I had a dealership quote me $2600 for a required service package. The price of the parts was $400. It’s a bit of work but the labor was effectively over $366 per hour. I could have had the job done by an independent shop for $1000. When I pushed back, the service manager said he could do it for $1500.

I have a recall repair on the car as well so I think my final move is to use that as leverage to push the price down further. Getting the repair done by the dealer gets you a warranty by the manufacturer, which is the only additional value that I see.

>I had a dealership quote me $2600 for a required service package.

I don't get it. "Required" by whom?

Just say no, negotiate a better price, or take the car elsewhere.

>Getting the repair done by the dealer gets you a warranty by the manufacturer, which is the only additional value that I see.

No, the warranty exists regardless of where the car is serviced.

> No, the warranty exists regardless of where the car is serviced.

I'm not sure if that's true for Ford, but this is in the owner's manual for the Nissan GT-R.

> OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE

> You must take the vehicle to an authorized Nissan GT-R Certified dealer in the United States or Canada during regular business hours at your expense in order to obtain warranty service.

> WHAT IS NOT COVERED

> Repairs performed by anyone other than a Nissan GT-R certified dealer.

See the section titled "OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE" on page 11 and "GENERAL EXCLUSIONS" on page 12. https://www.nissanusa.com/content/dam/Nissan/us/manuals-and-...

> WHAT IS NOT COVERED

> Repairs performed by anyone other than a Nissan GT-R certified dealer.

IANAL, but I don't think that clause is legal in the US. Any equipment originally covered by a warranty and still within the time/mileage limits of the warranty must still be covered unless Nissan can prove that the work done by an outside tech was the cause of failure.

They certainly try to enforce it via bureaucracy. My local Nissan dealer wouldn't even do an oil change on mine because they're not a GT-R certified dealer.

It's routine maintenance. My car is required to have its timing belt replaced by 100,000 miles. If the dealer does the work, the manufacturer provides a warranty on the parts. Since a broken belt could destroy the engine, this is a replacement that should be done and it's nice to have the warranty.

> There is a reason most people hate car dealerships.

I really, really don't understand why the model won't die. I'm guessing regulatory malfeasance.

You guessed correctly. Thanks to aggressive lobbying direct sales is illegal in most states.

Direct sales were forbidden as a consumer protection back when dealerships were disconnected franchises with no licensing or direct relationship with the car manufacturers. To eliminate unscrupulous dealerships but protect the ones that were doing useful services the regulations made a compromise that eliminated direct sales.

It may be aggressive lobbying that keeps this status quo long past the original intent, but the original compromise came from a good place (eliminating "lemon dealers" and "lemon manufacturers" that refused to provide service/support/recalls).

>Carvana have proven these can be taken care of without a third party dealership.

Ah yes, Carvana, the company who has had its dealer license revoked in multiple States for a variety of violations, whose stock is down 90% (while insiders cashed out) and laid off thousands of people. What have they "proven"?