Labor rates at some official dealerships can be shockingly high, so it’s no wonder many of us turn to aftermarket service providers when it comes time to change the oil or tires on our car. But a recent study by J.D. Power suggests we’re becoming increasingly dissatisfied with those aftermarket providers.
Now in its fourth year, the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Aftermarket Service Index (ASI) Study revealed that overall satisfaction declined year over year in the three categories considered, those being quick oil changes, full-service maintenance and repair, and tire replacement.
But despite the drops, the study also found that drivers rated the aftermarket industry’s customer advocacy (basically looking after the customer and putting their needs first) as equal to that of official dealers. The Net Promoter Scores (NPS) for aftermarket outfits actually beat the dealer scores for full service maintenance and repair, lagged only fractionally behind on tire replacement but was some way adrift when oil changes were considered.
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What’s really interesting is that the under-performing aftermarket centers could easily ramp up their scores with some very simple changes that have nothing to do with how they perform the work being carried out on customers’ cars. Firms that offered complimentary snacks and drinks and somewhere to plug in their phone and laptop were consistently awarded more points than those that didn’t. The study found that only 7 percent of respondents were offered somewhere to connect a laptop.
So how did your favorite aftermarket service brand do? Looking at the full service maintenance and repair category we can see that Christian Brothers Automotive is ranked top, and significantly ahead of second-placed Meineke Car Care. Meanwhile, Mr Tire can be found propping up the table.
Express Oil Change topped the lube chart and Walmart came last in the same category, while Goodyear Auto Service edged out Discount tire to take the rubber crown, and Mavis Discount Tire was ranked last, saving Walmart from coming bottom in two out of three categories.
This year’s ASI is based on feedback from 11,194 drivers collected between January and March 2023, each of whom had paid for some kind of service at an aftermarket outfit within the previous 12 months. But another recent study found that many drivers were forced to delay having maintenance work carried out on their vehicle because they couldn’t afford it.
