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I have recently changed my cars and I now have a 2004 corolla and also a 2004 accord euro. I have normally serviced my cars at dealerships in the past however it does get very expensive. I am thinking of servicing it outside at the likes of AA as it is cheaper. My question is that does that make any difference and do i miss out on anything?

It can be argued that nobody knows a particular vehicle better than the franchise Dealer itself however, once a car reaches around the 5-6 year old mark and is out of warranty, most owners tend to drift away based on perceived high future servicing costs.

The reality is some non franchise outlets can be just as expensive, love to 'on-sell' additional work once the car is in their hands and fit non genuine parts which is not always desirable.

For example, genuine transmission fluid and cooling system inhibitor are two fluids which we are very passionate about and believe should not be mixed or drained and alternatives used.

There are garages out there who believe they know better than the original manufacturer of the vehicle as to what should be done which is sometimes a worry.

Once a car reaches say 10-years old and has travelled around 180K plus, then any service is often better than nothing however, the servicing a car has had leading up to that point can be critical to its longevity.

It’s all about finding a trusted service provider and that can come from the franchise itself or an independent garage.

Often expensive recommended service items can be stretched out to suit a customer’s budget.

To be frank, all service providers need to look at retaining their customers over a long period rather than trying to drain their bank balance in just one service and take the risk of losing them forever.

Don't always believe the advertising about cheap servicing either, once some garages have your vehicle you become a captive client and cost can soon grow.

The challenge the bigger franchises have is not taking their customers for granted and often that feeling of being treated 'special' is lost the moment the keys are handed over at reception whereas the smaller operators can provide that personal touch.

There is no real right or wrong answer, as we say it’s about trying to find that service provider who you can trust and can communicate well.

Sometimes a few extra dollars charged in hourly rates is a cost owners are happy to accept, in other cases cheaper hourly rates and better customer service can definetly be found elsewhere.