Maybe you’ve just purchased a new car and you’re debating whether to take it to the dealership where you bought it for scheduled maintenance or even bodywork as opposed to an auto body repair shop.
Then again, you think about having close ties to the dealership, but you think it’s not that convenient to where you live and work. The constant thought of should I take it to the dealership or find another source of maintenance is on your mind. Well, finding an auto body shop near me should be my goal, but I need to figure out what is the best plan of action. Which is better, taking my new car to a dealership or an auto body repair shop?
With either choice, you are dealing with the limitations of a dealership and an independent body shop. With either choice, you’ll have to decide what works for you. Weighing the differences should help you decide which is a better option for you.
Collision Repair
Does a dealership do collision repair work? Dealerships have service departments that deal with collision repair work, but often the repair work is done outside of the dealership and that’s because of time and cost limitations.
With standard repair work, dealership technicians are skilled and competent with basic repair work but with bodywork that’s necessary after a collision, there is a focus on the time to repair the vehicle as opposed to completely repairing it.
Does a Dealership Actually Do Body Work?
When you work with a dealership, they will do bodywork on the cars that they promote and sell, but they will assign out bodywork if they don’t have the current capacity to complete the work. You expect dealerships to complete bodywork quickly, but what they charge with any repair work done depends on the time involved in repairing the vehicle.
Most people just automatically expect dealerships to repair a vehicle quickly. This encourages service departments to finish repairs as fast as possible. When a service technician completes a job quickly, within the amount of time estimated, the dealership profits. There are online competitors that have edged dealerships out on work, so the dealerships are trying to make up for losses through service departments.
Is a Dealership Mechanic Better?
Auto technicians who work for dealerships undergo factory training and work on the makes and models the dealership represents. The technicians are not necessarily better than technicians from auto body repair shops. Many independent technicians have similar factory training but are more in-depth with certifications in various areas. They also usually have more time in the business along with gained skills.
Technicians with dealerships often go through prolonged training and are aware of the kinds of cars that are sold through the dealership. They understand the ins and outs of vehicles. Are they considered more proficient than an independent body shop? Not always. Independent body shop technicians often have similar training as dealership technicians, but they are likely to be better at the work if they’ve been in the industry for a longer length of time.
Independent body shop technicians work on a whole range of vehicle types and models so they can advance in their level of experience and technical proficiency in repairing and rebuilding a vehicle. Most body shops also hold certifications that enable them to gain expertise. They gain further certifications as collision experts with different vehicles. This means that they gain independent certification from carmakers for repairs. Such examples include other top vehicle names in the industry who require advanced training and other certifications to complete repairs at a high level.
Determining Factors with a Dealership or Auto Body Repair Shop
Price
Independent auto body repair shops have less costly repair prices than dealerships do. Those who use dealerships for repairs often pay more for similar repairs. A body repair shop can help vehicle owners save money on costly repairs. People want to argue about dealer prices being relevant because the technicians making the repairs have more training and experience. That’s not always the case.
Experience
There seem to be arguments concerning both the knowledge and experience viewpoints between technicians who work for a dealership and those who work for auto body repair shops. With a dealership, technicians work with certain models and car brands while independent auto body shops work on a wide variety of vehicles. A technician from a dealership may have experience with specific cars and knowledge of them and may work better because of that specific knowledge, but that doesn’t guarantee that an independent technician knows any less.
Most independent auto body repair shops today carry blue seals of excellence and other certifications. This means their technicians have gone through strict training and examinations that verify a technician’s worth, plus they go through recertification on a regular basis.
Parts
Most independent body repair shops have access to parts through several outlets. When you know you need to repair your vehicle, a dealership can get parts more easily as they direct their attention to certain vehicle makes and models. They are more zoned into specific cars and work on them regularly, which means they understand certain parts and their availability.
A Dealership or Auto Body Repair Shop
There are savings on repair costs along with benefits, whether you go with a dealership or an independent auto body repair shop. So, it basically comes down to a choice of where you’ll take your vehicle for repairs. A dealership may have a bit more knowledge about your car, but an independent shop is usually less expensive and still has the knowledge and experience. You want to research on your own to determine what is the best choice for you.
If you’re anywhere in the southern New Jersey area and need either maintenance, specific repairs, or body work, contact Elmer’s Auto Body at (856) 218-0202. Or maybe you just have questions about general vehicle maintenance or more serious concerns with repair work. We’ve been in business since 1947 and have more than proven our worth to the communities we serve. Call us, you won’t regret it.