Where should I get my car serviced?

[LaDyGaLaNt]

My Galant needs it's 60,000 mile maintenance done. I'm not sure if I should take it to the dealership or an independent autoshop. The estimate that I got from the dealership was about $1300. Is that right? I haven't called other autoshops yet, cause I'm not sure if any of them know Galant's like they should. I'm pretty sure they don't charge $1300, but I bet if they charge less, than they probably do less? Help me out guys, especially if you've already had your maintenance done. Did you get it at the dealership or somewhere else?

[pinoyesv6]

i'd see what the 60k service entails. maybe u can do some of it yourself possibly. uhm also check out the warranty and the specific parts the outside shop uses. they might offer a crappy warranty or the parts they use might not be up to par with the dealer stuff. when going to an outside make sure that u get treated right. u don't want to get ripped off there too...

make sure they check things off on the way...u know preventative maintenance. the dealer usally sees things that might need to be fixed while down there. u could save money there too

[manybrews]

1300 is a LITTLE high, but not too bad considering the amount of work that mitsu recommends...
this includes the timing belt, trans service, coolant flush, oil change, brake inspections, spark plugs and plug wire replacement, tire rotation, air filter replacement, blah blah blah....
there is the chance that the dealer is adding things to the list that mitsu doesnt recommend (which isnt a bad thing, its just overkill in some cases).

i would NEVER trust an independant shop to drive my car, much less actually fix it.
as a mitsu tech for 10 years, i can tell you that independant techs are even dumber than your average dealer tech, which isnt too bright to begin with.

find a good dealer tech, and stick with him (or her)...