Trust, price and word-of-mouth are key influences in choosing a service provider, but education and awareness are just as important
In 2023, AIA Canada partnered with Quorus Consulting Group to conduct a study to determine How Canadians Choose an Automotive Service Provider for their car care needs.
From February 21st until March 16th, data was collected from 2,090 completed surveys filled out by individuals from across the country. In order to be eligible, respondents had to be living in a household where at least one person owned and operated a motor vehicle and that those surveyed were responsible for maintenance and repairs on that vehicle. Additionally, quotas were introduced to achieve regional targets and to ensure a balance between respondents who had a vehicle that was still under warranty and others who had a vehicle on which the original manufacturer warranty had expired.
Trust, price and word-of-mouth
The report revealed some interesting findings. A key one, was that price, trust and word-of-mouth are major factors that influence consumers on where they take their vehicle for maintenance and repairs and why. And, in choosing a new automotive service provider, recommendations from trusted people including friends, colleagues and family members were hugely important, with 66% of respondents noting this was a deciding factor in choosing their ASP. This was tied equally with price, while location was second (62%), followed by the shop being recognized as having an approved service program such as CAA (56%). Having access to a loaner vehicle or shuttle service for the customer was also a major factor (54%), while shop cleanliness (47%), using brand name parts the consumer recognizes (45%); being a local business (45%) and the ability for customers to access and book online appointments (42%) were also major influencing factors.
Another key finding in the report was the preference between choosing independent automotive service providers or franchised dealers for car maintenance and repairs.
Among those surveyed, 9% said they do all their own maintenance and servicing on the vehicle; 39% said they performed some type of DIY servicing while leaving the rest to professionals, and 52% stated that they let professionals handle all their car maintenance and repair needs.

Dealers versus independents
When it came to independent service providers versus franchised dealers, in terms of performance, 37% rated dealers as outperforming independents, while 33% said that the reverse was true and 30% thought that both types of business performed the same when it came to car care.
Compared to 2021 (the last time this survey was conducted), the 2023 results indicated that a consistent element on choosing an automotive service provider comes down to trust and transparency. On the trust side, having the same technician work on the vehicle on a consistent basis and working with the same service manager would likely increase trust in the business (66%). Additionally, 66% also said they would be far more likely to trust their service manager and technician if they did a better job explaining to them how certain vehicle maintenance and repairs impact the reliability of their vehicle.
Additionally, if technicians and service advisors had a better way of helping the customer plan for short, medium and long-term repairs and maintenance, 64% of those surveyed said they would be much more likely or somewhat more likely to trust them.
What was interesting, is that the least appealing way of doing this (even though it still resonated with 51%), was having the customer receive via e-mail, a short video that they could watch from home or the office, explaining the maintenance or repair they needed, as well as links to websites that explain in simple terms what is involved and why that maintenance or repair might be important.
The female factor
One encouraging aspect of the 2023 study, was that it also demonstrated that where future maintenance and repairs are concerned, women were more likely to trust their service advisor or technician, if they dealt with the same person consistently.
In summarizing and looking back, not only at the 2023 findings, but also the results from 2021 and 2019, it is evident that price, trust and word-of-mouth referrals continue to be deciding factors in selecting an automotive service provider. Furthermore, when it comes to choosing a franchised dealer or an independent ASP, warranty coverage is a very significant factor. For independent shops, oil changes and tires are still the primary services that consumers will seek out, and if independent ASPs are looking to charge a premium for additional and more complex services then customers will have to trust them and building that trust takes time.
Another obstacle facing service providers are prevailing myths, such as if a consumer takes their newer vehicle to an independent service provider for maintenance it will void the warranty, that aftermarket service technicians aren’t as well-trained as their dealer counterparts and that aftermarket parts aren’t of the same quality as OEM components, when in reality, dealers use aftermarket parts and some of these have longer warranties than their OEM equivalents. Therefore, while building trust is important to ensure long-term customer retention, as well as growing a service provider’s customer base and reputation, education and awareness is a key factor in making that a reality.