Get car serviced at main dealer or local garage?

Supersonos

I have an 18 month old Land Rover that needs a serivce. I've had Land Rovers for several years and have always taken it to the dealer, but I can't say I've ever been that impressed, and the bill is very high (for what I believe is essentially an oil change).

We have a very friendly, highly recommended local garage who I would trust more to do a good, honest job. But can I take my car there? Or is it better to take a Land Rover to a Land Rover dealer?

roddydogs

But if something goes wrong under warranty, who do you think the MD will favour?

Bigphil1474

As above, if there's anything in any warranty, you may need to go to dealer. Having said that, I have some vague recollection of some new EU directive saying that you can't be tied to a dealer for new cars. Check the T&C's. Otherwise, I'd go with the local trusted garage if it was me.

Supersonos

But am I right in thinking that a service is just changing the oil and some filters?

missile

Supersonos wrote: »

But am I right in thinking that a service is just changing the oil and some filters?

No:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Supersonos

missile wrote: »

No:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Care to explain? I don't doubt they "check" a few other things, but these days, I'd imagine my car will quickly tell me when my brake fluid is low or a bulb has gone.

izzy65

Supersonos wrote: »

Care to explain? I don't doubt they "check" a few other things, but these days, I'd imagine my car will quickly tell me when my brake fluid is low or a bulb has gone.

Why not ask the garage whats involved in say service A or service C, sure they would give you a parts breakdown.

motorguy

Supersonos wrote: »

I have an 18 month old Land Rover that needs a serivce. I've had Land Rovers for several years and have always taken it to the dealer, but I can't say I've ever been that impressed, and the bill is very high (for what I believe is essentially an oil change).

We have a very friendly, highly recommended local garage who I would trust more to do a good, honest job. But can I take my car there? Or is it better to take a Land Rover to a Land Rover dealer?

Totally totally totally get it serviced by LR while its inside warranty and also for a period when its outside of warranty where you may get a contribution if theres a major failure.

You'd get the software updates applied to the car, any updates relating to recalls, the warranty will remain intact and any warranty repairs will be done as part of that too.

Your local friendly indie will do an oil and filter change and leave it at that.

DONT let LR to any routine maintenance - tyres etc - as you will invariably get those done cheaper elsewhere.

almillar

Care to explain? I don't doubt they "check" a few other things, but these days, I'd imagine my car will quickly tell me when my brake fluid is low or a bulb has gone.

For the high prices you've been paying, you should have been getting sheets showing everything they're checking. My wife gets a video from her Audi dealership!


If it's in warranty, it's hard to get away from the dealership servicing, if anything goes wrong, it's just one less thing for them to argue over.

missile

Supersonos wrote: »

Care to explain? I don't doubt they "check" a few other things, but these days, I'd imagine my car will quickly tell me when my brake fluid is low or a bulb has gone.

What's to explain, read your service book. However it seems you don't do basic checks, so I guess you will not bother :j

fred246

Have you ever noticed that main dealers have big shiny showrooms full of staff doing nothing? Who pays for that? There isn't much profit in new cars, a little in selling used cars. Part of the deal of being a franchised garage is that you can sell services at rip off prices. You have brochures telling the public that you have specialist technicians etc. when in reality there is nothing specialised about an oil change. No survey of garages have ever shown main dealers to be better. There is no reason why they would be. In fact surveys of garage services show them to be universally poor. The best way of servicing a car and the only way to know it has been done properly is to do it yourself.