{"id":2029,"date":"2024-01-17T19:57:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T19:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tvi-mp3.com\/blog\/?p=2029"},"modified":"2024-01-18T19:27:18","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T19:27:18","slug":"dealership-or-independent-garage-that-is-the-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tvi-mp3.com\/blog\/dealership-or-independent-garage-that-is-the-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealership or Independent Garage? That is the question."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
With a click, I closed the fuel tank door on my 2016 Ford Explorer and jumped back into the driver\u2019s seat to head to a work function a couple of hours away. I wasn\u2019t even out of the parking lot when I noticed the check engine light mocking me from the dash as it informed me my trip had come to an abrupt halt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ran by AutoZone to see if it might be a simple fix, but unfortunately, it was a part I had never heard of. I am new to the area, so I jumped on my local Facebook group to get recommendations for a mechanic that met a few criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– Reasonable or no diagnostic fee<\/li>
– Could get the car in on the same day<\/li>
– Reasonable labor rate<\/li>
– Parts pricing that was in the ballpark of what AutoZone quoted me<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Within minutes I had dozens of recommendations. Three of these had a local independent mechanic in common, so I called. The gentleman answered the phone within the first couple of rings, discussed my issue, and had me bring it in. Within three hours, the repair was complete and the car was sitting happily in my driveway, with what appeared to be a proud grin on its face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s more interesting about this story than a smiling SUV is what occurred during the short three-hour wait for my car repair. I\u2019ve been writing about fixed ops for a few years now, but I have always preferred an independent garage because I\u2019ve always had the above experience or better with the mom-and-pop around the corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But on this day, I was curious to learn what my experience would have been had I looked for a dealership to repair my car instead. So, the minute I got home from dropping my car off, I sat down at my desk and went to work. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Disclaimer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I share this experience not to knock on dealerships as a whole but to provide feedback on my experience. If I were running a service department, I\u2019d want to know these insights and do everything to address the issues that prevent consumers from ever considering dealerships for maintenance or service. Now that we’ve covered that let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Online Search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I started with what most people would do in my predicament: I Googled \u201ccheck engine light 2016 Ford Explorer.\u201d Where did this search lead me? Straight to a dealership all the way across the country. While this didn\u2019t bother me much as a consumer, I immediately recognized the opportunities my local dealerships allowed to slip right through their digital fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What would have helped my local dealers land at the top of my search engine results page (SERP)? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Dealership-or-Independent-Garage-1\"](\"https:\/\/www.tvi-mp3.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Dealership-or-Independent-Garage-1-1024x683.png\")
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