Dealer Service Dept: yes or no ??

[drjay9051]

Let me start by saying I am very happy with my 09 Genesis sedan.

In the past with my other vehicles I have avoided dealer service dept.as I fed into the old story that they were overpriced and would try to sell me the farm.
So I have had some not so pleasent experiences with a couple of local shops.

Makes me re think dealer service. Here is the issue. An OEM air filter can be had for $20. Dealer wants $35. Yes this is for install as well. Not a difficult task.

In general is one better served by using the dealership service department or an independant mechanic (assuming you can find a good one)?

I'm concerned the dealer will try to sell me a $200 engine flush etc. I suppose local mechanic would do the same.

Any general consensus as to whether I should stick with dealer. Frankly I imagine the labor rates are similar but also imagine that OEM parts are way more expensive.

Just not sure which way to go. I do know I want to keep my Genny in tip top condition.

Thanks

 

[NSXNEXT]

There really is no right answer. I will say this...if the issue is possibly a warranty issue I head straight to the dealer.

Oil changes, brakes, minor service issues I do myself and keep every receipt.
Bigger issues not a warranteed item I would most likely take to the dealer.
Once the warranty is up my local mechanic will get my business for those items I can't or don't want to tackle myself.

Oh and labor rates, not sure where you live but here the local mom and pop shops are nearly half the rate the dealers charge and rightfully so. Dealer service shops have quite a bit more overhead.

 

[Mark_888]

Oil changes can be done by any reputable shop. I generally do my own, but when that is not possible I purchase the oil myself and take it to a place where I watch them put it in. One problem with the Genesis is that many independent shops are not familiar with the Genesis oil filter cartridge and how to install it (with new gaskets). Brakes and anything complicated, I take to dealer. Anyone should be able to purchase an air filter and change it themselves. Just save the receipt for warranty purposes.

 

[geneswede]

I intend to use my local mechanic that I've used for all my cars. He's been good on my other cars and honest when he feels something is a warranty issue and should be taken to a dealer.

I think dealers have become better priced (due to the price equalizer that is the internet) and if you have a good one why don't go there?

My main advantage with my local mechanic is that he follows the recommended service in the manual while dealers like to add in extra services (in my experience).

 

[GenesisCaptain]

I generally use a dealer for most work, because I expect them to come through for me if something does not go well. However, that has to be weighed on your assessment of the dealer and whether they would back you. Many people think of dealers as "$tealers," but that is an immature attitude that can be costly over time. My experience with many makes is that dealerships can be very reasonably priced and provide way better service than independents. (This has been true for all of my Honda, Acura, Infiniti, and BMW dealership experiences in Atlanta.) I do not have any real experience with the Atlanta Hyundai dealerships yet, but friends and relatives have had great experiences so far.

For example, I used my local BMW dealerships for most service on my prior BMWs-- even 8-quart synthetic oil changes. I had a great relationship with the service advisers, and they came through for me several times that made a huge difference that money simply could not have bought. Once my ignition locking mechanism broke two days before I was taking the family on a road trip with the car. I did not have a suitable backup car with enough space. The ignition lock had to be made to order, and a three-day turn-around was typical with installation time after that. My dealer fixed it in 2 days, and I left for my trip on time. No independent could ever have done that. I have multiple similar experiences over my 12 years of ownership. On the flip side, when I needed to rebuild a transmission, I used an independent specialist, because the dealer's cost was more than twice the independent's.

The nut is that NSXNEXT writes above "There really is no right answer."

I would use a dealer for all of the cheap messy stuff like oil changes, brakes, etc. The reason is that this is how you build the relationship with the dealership and service advisers. Plus, you really cannot save that much money with an independent. I would do air filters and cabin filters myself. I would use a good tire shop for rotating and balancing. Then, I would use the dealer for most out-of-warranty mechanical work unless I was pretty sure that I could save at least 25% by going to an independent.

 

[Mark_888]

I generally use a dealer for most work, because I expect them to come through for me if something does not go well. However, that has to be weighed on your assessment of the dealer and whether they would back you. Many people think of dealers as "$tealers," but that is an immature attitude that can be costly over time. My experience with many makes is that dealerships can be very reasonably priced and provide way better service than independents. (This has been true for all of my Honda, Acura, Infiniti, and BMW dealership experiences in Atlanta.) I do not have any real experience with the Atlanta Hyundai dealerships yet, but friends and relatives have had great experiences so far.

For example, I used my local BMW dealerships for most service on my prior BMWs-- even 8-quart synthetic oil changes. I had a great relationship with the service advisers, and they came through for me several times that made a huge difference that money simply could not have bought. Once my ignition locking mechanism broke two days before I was taking the family on a road trip with the car. I did not have a suitable backup car with enough space. The ignition lock had to be made to order, and a three-day turn-around was typical with installation time after that. My dealer fixed it in 2 days, and I left for my trip on time. No independent could ever have done that. I have multiple similar experiences over my 12 years of ownership. On the flip side, when I needed to rebuild a transmission, I used an independent specialist, because the dealer's cost was more than twice the independent's.

The nut is that NSXNEXT writes above "There really is no right answer."

I would use a dealer for all of the cheap messy stuff like oil changes, brakes, etc. The reason is that this is how you build the relationship with the dealership and service advisers. Plus, you really cannot save that much money with an independent. I would do air filters and cabin filters myself. I would use a good tire shop for rotating and balancing. Then, I would use the dealer for most out-of-warranty mechanical work unless I was pretty sure that I could save at least 25% by going to an independent.

My concern about the Hyundai dealership where I purchased my Genesis is that I found them to be incompetent, even at oil changes. Yes, they did try and sell me over-priced stuff like fuel injector cleaning service (which consists of pouring a bottle of rebranded Chevron fuel injector cleaner into the gas tank), but I can defend myself against those marketing upsells. I have a harder time defending myself when the dealer's service department just screws things up while performing the service (such as putting wrong oil in crankcase, not bleeding brakes properly when DOT-4 upgrade TSB done, etc).

 

[SNSN]

My concern about the Hyundai dealership where I purchased my Genesis is that I found them to be incompetent, even at oil changes. Yes, they did try and sell me over-priced stuff like fuel injector cleaning service (which consists of pouring a bottle of rebranded Chevron fuel injector cleaner into the gas tank), but I can defend myself against those marketing upsells. I have a harder time defending myself when the dealer's service department just screws things up while performing the service (such as putting wrong oil in crankcase, not bleeding brakes properly when DOT-4 upgrade TSB done, etc).

I'm in full agreement with your comments...
My dealer has had 3 service manager in the 18 mos I've owned the car.
They continue to make mistakes and give poor information.
This is not the luxury car experience I signed up for...

 

[Seattle Genesis]

My Hyundai dealer Car Pros of Renton is awesome. They have had a turnover in the past few year, but the guys in here now seem to be really customer centric.

 

[ruggratt]

No matter what make of car, if it's under warranty I prefer to use the dealer. Probably not necessary, but I feel a little safer in case I need to make a warranty claim... the dealer cannot say the maintenance work wasn't done if they did it! : )