Another automotive FAQ: ‘Casa’ or ‘talyer’?

Two weeks ago, I gave my opinion on what’s the better buy, used or brand-new? The response I got from various readers was quite surprising, which prompted me to write this related piece, which is whether to have your car serviced within the official dealership network or what we all refer to as casa, or to find a good independent specialist repair shop or talyer.

I tell people that if your car is brand-new or still within its warranty period, it’s best to continue having it serviced in the casa. You paid for your warranty when you bought the car and it would be a waste to disregard it, especially as there has been a rash of recalls and silent workshop campaigns in recent times. If your view on cars is also that of a simple consumer durable that gets you from points A to B with as much efficiency and a minimum of fuss, chances are you have done the minimum required to keep the car running properly, and have not spent on any modifications on your vehicle. You should stay with a casa to have your car serviced. Leave it there, come back for it when it’s done. End of story.

The downside is of course cost. New car or old car, the casa will charge you the same labor rates and will be selling you brand-new old-stock parts for your car IF they have it in stock. If it will be specially ordered, it might cost more.

But cost alone should not be the only factor for you to bring your car outside of the casa and into the talyer. A talyer usually lacks the special tools, intensive training and professional process-flow that a casa works with. Talyers also generally lack the thoroughness and cleanliness that a casa works in. And unless you give specific instructions, a talyer will only focus on what they see is the obvious problem, rather than thoroughly checking your car inside and out. This can be dangerous for you, and in a sense, this thoroughness and looking for other potential problems which then can be rectified is what makes a lot of casas look greedy, vile entities. Cost versus safety is always a difficult judgment call.

If, however, you’re the enthusiast and you spend a good amount of your time to look after your car and have modifications, an official dealership might not be the best place to bring your car. While a certified casa mechanic is trained to work on your car, they might not be trained to work with after-market components you have installed. I remember having brought an old car of mine to the dealership to have the oil changed and the wheels aligned. The oil-change was done, but they failed to do the wheel-alignment, saying my car did not have adjustable camber and my aftermarket suspension was damaged because of a slight, knocking noise. The funny thing is my old car rode on coil-over suspension and had pillow-ball top-mounts that allowed for individual wheel camber adjustment. It was an all-metal spherical bushing mount which, unfortunately, caused a lot of audible noise at low speeds and large dips and bumps that emit low-frequency NVH, the kind we hear and feel. This was the knocking noise the dealership had reported to me. I brought it to my local speed shop immediately after and they told me that all was fine. Afterwards, I just stuck to bringing it to a talyer that was familiar with my aftermarket components.

There are cost savings to be made of course, but these savings can be a pipe dream should you scrimp on the parts you are buying, or have these parts installed by a shop not competent or experienced to work on your car. So before taking the plunge, look around and ask which competent and trustworthy talyer specializes in your car. Developing a good working relationship based on trust and accountability is paramount when going outside of the official dealership network. A good talyer can deliver a more personalized work that is just as thorough and professional as the casa, but you need to have the right frame of mind and spend the time to oversee the work done on your car, like any hobby. If cost savings alone is your criteria, you might be in for a very rude, painful and expensive surprise.

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