Would you take your car back to the selling dealer for service? Not many of your neighbors would. Your parents probably went back to the new-car dealer for service out of some misguided sense of loyalty, but most consumers today don’t show much loyalty to the selling dealer.
According to a new survey by Experian, only 29 percent of the car owning population would go back to the dealer where they purchased the car for maintenance service. Almost half of car owners (47 percent) said they would get their car serviced at a local garage rather than take it to the dealer from whom they purchased their new vehicle. They are even less likely to use a franchised dealer that sells the same brand of car to service their vehicle (only 13 percent). When it comes to used cars, 64 percent said they would go to a local garage to get their car serviced.
All car owners, whether they own new or used, said quality of workmanship (72 percent) and value for money (67 percent) are the two most important elements of a good car service provider. Kirk Fletcher, Managing Director of Experian's Automotive division, said: "Sixty-two per cent of car owners keep their cars for at least three years before considering a change and our survey reveals that at least half of motorists are likely to hold onto their car for longer if the current climate persists. This makes car servicing an important area for dealers and even an area of differentiation.” Looks to me as if an opportunity exists for new car dealers to increase their service and maintenance business.
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