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It is kind of a crazy model. You don't go to the Pepsi store for Pepsi and the Coke store for Coke. The exclusivity dealerships get enshrined in law is kinda nu

It is kind of a crazy model. You don't go to the Pepsi store for Pepsi and the Coke store for Coke. The exclusivity dealerships get enshrined in law is kinda nuts. Still, I think there is something to be said for independent dealerships overall for service quality. Trying to get a Tesla serviced is still something of a nightmare. In comparison the service departments of dealerships have are much more robust.

kube-system 2y ago
I'm not sure that's a good comparison. There are several middlemen before you buy a Coke or Pepsi. Usually, your soft drink is manufactured from the brand's syrup by a bottling partner, which is then distributed to a retailer, who you buy it from. e.g: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/company/us/en/about-us/coca-cola-system-chart%20(1)-no%20footnote.png/width3840.png https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/company/us/en/a...
- legitster 2y ago
  I used to work for Pepsi-Co so I am well aware of how their distribution works. But in this case, at the point of retail it makes no difference. The store can sell as many different brands as they want. The problem is not the middlemen, it's the exclusivity arrangements that disincentivize brand competition.
  - kube-system 2y ago
    Then you should be aware that Pepsi/Coke are notorious for their exclusivity agreements in some of their retail channels e.g. I drank Coke products in my undergrad because of my school's exclusivity agreement.
  - bigstrat2003 2y ago
    Unfortunately the soda business isn't free of noxious exclusivity deals either. Restaurants almost never have both Coke and Pepsi products, it's either one or the other. As I understand it that's because restaurants get a lower price if they agree to exclusively offer one brand.
  - rootusrootus 2y ago
    One of my dealers locally sells both Ford and Chevy. It's great for cross shopping. There can be exclusivity arrangements, sure, but it's not set in stone. And in any case Coke & Pepsi absolutely have the same sorts of arrangements with both retailers and restaurants.
DowagerDave 2y ago
And there's a HUGE ecosystem of repair, service and resale around traditional dealer networks. I'm pretty sure Tesla would say that for their model (that doesn't have this) this is a feature - from which they benefit immensely.
gpm 2y ago
Everyone I know IRL never gets their car serviced at the actual dealership, always going to a third party repair shop. Tesla has service issues, I'm not sure that they're related to their lack of dealerships though.
- bluSCALE4 2y ago
  I go to the dealership. Half the time, the neighborhood guy sucks. I've almost never had luck with local guys.
  - itsoktocry 2y ago
    Exactly. And you'll pay a premium, no doubt. But they have incentive to please you, as a current and future customer.
  - ryandrake 2y ago
    Yea, I was always a "never get your car serviced at the stealership" snob, until I moved homes. Now I'm in a different city and I haven't found a trustable mechanic yet, so for things I can't repair myself, I'm going to bring it to the dealership.
    - bluSCALE4 2y ago
      Yup, I had a guy over tighten a spark plug and totally ruin my engine. Had to have the master cylinder repair then it finally crapped out... just to save some dough.
- SoftTalker 2y ago
  Once your car is older/out of warranty, yes. New cars under warranty pretty much go to the dealer. Dealers actually don't know much about their older cars. Try to bring for example a 1990's era (or really anything more than 10 years old or so) Mercedes to a dealer for service, none of their techs have any idea what it is, unless they happen to have an old guy. Dealership shops are trained and reasonably competent working on newer stuff that's under warranty coverage. Older than that, you can often get better workmanship and cheaper prices with an independent.
ClumsyPilot 2y ago
> The exclusivity dealerships get enshrined in law is kinda nuts. It’s wired that the country of free market has all these protectionist laws that do not exist in many ex-soviet evonomies
- kube-system 2y ago
  > the country of free market It's a common misconception, but the US actually has a mixed economy.
mattmcknight 2y ago
> Trying to get a Tesla serviced is still something of a nightmare They literally come to my house and fix things, it's incredibly easy for me, but I have four service locations within 30 minutes drive, so may not be the common experience.
- legitster 2y ago
  Most other modern dealerships do this as well, when applicable. My parents had the software in their Ford Maverick updated by a mobile service team.

kube-system 2y ago

I'm not sure that's a good comparison. There are several middlemen before you buy a Coke or Pepsi. Usually, your soft drink is manufactured from the brand's syrup by a bottling partner, which is then distributed to a retailer, who you buy it from. e.g: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/company/us/en/about-us/coca-cola-system-chart%20(1)-no%20footnote.png/width3840.png https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/company/us/en/a...

legitster 2y ago
I used to work for Pepsi-Co so I am well aware of how their distribution works. But in this case, at the point of retail it makes no difference. The store can sell as many different brands as they want. The problem is not the middlemen, it's the exclusivity arrangements that disincentivize brand competition.
- kube-system 2y ago
  Then you should be aware that Pepsi/Coke are notorious for their exclusivity agreements in some of their retail channels e.g. I drank Coke products in my undergrad because of my school's exclusivity agreement.
- bigstrat2003 2y ago
  Unfortunately the soda business isn't free of noxious exclusivity deals either. Restaurants almost never have both Coke and Pepsi products, it's either one or the other. As I understand it that's because restaurants get a lower price if they agree to exclusively offer one brand.
- rootusrootus 2y ago
  One of my dealers locally sells both Ford and Chevy. It's great for cross shopping. There can be exclusivity arrangements, sure, but it's not set in stone. And in any case Coke & Pepsi absolutely have the same sorts of arrangements with both retailers and restaurants.

DowagerDave 2y ago

And there's a HUGE ecosystem of repair, service and resale around traditional dealer networks. I'm pretty sure Tesla would say that for their model (that doesn't have this) this is a feature - from which they benefit immensely.

gpm 2y ago

Everyone I know IRL never gets their car serviced at the actual dealership, always going to a third party repair shop. Tesla has service issues, I'm not sure that they're related to their lack of dealerships though.

bluSCALE4 2y ago
I go to the dealership. Half the time, the neighborhood guy sucks. I've almost never had luck with local guys.
- itsoktocry 2y ago
  Exactly. And you'll pay a premium, no doubt. But they have incentive to please you, as a current and future customer.
- ryandrake 2y ago
  Yea, I was always a "never get your car serviced at the stealership" snob, until I moved homes. Now I'm in a different city and I haven't found a trustable mechanic yet, so for things I can't repair myself, I'm going to bring it to the dealership.
  - bluSCALE4 2y ago
    Yup, I had a guy over tighten a spark plug and totally ruin my engine. Had to have the master cylinder repair then it finally crapped out... just to save some dough.
SoftTalker 2y ago
Once your car is older/out of warranty, yes. New cars under warranty pretty much go to the dealer. Dealers actually don't know much about their older cars. Try to bring for example a 1990's era (or really anything more than 10 years old or so) Mercedes to a dealer for service, none of their techs have any idea what it is, unless they happen to have an old guy. Dealership shops are trained and reasonably competent working on newer stuff that's under warranty coverage. Older than that, you can often get better workmanship and cheaper prices with an independent.

ClumsyPilot 2y ago

> The exclusivity dealerships get enshrined in law is kinda nuts. It’s wired that the country of free market has all these protectionist laws that do not exist in many ex-soviet evonomies

kube-system 2y ago
> the country of free market It's a common misconception, but the US actually has a mixed economy.

mattmcknight 2y ago

> Trying to get a Tesla serviced is still something of a nightmare They literally come to my house and fix things, it's incredibly easy for me, but I have four service locations within 30 minutes drive, so may not be the common experience.

legitster 2y ago
Most other modern dealerships do this as well, when applicable. My parents had the software in their Ford Maverick updated by a mobile service team.