Standard garages deal with your standard family car, the mid-range company or even a student’s old rust bucket providing the run of the mill MOT and regular service. But where do you take your luxury or classic car for a service?

Specialists for your Vintage or Classic Car

The internet has to be your first choice when starting your search. Unfortunately, you may have to travel for quite some distance for a service or repair job, as specialists can be few and far between depending on the make and age of your vehicle.

A specialist garage will obviously only take on certain models, as they stock only the part number for those cars they specialize in. They are usually not only a garage dealing with the complete service but will also offer restoration of your vehicle, undertaking jobs such as looking after the bodywork, repairing paintwork, checking the electrics, mechanics, hydraulics and trim work not to mention checking the tire pressure or do a simple oil change. They should be able to quickly deliver most of the parts needed to maintain and repair the classic cars they deal.

With most specialists you can expect sales, service, restoration, performance modification, advice and support all under one roof. Precisely because most of them deal with buying and selling cars as well as the service of them, it is often quicker to get a spare part for a vintage car than having to wait for the manufacturer of a brand new luxury vehicle to import a spare part to the country where you are desperately waiting for the part to be fitted to your car.

Specialists for Top Quality, High Value Modern Cars

Dealerships usually provide repair and service facilities through their affiliates and their own branches. You will find many garages deal exclusively with a particular brand or limit themselves to just a handful of manufacturers they wish to represent. These garages should have the latest in diagnostic technology, being able to tune your engine or replace your exhaust, fix your brakes or replace your shattered windscreen.

If you are particularly fond of a brand or model, you will probably have established a long standing relationship with your local dealer and servicing your car will come as part and parcel of that relationship, however, you should demand that the garage uses only genuine parts when carrying out repairs and that they hand over old parts when requested, after they have carried out the works. Their mechanics should be fully trained and qualified, and if delays occur because a part needs to be ordered, you should be told how long you can reasonably be expected to wait before you can reclaim your car.

In addition to advertising in the local papers, you will often see their advertisements on your regional TV channel, especially if the dealership is a large one and wishes to promote a new model or special offer. The disadvantage with this type of garage is that they can often charge rather inflated prices for their labour costs and parts. If you own a foreign car and parts need to be imported, costs can soon mount up.

Reference: Auto Transport > Garage > Luxury Car Servicing