Moving car maintenance from dealer to local garage
February 27, 2019 9:59 AM Subscribe
I bought my 2013 Forester with Subaru’s warranty for certified pre-owned vehicles. During the term of the warranty, I had the dealer maintain the car. The warranty is now expired and I expect to bring the car to a local independent shop for maintenance. Is there anything to keep in mind as I make this change?
Car has low miles and, now that my wife has her own car, I expect my Forester to get fewer than 20 miles a week, possibly no miles at all. All maintenance at the dealer to date has been based on time passed, rather than miles driven.
This is the first car I’ve owned. When moving to an independent, is it up to me to inform them of the manufacturer’s schedule? Do they run through the checks and ask what I want done, or is it simply understood that when it’s time for the timing belt to be replaced, they just do it without needing to be told?
And with the basics of oil and filter changes and tire rotation, do you stay religious a out those and let other things go longer? Again, this has always been a low mileage car and is now an ultra low mileage car.
Thanks all—I really have no perspective on maintaining this vehicle. I’d like to stay ahead of significant maintenance that may lead to significant repair bills (like the timing belt) but don’t rely on the car. Car has maybe 45k miles on it after seven years, so should have lots of life in it still. No issues to date, for the record.
Car has low miles and, now that my wife has her own car, I expect my Forester to get fewer than 20 miles a week, possibly no miles at all. All maintenance at the dealer to date has been based on time passed, rather than miles driven.
This is the first car I’ve owned. When moving to an independent, is it up to me to inform them of the manufacturer’s schedule? Do they run through the checks and ask what I want done, or is it simply understood that when it’s time for the timing belt to be replaced, they just do it without needing to be told?
And with the basics of oil and filter changes and tire rotation, do you stay religious a out those and let other things go longer? Again, this has always been a low mileage car and is now an ultra low mileage car.
Thanks all—I really have no perspective on maintaining this vehicle. I’d like to stay ahead of significant maintenance that may lead to significant repair bills (like the timing belt) but don’t rely on the car. Car has maybe 45k miles on it after seven years, so should have lots of life in it still. No issues to date, for the record.
I've never switched from dealer service to independent mechanic service, but I have used independent mechanics for my whole car-owning life. You should expect them to go over the work they intend to do beforehand, and for them to at least be open to conversations about why, if it's truly necessary right now vs. something that can be deferred, what other options might exist (is this something a lot of people just do themselves, for example), etc. They should also be able to answer questions about upcoming maintenance issues to consider in the future.
For popular cars/makes and models they see a lot, they should know the maintenance schedules or at least be able to access them easily and without too much involvement from you. With a Subaru, I'd try to find a mechanic that has worked on those a fair bit, because it's less popular than, say, a Camry or something.
As someone who drives older cars with more miles on them, I do oil changes every 5000 miles rather than the 2000 or so that oil change joints seem to want. Otherwise I do the rest by the book.
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 10:39 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
For popular cars/makes and models they see a lot, they should know the maintenance schedules or at least be able to access them easily and without too much involvement from you. With a Subaru, I'd try to find a mechanic that has worked on those a fair bit, because it's less popular than, say, a Camry or something.
As someone who drives older cars with more miles on them, I do oil changes every 5000 miles rather than the 2000 or so that oil change joints seem to want. Otherwise I do the rest by the book.
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 10:39 AM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have a certified used vehicle and switched from dealer to independent service about a year ago. The biggest thing for me has been that now I have more choice in where to take my car, and also more flexibility in fixing things slowly over time (versus spending a big chunk of money at once at the dealership).
I take the car to the mechanic for tune ups and major work, but I get my oil and filter done at a separate place, and my tires from a tire place that also does the inspection, rotation, and balance for free for the lifetime of the tire. This is so incredibly much cheaper than the dealer service I was doing while the car was still under its certified warranty.
I use a maintenance minder app to tell me when to take my car in for service--it sends reminders based on both time and mileage. For fluids and moving parts, I go by the mileage. For wipers, lightbulbs, things like that, I go by the time recommendations. I use one by CarFax, but there are plenty of others.
I do oil changes based on when my car lights up and says it's time to change the oil, not what the sticker from the oil change place says.
posted by assenav at 11:26 AM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]
I take the car to the mechanic for tune ups and major work, but I get my oil and filter done at a separate place, and my tires from a tire place that also does the inspection, rotation, and balance for free for the lifetime of the tire. This is so incredibly much cheaper than the dealer service I was doing while the car was still under its certified warranty.
I use a maintenance minder app to tell me when to take my car in for service--it sends reminders based on both time and mileage. For fluids and moving parts, I go by the mileage. For wipers, lightbulbs, things like that, I go by the time recommendations. I use one by CarFax, but there are plenty of others.
I do oil changes based on when my car lights up and says it's time to change the oil, not what the sticker from the oil change place says.
posted by assenav at 11:26 AM on February 27, 2019 [2 favorites]
i have taken cars from dealer service to independents and been quite happy. the key is to go to a shop that lives and breathes your car. Take a Mini to a Mini shop, a Prius to a Toyota/Honda shop that has experience with hybrids and battery pack swaps, a Subaru to a place that loves Subarus.
No independent shop I've used will call you to remind you "hey, your n year/n thousand mile service is coming up," they don't often have much in the way of non-mechanic staff or much of a front office, but they will know the manufacturer's schedule, and recommend when to be more conservative or aggressive in doing jobs.
You will wind up spending less than at the dealership and often get better work done from a very good independent.
posted by zippy at 12:10 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
No independent shop I've used will call you to remind you "hey, your n year/n thousand mile service is coming up," they don't often have much in the way of non-mechanic staff or much of a front office, but they will know the manufacturer's schedule, and recommend when to be more conservative or aggressive in doing jobs.
You will wind up spending less than at the dealership and often get better work done from a very good independent.
posted by zippy at 12:10 PM on February 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is so incredibly much cheaper than the dealer service I was doing while the car was still under its certified warranty.
You're going to freak out, possibly, at how much cheaper this is going to be now. I have a local mechanic who does all my work. The one time I went back to the dealer, it was for fiddly maybe-under-warranty, AC work that the mechanic couldn't figure out. Here are a few things to keep in mind
- maintenance schedule is all you now
- you don't need a specialty Subaru mechanic though it helps if the one you go to is pretty good with them
- repairs often take longer because they don't have all the parts in stock (though usually they are delivered same day)
- agree with others, you may want to go to specialty places for tires, body work, whatever
- some mechanics are bad but most are good. no one likes getting car work done. Check reviews to find someone you like who does the level of work you want (the dealer would always vacuum my car and give me a loaner, etc, you may not care about that, some places will do extra work they notice needs doing and some places will not)
- dealers often have cushy waiting rooms and you can make appointments, my experience with mechanics have been that you leave the car there all day unless you have some sort of urgent issue or something really quick like an oil change. Waiting rooms are much less cushy.
posted by jessamyn at 12:15 PM on February 27, 2019
You're going to freak out, possibly, at how much cheaper this is going to be now. I have a local mechanic who does all my work. The one time I went back to the dealer, it was for fiddly maybe-under-warranty, AC work that the mechanic couldn't figure out. Here are a few things to keep in mind
- maintenance schedule is all you now
- you don't need a specialty Subaru mechanic though it helps if the one you go to is pretty good with them
- repairs often take longer because they don't have all the parts in stock (though usually they are delivered same day)
- agree with others, you may want to go to specialty places for tires, body work, whatever
- some mechanics are bad but most are good. no one likes getting car work done. Check reviews to find someone you like who does the level of work you want (the dealer would always vacuum my car and give me a loaner, etc, you may not care about that, some places will do extra work they notice needs doing and some places will not)
- dealers often have cushy waiting rooms and you can make appointments, my experience with mechanics have been that you leave the car there all day unless you have some sort of urgent issue or something really quick like an oil change. Waiting rooms are much less cushy.
posted by jessamyn at 12:15 PM on February 27, 2019
Worth doing when you find the right independent mechanic.
You should continue to follow the factory maintenance schedule. There will be a time-based schedule for low-mileage cars. If you're really driving only 1000 miles a year, you need to continue a time-based schedule.
You own a Subaru, which is popular. Specialized Subaru mechanics can be found in any big city. They do have some quirks.
These days, the old "every 3000 miles" advice on oil changes is just wasteful and stupid for most cars that use full synthetic oil. The typical standard-duty oil service interval for most passenger cars is 7500 miles, but that assumes you're driving an average 10-15K a year. (I think the national average in the US is 12K.) If it were me (and there are lots of old Subarus in my past), I'd do it every 6 months from here on out. Same with tire rotation and general lubrication. Other rubber bits are now going to wear out well before their mileage ratings, though. Driveway time is hard on rubber. Belts, hoses, and bushings (and tires themselves) should be watched closely.
I'd find the Subaru guru in your town. Likely they exist.
posted by spitbull at 2:49 PM on February 27, 2019
You should continue to follow the factory maintenance schedule. There will be a time-based schedule for low-mileage cars. If you're really driving only 1000 miles a year, you need to continue a time-based schedule.
You own a Subaru, which is popular. Specialized Subaru mechanics can be found in any big city. They do have some quirks.
These days, the old "every 3000 miles" advice on oil changes is just wasteful and stupid for most cars that use full synthetic oil. The typical standard-duty oil service interval for most passenger cars is 7500 miles, but that assumes you're driving an average 10-15K a year. (I think the national average in the US is 12K.) If it were me (and there are lots of old Subarus in my past), I'd do it every 6 months from here on out. Same with tire rotation and general lubrication. Other rubber bits are now going to wear out well before their mileage ratings, though. Driveway time is hard on rubber. Belts, hoses, and bushings (and tires themselves) should be watched closely.
I'd find the Subaru guru in your town. Likely they exist.
posted by spitbull at 2:49 PM on February 27, 2019
Keep receipts and records of all service. This is helpful to you to keep track of what's been done and when, and also if and when you sell the vehicle to show that it's been properly maintained.
posted by jgreco at 3:09 PM on February 27, 2019
posted by jgreco at 3:09 PM on February 27, 2019
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posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2019