AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.
Create a link to this page
Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:
Carcare: save on maintenance; reader survey: does your dealer measure up.(Annual Auto Issue)
Following the manufacturer's recommended service schedule is one of the best ways to make your vehicle last to a ripe old age.
A less-well-known tip is that you can save hundreds of dollars on scheduled maintenance by comparing prices at dealerships and independent shops in your area.
We called 36 dealerships and auto-repair shops in Houston, San Francisco, and Syracuse, N.Y., asking anonymously about the price of a 30,000-mile checkup for a 2000 Honda Accord or a 60,000-mile checkup for a 1998 Ford Explorer. Here's what we found:
Prices vary widely. Quotes for servicing the Accord ranged from $125 to $537; prices for the Explorer, $143 to $650. Even within the same city, the difference amounted to hundreds of dollars.
Dealers may charge you more. In each city, dealer quotes were generally higher than those from independent repair shops. One reason for the higher prices is that few dealers hewed exactly to the owner's manual recommendations. When we asked the dealers what the checkup included, they noted extra work such as spark-plug changes, valve adjustments, and even an "emissions-system service," which was never clearly explained.
Because independent shops tend to ...
- Former Montgomery Ward's Hair Salon Employees Start Independent Shops.
- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News June 19, 2001 700+ words
...Albo, Beth Dosen, Maggie Ewing, Ann Lott, Jennifer Phinos and Velma Montoya. Swope accounts for 31 of those years. A San Francisco native, she moved to Pueblo with her parents, Norma and the late John Thomas who came back to their home on St. Charles...
- Above and beyond: move away from typical wedding gifts and select a registry...
- Magazine article from: Town & Country Settle, Zoe G. October 1, 2008 700+ words
...Derian Hydrangea glass cake stand. $565; 212-799-1711; maxwellsilverny.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. GUMP'S, SAN FRANCISCO Royal Crown Derby Kaleidoscope bone china with 22k-gold finish. $2,450 for a five-piece setting; 800-766-7628...
- Those at independent shops get calls about USA Baby, too.
- Newspaper article from: Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, OH) September 10, 2006 700+ words
...merchant retailers. The majority of items are products in the medium price range, he said. Providing product to both independent shops as well as mass-merchant retailers makes good business sense for manufacturers, said George Ivaldi, president of CNT...
- The Training Gap.(Independent Shops)
- Magazine article from: Fleet Maintenance June 1, 2008 700+ words
...performed at the fleets' shops; courtesy of major fleet arrangements with OEMs to serve as warranty repair facilities. The independent shops and parts distributors tend to focus on braking, suspension, and electrical work, such as wiring. Dealers were at one...
- BEZOS' SPEECH SPEAKS VOLUMES INDEPENDENT SHOPS FACE DEMISE, HE WARNS.(News)
- Newspaper article from: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA) June 2, 2000 700+ words
...America convention. But away from the podium, the picture changed. For reporters, Bezos predicted the demise of many independent shops as e-books become more technologically feasible and popular. In Bezos' estimation, that will be ``a gradual thing...
- The Great Migration: Sales traders flock to independent shops for greener...
- Magazine article from: Traders Ramage, James July 1, 2008 700+ words
...sales traders of their choice. These trades-mostly difficult small- and mid-cap names-have gone to less expensive independent shops, and to sales traders with whom they've had long relationships. These nimbler shops also don't have the huge cost...
- Revive and beautify: They seek independent shops, restaurants.
- Newspaper article from: News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, IN) April 7, 2007 700+ words
...to have the same feel as Broad Ripple or Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis. Both feature an eclectic assortment of independent shops and restaurants. A series of workshops in February gave birth to some tentative designs for what the street could look...
- The Fountain Centre in Belfast is home to a number of unique, independent shops...
- Newspaper article from: Belfast Telegraph November 13, 2009 700+ words
The Fountain Centre in Belfast is home to a number of unique, independent shops and businesses. One long-standing shop is the family-owned gift shop Utopia which has been based in the city centre for over...
