Take The Car To The Brand’s Technical Service Or To Another Workshop?

There are many myths around about the convenience of taking new or second-hand vehicles to the brand’s technical service or another workshop. As of today, there are some variables to take into account when deciding.

By going to a workshop today,  there is no legal impediment for an owner to bet on an independent center rather than on an official one.

Maraca technical service or another workshop? The owner decides

Until 2010, dealerships and insurance companies forced their clients to go only to consensual or branded workshops. If an owner took the risk of taking the vehicle to a store “for free,” he was running the risk of losing the warranty.

This scenario allowed the configuration of an uncompetitive and very unbalanced market. Official garages did not have to compete to gain a portfolio of clients.

The simple fact of being backed by a brand or having an agreement with an insurance company, ensured a constant work flow. As a result, the prices for the services rendered were extremely high.

But after the promulgation of Regulation 461/2010, this situation changed . Neither sellers nor car insurers, whether new or second-hand, can impose a mechanical workshop. From then on, taking the car to the brand’s technical service or to another workshop became part of free choice.

Condition for independents

The regulation that allows vehicle owners to go to any mechanical establishment, only imposes one condition . Independent workshops – like brand – name ones – must follow, without exception, what is indicated by the manufacturer in the car’s maintenance manual.

A market with many opportunities

By law, new cars have a minimum two-year warranty. This represents a very attractive market for any vehicle service center; either official or independent.

The interests that make life within this sector are various. On the one hand, automotive brands seek to retain customers. The ultimate goal of insurance companies is to save the most money on each repair.

In this scenario, the independent workshops appear. Centers that seek to offer a personalized service, maintaining or improving the quality standards of brand workshops and this in addition to maintaining the speed that insurance companies seek to guarantee . All at a lower cost for the owners.

Considerations for taking the car to the technical service of the brand or to another workshop

With so much competition, each company appeals to what it has most in the quest to keep a large chunk of the market. From aggressive advertising campaigns, expansion of coverage or additional compensation.

Many brand workshops offer guarantees beyond the minimum limit set in the legislation. But for the customer to enjoy this benefit, the vehicle must ‘be faithful’ to the emblem that identifies it and not visit an independent mechanic.

On the other hand, insurers persuade policyholders to only attend consensual workshops. To do this, they use some practices such as offering a substitute vehicle while the repair lasts.

Other offers may include the delivery of the repaired car directly to the home, without the owner having to go looking for it; all this looking for the comfort of the user.

But some of the measures, with which these companies seek to direct customer traffic to the workshops with which they have agreements, border on the limit of legality. The best known is the delay applied to all payment and compensation processes.

Guaranteed services

All mechanical workshops must answer to their customers for the services rendered. This includes a warranty of three months or 2,000 km (whichever comes first), for each repair. If the installation of a new part is contemplated, the term of protection of the device is two years.

In some situations, it may be the case that a mechanic – always with the owner’s permission – installs a second-hand replacement. Also to proceed to repair a part already installed in the vehicle itself.

In all these cases, the same guarantees apply. Always remembering that these practices are not allowed, due to safety measures, in components of the braking, steering or suspension systems.