My dealer closed! What do I do?

That’s the frantic question that I got from a family friend last night, when the phone was thrust at me. It was concerning a local Saturn dealership and it was the second one in two days about the same dealer, Tony March Saturn of Hartford.

Of the two people who called me, one has an older SC three-door coupe that was out of warranty, while the other has a one-year-old Vue SUV. I gave them both basic advice about looking for another dealer, but that recall and/or emergency work would likely be able to be handled by any General Motors dealership. I even suggested that the owner of the Vue try asking the OnStar people what she should do.

But I sent a late-night email to one of the Saturn Public Relations experts, who quickly replied with the following:

"Under the terms of the warranty, the customer should first attempt to bring their vehicle to any Saturn retailer for warranty service. If there is no retailer in their immediate area, or if it is an emergency situation, the repair can be made at any General Motors dealership. In non-emergency situations, it is a good idea for a customer who is having trouble finding a nearby Saturn retailer to call Saturn Customer Assistance before going to a non-Saturn location. That number is (800) 553-6000."

In the end, it’s a good idea for owners of ALL vehicles to check the warranty information for their vehicle and to scout out alternative dealerships in their immediate (and, unfortunately, the not-so-immediate) area. No matter what brands your local dealership sells, their financial obligations may force their closure, so it pays to be prepared.

Remember that you don’t have to take your vehicle to the dealership for basic services and maintenance, and that independent mechanics actually had a better satisfaction rate in a recent Consumer Reports survey. But recall and warranty work has to be performed by a dealership under the umbrella of the vehicle manufacturer.

—Jon Linkov

Comments

[melville248]

It seems we are all in such a panic mode lately. Any dealer can help, it is nice to go were you bought your car, but hey if they are gone establish a relationship with the next dealer.

[Holly Ruthenberg]

Car dealers in general,,I have a 2008 Mazda lease agreement with
dealership; Russell Mazda out of Clearwater, Florida...notes on their
doors state to inquire to a P.O.Box....? I guess I'll have to move on to the next Mazda dealer and hope for the best!

[gamingpoet1]

We reside in CT and recently purchased a used 2007 Saturn Aura and needed to have an airbag issue addressed. The vehicle is still under the original 36k bumper to bumper warranty but the nearest dealer had closed. We bought the vehicle from a GM dealer on the coast but they would not do the work and referred us to a Saturn dealer over an hour away. We managed to get the car there and 3 weeks later it was returned. Now that dealer is no longer servicing vehicles unless they sold them. Now what? We have been unable to get any support and are considering trading this great car in due to lack of warranty service options.