2007-10-14 15:54:23 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
my muffler is loose and i might need new brake pads.
2007-10-14 15:54:57 · update #1
The dealer is the BEST place for repairs. Everyone is going to disagree with me because all they have ever heard is they are too expensive. The reality is the dealer knows what they are doing so they arent going to replace stuff that doesnt need replacing. They also have alot more to lose than the local mom and pop auto repair replace. Add in the fact that the dealer knows about recalls on your vehicle and may just repair it for free if it is a recurring problem and you are really better off going to the dealer. I always take mine to the dealer and I spend alot less than my friends.
2007-10-14 16:05:00 · answer #1 · answered by Michael 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Ok, basically its like this. Yes, the dealership does have techs that are trained on your specific make of vehicle, yes, they are very well qualified techs and are good at what they do. There is nothing wrong with taking a vehicle to a dealership or repair, but I do not believe it is ALWAYS necessary. I do believe that paying a little more at a dealership is worth it if your other option is to have someone untrained and unqualified perform a repair that will only cost you more in the long run, but I have known independent shops that knew every bit as much as a tech in a dealership, and were capable of performing correct repairs every bit as good as a dealership.
My advice, if you cannot perform the work yourself, and you do not have a mechanic you trust and take all your vehicles to, then the dealership is probably your best bet all around.
2007-10-14 16:14:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might want to take your car to a dealership for the muffler, but as for the brake pads you can do those yourself.
1. First raise the vehicle.
2. Remove the wheel and tire.
3. Take the bolts off of the caliper.
4. Raise the caliper.
5. Tie a piece of wire to a suspension part and tie the other end of the wire to the caliper to hold it out of the way.
6. Remove the old brake pads.
7. Inspect the rotor to see if it needs to be machined or replaced depending on its thickness.
8. Machine the rotor or replace it if necessary.
9. Install the new brake pads where the old ones were.
10. Put the caliper back on.
11. Put the tire and wheel back on and lower the vehicle.
12. With the vehicle on the ground tighten the nuts on the wheel to the proper torque using a torque wrench.
Hope this helps!
2007-10-14 16:02:37 · answer #3 · answered by karate09 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
An independent shop or Pep Boys would be better for that type of job in my opinion, but you can never go wrong with the trained dealer technicians that know your car. A dealer would be more likely to have the 8000 dollar brake lathe that turns the brake rotors down while they're mounted on the car to get a true non warped rotor resurfacing that's even better than putting new rotors on the car that haven't been machined on the car.
All great answers on this question and the bottom line is that there's a time and a place for using many different types of repair shops to your advantage as you learn where to get the best overall service for a given problem on your car.
http://www.iatn.net/shopfinder/
http://www.aa1car.com/library/auto_repair_help.htm
2007-10-14 15:58:26 · answer #4 · answered by bobweb 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Usually the dealership will charge a lot more for each thing they do for you.
You can go to a reliable repair shop in your town that is known throughout your town and get better service, better prices and good service. In my town I've been going to PEP BOYS for years. They have been around for a lot of years. I've been going there since in the 70's. They can do most everything.
My son works for a dealer. He said his dealership would charge $80 to check my brakes to see if they needed work on them. And if they didn't need any work done. Pep Boys charged me $12 to check my brakes. They were not worn but were making a little squeaky noise. I thought they were wearing out. The man said I had about another year of wear on them.
So, go to a dealer if you have plenty of money to throw away.
They will welcome you with open arms.
2007-10-14 16:14:19 · answer #5 · answered by Barbra 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no way always bring it to a dealership those people are trained on that specific make of automobile. not some independent bs shop
oh and mr brake expert below me forgot step #8: depressing the plunger back into the caliper so you can actually put the pads back on!
2007-10-14 16:01:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
sure - you pay much more than you should (and even then you're not sure they did the job right)
Go to a muffler shop for #1 and any garage can do #2 - prob for half the price of the dealer or less.
Only go to the dealer for issues that are specific to the car (ECU, sensors and such)
2007-10-14 21:12:55 · answer #7 · answered by ladybugewa 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my experience with delearship (i had 2000 vw bettle) is that they had the "right" machine to fix the car. or i could have maybe just been talked into it. anyway, dealership is good if your still under warranty but they're too pricey to go to once you don't have warranty anymore. nothing wrong with it but way too pricey. i once got a quote for 5000 worth of repairs and got it fixed for 2800 at some shop place....
2007-10-14 16:05:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's usually a lot more expensive at the dealership. If you are not on some type of warranty with the dealership, save your money and go somewhere else.
2007-10-14 16:02:08 · answer #9 · answered by Laura 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Dealerships can be a little pricy for general maintenance repairs like that, but they will give you a good warranty.
2007-10-14 15:57:50 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋