If you are a brand new car owner, there will be a time when your warranty offered by the authorised dealer has expired and you might be thinking if you should stay with your authorised workshop or go to an independent car workshop.
Here are 4 factors that can help you make up your mind
1) Price Transparency
Heading to an independent car workshop will lower your servicing cost with AMSOIL preferred workshops pitching their package at a range from $148. (what’s the price range?) However if you are getting your parts replaced, there might be hidden costs such as labour. Do make sure that the final price is what you are quoted for.
Authorised service centres will quote you an all-inclusive price. This includes getting the original parts that you need, and the labour which is required for the replacements of the parts. With this, there is no need to worry about getting a rude shock when receiving the final bill.
2) Warranty Period For Parts
Whether it’s through an authorised service centre or an independent car workshop, you should always strive to ensure that you receive some form of guarantee for the parts that you buy.
3) Choose A Workshop Which Specialises In Your Car Model
Just like how you would prefer going to a Japanese restaurant for sushi, an Italian restaurant for pasta and a Zi Char stall for Yang Zhou fried rice, you should choose a car workshop that you know has the technical proficiency and sufficient experience in servicing the car model that you are driving. Thisis even more important if the car that you are driving is a niche model, as opposed to a mass market car model. With a wide specific range of Amsoil Engine Oil products in more than a hundred car workshops in Singapore, you are definitely well covered no matter which car model you are driving.
The advantage of going to an authorised dealer might be the qualified mechanics who have undergone regular training and have ample experience dealing with the same car models each day.
4) Original Or Substitute Parts?
Using original parts for the car bode well for two reasons.
Firstly, most cars would contain thousands of parts which have been designed and put together by their manufacturers for optimum performance for the car. Sure, you can change a part here and there and the car would still function normally. However, when you do this frequently over time, you start owning a car that is slowly becoming different from the car that you originally bought.
Secondly, from a value point of view, using original parts allow you to command a higher price if you intend to sell your car in the future. Like it or not, other car owners do put a premium on the fact that the car uses only original parts and good engine oil during repairs. Not all independent car workshops are able to provide you with an original part unlike the authorised workshop.
In conclusion, factoring the very important cost into the picture might help you make your decision.
All the best!
