[drifter]

Dont worry nc, the axles have enough juice to last goa and a bit more. But i do need to change them in the not so distant future. Money is a bit of a factor here, doesnt make sense to spend that much if i can get it fixed outside cheaper with the OEM parts.

Drifter

[sumitkalindi]

My chioce is always independent garage. And yes after the warranty is over. Not before it.

Actually My car goes to different garages for different works, for engine related one garage, for denting painting jobs, another for electrical related another so on. And let me tell you each one of them are really masters in their own field.

So that I can sleep in peace with a little more amount of load in my pocket.

[2fast4u]

Originally Posted by drifter

Dont worry nc, the axles have enough juice to last goa and a bit more. But i do need to change them in the not so distant future. Money is a bit of a factor here, doesnt make sense to spend that much if i can get it fixed outside cheaper with the OEM parts.

Drifter

A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE.
ive got a 15yr old baby here in Gulf but each problem gets fixed the first time i make it a point to get it done asap as it can lead to further damage. And this babys kept and will keep me smiling for a loooooooongg time i guess. She's already 400K+ kms.
so take care of your ride asap and u wont have to worry much.

btw the new generation cars should better see the ASC as there are too many electronic stuff the local garage Pappu is not aware of.
if your ride is old then better as it can be done anywhere then.

[paharino1]

Interesting topic guys

As a follow up to this discussion...can we have a list of Team BHP members recommended Independent Garages by city...??

Bottomline being they should offer good service & lower costs than ASCs..

[drifter]

From my personal experience, independant garages really do make sense.
Actually both the ASC and the local garage have their positives and negatives.

If you are lucky enough to find a good and honest garage then you can get most of the work done barring really serious electronic tinkering and stuff like that for which we should visit the ASC.

Taking the car to the ASC for only the most technical problems makes sense because you can always get routine work done at the local garage for less than half the price provided that your local garage is honest and has ample experience with dealing with your make of car.

The key is to know what work should be done where.

Drifter

[mxx]

I personally prefer ASC. They may charge you more, but you get good quality work, authentic parts. The mechanics are trained by the company, so you can be sure they know your car well, which is very important in new cars with complicated electronics.

[s.prashanth]

Originally Posted by drifter

Hey there Team-bhpians. When servicing your car, where would you go? An Authorised service centre or an independant garage? Would love to know about your experience at both.

Drifter

always the authorised point and no compromise, as they keep a record of services and repairs and part replacements. it is good to have these while selling the car and also in times of dispute with the dealer and also to get some times a good will warranty

[condor]

If you have extended wty, then it would make sense to be prudent about which repairs at the ASC, and which ones at other places.
Post the basic wty period, a mix of ASC and other SC's would help

[srasania]

Well,I would surely only go to the ASC as of now - because :
1. I don't know any good/better garage who can service my vehicle better than ASC.
2.My Car is in warranty till 2009.(Warranty coverage is valid provided that I get it serviced at regular intervals from ASCs only).
3.I wouldn't worry about any non-genuine spares being used in my vehicle at ASCs.

-sr

[aman345]

i think if u have maruti 800 or omni then local garage is fine but above that i would recommend ASCs

[Mpower]

I would take it to the dealer till warranty expires. Thereafter only if its a compilcated issue which requires hi tech equipment. I dont like the attitude at these dealerships, especially the ones that are busy and fully booked. They do the bare minimum and dont pay attention to detail. Its like an assembly line in there if you ever watch through the glass window at Whitefield Honda.

But you need to find a competent mechanic. The local mechs will try to mess around with stuff that they dont understand, so you gotta be careful.

But most of the mechs I've seen have worked in a dealership for a few years, learnt the trade and set up shop on their own.

Originally Posted by drifter

My axles have almost packed up...the showroom says it will cost 26000 bucks. Yikes! What do you guys suggest...should i get it done outside?
Drifter

Packed up meaning...are you hearing clicking noise during turns? You can buy the OE parts from the dealer and have a local shop put it in. It can also be rebuilt but I'm not sure who would do it.

[tsk1979]

It is really difficult to find a good independent garage sometimes, esp if you do not have a lot of local contacs. I went to bosch once for my indica and the service was nothing short of a disaster, my car almost caught fire due to their carelessness. Read about the review here

That said, if you find a good independent garage it is just great. In Ludhiana, the service manager for a Hyundai dealership left. He was the best guy there, always helping customers even when the management tried to make a quick buck. Result, most people whose warranties have expired go to his garage.

I am yet to find a good independent garage for tata in noida, so i am stuck with sterling, who are just average and cost a bomb(labour charges blah blah).
I think if I had the time and patience I would find one(actually I know one, arush, but he's 2 hours drive away, so not practical). Since I am new to the city with no local contacts, I am stuck. Same is the case with most techies working away from their home towns.
If somebody could really put together a list or something, it would be great. But somebody has to start. I started by posting a review about bosch, so if you go to an independent garage, write a review, good or bad. It will help others a lot.
Mumbai members have it easier, and to an extent the bangalore guys too, but the noida scene of independent garages sucks as there are not a lot of members from noida who are natives and know the auto scene in and out.

[sandeep108]

Why nobody has mentioned about cleanliness? Usually any ASC will ensure your car is spick and span, seats, carpets, mats, steering, fenders, etc. are all covered appropriately and you generally get the car in same/cleaner condition. Is this not worth something? What about scratches, dings, dents while lying/driven at local mechanic? Also usually ASC dealing with one make and quite used to the cars. Local mechanic may not be.

That being said, I feel it still depends on each one's experience and ability to locate good mechanic, whether local or ASC. e.g. Hyundai - BCMA is still terrible as compared to ABC.

My rule of thumb is if repair is feasible/safe, then try local mechanic, if not then better to go to ASC and pay premium/taxes.

[condor]

Sometimes it is really worth paying the extra fees at the ASC. They will use the recommended grade oils, genuine parts, and also take care like using plastic covers for the seats etc.

One observation is that they dont sell the parts to you without fitting it. Out in the market, we do get 'genuine spare parts', but wonder if the parts available in the market are 100% genuine, or rejects/fakes. Can someone familiar with the spare parts buisness shed some light on this?

A recent experience with a local service center - run by an ex-ASC person: his person came to jump-start my car, but didnt even know the procedure. It wasnt even a complicated process, and the guy who came wasnt a kid either. I had to call for help because I didnt have the cable. And he charged me the same fees as the ASC would have.

It is good if you do know a trustable mechanic/ SC. It's a different matter altogether if you know your car, you know what you are doing, and can do things yourself. For all others, it looks a safer bet to go with the ASC.

[Rtech]

Sometimes it is really worth paying the extra fees at the ASC. They will use the recommended grade oils, genuine parts, and also take care like using plastic covers for the seats etc.

In an Ideal world, that would be the case. However there are far too many reports of dealers charging for work done, oil changes, filter changes etc, but not actually doing the job. The last time I had my car there for some work, they threw out my Pipercross filter and put in a rubbish paper filter! This after i specifically told them about it.

Also, lets not confuse a local garage with your roadside/alleyway/flybynight mechanic who's idea of tools is a hammer and screw driver. There are excellent independent garages out there with good equipment and knowledgeable staff. These are the places you should look out for.