Repairing the car from an official dealer (where the car was bought) is a solution that seems obvious. True, only at first glance. At a closer look, comparing advantages and disadvantages, service at an official does not look so attractive. Do not let yourself be deceived by persistent delusions – choose a car service weighted, with knowledge. We will provide the last one.

The qualification of the carmakers is higher at the “office”?

High qualification of dealerships is the truth. But with a little more detail. Very smart salespeople are being recruited here. High qualification of dealerships staff is true. But with a little more specificity. Very smart salesmen are being recruited here. Such rules of the “game” dictate the elementary logic of business. Judge for yourself:

“Nothing personal, it’s just business.”

• The task of the official dealer is to sell the car. For this he will promise the golden mountains: extended warranty, quality after-sales service, cheap insurance, instant credit solutions.
• Repair of sold cars is a secondary, related activity. And who is fired first when it is necessary to reduce the staff? The ones in auxiliary roles.
• Thus, in times of economic crisis, “waiters” are actively “getting rid” of qualified car dealers. Because any financial exacerbation (especially in such a currency-dependent market as the automobile one) requires money, and car repair brings little money. Costs are there, the profit if present, then an order of magnitude lower than the sale. So, it is the repair block of business will be “squeezing”.

In support of this logic – statistics of requests from representatives of professions associated with car repair and maintenance. Highly qualified fitters and car mechanics show the highest “appetite” for salary. They cost the dealer more than “salespeople”, so it is customary to save money on car repair shops.

To this fact in the Network there are many confirmations, and erected in absolute. When the dealer centre (more often regional, but happens also to the capital companies) spins not worse horror on a pan, trying to find the reason to refuse warranty repair. Because it has no human and technical resources to carry out complex work to replace the node in a luxury Porsche, restore Lexus systems, etc.

180 degrees.

Interestingly, the situation with professional car dealerships is the exact opposite. In order to compete with the giants behind which there are large-scale PR companies of car manufacturers, and to survive in difficult economic circumstances, they are forced to “filter out” non-professionals and to retain the specialists who make “cash” (earned the trust of customers, work qualitatively and quickly). Those STO, who do not adhere to this tactic (and there are many of them in Moscow), stop their activities long before the crisis. History has confirmed it many times.

On the left you will go – will you lose the guarantee?

The myth that the official warranty on the car is canceled when servicing outside the official network of dealerships, has already become a parable in the pagans. Yes, this requirement (to carry out maintenance and repair only at the dealer) may be specified in the contract of sale of the car, but even in this case, the loss of warranty when contacting the service station of your choice is unlikely. Why?

The laws in Russia have priority over any oral or written agreements between the buyer and the seller. And the law (even two) directly indicates the right of the buyer to be served where he considers it necessary. This is stated in Art. 16 of the Consumer Rights Protection Act. To be more precise, the norm prohibits making the purchase of goods conditional on its subsequent maintenance in the same company.

The second favorite “clause” of dealers, which allegedly gives the right to refuse warranty service after applying to a third party car repair, refers to the paragraph on the responsibility of the owner for the serviceability of the car. Any warranty program contains the following description: if the breakdown is the fault of the driver as a result of violation of the instruction manual (this “waiters” include repair in a third-party car repair center), then the case can not be guaranteed. And you have to pay for the repair.

The disclaimer is fair (all auto concerns of the world would be ruined in one day, if free repair of the equipment after user experiments). But in the situation with the repair of a car in a certified car service it does not work. To the warranty card of the seller when buying a car in the dealer center is attached and factory warranty, and the Civil Code in paragraph 2 of Art. 476 clearly indicates that the evidence base if you want to refuse warranty service must be collected by the supplier – the manufacturer or his representative.

In the domestic language it means that the de jure dealer cannot limit the client in choosing a workshop. And in the case of work not his “waiter” in court must prove that the fault was caused by the driver or the involved master. In practice, car dealers almost never collect such evidence: it is expensive, long and difficult. They can claim as much as they want with a serious person that you broke the rules, but the law is on your side. Such cases rarely come to court, because many dealers still know the regulations and understand the groundlessness of their refusals.

Dealer = leader?

Behind the dealer stands a company with almost half a century of experience, a manufacturer of the smartest machines in history, a world-renowned innovator who uses solutions of the future, not even ultra-modern technology. You want to raise your chest.

Any normal person expects that such responsible status obliges to keep the brand in the literal and figurative sense. At the very least, you can respond with lightning speed to customer complaints, criticisms, questions and requests. But alas, reality shows that the proud title is limited only by the chest wheel and a step gait. The auto dealer has no reaction speed. And where does it come from, if he needs time to make a sales plan – he has no plan for repairing cars.

This is also where the notorious human factor is most clearly manifested. The company-automotive manufacturer itself can practice any client-oriented approach, but:

• it will not have time to check each official dealer at least once a quarter (there is the main activity on the assembly of cars and marketing, to allocate controllers to all markets, which may be hundreds, no one will);
• Within a customer-oriented company, there may be people who are not customer-oriented at all – while they are “figured out”, they will have time to spoil the opinion about both the brand and their employer to hundreds of customers;
• working in the flow, waiters just have to prioritize, and the last requests for repairs and fixes aren’t included.

Better service from an official dealer?

In the car owner’s view, the service at the dealership looks like this:

• If there is the slightest problem (or even a hint of it), the driver will contact the dealer;
• within 2-5 minutes, a personal manager comes to him;
• the car is returned to the customer with a bonus full tank of fuel and apologies from the representative of the car brand;
• every employee of the car dealer knows the client by name and treats him/her in an extremely friendly manner.

These are logical expectations, but they rarely coincide with reality. Rudeness, “marinating” the client in the hall, ignoring requests and appeals – all this is not alien to dealers. Firstly, because after the purchase they are not interested in you anymore. Secondly, the “waiters” have people working, and they do not want to get from the bosses to catch up for taking an expensive car for repair, although they could refuse.

Thus, the conclusion asks for itself. Overpaying for car repair at the dealer has no objective reasons, unless of course you want to part with the cash only for the magic word “official”. But guarantees of better attitude, prompt service, genuine spare parts do not give you. Much more confidence in the car service, chosen not for the sound word, and found on their own, based on their own opinion, experience and…