Is it ever better to get your car fixed at the dealer?

I have an 08 Speed3 and while I try to do my own maintenance, sometimes I need to take the car to someone else because I'm a very good mechanic yet(typically if I get a check engine light I'm not going to know what to replace, for example). I have been taking the car to a Mazda dealer for service because I feel like they should have more expertise with the car. I would think that they have better access to parts, service manuals, and any applicable TSBs to help solve whatever the issue is. Is there any truth to this? Am I just throwing my money away by going to a dealer instead of a local shop?

Does it "need" a manual trans fluid change?

Really it's going to depend on what service it's in for. Oil change, spark plugs on an inline four, new battery... probably a waste of money if you're at all savvy.

That said, potential buyers LOVE to see a fat stack of dealer maintenence and service receipts. I see no shame in dealer service if you have the money.

My Elantra has never seen the inside of the Hyundai Service department.

If I have my way it never will.

They did look at my odometer once. See the mpg recall.

I do all the maintenance stuff (oil, plugs, tranny fluid, etc) myself. I'm talking about stuff that requires an actual diagnosis like: CEL says the car is too rich but I know the plugs are good and I've already tried cleaning the MAF. Is there an advantage to using the dealer instead of a local shop?

Routine stuff, no. Specialty, or difficult stuff, yes. As long as you have a dealer you can trust, I would.

If its under warranty, yes. If its a 28 year old 4Runner like I have , hell no. I use an extremely reputable independent shop in town for stuff I can't or won't do.

Unless its Brilliance Honda of Woodstock. They suck.

I like the idea of building a maint history with the dealer during the warranty period. That way if you have a problem after the warranty expires you have a much better chance of getting a 'good will' repair.

JohnRW1621 wrote: Does it "need" a manual trans fluid change?

it's a Mazda not a Honda from Hennessy Honda of Woodstock Ga (I've heard that they suck)

JohnRW1621 wrote: Does it "need" a manual trans fluid change?

Exactly, they wanted to change my brake fluid and do fuel service at 30k miles...

Changing the brake fluid isn't a bad idea. More and more manufacturers are recommending regular changes.

Fuel service? Well.......

Daily driver with warranty = dealership.

My classic and race car = I do my own work ;)

There are great dealerships, and there are stealerships. If you trust yours, then no worries. Keep in mind though that the factory recommends ALL KINDS OF STUFF, mostly created by lawyers and marketing folks. Be ready to spend a little more to get lots of little things done. The upside is that your car will probably run forever.

pinchvalve wrote: There are great dealerships, and there are stealerships. If you trust yours, then no worries. Keep in mind though that the factory recommends ALL KINDS OF STUFF, mostly created by lawyers and marketing folks. Be ready to spend a little more to get lots of little things done. The upside is that your car will probably run forever.

Exactly. You have to be smart about what you are spending your money on at that time. Just because they say you need it doesn't mean today, although the poor schlep working flat rate wants it done today.

CrashDummy wrote: I do all the maintenance stuff (oil, plugs, tranny fluid, etc) myself. I'm talking about stuff that requires an actual diagnosis like: CEL says the car is too rich but I know the plugs are good and I've already tried cleaning the MAF. Is there an advantage to using the dealer instead of a local shop?

Its hit or miss... I have seen cars that have been back and forth to dealerships for diagnosis that never got fixed, that I was able to fix... Sometimes this happens because of the procedures the tech in a dealership is taught to follow (dealerships tend to create robots that don't think outside box a lot for diagnosing) Not all are like this though..

Sometimes dealerships are bad for diagnosing because they don't sell the proper amount of time for a tech to properly diagnose a car either... People don't seem to relize that diagnostics takes a minimun and hour to properly check out. No body wants to pay for diagnostics, everyone thinks its simple to hook up a scanner pull a code and replace a part.. Thats not true.. Dealer ship techs are often flat rate, so if they aren't given enough time then it gets the quick educated "guess".. This happens at independent shops as well. Independent shops just tend to have a little more flexibility.

I have had cases where dealerships repeat experience does make them better at finding common "odd" problems on cars.. Their programming equipment is often better and more reliable...

There are pro's and con's to both, there is no cut or dry answer... I would recommend you find a place the gives you the best service.. But you wont get good service anywhere if you are asking them to diagnose the car and then taking it away to fix it... That creates a whole new set of problems that can create a CEL light to keep coming on..

My '03 TDI has never seen the inside of a dealership for service (the car was there once for the "free" inspection, but after they berked me on that - charging me for an emissions inspection a 2003 diesel car doesn't get in PA, I've never been back). If I needed a special tool to fix something, I bought it. Fortunately, there is a good online source for service and repair info about the Mk IV with a ALH engine. Of course, this was brought about by two things - a general lack of trust in dealers for TDI service back in 2003-04 and the fact I blew through the warranty period in less than two years. With the increased popularity of TDI's in recent years, I would "hope" dealer tech knowledge/training has improved...

I have a folder full of every maintenance and repair receipt since I bought the car with the mileage written on it when the work was done as well as an Excel spreadsheet covering mpg history since day-one along with service notes.

Know your own capabilities? Is there a better-than-even chance the dealership will screw it up worse than you?

I say 50/50.

If you have the time and interest, do it yourself. Nobody will care about your car more than you do. You're probably more likely to break out the torque wrench rather than sinching a bolt with the impact or air ratchet. Or back off when you aren't quite sure if it is cross-threaded, rather than running it on down.

I do pretty much everything myself, although automatic transmission work gets farmed out to independent shops and most tires go to the local tire chain (manual changer beats up alloy wheels, doesn't work well for thinner than a 55 or 60 series tire, and doesn't balance or align). I do keep all the receipts, though, so I can document what was done to the car and when.

My Ford van was purchased from my mother-in-law who bought it new and got an extended warranty on it. When it had a misfire problem, I took it to the local Ford dealer since there was some of that extended warranty left and while the warranty was no good for that particular problem (shocker!), the solution was a $90 re-flash of the ECU. I know I would have never found that on my own, and I'm not sure if an independent shop would have had the knowledge about that bug and/or the equipment to update the ECU for me. So I guess there are some advantages.

CrashDummy wrote: Am I just throwing my money away by going to a dealer instead of a local shop?

Probably. As others have said, if you're talking about warranty work, that's a different story. Then it needs to go to a dealer. I'd also be OK with a dealer if it was a very complicated car and you had some really bizarre issue...such as an electrical issue on a feature unique to your car. But for "routine" stuff, even that will trigger a CEL, I think you're wasting your money.

Yes, a potential buyer (present company included) likes to see receipts and a maintenance history. But if you find a good local mechanic you trust, they should have good access to parts, TSBs, etc... The Mazda is an awesome car, but not anything exoctic or unusual. I'd find a good local mechanic you can trust. There's nothing "wrong" with going to the dealer, but you're spending more than you need to. You can probably go onto a MS3 forum and maybe someone can recommend a good local place.

pinchvalve wrote: There are great dealerships, and there are stealerships. If you trust yours, then no worries. Keep in mind though that the factory recommends ALL KINDS OF STUFF, mostly created by lawyers and marketing folks. Be ready to spend a little more to get lots of little things done. The upside is that your car will probably run forever.

Actually, these days the factories are recommending less and less stuff, because they know that there is attention being paid to the recommended service schedule and adding up the cost of it. Everyone's pushing extended oil change intervals, for example, to the point of causing some of the Toyota sludge issues. A lot of the extra stuff you see is being pushed by a dealer who wants to do stuff that isn't on the factory schedule.

Let's assume you have a good dealership. Things arguing for dealer service:

• If the car is under warranty it avoids questions about whether or not the required service was done.

• If all service was carried out at the dealer, it gets you credit when it comes time to try to get them to cover something that broke out of warranty.

• Dealer will have all of the factory special tools, and usually has the best trained mechanics for working on current "unusual" cars.

Reasons not to go there:

• Cost. Duh :)

• If you have an older "unusual" car then they may not be any better at it than any other shop. Mazda dealers have an awful reputation for dealing with FD Rx-7s, for example.

For an '08 Mazdaspeed 3, which is presumably well out of any warranty coverage concerns, I'd go look for a quality independent shop for any work I didn't want to do myself, and only go to the dealer if I couldn't find one.

Take it to a place that knows what they are doing. There are lots of good dealership service departments. There are lots of bad dealership service departments. There are lots of good independent service...

Sometimes it is better. I own a repair shop and sometimes I sublet to the dealer when I don't have the dpecial tool or software that's needed for the job, and they do have it.

Although our labor rates are much lower than the dealer's, when I have to sublet the work, it's generally more expensive than if the customer had just taken the car to the dealer to begin with.

I've seen so many cars come in after being berkeleyed up by little mom-pop shops that don't know how to work on imports that it's scary. I've seen people fleeced by the chain stores for calipers, pads and rotors on a car that had 40k miles and needed rear pads only. I've seen them install pads on backwards and refusing to fix it.

On the flip side, there are some really rotten dealerships as well. If I'm paying someone to do work, I will take it to a dealer that I trust over some independant shop that may have never seen a car like mine before.

Sometimes it does make sense, depending on the car and what needs to be done. For my BMW, United BMW of Gwinette not only does a better job than most independent shops for alignments, they charge less, too. A lot of places have a surcharge for aligning BMWs and similar suspensions - and don't know how to do it right.

If it has a factory warranty, it's going to the dealer. Because that's what I paid them for when I bought the car.

If it requires anything fixed with an electrical or computer system, it's going to the dealer. Because they have the special equipment.

If it requires changing differential or transmission fluid or an alignment, it's going to a local "mom and pop" garage. Because berkeley friction modifier.

Otherwise, I'm doing it myself. Because I'm cheap.