Why Car Servicing Costs Can Fluctuate From Centre to Centre

April 9, 2023 lucille

Not all car service centres are created equal. Many will charge you substantially more than another simply because the consumers don’t ask any questions. For instance, the main dealer garages are well known for much higher servicing prices in comparison to other independent garages. In many cases there is no reason for the discrepancy in the price. The parts are the same, the work is the same, and however, it is just the price that is different. For many of you these higher prices are just not affordable during these tough economic times.

There are reasons why some costs are different that might be legitimate. Cheap garages might be able to give you those lower prices by using refurbished parts whereas other shops might use new parts. The prices of these parts would cause a difference from shop to shop. You would need to make a choice between the type of part used and the warranty associated with the parts. Is the lower price worth the risk or is the risk relatively low? Depending on the part you will run into both scenarios and will need to be cautious.

It is important that you have your vehicle maintained on a regular basis. There are too many moving parts that, if not replaced when recommended, can break or malfunction at the most inopportune times. To avoid being stranded, find a can service centre that you can use regularly for all your repair needs. Make sure you check out their policies, reputation and customer satisfaction before you settle on them but after you select them, try to stick with them. There is much to be said about having just one set of hands on your vehicle. Car servicing prices are high enough, you don’t need surprised too. If you are a regular customer with a garage there is little chance they will treat you poorly in that regard.

When selecting from all the garages and centres be aware of a few things. First, make sure that they have a familiarity with your particular brand of car; not all shops, especially car garages, handle every model of car. Second, make sure they complete work timely; find out what the normal amount of time is for things like tune-ups and oil changes. If the times seem too long for you, find another centre. Also, look around the lot. Are there many cars waiting to be serviced that do not appear to be getting attention? This might indicate that the centre does not complete work timely.

Make sure you get estimates from a few different car servicing centres prior to making a decision. You can then compare what you will be getting from each one of them and decide what you want and don’t want. Your car deserves regular maintenance and since we depend so much on our vehicle for our everyday living, it is up to us to take care of them the best we can.