Maintenance car and you: What happens when your car goes for maintenance?
Look around the site to subscribe to topics of your choice.
Want to be notified when we write about the topics you are interested Click here to sign in and then look around the site to subscribe to these topics.
Thank you for signing Autoblog Alerts As the content is published, we'll send it right to you If you need to make changes, you can manage your alerts by clicking MANAGE below.
While the economy continues to slump, and that more consumers abandon the purchase of new cars and hang on to their old, the cost of car repairs is a hot topic than ever.
Even before the current economic crisis, conventional wisdom for everything worthwhile was that repairs were cheaper to independent repair shops that dealerships.
Truism that the fight against the claim, among new car dealers, as their technicians had a more sophisticated training and the quality of work was higher Verbal jousting on this is ongoing for years.
But a recent study, the first of its kind by the Association of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry AAIA seems to support the truism that the costs are much lower than independent stores AAIA is a trade association representing companies that manufacture and distribute spare parts, accessories, chemicals and supplies, and independent repair shops.
According AIAA study, repair cost on average 34 percent more at new car dealers over independent dealers, for a total additional cost 11 7 billion a year.
The study was conducted in November and December 2008 and was based on 840 telephone interviews with two new car dealers and independent repair workshops in six cities - Boston, Newark, Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles and Seattle foreign and domestic nameplates were considered separately.
Interviewers asked dealers and repair shops that parts and labor prices they charged for 10 different types of repairs.
In les six cities where the surveys were conducted, the cost of vehicle repairs ranged from 19 percent to more than 7 46 8 percent more for new car dealers, with respect to independent repair shops.
Here is how these differences in average cost broke down, town to town See chart, bottom right.
How much is an independent broker to shop.
Study Source Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, 2009 above cities were les six chosen for the study.
The study reported significant differences in the costs of labor between parts and nameplates of domestic and import vehicles.
According to the survey, foreign brands-repairs among dealers on average 36 percent more than 8 independent repair shops, while repairs to the national average of 31 nameplates in 5 percent more at dealerships that independent repair shops.
The most for a specific repair gap reported by the study was the average cost to replace a radiator together not only the heart of a vehicle of foreign brands, including parts and labor cost of this work in the survey was 99 325 more at a dealer in an independent store.
Meanwhile, the cost of purchase and installation of front brake pads on a vehicle of foreign brands was 92 138 more from a dealer in an independent shop, according to the survey.
At the lower end 21 is a 95 difference in cost to replace the drive belts Other studied troubleshooting substitutions included a rebuilt alternator, the new electric fuel pump, level with the transmission and replacement of the filter, the joined upper ball, the new air compressor and the reconstructed starter.
Questioners inquired repairs, and costs of partial replacement for, vehicles such as 1998 Lexus Coupe 1998 Dodge Neon 2004 2004 Toyota Camry Sedan Mercury Sable GS 2002 Volkswagen Jetta GL 2002 Chrysler Sebring LX Sedan 1997 Honda Accord EX sedan 1998 Chevy Blazer S-10.
See the table below for a detailed list of common repairs and related costs.
For medium repairs, independent boutiques prove cheaper in the study.
Study Association Source automotive aftermarket, 2009 Prices for New dealerships and independent repair shops for each job were calculated by weighting the prices in each of the major markets and balance these calculations by domestic and foreign vehicles.
Rich White, Sr. Vice President of AIAA for marketing communications, opined that one because dealers typically pay more for repairs because they have much more overhead than independent repair shops have - they have more buildings and more to pay.
Meanwhile, Charles Cyrill, director of public relations for the National Association of Automobile Dealers - trade group representing New Car Dealers - noted that the good news is that consumers have choices automotive repair and today's vehicles are becoming increasingly complex, technological point of view.
New car dealers offer the best trained in the repair of specific brands of cars and trucks technicians said Cyrill new car dealers are investing heavily in training, service equipment and diagnostic tools for service technicians new car dealers undergo regular high-level training exercises to repair today's complex vehicles and must be certified by the car manufacturer for repairs.
White AIAA said technicians independent stores are highly trained, certified and use sophisticated diagnostic equipment, and also have a lot of expertise.
Independent stores also account for 70 percent of all maintenance and repair work unsecured conducted in the United States, said white dealers are obviously involved in many other things, such as, in particular, the sale and rental new automobiles and funding handling - so they don t have much time and space to spend on repairs, compared to independent shops, he said.
Dealers could not handle all the repairs that US consumers are making their vehicles.
Although 70 to 30 percent ratio could be changing rapidly, White pondered With new car sales are down as they are, because of the economy, I think that dealers find that the service will do their much more money than -Sales of new cars.
In general, that was actually the case for a long time, since profit margins dealers on new vehicle sales are so thin, but White expects that dealers will take over repair work in the coming months.
Cyrill nada also noted that new car dealers also receive service bulletins updated daily during vehicle fixes are discovered, and independent repair shops do not have service or OEM certification training bulletins.
In general, there is a cost when a consumer chooses gap genuine factory original piece with respect to a spare, Cyrill continues Consumers should determine the actual cost of a service when choosing a new dealer automobile or an independent repair shop What may seem cheaper at first maybe not at all if a fault or a lower part causes a repair outage.
White AIAA disagreed with this suggestion, saying that the quality of parts and quality of work in independent stores is equal to the quality of parts and work done at dealerships.
But white and Cyrill agree on one thing - that if you are hanging your old car because you are hesitant to buy a new one in this economy, the old saw about the importance of regular maintenance is key.
This is certainly the secret of your longevity vehicle, White points out that the economy the way it is, and the people who fear losing their jobs, it is more important than ever to make sure you get your car checked regularly, and attend to problems when they arise because if you do t, they'll do cost more to fix later.
Where is the best place to get your car Serviced, better, place your.