Posted by Jim

A new survey from Consumer Reports magazine shows that—hands down—consumers prefer independent auto repair shops over dealers. (We’ve always thought that, but we are admittedly biased.)

Nearly 350,000 consumers were surveyed, and among those whose cars needed repairs and maintenance, 75 percent were very satisfied with their independent auto repair shop. A mere 57 percent were very satisfied with their dealers. For maintenance alone, 84 percent of motorists surveyed were very satisfied with their independent shop compared to 77 percent at dealerships.

The highest-scoring dealerships were Lexus, Buick and Acura. On the other end of the scale, Volkswagen, Suzuki, Jeep and Nissan owners were far less satisfied with dealer service.

While I often disagree with the auto recommendations put forth by Consumer Reports, this is one survey I can certainly applaud. Subscribers to the magazine can access complete survey results in the June issue.