How Crucial Is It To Get Your Car Serviced At The Dealership?
Every car owner knows the value of an annual service. Unlike waiting until there’s something wrong with your car and paying a hefty price to get it fixed, regular servicing highlights and addresses issues before they escalate. When it comes to selling, a full service history is also a great way to get more bang for your buck.
Despite this, an overwhelming majority of car owners skip their services at least some of the time, most often because of costs. After all, a yearly service might save you money if things went wrong, but it’s still not cheap. Worse, an imagined requirement to get our cars serviced at the manufacturer’s dealership can quickly see this expense soaring.
In reality, though, while there are benefits to manufacturer-specific servicing, it’s not an absolute essential in all cases. To determine whether you need to get your car serviced at the dealership or not, simply consider the following –
Your vehicle paperwork
Many vehicle owners are concerned that getting their car serviced somewhere other than the dealership will void their warranty. Luckily, the European Block Exemption Legislation stops this from being the case. It is, however, worth noting that individuals under a personal contract purchase (PCP) may be contractually obliged to seek dealership-specific servicing. If that’s the case then, yes, you will need to go to the dealership. Otherwise, there’s no legal or technical reason why servicing at a dealership is any better than, say, servicing at your local garage.
The need for specialist parts
While servicing and repairs can technically be carried out at any garage, cars will always work best, and for the longest time, with parts from their specific manufacturer. Furthermore, servicing is sure to be far more efficient and proactive when conducted by somebody who knows your specific car and its weak spots. That doesn’t mean you need to go to Porsche themselves to service your Panamera, bur there is still a lot to be said for seeking service and repairs from a company that specialises in Porsche parts. Or, whatever type of vehicle you happen to have.
Potential long-term investment
Dealership and manufacturer-led servicing is more pricey because parts, etc. tend to last a lot longer than any old knock-off from Jim at your local garage. In some respects, finding an independent repair company with experience in your vehicle as mentioned can help to bridge this gap. Ultimately, though, remember that spending less now isn’t always a guarantee of savings in the long run. With a part that will likely need replacing regularly, like your tyres, spark plugs, brake pads and so on, that might not be a huge issue. For more substantial part replacements, however, spending more with a trusted dealership or expert is typically the wiser choice.
Servicing can seem like a headache, especially when it’s through your dealership. With these tips, you might find that you can seek more affordable servicing moving forward, or that you’ll at least be able to justify the cost of that more expensive option!