Everyone knows that you are going to pay more for scheduled maintenance at a dealership than you will at a third-party mechanic shop, but is the extra cost justified? Let’s consider a few things about car maintenance and see if it is worth the cost when you need to get Ford service in Barrington.
Warranty
When it comes to getting scheduled maintenance done most people will worry about their warranty. “What if using this other shop voids my warranty?” Well, you do not have to worry about that. Most of the time. See, other shops will often use bulk fluids, so the oil that is going into your brand-new Ford is the same oil they put into everything. Where this becomes an issue is standards. If a shop adheres to Ford’s standards, then your warranty is fine, but this bulk oil is often just cheap conventional 10W-30 or 5W-30 which may not conform to Ford’s requirements. In these cases, this could very well void your warranty.
Quality
Privately owned shops do not have the same oversight as a Ford dealership. While each dealership is individually owned, they must all meet Ford’s standards to brand themselves as such. Because of this, you can be sure that they have much stricter rules around customer satisfaction. Keep in mind that some small shops take great pride in their work, but as a general rule expect better quality work at a dealership.
Speed
Dealerships generally have a fairly large selection of recent parts. This means that if you need a repair done, they are more likely to have it in stock than a mechanics shop which will have some parts, but these are spread across all brands. This can lead to a faster repair and less downtime for you.
Whether it is worth the extra cost to go to a dealership is worth it or not is up to you, but if you are not going to do it yourself, then it is the best way to make sure your warranty stays intact.
If you are looking for Ford service in Barrington check out Arlington Heights Ford for your maintenance and repair needs. You can find them at http://www.ahford.net.
