Should You Stay or Should You Go, Is Waiting for a Car Repair the Best Choice
Is it better to wait with your car, or should you drop it off for repair?This is a really big point of contention in the shop. From the service advisors to the technicians, everyone has an opinion, and they are all right, just ask them. 😉
Like anything, there are pros and cons to each. From a mechanic’s point of view, dropping it off is best. It takes any time pressure off of us and lets us be thorough. It also keeps a service advisor from bothering a mechanic while they are trying to work. I will save my opinion for the end. 🙂
Let’s take a look at some pros and cons a customer might experience,
Pros to waiting at the dealer
- You will generally get done faster if you are there waiting
- Most dealer have free snacks
- I can’t imagine a dealer not having WIFI, at least you can get work done
- It is a great place to meet folks. I talked to a customer that met his girlfriend in our waiting room. How cool is that!
- There will be no back and forth on the phone if the mechanic finds something wrong with your car.
- If they do find something wrong with your can, you have an easy out if you DON’T want to fix your car. “Sorry I can’t wait that long”.
- If something is wrong, you can see it yourself. Even if you don’t know what you are looking at, it will help to see something the problem, and prevent unneeded services
- You can test drive the newest coolest cars
- You have leverage to getting a better deal. Asking for a coupon or a loaner car so needed repairs can get completed. You won’t have that if you drop your car off.
Cons to waiting at the dealer
- You are stuck waiting at the dealer.
- It can get boring waiting, if the waiting room is lame
- There is a chance that a salesman will try to sell you a new car~only a con if you don’t want a new car
- You might get stuck longer if your car needs further repairs
- Again, YOU ARE STUCK there.
- You might have better things to do than wait
- Mechanics might rush through the job
Like I said there are some good and some bad about waiting. What about your other choice, leaving your car? Pros and Cons~~~GO!
Pros to dropping your car off
- You are not stuck at the dealer in a boring waiting room
- This will give the mechanics more time to do their job as thorough as they can.
- If the mechanic needs to contact a “help line” for assistance, they are free to do so.
- You just might get a car wash(no promise)
- If gives the mechanic a chance to earn the money you are paying. It keeps most of us from getting fussy.
Cons to dropping your car off
- You have to make arrangements for a ride twice
- You can rent a car, but that adds to the bill
- There will be multiple phone calls, emails, texts no matter what
- There will be even more phone calls if the mechanic finds something wrong
- You have to get your car by the time they close, or “No Car For You”(are soup Nazi joke lame)
- They might take their sweet time, and push your car until the end of the day.
- You BETTER trust your mechanic, you can’t see a problem like you could if you were there.(If you have been following my advise, that is not an issue) 😉
When I wrote that out, I really did make a strong case for waiting on your car didn’t I. To me, it doesn’t really matter. Yep, I not mind either way. If you want to drop your car off awesome! If you want to come and hang out while I work on your car, that is cool too. I strive to do the same job either way.
Just remember, it is YOUR choice. If you wait, do not get mad when it takes a little longer then you thought. 🙂
What do you guys think? Do you prefer to wait for your car at the dealer? What is your main reason? How can dealers make the waiting room better? Hit me with what you got!
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I actually do prefer to wait assuming I have the time. I always have a good book with me and it’s fun chatting with others and maybe enjoying a doughnut & some coffee. It can kindof be a fun outing from my perspective.
I usually bring my laptop and wait because I don’t want to bother arranging transport back and forth.
Usually the waiting rooms have TVs with some stupid TV show playing… I think they could be improved with video games. Then the customers could play games against each other while waiting.
@Matt, how awesome would video games be. You could have a “beat the high score” contest for a free oil change or something. You might have hit on something big!
I prefer dropping the car off, if that is possible. I used to do this all the time when I had the option of driving my husband’s car. Unfortunately, he bought a manual, which I can’t drive, so I will be spending a lot more time waiting at the auto shop. 🙁
I’d rather wait. BUT… has the salesman really gone to people and tried to sell them a new one? I’d be crazy mad if i went to the dealership for my 10,000 mile service and the salesman approached me and said “hey sir, would you like a new VW!” NOOOOOOOO! lol
@Brandon, I hope that any sales man that does that has more tact than just saying “hey wanna buy a new car”. I am sure that guy or girl is out there!
Hahaha there probobly is someone like that, I was just using it as a demonstration where, if I was in there to get my VERY FIRST OIL CHANGE, and someone were to approach me and try to convince me to buy a new car, I would first tell them if they dont remember me BUYING a new car a half a year ago, and trying to throw their sales pitch at me again, when i haven’t even gotten the seats properly adjusted yet! lol
I trust the photo at the top of the article is of the waiting room at your facility. 😉
Hahaha, not quite. We are actually remodeling at the dealer. This is the 1st week. I will post some pictures ASAP.
From another point of view. When I worked for a dealer, we had a bad joke. If a customer wants to wait, we aren’t going to disappoint them, they are going to wait. The day I interviewed for the job, the shop foreman and I went to lunch. He had a customer wait and we took over an hour for lunch. There was no pressure to repair a customer wait over a drop-off in that shop. One more reason why I didn’t like that particular dealer and didn’t stay long.
I like that you point out that one of cons of dropping your car off is that you might not be able to get your car until the end of the day. I can see why this would be something to be aware of when deciding to wait or not. My car is needing to get the oil changed soon. I’ll definitely keep this in mind for when I go in.
It seems every time I make an appointment and drop my vehicle off, I don’t get it back until almost closing. I don’t want to rush mechanics, but please don’t take advantage of me simply because I didn’t give a time limit. I confronted the last mechanic I’ve been to about this, and he admitted letting my car sit while he worked on others that were scheduled after me.
I like that you mentioned that there are good and bad things about waiting and dropping off your car. I think that if you are in a rush to get somewhere then you might want to drop off your car so you can go. I recently went to an auto shop and they took a little longer than I was expecting so I was a few minutes late to my sister’s wedding.
The first thing always have your car clean before you take it there they will treat your car better if you leave a car there with baby seats pet hair soda bottles paper trash I will tell you because I know your car will not get treated as well and make sure before you leave it clean you tell the service manager that you wanted right and then you leave the car
Thanks for pointing out that it will generally go faster if you choose to stay and wait. My husband and I need to have our car repaired soon. Your tips should help the repair process go as good as possible.
That is a good point that if I dropped my car off, I wouldn’t have to be stuck in a waiting room. Maybe it would be good to go somewhere to get my car repaired. Soon I should go somewhere that specializes in Mercedes repair.
I like when you suggested that one of the pros of waring is to wait because the job is done faster. It’s also a good thing that they can offer you snacks. My brother is confused if he wants to drop off his car or just wait in the auto service shop for repair. I will definitely advise all the pros and cons that you mentioned so that can he can decide which one is best for him.
Purchasing a car is the second biggest expenditure individuals make in their lifetime after a dwelling place. And this is what makes a car parent quite cautious about his old faithful. With the course of time, the speed machine begins to age and just like any other stuff, it needs a certain amount of care and love. Also, it necessitates service from time to time. Look- not all repairs you can do on your own. Certain repairs are there that need to be carried out under the supervision of a trained car professional. Because a car professional has the right amount of experience and the right pieces of stuff to get the things done effectively.
My dad had an accident with his old truck that he loves and since he hit a tree with it he must fix his truck in his own. I like how you stated that dropping the car off at the auto repair shop is better so that the mechanics can work with less pressure. I will let my dad know to look for a local repair shop so that he can leave his truck there and give them the time they need to fix it.
Charles, one thing I would like to add is that if dealing with the dealer I have found organising a courtesy car in advance means you have one of their cars while you have car repairs done, they really don’t want their car gone long.
You made a great point about how you will get done faster if you are there waiting. My husband and I are looking for a mechanical repairs service that can help him fix his exhaust. We will keep these tips in mind as we search for a professional that can provide this service.
Putting petrol in a diesel car is especially easy – and mistakenly putting diesel into a petrol tank is also possible. What matters most, is how wisely you respond to this situation.
It’s good to consider that not waiting at the shop might make the mechanics feel less time pressure so they can do a more thorough job of working on it. My wife’s car has been acting up so we’ll probably bring it to a mechanic later this week. I’ll have to ask what they prefer when I find a place, but maybe I’ll just bus home until they’re done.
When you are dealing with the IRS, the collection agency and any other collections that you might be responsible for, you need to know that you are working on making sure that you are always aware of what you are doing. Remember that when you are dealing with collections that have some kind of standing, they are going to be diligent in their attempts to get their money back. This is true no matter what size the business you have.
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I like the idea of staying at a repair shop in order to see what is wrong so you know what it looks like in the future. That way you can skip out on the guessing game and get it taken care of immediately. You’d end up saving more time in the future which will help you later on.
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I found it helpful when you said that like anything, there are pros and cons to each. From a mechanic’s point of view, dropping it off is best. My wife and I want to have our sedan undergo vehicle dyno services since we want to improve the efficiency of its parts. Your tips will surely help us find a car mechanic that is truly experienced in performing tuning services.
I like that you said that waiting for your car could ensure safety or be time-consuming. Last week, my cousin told me that he was hoping to find a reliable car service that could repair his vehicle due to an engine breakdown, and he asked if I had any idea what is the best option to do. Thanks to this informative article, I’ll be sure to tell him that he can consult trusted auto body repair services as they can help him provide information that will benefit him.
As a auto body professional, Be advised some work and labor can not be done same day. and thus a person is better off to leave the vehicle and return the next.
I didn’t know that there were contact hotlines. I need to get a mechanic to check out my engine. I’ll have to consider getting a new gasket.
Thank you for letting us know that we will often finish more quickly if we wait. My friend is having automobile trouble and is trying to fix it on his own. I believe it is the ideal approach for him to save time and send his automobile to an auto repair shop to be professionally repaired.
Whether it matters or not really depends on how long you have been working with your trusted repair company. If the company has been your go-to repair partner for a considerably long time, then it would likely be safe to just leave your car off to them and just have them do their thing. But if it’s a new partnership, in the process questions will be raised and it’s vital for the repair shop to have prompt answers to that to ensure an accurate and efficient repair. Not to mention, as your car is unquestionably a very worthy asset, you will want to make sure you have entrusted the job to the right team. It pays to spend time getting to know them first before giving out your full trust.
I love how you point out that staying at the place when you’re car is getting fixed can help speed up the communication aspect of the repair process. My cousin recently got in a car accident and he needs to get the body of his car fixed before he can drive it again. We’ve been looking into finding a nearby mechanic to take the car to.
Impressive! Thanks for sharing this.
Really an informative article, thank you so much for sharing.
The thing I did not see is if u leave the car the mechanic can claim they spent four hrs fixing the car when they only spent an hour.
thanks for wonderful information
I appreciate you saying that because you can’t see an issue as clearly as you could if you were there, you BETTER trust your mechanic. My mom has noticed sounds coming from her automobile. I’ll advise her to get her automobile serviced by a mechanic and to put her faith in him.
Waiting for a car repair can be frustrating, but it often saves money and ensures quality work. Patience pays off in the long run, ensuring safety and preventing hasty decisions. A well-balanced approach can make all the difference.
The decision to wait or leave your car for repairs at the dealer comes with its own set of pros and cons. Waiting offers the advantage of quicker service, amenities like free snacks and Wi-Fi, and a chance to witness any issues firsthand. However, it might be boring and could involve sales pitches. On the other hand, leaving your car gives mechanics ample time, but requires arranging transportation, potentially incurring rental costs and more communication. While each choice has its merits, trust in your mechanic is crucial. Personally, I see value in both options and aim to provide quality service either way. Your choice matters most.
Deciding whether to wait for a car repair or seek immediate service can be puzzling. This blog brilliantly discusses the factors to consider – safety, complexity, and convenience. Your insights make the decision-making process clearer, helping readers make informed choices. A valuable guide for anyone facing automotive repair dilemmas.
Great tips, I will be sharing this with a few friends!
I appreciate your mention of the importance of waiting for your car, which can be a matter of safety or result in a lengthy wait. Just last week, my cousin informed me that she was in search of a dependable car service to address her vehicle’s engine breakdown. She sought my advice on the best course of action. Thanks to the insights from this informative article, I can now confidently advise her to consider consulting reputable auto body repair services. They can offer valuable information that will be beneficial for her
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