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Service Chains Are Becoming Customers’ Default — and Dealers Should Pay Attention

 Dealership service departments are facing a bigger retention problem than simply getting customers to come back for their next oil change.

More customers are starting to view chain service centers as their primary place for automotive maintenance and repair.

According to data from Ducker Carlisle’s latest Consumer Sentiment Survey, the share of customers who identified a chain service center as their primary service provider grew from 20% in 2020 to 42% in 2025.



Over that same period, dealership share fell from 54% to 36%.

That is a major shift.

Chains are no longer just picking up the occasional oil change or tire rotation. For a growing number of drivers, they are becoming the default place to take the vehicle whenever something needs attention.

And once a customer builds that habit somewhere else, the dealership is no longer competing for one repair order.

It is competing to win back the entire relationship.

Why are customers moving?

Price perception certainly plays a role. Many consumers assume dealership service will cost more, whether that assumption is accurate for a specific repair or not.

But convenience and customer experience matter too.

Customers want to schedule quickly. They want shorter waits. They want clear pricing. They want updates without having to call three times. They want to know what is happening with their vehicle and when they can expect to get it back.

Chains have gotten better at delivering that kind of experience.

Ducker Carlisle’s research also found that customer satisfaction at chain service providers has improved significantly in recent years. In 2025, chains posted a Net Promoter Score of 56, compared with 49 for dealerships.

That should get every fixed-ops leader’s attention.

Dealers have some major advantages.

They know the vehicle. They have factory-trained technicians. They have access to OEM information, recall campaigns, warranty support, and vehicle history. They often have a relationship with the customer that started the day the vehicle was purchased.

But those advantages do not guarantee loyalty.

If the experience is slow, confusing, or poorly communicated, customers will still go somewhere else.

This is where dealerships need to think beyond simply completing the repair.

The service experience has to feel organized.

Customers should know when the vehicle has been checked in.

They should know when a technician begins working on it.

They should receive clear explanations when additional work is recommended.

Photos and videos should be available when they help explain the repair.

And customers should not have to wonder whether their vehicle disappeared somewhere behind the service drive.

Tools like StatusPlus from Dixon Technologies can help dealerships create that kind of experience by keeping customers informed throughout the service process and allowing service teams to share updates, photos, and videos.

Tools like VAL, Dixon Technologies’ Virtual Advisor Liaison, can also help support advisors by improving communication and helping keep customers from falling through the cracks when the service lane gets busy.

Technology alone will not create loyalty.

But better technology combined with a better process can make the dealership easier to do business with.

And that is increasingly important because fixed ops has become one of the most valuable relationships a dealership owns.

A customer who stops visiting the dealership for service does not just represent a lost oil change.

That customer may eventually take their tires, brakes, maintenance, repairs, trade-in, and next vehicle purchase somewhere else too.

The takeaway for dealers is simple:

Do not just compete for the repair. Compete for the relationship.

Because once another service provider becomes the customer’s default, getting that customer back becomes much harder.

And right now, the data shows that more customers are choosing someone else.

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