IMHO, after having all sorts of vehicles serviced at dealerships and
independent mechanics for over 20 years, I have been much more satisfied,
much more often at an independent shop.

I've got MANY anecdotes about dealerships screwing up big time and an
equal number of stories about independent mechanics doing a GREAT job
and/or offering reasonable prices.  I'll bet that almost everyone on the
list has similar experiences to relate.

Intuitively, this makes sense (to me), since there are many reasons for
better service from an independent mechanic and/or lousy service from a
dealership.

Having said all this, I also think that - for the average automobile
service consumer - there is more risk involved in selecting a competent
indepedent mechanic.

My USD 0.02 worth.

Marty Wallace
1984 Westfalia "Heisenberg"
(which is serviced regularly at The Zeppelin Works, Chico, California -
NEVER at a VW dealership)
Chico, California

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