Cars cost a fortune these days, so it’s important that you get a reliable one at a good deal. The good news is that cars are more reliable these days in general and many people are keeping cars much longer than they used to. So, where do you go to get a car fixed? J.D. Power & Associates has researched this topic extensively. The company found that people rarely take their car to the dealership for repairs after the warranty time expires. It’s not a knock on car dealers. It’s just an expression about competition and capitalism. In the past, car dealers have had a lot of difficulty giving people the service they want. Rarely do you get a chance to talk to the actual mechanic who is doing work on your car. And sometimes what gets written on the ticket tells consumers nothing. So, people have slowly migrated to independent mechanics. They develop a relationship with this mechanic and can ask questions easily. This migration has forced dealers to rethink how they provide service. They realize that they must put the customer back in the equation and communicate better with people. Also remember that when your car is in the shop – whether dealer or independent – make sure the service ticket states what the problem is, not what the shop plans to do with the car. They can change or increase that. And get a second opinion if you want, even if you have to tow the car to another dealership.