Independent shops get mixed review from consumers: Lang

Independent repair shops are not only perceived as a low-cost alternative for professional repair and maintenance services, they’re also fair.

That’s the conclusion of the latest polling by data firm Lang & Associates.

In the most recent Lang Aftermarket iReport, the company has compared public perception of four do-it-for-me alternatives (service stations/garages, dealerships, repair chains, and tire stores) since 2014.

Its most recent findings suggest that service stations and garages received the strongest consumer rating for convenience of repair, followed by dealerships in second place.

Consumers also ranked service stations and garages highest among the four outlets for low price of vehicle repair. Dealerships, in contrast, were at the bottom for low price.

Lest the independent sector get too smug however, the study also finds that most U.S consumers think dealerships have better technical knowledge. However the report points out that quality of repair doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.

“There are … significant differences among consumers in how they perceive the technical repair capability of specific groups of repair outlets, depending on the type of vehicle they own (domestic nameplates versus foreign nameplates) as well as the age of their vehicle,” the report states.

The full report is available for sale.

www.langmarketing.com