Service and maintenance are an inevitable part of vehicle ownership. When it's time to service your Ford vehicle, trust the team at Bob Thomas Ford. Our service team takes pride in offering specialized, friendly service to all of our customers. Still not sure why servicing at a dealership is the best idea? Here are some of the major benefits.

Team of Specialists

You need your car to run for a long time, so you want it to be in the best hands possible. When it comes to choosing a garage based on the technical staff, dealerships have more benefits. The mechanics at a dealership receive special training that focuses specifically on the dealership’s make of vehicles. At Bob Thomas Ford, for instance, our technicians are manufacturer-trained by Ford, so they know all of the little details of how Ford vehicles run, which can make a big difference in the service they can provide. Each manufacturer has details unique to the engineering and build of its vehicles. So, while technicians can have a general knowledge of how cars work, their knowledge and experience is often less focused and they can also have knowledge specific to certain brands. The service technicians at dealerships are trained on the brands that they work on and receive regular manufacturer-designed training.

Warranty Work

If your vehicle is covered under a warranty, the only way you can benefit from that is by servicing at a dealership. Any repairs covered under your vehicle's warranty will be free at the dealership.

OE (Original Equipment) Parts

At a dealership service department, nothing is generic. At Bob Thomas Ford, we only use original equipment manufacturer parts, which are authorized by the manufacturer. These parts are identical in design and size to the parts that went into a vehicle on the assembly line, so they’re guaranteed to fit and last a long time. These OEM parts may come with a warranty as well. OE parts are replacement parts that meet the manufacturer's standards, as OE parts are guaranteed to fit and work just as the original parts did when the vehicle was assembled. OE parts are the only type of parts that dealerships will use when repairing your vehicle. These will often come with their own warranties, too, so you can feel confident about your repairs.

The alternative to OEM parts are aftermarket parts, which are designed by companies other than the manufacturer, and intended to fit into many different types of vehicles. These may not fit or work as well, and often have a shorter lifespan.

Manufacturer-Approved Facilities

In order for a dealership to provide service under a manufacturer's name, they must receive approval from the manufacturer. This is why the technicians must regularly receive manufacturer training, why the replacement parts are duplicates of the original manufacturer parts, and why the facilities at a dealership are generally more up-to-date and advanced than a corner garage. Dealerships will have the latest manufacturer tools on hand, which means they'll be able to provide the best possible repairs and services.

The alternative to OEM parts are aftermarket parts, which are designed by companies other than the manufacturer, and intended to fit into many different types of vehicles. These may not fit or work as well, and often have a shorter lifespan.

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