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Servicing Your Vehicle With Us
Let's face it, vehicle owners are not thrilled about spending money when it comes to servicing their vehicles.
Many consumers believe that new car dealerships are more expensive than independent garages or other retail franchise operations. This is not necessarily true. Pricing on repairs at new car dealerships is extremely competitive. In fact, with menu-priced items (menu pricing is a discounted flat fee charged for a particular maintenance service), new car dealerships quite often offer pricing that is equal to, or below, what you would pay at other service establishments. This ?menu pricing? is very competitive, and is clearly posted in the Service Department. Most new car dealerships offer menu pricing on a host of services, such as oil changes, tune ups, and brake repairs. With this type of pricing, customers know ?up front? what their repair costs will be.
Service Departments post a ?door rate? for various repair services. The ?door rate? is the hourly rate charged (by dealers) that generally applies to non ?menu? items such as engine repairs, transmission work, often front-end and other general repairs. When these menu priced items are taken into consideration, the average per hour charge by the new car dealership?s Service Department is actually 15-20% below the posted hourly rate. This is known as the ?effective? hourly rate. When one compares these rates along with our required investment in our facilities, to other industries (such as Accounting, Legal, I.T., or skilled Trades), our rates offer the consumer excellent value.
What exactly are consumers paying for when they have their vehicles serviced at a new car dealership? The prices charged for service work cover a wide range of inherent costs, including the expertise of the service management, service advisors and technicians, state-of-the-art diagnostic shop equipment, and facility requirements. New car dealerships are committed to continuous training of their service staff, who must be kept apprised of the car manufacturers? latest mechanical specifications and technologies. We also employ technicians with high skill levels that primarily specialize in those makes and models that we sell. Our manufacturer supplies us with the latest information about these vehicles. This includes methods on more efficient and effective ways to solve a repair problem.
Central data collection (by our manufacturer) on more ?frequent? repairs is accessible on- line by your new car dealer. All leading to a quicker and more accurate diagnosis and repair. Recall information and warranty repair history are also available only through your new car dealer. Depending on the circumstances, if your vehicle has been serviced regularly at a new car dealership a manufacturer may even be prepared to participate financially in the repair after the warranty has expired.
New car dealerships use manufacturer-approved replacement parts. Can you be assured that other independent garages do the same? For example, oil filters can vary in their effectiveness in screening out contaminants in your oil (which one does your vehicle have?).
New car dealerships compete with one another on many levels, including price, level of service, quality of work performed, and convenience.
Along with the quality of work, remaining competitive in price is one of the ways to ensure that consumers are satisfied with the service that they receive. When customers are completely satisfied, they are more likely to return to the same dealership the next time they require service, or when they wish to purchase a new vehicle.
New car dealers have a vested interest in remaining price competitive. They compete to earn your trust and continued business, and they cannot achieve this if they charge unfair prices for repairs. Whether you require an oil change or an engine repair, it is in your best interest to have your vehicle serviced at a new car dealership.
Convenience is another important advantage that new car dealers offer. Many provide shuttle services, express service bays, complimentary loaner cars, extended hours, and the convenience of booking your appointment on-line.
In the past year, many new car dealers have improved their customer satisfaction ratings. According to J.D. Power and Associates 2003 Customer Service Index, satisfaction with dealer service has improved industry-wide by eight points over 2002. This latest study reflects the fourth consecutive improvement since the study was established in 1999. The same study reported that quality improvements in manufacturing are reducing the need for warranty repairs and that routine vehicle maintenance completed at new car dealerships has increased to 57% in 2003, compared to 47% in 1999. Quite often a repair is attempted at another independent service garage in the hope of a less expensive ?fix?. In some cases we find the vehicle eventually returns to the new car dealership, for a correct diagnosis and/or to repair the problem.
New car manufacturers rate their dealerships on customer satisfaction, either through their own evaluation, or that of an independent party. In fact, new car dealerships are required by their manufacturer to maintain very high customer satisfaction ratings. Many of these ratings are derived from the Service Department. Note that most independents are not measured in this fashion.
Whatever type of service is provided, from regular maintenance to warranty repairs, dealers take customer satisfaction very seriously. So, the next time you require maintenance or repairs to your vehicle, consider all the advantages of dealing directly with the Service Department of your New Car Dealership.
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