When it comes to car repair and maintenance, drivers tend to prefer dealer facilities to independent auto repair shops. A recent J.D. Power and Associates survey found that overall customer satisfaction at a dealership shop is an average of 38 points higher on a 1,000-point scale than that of drivers who go to independent shops. The results also revealed that 5 percent more drivers who own cars that are less than three years old are taking them to dealer shops for work, up from 74 percent in 2011.

Customer satisfaction was rated in five categories – service quality, initiation, advisor, facility and vehicle pick-up. Lexus was found to be the best luxury company for car care customer satisfaction for the fourth year in a row, and Mini took the prize for mass market brands.

"Steady improvements in vehicle quality, longer intervals between recommended service visits and a higher mix of maintenance service events have had a positive effect on overall dealer service satisfaction," said Chris Sutton, senior director at J.D. Power and Associates. "Moreover, manufacturers and their dealers have instituted broad-based customer service improvement initiatives to increase satisfaction with both the purchase experience and after-sales service, with the understanding that a substandard service occasion can and will impact their ability to make a future vehicle sale or gain repeat service business."

The survey may have only looked at new-car owners and dealerships, but used car owners may want to check out New Jersey State Auto Auction's Total Car Care center in Jersey City. The shop is open to the public and can handle everything from basic maintenance to major repairs.