Had to choose between a dealer shop and an independent garage for a major job on a 2017 Freightliner - which side are you all on?

I picked the independent shop because they quoted $2,800 versus the dealer's $4,500 for a turbo replacement, and the job took three extra days and still had a boost leak, so was saving that money really worth the headache or do you guys swear by dealer work every time?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan48815d ago

Heard a buddy of mine talk about this exact thing last week - said the dealer techs see the same trucks every day and know the little quirks, but the independent guys might rush the job to undercut the price. Your experience kinda proves both sides, honestly. I've read some articles online where fleet managers swear that dealer work pays off in the long run because of the computer diagnostics and warranty support. But then you see posts in trucking forums where people say they saved a grand at a local shop and had zero issues for years. Really seems like it comes down to which independent you pick - some are run by ex-dealer techs who know their stuff, others are just winging it. Your boost leak situation makes me think that shop either cut corners or didn't have the right scanner to confirm the seals after the swap. Next time I'd get a detailed quote with a timeline and a guarantee in writing before handing over the keys.

piper_thompson3115d ago

Wait, hold on - "ex-dealer techs who know their stuff"? That part caught me off guard, honestly. I mean, I've seen those guys. There's this shop down the road from me that's literally run by a guy who worked at a Peterbilt dealer for 15 years and he charges half the price. But the boost leak thing you brought up really got me thinking. Maybe that independent shop I used had a kid straight out of tech school who didn't even own a proper scanner. It's wild how much it varies. You'd think after enough years in the business they'd all know the basics, but no.