st class and not overly expensive and the perks you mentioned are hard to beat. I have an excellent SA that really knows and loves cars (and motorcycles too), his advice has been excellent without unnecessary upsell attempts on service.

Och

iTrader: (3)

I trust an independent mechanic more than I trust the dealer. First of all, I go to them same shop so I more or less know the owner and all the mechanics. In a big dealership managers change all the time, and you never get to know the mechanics who are actually working on your car.

Then I also tip the mechanics pretty well, they appreciate it and take extra care when working on my cars. So given the choice I prefer independent shops over dealership.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Dealer for warranty issues and a friend's shop for other maintenance.

516IS

iTrader: (12)

+1, my mechanic is a good friend of mine and I have trust him with all my cars through out the years...

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

+2. At least in So Cal, there are a number of independent guys that do fantastic work. A lot of them are former Lexus master techs too so I trust them