Independent shops rate high in customer satisfaction study

How customers are treated by dealerships during their first three years of warranty service dictates whether they return to dealers for postwarranty service and repairs, says a recent J.D. Power and Associates CSI Service Retention Study.

"When the warranty ends, customers exercise unrestricted consumer choice, taking their business to either the dealerships or aftermarket providers," said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research. "Poor service treatment during the warranty period by dealers tends to drive customers to aftermarket facilities."

Lexus ranks highest in customer satisfaction among postwarranty customers, retaining 84% of its service customers. Among those who do not return to dealers for service, the greatest share of business goes to independent service facilities (approximately 21%).

"Independent garages, which collectively follow Lexus in overall service satisfaction, often provide a high level of personal service that instills confidence and trust in their customers," said John Harbicht, senior manager of service satisfaction at J.D. Power and Associates. "Customers who use these facilities are very pleased with the quality of service they receive and the ease and convenience of using these garages."

The remaining spots in the study's top ten rankings are filled by Exxon, Cadillac, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lincoln, Saturn, Buick and Acura.

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