jdmartin
Ram Guru
There's also another thing about going to the dealer for some stuff. As my fellow goombas like to say, everyone needs to wet their beak a little.
Other than a house, a car is the most expensive thing most people will purchase. They're also fairly complicated these days and because they're so expensive, virtually no one would buy a new one without a decent warranty. When things go wrong, the car manufacturer needs to have a fleet of servicing outfits available to fix the cars. They need the dealerships to be able to stay in business, as do those who drive a vehicle. If the dealership has fairly reasonable prices, I don't mind using them because I want them to be there when I need real repairs on my vehicle from factory techs. I don't see it as charity as much as self-interest, because I don't want to have to drive an hour to get to an authorized dealership for a repair if/when I need one.
So like on my Kia. I bought my last two sets of tires from the dealership because they gave me a reasonable price (I checked it) and included free balance/rotation for life of the tires. That's worth it to me. Now I just got another new set of tires. I called the dealership - the one closest to my house, not my office - and they had an OK price but had a $20 charge for every rotation/balance. That's a hassle to me and more expensive than my local tire place, so that's who got my business.
I don't use quickie oil change places (or Walmart) because there's no expectation of excellence or competence there. I'd just as soon change my own oil. But like on my truck, $30 for an oil change and a tire rotation/balance I consider a pretty good deal. If they make a few bucks on it, good for them
