[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Ragavsr

Is this really an issue

I believe the OP has started this thread with the context of living in a tier-3 town. You will begin to appreciate the relevance of this issue when you realize the nearest service center is 100kms away. That's at least a day of work gone, that too when all you need to get done is routine service. Imagine the hassle if you need more complicated repairs, or body-shop services. Even more so when you look past Maruti/Hyundai and maybe Tata/M&M.

I honestly don't know what I'd do if I were in such a position: the dilemma of choosing a vehicle that perhaps isn't your top choice, just because there is a service center nearby vs. the vehicle of your liking, but having to travel to another city to service it. I might just choose convenience, especially for the primary/daily driver of the household.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

I believe the OP has started this thread with the context of living in a tier-3 town. You will begin to appreciate the relevance of this issue when you realize the nearest service center is 100kms away. That's at least a day of work gone, that too when all you need to get done is routine service. Imagine the hassle if you need more complicated repairs, or body-shop services.

You are absolutely right. The issue is more accentuated in smaller towns/villages than the bigger cities. The market may not be comparable to a metro, but sizable enough not to be ignored.

[ike]

I live in a small town where all the manufacturers have showrooms and service centers. When in the process of buying a new car for my brother recently, the Rapid was within budget but the closest Skoda dealer was 80KMS away. The Skoda dealership in my town had gone under during the lockdown. Such a shame that we couldn't even test drive the Rapid let alone consider it seriously. Finally ended up buying a Jazz, though Honda dealership is closest to home it was not really a factor. In a small town like ours, you are never very far away from anywhere.

[voldemort]

Yes, to an extent.

About 15 years ago, we were in the market for ≈ 12 lakh rupee sedan.

We were stationed in a remote town where the nearest Honda, Toyota, and Skoda dealers where 4 hours away; we skipped the Corolla, Innova, Civic, and Octavia.

(Who in the right mind would buy a Skoda during those days without a dealer nearby?)

The town did have a Chevrolet dealer. We bought a fully loaded Optra, which ran flawlessly for over 12 years.

The more reliable a car, the more I'm comfortable with not having a service centre nearby. I would never have bought a Benz had I not been living in Kochi (or other cities with a Merc dealer); turned out to be a good decision in retrospect as we've had to make unscheduled visits to the service centre.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Yes, to an extent it does, unless the car you are after is too good to let go!

In my case, I am fortunate enough to have all showrooms and service stations of major players in close proximity. One exception being Nissan, which has a service station almost 20km away from where I stay. I am not comfortable with the pick and drop facility provided by the service centers. So, I would always have Nissan maybe the third or forth option if I were out shopping cars.

In today's scenario, I feel people want convenience more than anything and I am no different!

[Nilesh5417]

Yes - esp when considering manufacturers like FCA, VW, Nissan or Skoda. It does weigh on my mind as to how far the showroom / service center is at least for these brands.

[JoshMachine]

Not for me.
If a car dealership is far (relatively) away, but they are selling a car which I want to purchase for the love of it - then I wouldn’t bat an eyelid and just go out there. Purchasing is a once-in-a-few years decision anyways.

Same goes for servicing - am perfectly ok to travel far to ensure my car gets the right care it deserves. Again, this is something that I do only once a year, typically. Max, twice.

[landcruiser123]

Besides the discussion about Maruti & Hyundai in small cities & towns, brands like Mitsubishi suffer in big cities like Bangalore.

Many years ago, I know some who bought a Fortuner over a Montero only because the Mitsubishi service center was about 25 km from his house (~2.5 hours in Bangalore traffic)

[sramanat]

Originally Posted by Emvi

IMO, proximity of the dealerships/service centres have a major say in the vehicle buying decision. This is more relevant especially in smaller towns and probably not so in major cities. To put things into perspective, I would like to take my hometown as an example, a rural place about 17 Kms and 100 Kms away from the taluk and district headquarters respectively.
It is not at all surprising that Maruti Suzuki cars are the ones most seen on the roads followed by the rest, pretty much in the order of the list above. I know a couple of people in my hometown, who own Ford and Renault cars, travel to Mysore which is about 165kms from here just to get their cars serviced. Not everyone can afford to travel that long just to get their cars serviced or a minor niggle rectified.

My initial thought was that it is a reflection on the state of economy and median income (read car-buying people) in your area. The district headquarters is where the economic activity is and therefore the people who can afford cars live.

Then going by your location KL-21 and the fact that people traveling to Mysore I suppose you live west of Bandipur/Mudumalai? Could geography play a role in the way dealerships are spread out? May be the ghat mountains are the reason why dealers/service centers are in the district headquarters (probably to the west/coast) and not anywhere else?

Finally, aren't there multi-brand service centers there? The ones franchised by Bosch or Mahindra...

That said, I would think that the location of service centers plays a smaller role in the buying process. I can imagine the 100 KM drive to district HQ taking the same time as a weekday drive in Bangalore or Mumbai to the service center that is 20-30km away.

[vinu_h]

In the recent Kushaq launch, Zac said many customers either refrained or had 2nd thoughts of buying a Skoda only because of proximity to a service center. I'm sure he has the pulse of the market and his many advisors would have asked him to factor it in his 2.0 plans. This was on my mind when I bought the Superb. There isn't a single Skoda setup in the south of Bengaluru. Then realised, I'll only need them once a year or when it breaks down and that can happen anywhere and even Maruti doesn't have one everywhere; so went ahead anyway. The big plus was this - at delivery, the dealer told me they're opening a large sales & service setup near Decathlon Mysuru road. Good timing I guess.

[PrideRed]

This is definitely a major criteria for people living in smaller towns, remote places and first time car buyers. With petrol touching 100Rs, a travel to service center would cost 1000 bucks if its say 100KM far. Yes, you might be visiting only once, but the fear of failure making you to visit is always there.
One other problem is, if service center is far off, I might have to take a day off, sit at service center whole day as there are no good means of transport back home(Not a problem with Metro).

[Kottayamkaran]

The answer for this question is Yes for me. I always prefer vehicles with SVCs in my town. I am the kind of guy who prefer to give cars for servicing on week days to avoid the rush on weekends. And also i prefer to drive down to the service center, rather than opting for pick up services as it would help me better in explaining the problems to the SA. So driving about 100km for service on a weekday is not feasible for me and i always prefer service center near to my home.

[Thilak29]

Originally Posted by Emvi

It is one of the key factors if you ask me, is it a factor for you guys?

I bought Brio from Honda showroom in Kannur which is 125km from home across the state border.

I have to drive down to Mangalore which is about 50km from home for getting my Honda and Ford serviced.

Will I buy a car with service centres far off?
No. I have learnt my lessons, an entire day gets lost (the only respite is my iPad loaded with good content).

[kadanaJ]

This factor of service centre proximity would be more applicable if I lived in a small town.

I would say a service centre should be at most 30-50km (or max 1-1.5 hour drive) from my residence.

Being in Mumbai however, this has never been an issue. Every brand has multiple dealerships/service centres within the city.

[prajwalmr62]

If you are living in a city and have 3 to 4 service centers within 1 - 2 hour drive, it make sense to go to the one which treats you better. But if you are in a Tier-3 city, where you have only one service center, things are different.

Let's say you are supposed to do annual maintenance.

Scenario 1: Your service center is 100km away, which is around 2-3 hours of drive, and after waiting 4-5 hours you should come back home. Which means you need 1 entire day to get your car serviced. This is assuming you have already talked to these guys and got an appointment of sort, and dropping your car. If you haven't done that, good luck.

Scenario 2: You have a service center within 20km. Drive up there in half an hour, get your stuff sorted out and come back. Not much of a hassle.

Having service centers near by does reduce lot of headache. And, is a must, if you are living in a Tier-3 city.

You might get something more fun to drive or luxurious, but all of that goes away once you get some issue and the nearest service center is hours away.