Several people have mentioned the exact reason why the dealer doesn't
replace tensioners while specialists do.
Dealers charge flat rate for a job, so the fewer hours spent on the job, the
more profit involved. True, they could sell you a tensioner, but its
possible that changing it would cost them more time than the markup on the
tensioner parts. Also some dealerships set profit targets for their shops
separate from their parts sales, further stressing the profitability of the
labor intensive shop.
Specialists typically charge an actual hourly rate, perhaps with some leeway
for difficulties or ease of the job when compared to the flat rate book.
The parts are nothing more than parts, sure they make some money on them,
but typically less than the dealer does. With specialists, they DEPEND upon
regular return of repeat customers for their business. Word of mouth can
absolutely destroy a local specialist if they don't do right by their
customers. Dealers on the other hand have built-in return business via
those that purchase new cars and have to get factory service. Dealers make
their money from selling new cars, making them last forever is not typically
their forte.
The general moral of the story is (standing on soap box here), unless your
dealership is superior, a specialist is the better place to take your out of
warranty vehicle. A specialist repair shop will generally cost less and
typically will take more comprehensive care of later model vehicles. Then
again, I'm sure that there are some super dealerships out there with
highly-skilled, long-term staff, its just not the norm in my area...
Jackson Zimmermann
jzimmerm@ablemarle.org
'64 Sprite
'85 BMW 535i
'85 Volvo 745T
'90 BMW 535i
'93 Honda Civic
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