Nobody does it better than Infiniti and Nissan.
Consultants urge dealerships to schedule the first service visit before a new-vehicle owner or leaseholder leaves the store, as a way to build loyalty and retain service business.
But an online survey of consumers last month found that while 36 percent had their first service visit set before they hit the road, an equal 36 percent did not. The other 28 percent said they couldn't remember.
In contrast to that lukewarm showing, half of respondents who had visited an Infiniti dealership said their first service appointment was scheduled before they left the building. And 49 percent of Nissan customers said the same.
At the other end of the spectrum, just 22 percent of Jaguar Land Rover customers said they had a service appointment scheduled before they drove off. Among BMW customers, the share was 28 percent.
This table shows how various brands with at least 100 responses stack up on first-visit scheduling.
See you soon
Q. When you bought or leased your most recent vehicle, did the dealership schedule your first service appointment before you left the building?
Yes
No
Don't remember
Infiniti
50%
28%
23%
Nissan
49
27
24
Subaru
45
28
27
Toyota
43
31
26
Mazda
43
32
25
Mitsubishi
43
32
25
Cadillac
41
37
23
Lincoln
41
39
20
Hyundai
40
33
27
Kia
40
35
25
VW
40
35
26
Volvo
39
38
23
Ford
37
36
27
Industry Avg.
36
36
28
Acura
34
35
31
Chevrolet
33
39
28
Chrysler-Dodge -Jeep-Ram
32
40
28
Audi
31
39
29
Buick-GMC
31
34
35
Mercedes-Benz
31
34
35
Lexus
31
38
32
Honda
29
40
31
BMW
28
43
29
Jaguar-Land Rover
22
41
36
Note: Figures may not add to 100 percent because of rounding.
Source: DealerRater survey conducted Nov. 22-29; 16,702 responses
