There was a time when the only real option when it came to getting your car serviced was to take it back to the dealer you bought it from. This was generally because other garages often found it difficult to get hold of parts such as brake calipers for your particular make and model. In fairness that wasn’t the sole reason, as using your authorised dealer ensured that your service history was always kept up to date which is obviously beneficial when you come to either selling or trading in your car for a new model.

These days, a lot more independent garages have sprung up who will quite often provide the same quality of service at a more competitive price. As a result of new European Legislation that was brought in during 2003, an independent garage has the ability to service and repair vehicles without invalidating manufacturer warranty. The main purpose of the legislation was to encourage fair competition and give independent garages the opportunity to service and repair cars provided they follow manufacturer regulations.

This has resulted in the drivers having a lot more options when it comes to choosing who services or repairs their car. But, does that necessarily mean you will get an improved level of service and workmanship? So, to give you a balanced view, we have decided to have a proper look at the advantages and disadvantages of using an authorised dealer.

Advantages

The biggest advantage to using a dealership is the certainty that your warranty will be protected. The fact that you can be certain a main dealer will only ever use authentic parts and that all the work carried out will be certified gives car owners a level of confidence maybe not offered by independent operators.

The residual value of your car is often protected when work is completed at a main dealership. When you regularly change cars at that dealership, you will usually receive a better price than if you have been using their services for any work done on your car.

Having all work carried out by a recognised dealer means that the technicians employed there will have expert knowledge of all vehicles in the manufacturers range. The technicians will have received specific training giving them the skills to ensure you will receive top quality workmanship.

The things we have highlighted above are some of the main advantages of using the services of an authorised dealer. In the interest of fairness lets give you some of the disadvantages and why independent garages might be an attractive alternative.

Disadvantages

Without doubt the thing that puts many motorists off using main dealers is that costs are generally higher than those charged by independent operators. This is as a result of them having bigger overheads because of things such as the on site facilities, more employees and those mysterious hidden costs.

Always make sure that you get a full breakdown of what work is needed and the cost before authorising them to go ahead to ensure you are getting value for money.

When using the services of a main dealer you often do not get the same level of personal service as you would with a smaller local operation. Often, this is due to the amount of work they take on, which causes staff to lose touch with their clients.

So, in all honesty there is no correct answer to this conundrum and our advice is to make sure you do some research and take all things into consideration before making a decision.