Free preview · from the dealership side of the desk
‘You have to service it here or you’ll void your warranty.’ Every service advisor has said it, most have believed it, and it is not true in the way it is said. Federal law has settled this for decades. What is true is narrower: a few things only the dealer can do, a few things the manufacturer can legitimately demand, and a paperwork habit that keeps you covered wherever you take the car.
This guide sorts those out from the service drive’s side of the counter, where the labor rate is often $150–$250 an hour against $90–$140 at a good independent. Over the years you own a car that gap is thousands of dollars, so it is worth knowing where the dealer is required and where it is just convenient.
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In the full guide
- Magnuson-Moss, in plain words
- When you must use the dealer
- When you don’t
- Keeping the warranty intact at an independent
- When the dealer is actually the better choice
- The script for the service drive
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