Where can I get my car repaired?

The well-known abbreviation for motorists is ASO, i.e. Authorized service station - causes mixed feelings, since it is most often associated with high prices for services, which is not always true.

The well-known abbreviation ASO, i.e. An authorized service station causes mixed feelings among motorists, because it is most often associated with high prices for services, which is not always true.

After all, we must be sure that such an object has a corresponding equipment (including special tools and diagnostic equipment), as well as the knowledge and training of employees, perhaps not available even to good mechanics from independent workshops. Also important is good access to the appropriate spare parts, especially for vehicles of this particular brand. So we repair Fords at a Ford dealership, Volkswagens at a VW dealership and Renaults at a Ford dealership! In addition, automakers have their own ways to convince us even more. Should we believe them?

During the warranty period, it is known that if we miss the appropriate inspection or make unauthorized repairs, we will most likely void the warranty, and sometimes the entire vehicle. After the warranty, this compliance with the terms and procedures for paid repairs in ACO may allow us to exercise our rights in the event of a greater conflict with the manufacturer and the service. However, do not count on miracles - you will have to pay for almost everything out of your own pocket.

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As soon as we can use a cheaper service, some car companies use another method of persuasion: a system of paid extended "semi-guarantees". This is a type of insurance in case of a mechanical breakdown of a car, concluded, of course, for money and financially sometimes carried out by external companies. Extended warranties are usually inexpensive, but if you look closely at the terms, they cover mechanical parts that statistically rarely fail. However, another element is important - they depend on uninterrupted, systematic inspection (and, if necessary) repairs at ASO. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, because ASO will maintain the technical condition of our car at the proper level. Some car owners also assume that systematic OCA entries in the service book will give them an additional argument when selling a car, i.e. just increase its value. And that may be true, if we assume that these records are correct.

What are the arguments in favor of refusing ASO services after the end of the warranty? First of all financial. Undoubtedly, repair costs in independent workshops are lower. But why? We have already mentioned that ASO workshops are optimally equipped (or should be) properly built, with well-trained employees. It costs money, especially since the companies that operate the network of authorized points like to make very high demands on them in all respects. Meanwhile, an independent workshop can, if desired, arrange equipment that is similar in functionality cheaper.

The breakdown of the man-hour price may indicate that it is in the workshop. in fact, with unauthorized (not counting the exclusive authorized service stations serving luxury cars) it is not worth it at all. So where does the opinion that the opposite? The matter is quite simple - the total cost of the service is important for the client, and this is also affected by the accepted repair period (not always exactly corresponding to real time, often taking into account the time standards of the car manufacturer or a table of specialized companies), the cost of spare parts and materials. But most of all in ASO you can expect expensive so-called original spare parts, and vice versa in an unauthorized and network factory. Thus, with a slightly lower price of labor and a clearly lower price of parts used outside of the OSO, one gets the impression that "in independent factories it is much cheaper, but in the OSO they tear." There is indeed a difference in repair costs, but cheaper repairs are not necessarily more cost-effective.

It can be discussed - an ASO representative will say that it is better to spend more and drive more confidently and longer, and the owner of an older car will judge that it is better to use cheaper parts than to drive a broken car. Meanwhile, not everyone knows that in ASO it is also possible to agree on the price of the service, and in many cases determine the use of cheaper (but not "junk") replacement parts.

What affects the prices of services?

In the real market of car repair shops, repair prices (here, for simplicity, we use the price of a statistical man-hour) vary greatly depending on some non-essential factors. We list them in the order of their weight, and believe me, this order did not confuse at all:

• the location of the workshop - it matters here whether we are dealing with a large urban center (such as Warsaw) or a small provincial center.
• the opinion about the workshop is the trust of customers, or, more simply, the length of the queue waiting for the service, which is often the result of the professionalism of a particular workshop. 
• whether the workshop is independent or authorized.

The range of specific values ​​in this matter is very large. Here are some examples of approximate values:

• unauthorized but competent factory in a small town – about PLN 50 / hour
• ASO of popular brands away from major centers _– from PLN 70 to 100/hour
• Dealership of popular brands in Warsaw – from PLN 140 to _200 / hour
• network workshops focused on the mass service of many car brands, actually living off the sale of spare parts - PLN 100 or more / hour.
• good (i.e. having many customers) unauthorized and network services in a large center – from PLN 150 to 200/h,
• specialized services authorized by companies producing, for example, injection systems or electrical and electronic components - from about 100 to 200 PLN / hour or more (after recalculation of operating costs)
• Sale of luxury cars in Warsaw - from PLN 250 to PLN 500 / hour.

It is important, however, that when comparing workshops of the same rank in a large city center and in a province, in the latter we will almost always get half the offer of the value of labor.

Good opinion has its price

From the analysis presented, it can be concluded that the best solution for those who want to save money is - in the case of a major overhaul - to look for an authorized or specialized workshop (authorized by the parts manufacturer), but located far from major cities. It should be relatively cheap and good. Indeed, this is a solution, but in private conversations with specialists, we have heard the opinion that low prices at the provincial authorized factories are justified. However, less experience and smaller training budgets do the trick, though of course this shouldn't be the rule.

So where can we get our old car repaired? There is no single answer. Even in the same street, we can get different repair prices from different workshops, and we would like to remind you that we must also consider the cost and quality of spare parts and consumables. In any case, before a major repair, it is worth doing an interview, because it may turn out that the CCA will not be much more expensive. Our good advice: let's not look for the cheapest, but for the one with the best opinion.