Vehicle Repairs

ClassicRockr

ClassicRockr

Well-known Member
Do you take to Dealer/Service Dept? Take to someone, like Midas or Goodyear? Take to a privately owned vehicle repair? Does year and mileage have anything to do with where you take it?

During the 10 1/2 years we lived in northeastern Florida, we took our 2005 Dodge Durango, with over 150,000 miles on it now, to both Goodyear and Dodge/Chrysler Dealer/Service Dept.. Have really never had a problem with either, but all engine work was done by the Dealer. Did take it a couple of times to Midas, but had problems with them, so stopped. However, always took our 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 to Midas.
 

Judycat said:
I go to a privately owned vehicle repair. I trust them more than a dealership.
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That is what we plan on doing now, after having a problem with dealership in the next city up. When Parts and Service told us, in person, what the total cost of the part and labor was, it was much higher than I was quoted by both Parts and Service over the phone. I was asked, "do you have the name of the person in Parts and the person in Service that gave you the costs?" I told the Service Manager, "No I don't. Didn't think I'd need that."
 

I go to a large family-owned garage that has been in business since 1929.

The shop is a little over a mile from my home so I can walk if I have to leave the car. They will also come and pick up the car or give me a complimentary shuttle ride if I need it.

They own a NAPA franchise parts store that is located next door and participate in AAA with towing, discounts on labor, etc...

They charge as much as the dealership but it is easier to get in and get out the techs look over the vehicle and let me know what things will be needing attention. The thing that I like most is that they will do it all so I don't need to have an oil change shop, a brake/muffler shop, tire shop, etc...

I don't mind paying the price they charge because they are offering some decent local jobs and helping an old city business district survive and thrive.
 
Year and mileage has nothing to do with where we take our cars. Mine is a ford ..average mileage , and the workhorse in the family and gets serviced every year ... hubs is high end model ,very expensive with very low mileage , and most people who own his type of car would take it to a specialist dealer, but the garage/workshop we use treats every car that comes through it's door like it's a verry expenisve model, and everyone gets exactly the same care regardless of make , model or .. and they are very good value too..

Up until we found this particualr place which is only 2 or 3 miles or so from home... I would take my car to a chain garage for repairs and service, and then we noticed they'd started to get sloppy, even tho' are friends with the franchisee, it seems they were just out to make targets , ... ..and husb would always take his car to a specialist dealer for any repairs he couldn't do himself .. but now we both go to this other place which really specialises in expensive models... but is very happy to deal with any vehicle that comes through the door

OTOH, we have a Vintage 1971 camper van, my husband does most of any required work on that but has to source the parts from other parts of the world because they're unavailable by and large now after almost 50 years
 
I haven't had vehicle repairs since I stopped buying American vehicles years ago.
I have several friends who worked at General Motors. They won't buy American cars, even though they get huge discounts as GM employees. They know too much.
It's only Japanese cars for me. I like things that work.
 
I'm no expert on this but I have read the following & I believe it to be good, sound advice. The dealer who sold you the car wants you to come back because this is where they make the money. Best advice seems to go to a family owner garage & especially one where you get to know the owner/operator by name & he knows that you are a repeat customer. The service will be better & so will the price. Personally, what I really hate are the big city garages where you hand over the keys to some guy with a suit & tie & they take your car away. You never see the mechanic & you are forced to sit in some horrible show room watching bad TV & drinking some real weak coffee. You should be able to talk to the mechanic who works on your car but the "big guys" don't want this. My advice again is to find a good, family run garage that has time to explain options to you & don't try to "put the screws" on you that your car badly needs new tires, brakes, radiator flush, new batteries RIGHT NOW! A good garage allows you to think about getting something done the next appointment you make without immediate high pressure.
 
Packerjohn said:
I'm no expert on this but I have read the following & I believe it to be good, sound advice. The dealer who sold you the car wants you to come back because this is where they make the money. Best advice seems to go to a family owner garage & especially one where you get to know the owner/operator by name & he knows that you are a repeat customer. The service will be better & so will the price. Personally, what I really hate are the big city garages where you hand over the keys to some guy with a suit & tie & they take your car away. You never see the mechanic & you are forced to sit in some horrible show room watching bad TV & drinking some real weak coffee. You should be able to talk to the mechanic who works on your car but the "big guys" don't want this. My advice again is to find a good, family run garage that has time to explain options to you & don't try to "put the screws" on you that your car badly needs new tires, brakes, radiator flush, new batteries RIGHT NOW! A good garage allows you to think about getting something done the next appointment you make without immediate high pressure.
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I don't know about dealers in your area, but I go to the Nissan, Honda, or Toyota dealer & pay around $40.00 for a service, including a car wash. Even a major service at 50,000 miles is around $200.00. And they'll even drive you home & pick you up later.
The waiting rooms have internet, TV, decent Starbuck's coffee, bottled water, fruit, cookies & there is a children's play room. And really clean restrooms. I guess we're spoiled, here in CA.
 
For us, we needed a full-size truck to pull our first 1989 16'/single axle boat trailer with a 16' bowrider on it. My wife's old Toyota 4-Runner didn't have the power to do it. That was when we bought the '97 Dodge RAM 1500. About a year later, we traded the '92 Toyota 4-Runner in for a 2005 Dodge Durango with a Magnum 4.7L engine and it pulled the bowrider boat much, much easier. Then, sold the 16' bowrider boat, moved to Florida, and bought a 20' Cuddy Cabin with a 5.7L V-8 sitting on a 28' dual-axle boat trailer. The Durango pulled this 20' boat very, very easily.

IOW, we needed a good size engine in a vehicle in order to pull a powerboat/trailer.
 
win231 said:
I don't know about dealers in your area, but I go to the Nissan, Honda, or Toyota dealer & pay around $40.00 for a service, including a car wash. Even a major service at 50,000 miles is around $200.00. And they'll even drive you home & pick you up later.
The waiting rooms have internet, TV, decent Starbuck's coffee, bottled water, fruit, cookies & there is a children's play room. And really clean restrooms. I guess we're spoiled, here in CA.
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We don't have that small of vehicle. Our Durango doors look exactly like a full-size truck door. Our Dodge Dealership charges well over $125 per hour for labor. Heck, our marine service charges $95 per hour labor.
 
ClassicRockr said:
We don't have that small of vehicle. Our Durango doors look exactly like a full-size truck door. Our Dodge Dealership charges well over $125 per hour for labor. Heck, our marine service charges $95 per hour labor.
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I wouldn't get hung up on the rate/hour, a good mechanic can save you shop time and money while an inexperienced one can cost you time and money.
 
I don't think dealerships have some kind of magical ways of fixing cars. Some are good fix'em up shops, and some suck. Just like any other fix 'em up place. You keep going to the place, where you believe your car gets fixed the best.
 
No matter what business I deal with I try to deal with family owned businesses. I had a long talk with one manger a couple years ago and he said with all the technology in vehicles now he said finding expert mechanics is a challenge.
 
win231 said:
I don't know about dealers in your area, but I go to the Nissan, Honda, or Toyota dealer & pay around $40.00 for a service, including a car wash. Even a major service at 50,000 miles is around $200.00. And they'll even drive you home & pick you up later.
The waiting rooms have internet, TV, decent Starbuck's coffee, bottled water, fruit, cookies & there is a children's play room. And really clean restrooms. I guess we're spoiled, here in CA.
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Sounds good to me. If you find a good dealer & they treat you good each time, then stick with them. They should get your repeat business. However, not all dealers are the same. You have a great one so no need to look further. I have learned to keep away from the 10 minute oil change guys since, in our area, they are fast & hot to sell you transmission changes, radiator flush, etc. Buyer beware!
 
I've been working on cars since I was 16. I do All my own maintenance....oil, filters, brakes, anti-freeze etc. About the only time I go to a shop is for something really messy like Transmission fluid/filter change...and then, I go to a local shop which does great work at a fair price. I even go to this place for new tires....they beat any dealer/tire store price. I've had mixed feelings about car dealers for years....as they make most of their profits from their service departments, and often try to "pad" the bill with unneeded services....especially when the customer has limited knowledge about vehicles.
About the only times I would go to the dealer is if the vehicle is still under warranty, or the dreaded "check engine" light comes on...which would probably require a very expensive "code reader" to diagnose. All this fancy "computer" controlled stuff on new cars makes it very hard for an individual to properly diagnose/fix.
 
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win231 said:
It's only Japanese cars for me. I like things that work.
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"Japanese" is little more than name, anymore. Most of the "foreign" car brands are made here. For example, a Toyota Camry is made either in Kentucky or Indiana, and has been rated as the most "American" car....85% US content and assembled here. Many of the U.S. brands...especially the lower priced models...are being made in Mexico. The "Brand" doesn't mean much, anymore.
 
Don M. said:
"Japanese" is little more than name, anymore. Most of the "foreign" car brands are made here. For example, a Toyota Camry is made either in Kentucky or Indiana, and has been rated as the most "American" car....85% US content and assembled here. Many of the U.S. brands...especially the lower priced models...are being made in Mexico. The "Brand" doesn't mean much, anymore.
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A certain percentage of the parts have to be made in Japan, or by Japanese workers sent here. It says "Final assembly in Ohio," or other U.S. places.
 
We took our Durango to a tire, brakes, front end place that doesn't do any kind of engine/transmission repair. The Asst. Manager put the Durango into a pit and showed wife and I where he thought the oil leak was coming from. We could see oil from the edge of the oil pan, where the gasket is, which would indicate the pan gasket was bad. What we should have done, and will do know, is to take the Durango to an engine repair place and have them look at the oil leak. It may or may not be just an oil pan gasket leak.

What got us upset, at the dealership, was when they told us the cost of the gasket and installation of it. We got a much lower cost when calling both the parts and service department the day before. During the call, I wrote down what the parts person told me the gasket would cost us, $55, and a service person told me the installation labor would cost us about $300 (2 hrs of labor). That would total $355 plus $50 shop charge and add tax. When we were at the dealership, parts told us the gasket costs $96 and the installation labor would be around $800 (5 1/2 hrs of labor). Total: $954 Now, are in a oil change program with then, so the actual oil change would be free.

Right after leaving the dealership, because they couldn't do it that afternoon or over the weekend, we stopped at Midas. From them, $191 (parts: oil change, pan gasket, windage tray) and $181 in labor (1 1/2 hr for installing). Total, with tax: $387.
 
Don M. said:
"Japanese" is little more than name, anymore. Most of the "foreign" car brands are made here. For example, a Toyota Camry is made either in Kentucky or Indiana, and has been rated as the most "American" car....85% US content and assembled here. Many of the U.S. brands...especially the lower priced models...are being made in Mexico. The "Brand" doesn't mean much, anymore.
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Found this.....


Image result for what is the most american built car
Image result for what is the most american built car
Image result for what is the most american built car
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Jeep Cherokee remains the most American car of the year, according to Cars.com
  • Acura RDX, East Liberty, Ohio.
  • Chevrolet Camaro, Lansing, Michigan.
  • Toyota Avalon (excludes hybrid variants), Georgetown, Kentucky.
  • Ford F-150, Claycomo, Missouri / Dearborn, Michigan.
  • Honda Accord, Marysville, Ohio.
  • Toyota Tundra, San Antonio.
 

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