Does it matter where you buy a car when it comes to getting maintenance and warranty work done? Here’s my situation: I went to a dealership 5 minutes from my house to test drive a car, but they didn’t have the demo model I wanted and couldn’t even tell me when they’d get one in. The salesperson took my number but didn’t seem very motivated.
So I called a different dealership that’s 40 minutes away, and they had the exact car I want. The salesperson there was super helpful.
If I end up buying from the second dealership, can I still take the car to the closer one for service and repairs? Will it affect my warranty or any benefits if I don’t buy from them? I’d rather not give my money to the unhelpful dealership, but driving far for service every time isn’t ideal either.
BumpyJohnson said:
If it’s a Ford, you can take it to any Ford service center for warranty work, no problem.
Yep, that’s right. I bought my car from a different dealer but get it serviced closer to home. The dealership I use now loves getting the business because they make money on service, which is more profitable than sales. Funny enough, I ended up buying my next car from them because their service department treated me so well. Good customer service goes a long way!
BumpyJohnson said:
If it’s a Ford, you can take it to any Ford service center for warranty work, no problem.
Yep, that’s right. I bought my car from a different dealer but get it serviced closer to home. The dealership I use now loves getting the business because they make money on service, which is more profitable than sales. Funny enough, I ended up buying my next car from them because their service department treated me so well. Good customer service goes a long way!
Exactly! I even ordered a Ranger Raptor from a dealership that had done a great job on some work for my Explorer. Good service definitely pays off.
BumpyJohnson said:
If it’s a Ford, you can take it to any Ford service center for warranty work, no problem.
Thanks for clearing that up. I thought I had to go back to the same dealer I bought from.
Nope, you’re free to choose any dealer. Just make sure it’s a genuine Ford Protect ESP. I’d recommend buying from places like Granger or Flood to get the best price. I even got a local finance guy to match their prices once. If they refuse, I just buy directly from those online options.
BumpyJohnson said:
If it’s a Ford, you can take it to any Ford service center for warranty work, no problem.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
BumpyJohnson said:
If it’s a Ford, you can take it to any Ford service center for warranty work, no problem.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
I don’t know about that… in my experience, service centers don’t care where you bought the car. They just want to make money on repairs. Maybe it’s a myth?
Roger said: BumpyJohnson said:
If it’s a Ford, you can take it to any Ford service center for warranty work, no problem.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
I don’t know about that… in my experience, service centers don’t care where you bought the car. They just want to make money on repairs. Maybe it’s a myth?
Well, I was a Ford dealer for 40 years, and we always took care of our own customers first. We never admitted it, but we prioritized people who bought from us. Some dealers around me even refused to work on cars they didn’t sell. It’s not common everywhere, but it does happen.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
I don’t know about that… in my experience, service centers don’t care where you bought the car. They just want to make money on repairs. Maybe it’s a myth?
Well, I was a Ford dealer for 40 years, and we always took care of our own customers first. We never admitted it, but we prioritized people who bought from us. Some dealers around me even refused to work on cars they didn’t sell. It’s not common everywhere, but it does happen.
That’s wild. Purposely delaying service on cars you didn’t sell sounds like a terrible business practice. If a dealer treated me like that, I’d never go back, and I’m sure others would feel the same. Not a smart move for customer retention.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
I don’t know about that… in my experience, service centers don’t care where you bought the car. They just want to make money on repairs. Maybe it’s a myth?
Well, I was a Ford dealer for 40 years, and we always took care of our own customers first. We never admitted it, but we prioritized people who bought from us. Some dealers around me even refused to work on cars they didn’t sell. It’s not common everywhere, but it does happen.
That’s wild. Purposely delaying service on cars you didn’t sell sounds like a terrible business practice. If a dealer treated me like that, I’d never go back, and I’m sure others would feel the same. Not a smart move for customer retention.
My spouse manages a dealership, and it’s true that they won’t bend over backward for customers who bought elsewhere. But any warranty or recall work still has to be done. It’s just that those extra perks or freebies are more likely to be given to their own customers.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
I don’t know about that… in my experience, service centers don’t care where you bought the car. They just want to make money on repairs. Maybe it’s a myth?
Well, I was a Ford dealer for 40 years, and we always took care of our own customers first. We never admitted it, but we prioritized people who bought from us. Some dealers around me even refused to work on cars they didn’t sell. It’s not common everywhere, but it does happen.
That’s wild. Purposely delaying service on cars you didn’t sell sounds like a terrible business practice. If a dealer treated me like that, I’d never go back, and I’m sure others would feel the same. Not a smart move for customer retention.
My spouse manages a dealership, and it’s true that they won’t bend over backward for customers who bought elsewhere. But any warranty or recall work still has to be done. It’s just that those extra perks or freebies are more likely to be given to their own customers.
Makes sense. I had a similar experience when I had to cancel my Ranger Raptor order due to the strike. Ended up getting a used truck, but I tipped the sales guy for his help and passed along a referral. Hoping it’ll pay off next time.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
I don’t know about that… in my experience, service centers don’t care where you bought the car. They just want to make money on repairs. Maybe it’s a myth?
Well, I was a Ford dealer for 40 years, and we always took care of our own customers first. We never admitted it, but we prioritized people who bought from us. Some dealers around me even refused to work on cars they didn’t sell. It’s not common everywhere, but it does happen.
That’s wild. Purposely delaying service on cars you didn’t sell sounds like a terrible business practice. If a dealer treated me like that, I’d never go back, and I’m sure others would feel the same. Not a smart move for customer retention.
My spouse manages a dealership, and it’s true that they won’t bend over backward for customers who bought elsewhere. But any warranty or recall work still has to be done. It’s just that those extra perks or freebies are more likely to be given to their own customers.
Makes sense. I had a similar experience when I had to cancel my Ranger Raptor order due to the strike. Ended up getting a used truck, but I tipped the sales guy for his help and passed along a referral. Hoping it’ll pay off next time.
I bet it will! People remember gestures like that.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
I don’t know about that… in my experience, service centers don’t care where you bought the car. They just want to make money on repairs. Maybe it’s a myth?
Well, I was a Ford dealer for 40 years, and we always took care of our own customers first. We never admitted it, but we prioritized people who bought from us. Some dealers around me even refused to work on cars they didn’t sell. It’s not common everywhere, but it does happen.
That’s wild. Purposely delaying service on cars you didn’t sell sounds like a terrible business practice. If a dealer treated me like that, I’d never go back, and I’m sure others would feel the same. Not a smart move for customer retention.
I never said it was smart. I always thought it was bad business. But yeah, some dealers are really pushy, especially the big corporate ones.
BumpyJohnson said:
If it’s a Ford, you can take it to any Ford service center for warranty work, no problem.
In theory, any dealer should treat you the same, but sometimes they give priority to customers who bought from them. If their sales department was bad, the service might be just as bad. It’s something to think about.
Just to add, dealerships make most of their money from service, including warranty work. So they should be happy to see you, even if you didn’t buy the car there.
BrandonGearhead said:
Just to add, dealerships make most of their money from service, including warranty work. So they should be happy to see you, even if you didn’t buy the car there.
Thanks, that helps! I’ll buy from the second dealer then.
BrandonGearhead said:
Just to add, dealerships make most of their money from service, including warranty work. So they should be happy to see you, even if you didn’t buy the car there.
Actually, warranty work doesn’t pay as much as regular service jobs. Ford underpays dealers for warranty work compared to what they’d earn from other repairs.
BrandonGearhead said:
Just to add, dealerships make most of their money from service, including warranty work. So they should be happy to see you, even if you didn’t buy the car there.
Actually, warranty work doesn’t pay as much as regular service jobs. Ford underpays dealers for warranty work compared to what they’d earn from other repairs.