Servicing. Dealership v local garage help please

[HH62]

My car is now almost 3 years old and it needs both a service and of course MOT. I've never dealt with an older car before, so never had to MOT one, and prior to buying this one, I just automatically had my car serviced at the main dealer.

What are the pros and cons of having it done at the dealership against a local independent garage with a good reputation? The local garage also does MOTs', so I was thinking of having them service and MOT it at the same time, if possible.
Sorry if this is a stupid question but as I said, this is the first time I've had to consider this.
It's a Seat if that makes any difference....

[Silk]

Hi HH,
IMO the local independent garage with a good reputation wins hands down most of the time.
The thing to consider though is if the car is still under warranty it might be worth sticking it in the dealers for an MOT so that if it fails on anything that is covered it can be done

[nomoneytoday]

IMHO it depends on how long you intend to keep it.

[HH62]

Ok, I'll check the warranty.- 3 year warranty.

I can't see me selling it within the next two years.

[iNath]

My car will turn 3 on 6th July. You can have an MOT up to a month before it's due so I've booked mine in for next week. I'm taking it to my main (Ford) dealer because if it fails on anything that should be covered by warranty I will get them to do it. They're charging £39 for an MOT which seems pretty reasonable.

[nomoneytoday]

Once a car is 5 or 6 years old the difference in value between a main dealer serviced car and an indy serviced car will probably be minimal, unless it's something special.

[Ivrytwr3]

i agree with inath. As it's still in warranty get it done by the dealer. Next time take it anywhere!!

I just had this this week, but my MOT was £54 at a Main Dealer :(

[HH62]

Ok, I've booked it in at the dealer.
Thanks everyone much appreciated...just another woman with a daft car question!;)

[Chippy Minton]

I'm taking it to my main (Ford) dealer because if it fails on anything that should be covered by warranty I will get them to do it.



:rotfl:Don't bet on it. Anything a three year old car fails on isn't likely to be covered on warranty.:rotfl:

[zzzLazyDaisy]

My car had a 3 year warranty so I had it serviced and MOT'd through the dealer for the first three years (the first 2 years services were free anyway).

Now I have it done by a local man who was recommended to me. He collects my car, does what needs doing, and brings it back to me - and he's cheaper than the dealer.

[jeannieblue]

Go to the dealer for the MOT?? Why?? Are they really wanting to find a warranty problem that they will not make alot of money out of??

It would make alot more sense to go independent. If they find a problem then you go back to the dealer to get them to sort it before it is three years old.

I'd get if serviced independently too - from first service onwards. Independent garage is not going to avoid warranty problems - just point them out. Think about it. Dealers get very little from manufacturers to put problems right that are warranty. So they tend not to care that much. - I am generalising and not suggesting all dealers are like this :rolleyes:

[gilbert and sullivan]

A lot depends on how you much faith/trust you have in the car manufacturer and the dealership in particular you use.

Should something drastic go wrong in the next 12 months, is your gut feeling that the dealer/maker will bend over backwards to offer some goodwill towards the problem?
If you feel they are responsible and trustworthy it may be worth the extra cost of this service/mot for peace of mind (have they offered a 4th year warranty yet?).

If however they are a bunch of sharks, then find a good independent and forget them.