Do you think many people avoid car Dealer repair shops and why?

Sure people do. Dealerships cost more than independent shops. Dealers don't make money on new car sales. They make it in used cars and repairs.

If you have a warranty or recall issue then its free so go to the dealer. If its something specialized or extremely complex pay a little more and go to the dealer where its more likely to be done right.

If you are just getting an oil change, belts, tires, routine maintenance save your money and go somewhere else.

I get this all the time. And I get a little annoyed when they call us a Nissan Stealership and all mechanics are crooked and steal my money on unnecessary repairs. I can only speak personally however. I can find plenty of necessary things needing repair on most cars with a couple years of service on them. All I can do is make suggestions the car owner does not have to have there car repaired where I work. And that is ok to along as the machine is fixed properly somewhere. I started answering questions to help my typing ability's. I hope some people out there can meet a really good mechanic some time. Mechanics technicians who really know there stuff. Were the ones that can hear sour running car a 1/4 block away and diagnosis it as it drives into the shop. Please remember the good technicians develop a following and people ask for them by name. You some times can only hope you take your car to a dealership where the best technicians help the rookies learn. In a perfect world a Master technician can see around 1000 to 1,500 car in a year. If you ever meet a good technician we also like to know when we do a good job.

For warranty work you must bring the car to an authorized dealer. You have no choice, with very few exceptions. The exceptions are if there isn't an authorized dealer within a "reasonable" distance the manufacturer will sometimes allow a repair elsewhere or if you had something repaired which later became an recall issue they will refund what the repair cost you.

Authorized dealers charge on average about 50% more for the same repair and as long as you have a good shop they don't do better work. The reason is the way dealer franchise agreements work. The factory doesn't tell them how much to charge but a dealer must charge the same rates to the manufacturer as they do to other customers. Since so much of their work is paid for by the factory charging more increases their profit and doesn't cost them much business since most of their work is warranty work.

I use no shops other than for what I can't do myself. I've always done all my own maintenance (brakes, tires, belt, oil, etc.) and done all my own repairs. I've removed and replaced four engines successfully with no problems, even five years down the line. This enabled me to buy a truck for $400 that did not run, put a little time and some money into it, and get a truck that works fine. It's saved me and my family $1000s of dollars in labor fees.

For instance they once wanted $300 to replace a sensor that cost $50 and took half an hour to replace.

I'm not ASE certified, nor have I gone to any kind of auto school. It takes patience, work, and a little bit of critical thinking. My work so far seems to be on par with any professional.

Dealers are over priced for general repairs, but they have vehicle specific tools and scanners for drive-train diagnostics.

The ONLY reason I would go to the dealer is for warranty work. (if I ever had a new car)

I never buy new cars, 30% loss of value off the lot.

So, I guess I'll never go to the dealer.

We have found that independent and chain repair shops often use substandard parts and proper service and repair procedures. Incorrect brake, electronic, ignition and engine parts in particular are often used in chain shops.

This is not to say there aren't experienced private private mechanics who use top shelf parts and repair procedures where necessary.

I have more faith that new car dealerships aren't always trying to throw scare tactics and unneeded services at their customers.

If a automobile has been written off by skill of an insurance organization, the only thank you to get it registered is to have a write off inspection performed, and take the rfile with you to get it re-registered. as long as this is been repaired to DMV specs, this is going to likely be positive.