Indy Vs Dealer

[KST]

We all know that bringing your car to a dealer is expensive most of the time. So many choose to go to an Independant shop thinking that they will be less expensive and,if lucky,honest.

Is this really the truth though? have you ever felt you were taken by an indy?

 

[saaber1]

Many people take them to good indy mechanics because they can be more knowledgeable than the dealer.

 

[Herz]

I have a local indy that was reccomended to me by another BITOGer, and he has been great with stuff I cant fix myself. He's honest, explains in detail what exactly is going on and why. Even some simple stuff, that I thought was hard, I brought it to him and he explained how I could do it my self in minutes.

 

[eljefino]

I went to an independed "spring" dealer with my f150 to have a new spring hanger installed so I could pass state inspection (rust.) They said my hanger was fine but my leaf springs were bad... and they had just the springs I needed in stock. They didn't give me a price (and I was too "cool" to ask) and had two mechanics working one on each side for a couple hours.

Hurt my wallet bad! Yeah the truck sat higher when it was done but it was a total beater.

These guys were "pros" though in that they did all sorts of stuff for 18 wheelers and other commercial accounts.

OTOH my regular guy got my buick's brakes all bled (ABS module needed scan tool) and a new valve stem (tire went flat suddenly) all for $38.

 

[AuthorEditor]

In my experience Indies are the way to go for both cost and quality of repair. Years ago Consumer Reports did a study of this and the way repair shops rated from cheapest to most expensive, and from best to worst quality was: Indy, chains (like Sears), dealers.

 

[Quest]

Not all Indy mechs are that good (or better than that of factory trained mechs specialising in certain brand name).

Case to the point: when it comes to dealing with Prius, none of the reputable Indy mechs that I'm aware of would better than that of the known Toy dealer (factory trained) mechs specialising in diagnosing hybrids.

Q.

 

[HWEaton]

As an Indy shop myself, I know people have told me they like coming in due to the relaxed atmosphere, honesty, and pricing. I mean, really, where else can you either sit in a waiting room couch with you laptop with free wi-fi, or sit in the shop area in one of two recliners and watch the work be done, while surfing the web on your laptop?

 

[exranger06]

I usually never bring vehicles to the dealer because I either do the work myself, or bring jobs that are out of my league to one of two long-time trusted family mechanics. But the times I have brought vehicles to the dealer have always been pleasant experiences where the dealer did not overcharge or upsell any services.

 

[Quest]

Originally Posted By: HWEaton
As an Indy shop myself, I know people have told me they like coming in due to the relaxed atmosphere, honesty, and pricing. I mean, really, where else can you either sit in a waiting room couch with you laptop with free wi-fi, or sit in the shop area in one of two recliners and watch the work be done, while surfing the web on your laptop?


Most of our local dealerships have wi-fi, and lounge chair to sit while waiting for your vehicle to be serviced.

Oh and BTW: have I mentioned that some of them have darne good expresso bars too?

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Quest
Originally Posted By: HWEaton
As an Indy shop myself, I know people have told me they like coming in due to the relaxed atmosphere, honesty, and pricing. I mean, really, where else can you either sit in a waiting room couch with you laptop with free wi-fi, or sit in the shop area in one of two recliners and watch the work be done, while surfing the web on your laptop?


Most of our local dealerships have wi-fi, and lounge chair to sit while waiting for your vehicle to be serviced.

Oh and BTW: have I mentioned that some of them have darne good expresso bars too?

Ugh! Expresso bar? That's not what I'm looking for at a garage to fix my car. I go to independents when I have to, It's worth it just based on the price of parts alone. For some specialized stuff on the Tracker I have gone to the local suzuki dealer as they know the vehicle well and they charge more reasonable part costs than GM and their shop rate is lower too.

 

[HWEaton]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Quest
Originally Posted By: HWEaton
As an Indy shop myself, I know people have told me they like coming in due to the relaxed atmosphere, honesty, and pricing. I mean, really, where else can you either sit in a waiting room couch with you laptop with free wi-fi, or sit in the shop area in one of two recliners and watch the work be done, while surfing the web on your laptop?


Most of our local dealerships have wi-fi, and lounge chair to sit while waiting for your vehicle to be serviced.

Oh and BTW: have I mentioned that some of them have darne good expresso bars too?

Ugh! Expresso bar? That's not what I'm looking for at a garage to fix my car. I go to independents when I have to, It's worth it just based on the price of parts alone. For some specialized stuff on the Tracker I have gone to the local suzuki dealer as they know the vehicle well and they charge more reasonable part costs than GM and their shop rate is lower too.


Espresso bar? Dang. Need to upgrade. But do they let you sit in a recliner in the shop area and let you watch them work like we do?

 

[Vikas]

I go to independents who let me hang out in the shop with my own (or their) tools

In the past I had come across some independent who wasas expensive as dealer and was less accommodating. His waiting room was pretty run down too. Since the dealer's mechanic used to let me hang out in his bay, I went back to the dealer.

- Vikas

 

[nomochevys]

Originally Posted By: KST
We all know that bringing your car to a dealer is expensive most of the time. So many choose to go to an Independant shop thinking that they will be less expensive and,if lucky,honest.

Is this really the truth though? have you ever felt you were taken by an indy?


I cant remember the last time I was at a dealer except for maybe a warranty issue. I dont trust them to be honest. My indy guy is a Gm man and Corvette guy at heart. He is way cheaper and does better work imo. He will give it to you straight no matter what you bring in and not rip you off. I have a Ford and Gm by the way.

In bad weather, you can take your oil and filter to the guy and he only charges 8 dollars to change it. That is dirt cheap imo. Almost too cheap and he told me that he does a lot of them and most people will come back to him for a brake job ect.....

I just dont have any confidence in dealers no matter if its Ford or Chevrolet. They are too expensive and the quality of work imo is no better and in fact I think its worse.

 

[Quest]

IMHO 1/2 of the dealerships here in our area have cleaned up their act (improved service quality) and as a result: they are now offering just as good of service quality and pricing competitiveness as many Indy shops here (of course, with the exception of parts part for they still have to use factory-approved OEM parts, as opposed to many indy shops who use aftermarket parts).

The only exception to the rule is that rather famous german brand...still the same (notorious) service after all these years.

Hexk! This year: many of these factory dealerships service dept offering snow tire packages that are close, if not at par with the pricing of local wallymart (brand names of course, not those cheep imported corean or sino snow tires) or costco!

Also: most import dealerships regular servicing packages such as t-belt and/or valve adj jobs, brake servicing, oil and filter change, etc. are on par or just about 10% higher than local indy shops and it the competition is more fierce than ever...I guess our local indy shops are loosing out on that (unless they start putting ikea lounge chairs +wi-fi to up the competition..smiles)

Q.

BTW: many Honda shops here have re-modeled their customer service nowadays to have a big window with bar stools and bar countertops on the customer side where customer can sit/stand and watch as their vehicles being serviced....now, that's something new I'd say (aside from free wi-fi, lounge chairs with good cushioning, some even with espresso bars, etc.)

 

[fdcg27]

Indie shops are usually very good, since they don't have the new/used car sales side, the parts department, or warranty work to support them.
May or may not be cheaper than the dealer's service department, but the guy who owns the place is likely highly experienced, and will know where to source things like good used engines and transmissions should the need arise.
The Honda indie I use spent years in a dealership, has been to NSX school and has NSX customers, and uses only OEM parts.
He is not really cheaper than the dealer, but is more convenient, and will always tell me what to expect from my two Accords as they age.
There are very few things I don't do for myself.
I am almost ashamed to admit that I paid this guy for the T-belt service on both Accords.
I must be getting lazy in my old age.
At a dealership, you talk to a service writer, not a mechanic.
With an indie, you get to talk to the mechanic.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Originally Posted By: HWEaton
.... But do they let you sit in a recliner in the shop area and let you watch them work like we do?


There are a few around here that will still let you watch in the garage. You cant go on the floor itself and hang out, but you can watch from an area behind a yellow line...the usual insurance risk and all. One GM dealer near me has a couch at the end of their garage area for customers to sit and watch their car as it serviced. My Ford dealer has the more typical "window" into the garage and doesnt like customers on the garage floor.

 

[AuthorEditor]

One thing I like about the Indy guy is that you can develop a relationship with him that will benefit you and your car. He knows my cars and knows that I like straight talk about what they need or what is wrong. I sometimes help him out by running for parts or bringing in a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning, and he has helped me out with small stuff numerous times. At the dealer there seems to be more turnover, mostly younger staff, and it is hard to talk to the actual mechanic who will work on your car. Around here there is always a wait and they schedule you so that there is no way to sit and watch the repair unless you want to spend all day there. The Indy will often work with me on timing so that if I bring it in at a certain time he will get right on it and get me out quick.

 

[Errtt]

2 of the vehicles go to a Toyota Only Indy that has been absolutely great. They do quality service and really stand behind it. I been using them 3 or 4 years now. Honest top notch - so now that I found a good service shop - I'm more lazy.

I don't want to recommend them to anyone - they can only work on so many cars a day, and when it's my turn, I want my done on the expected day I go in.

 

[Mr Nice]

Indy shop if you can find a good one.

Down here they are all crooks and snakes.

 

[saaber1]

Every time I go to the dealer I have to educate them just to be able to talk to them. When I go to a knowledgeable indy (preferably a specialist for a particular car) there is a decent chance you can learn something.