First service coming up - is it worth taking to dealership or local mechanic ok?

[defender_i_hardly_know_er]

Hi I've got a 2012 defender 90 and it's been on the road for nearly a year, done about 13k since then and needs it's first service. The closest dealer is 3 hours away (Geelong) and was wondering what people's opinions were on dealer servicing. If they're worth the expense and travel. Or if a local mechanic would be just as good. As long as I take it to a vacc place, the warranty will be still good.

[BigJon]

Or if a local mechanic would be just as good.

How long is a piece of string? It is a bit hard for us to judge the quality of your local mechanic over the internet!

[uninformed]

regarding the warrenty, it may be easier in the long run to take it to the one dealer whilst still under it....then it atleast eliminates the old oh they did this its there fault, the other party then says no and you get punted back and forth over BS.....

If you have a warenty claim, its going to have to go to LR, so may as well get them doing the servicing from the outset. Its all on them then.

[Sue]

I chose to go to a local Land Rover mechanic rather than the dealer, he's done a great job of servicing the car at about 1/4 of the price that I was quoted from Land Rover. To be fair I did choose a mechanic that deals with Land Rovers.. not just Jo Blogs down the street (or my BIL who happens to be a mechanic)..

I've also never had a problem with Land Rover regarding any warranty work that has needed to be done, in fact the opposite is true as they have gone out of their way to make sure that I am happy. :)

[n plus one]

regarding the warrenty, it may be easier in the long run to take it to the one dealer whilst still under it....then it atleast eliminates the old oh they did this its there fault, the other party then says no and you get punted back and forth over BS.....

If you have a warenty claim, its going to have to go to LR, so may as well get them doing the servicing from the outset. Its all on them then.

Agree that it may eliminate the he said/she said issues, but I'd only go to an independent LR specialist for servicing if I had my time again.

[Scallops]

X2 in regard to Sue's comment. That said, a LR specialist will likely be just as far away as the dealer, but in my experience, the specialists are the places to use.

[RVR110]

x 3

With my '85 110s and my '68 Corvette I had a strategy: go to a brake specialist for brakes, a suspension specialist for suspension etc. I was wrong. After consistent problems with the 110 I went to Graeme Coopers. They diagnosed and fixed issues that my other providers had charged me a couple of thousand dollars chasing down but hadn't resolved. Coopers charged me a few hundred dollars (not thousands). And they had the car back to me same day. Another example was when a well known suspension franchise replaced all of the bushes on my Corvette - only to have components literally fall off the next week while I was driving. Fixed by a Corvette specialist.

From then on I used a LR specialist (I include LR dealers in that term) for my LR and a Corvette specialist for the Corvette. It has made the world of difference.

[PAT303]

Mines been dealer serviced from new,when the warranty runs out it'll be independant,I know a good bloke who's been looking after my LR's for years. Pat

[defender_i_hardly_know_er]

Thanks for the replies guys, in the end I'm booked in with a local mechanic - apparently I'm the third land rover this month but normally pretty rare for them I think. In the end I decided I'd rather take a chance at potentially knowing a good mechanic near by.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

the only service mines had at a dealer was the after sales.......
it has never been serviced by them since in all of its 160 000kms.......ive been doing it all myself......every 5000 kms......
and as such......there is no service history......in fact.....it still has the original sticker on the windscreen
saying next service due at 20 000.............

i have had to go in for warranty claims when it was new.........and never had a problem.......


basically.....i think it pretty much depends on the dealer.......if they want work....they will take it on......
and since the customer isnt the one to pay.......there is no umming and ahhing....they will get paid by land rover......
its in their interest to look for other things to replace under warranty as this just gets them more work.....

and if they play the game right.....might even gain a regular customer for servicing as well......

others may simply say....bugger him....he has never come to us for a service....only comes here when he has a problem the local garage can't fix.....
why should we worry about it......?
let him go back to his local garage and fix it......

providing the servicing is done by the book...and by a licensed mechanic and workshop....and the book has been stamped as proof.....
they can't really knock you back for warranty......unless the problem was caused by not using the correct parts or lubricants......