First Car Guide for First Time Car Buyers

If your car needs maintenance or repairs, you have choices as to where you take it. Making a wrong choice can cost you money, headaches, and poor quality work. Here are some of your choices.

New-Car Dealers

Car dealers are the most obvious choice for doing your maintenance and repairs. The advantage of using a dealer is that he is (presumably) the expert on your car make and model. He has the support and resources of the manufacturer to back him up. He can handle warranty work, recalls, and routine maintenance. He (usually) has the parts for repairs and the special equipment required, particularly for newer cars. Many dealers do not do body work.

Some dealers have good shops, others don't. You can't automatically expect a new-car dealer to have the best shop in town. It's best to try to get opinions and experiences from other people who have used a dealer that you might use.

National or Regional Chain Stores

Large chains such as Pep Boys, Goodyear, Firestone, Sears, Kmart, Midas, and Walmart offer car repair and maintenance, often at prices below new-car dealers. Most are very convenient and provide good service for anything except major repairs. Most do not do body work.

There are thousands of independent car repair and body shops. Just check the telephone yellow pages. Some are large shops with a number of technicians, others are run by one person. Many specialize in repairs for only certain vehicle makes, such as Mercedes or Honda. Others specialize in certain types of repairs, such as mufflers or brakes. Generally, it's a good idea to take your vehicle to a shop that specializes in your vehicle brand and your type of repair or body work. A technician who is familiar with your car can often do the work in less time, and lower cost, than someone not so familiar.

Gas Stations

Gas stations with repair shops are a dying breed. Repair stalls have been replaced by more profitable convenience marts. However, of those stations left with maintenance and repair services, most are only equipped to do relatively routine and non-major tasks. Cost is usually less than at dealers or other shops.

Cost and Quality

Most repair shops charge on the basis of parts cost plus labor cost — "parts and labor." They make their money on the labor and profit on parts. Labor costs can easily be the most part of a repair job. For example, to replace a timing belt can cost a few hundred dollars due the large amount of work involved, even though the cost of the belt itself is only a few dollars.

Parts for repairs can be sourced from a variety of places. OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts are those that come from the car manufacturer and are considered to be the best quality — and highest cost. Car dealers sell OEM parts. OEM parts can often be obtained from independent auto parts suppliers as well. "Aftermarket" parts are those that are made by independent companies, often from overseas. Even though cost is usually less than OEM, quality and fit are frequently up to par, or even better, than OEM. Finally, there are "salvage" parts that come from wrecked or stripped vehicles. These parts are used, may have wear or damage, and are usually much less expensive. Junk yards and specialty parts vendors sell such parts.

New-car dealers' shops generally use OEM parts. Independent repair shops may use either OEM, aftermarket, or salvage parts, depending on the job, the customer's perferences and budget, and their own judgement. Obviously, this opens up opportunities for cheating and fraud. A shop can use salvage parts and charge customers OEM prices.

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