Does it actually matter which dealership I buy from when it comes to getting maintenance and warranty repairs later? Here’s my situation: I test-drove at a dealership close by (5 minutes away), but they didn’t have the model I wanted and weren’t very helpful. They couldn’t even tell me when they’d have it available. So, I called another dealer about 40 minutes away, and they have the exact model I want, and their sales rep has been really great.
If I buy the car from the second dealer, can I still go to the first one for repairs and maintenance? Will that impact any warranty or other services? I’d rather buy from the second dealer, but I don’t want to drive far every time I need maintenance when the first dealer is just around the corner.
Val said:
If you buy a Ford, your warranty is good at any Ford dealership in the country.
Exactly! I did the same thing. I bought from one dealer but now get service at another. The service team is always happy to have my business since service is where dealerships make the most profit. It actually paid off for them because I ended up buying my next car from them too, after the bad customer service at the original place drove me away.
@Valentine
Yep, my experience has been the same. I had great service from one dealership, and that’s why I went back to them when I was considering a new vehicle order.
Val said:
If you buy a Ford, your warranty is good at any Ford dealership in the country.
Thanks for clarifying! I thought I had to stick to the same dealer.
Nope, you’re free to go to any dealer. I do it all the time. Just make sure you have the official Ford Protect ESP, and check prices at Granger, Zeigler, or Flood for the best deals. You can sometimes get your dealer’s finance guy to match those prices too.
Val said:
If you buy a Ford, your warranty is good at any Ford dealership in the country.
In reality, if you don’t buy from the closer dealer and go there for warranty work, they might prioritize their own sales customers first. If their sales team wasn’t great, there’s a chance their service team might be similar.
@Amari
Never had that happen to me. I live in a city with five dealers, and none of them seem to care where you bought the car. Service is their main profit source anyway, so they’re happy to have the business.
@Val
Oh, trust me, it happens. I was in the business for 40 years. Some dealers definitely prioritize their own customers first, even if it’s just in small ways like offering loaner cars. It’s all about keeping loyal customers.
@Amari
I don’t buy that as a common practice. It sounds like something specific to a few dealers, maybe. I’d say if a dealer’s that picky, they’ll lose business in the long run. I’ve had out-of-town purchases serviced locally with no issue. And honestly, service makes them way more money than a one-time sale.
@Val
I never said it was smart business. I avoided that approach myself because it’s not good for customer retention. But yeah, I was referring more to warranty service on new cars.
And about corporate dealers—don’t count on them for good service either. A lot of the big ones in my area sell cars cheap but push extras like extended warranties so hard it can ruin the experience.
@Amari
That’s fair. We have a couple of large chains here too. Some are okay, but it definitely depends on the staff. One local place treats me well, and the other I avoid completely.
@Val
From my experience (my spouse manages a dealership), dealerships are less likely to do you little ‘extras’ if you bought the car elsewhere. But they’re obligated to honor your warranty, recalls, etc. The freebies or goodwill stuff like cosmetic fixes or floor mat upgrades are more likely from the dealer you bought from.
@Oak
Makes sense. I actually had a Ranger Raptor on order at a dealership where I’d gotten great service before, but the strike delayed it. I ended up with a used full-size truck. Gave the sales guy a gift card and referred someone to take over my order—hopefully, that’ll be remembered for next time.
Sounds like you got your answer already, but just to add—dealerships make most of their profit from service, including warranty work that Ford pays them for. So the local dealer will be happy to take your business even if you didn’t buy the car from them.
@Amory
Actually, we didn’t make a lot from warranty repairs. Ford’s rates and repair times for warranty work usually only paid us about 60-70% of what regular customer work paid. We had to constantly fight to get paid fairly.