TSX69

Lexus & Hummer Top 2010 J.D. Power Customer Service Index Study

Lexus and Hummer took top honors in their respective categories in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Consumer Service Index (CSI) Study. Released this time each year, the CSI rankings (based on a 1,000-point scale) measure satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit a brand service department for maintenance or repair work during the first three years of ownership – that wonderful honeymoon phase when factory warranties are still in full effect. The study is designed to focus on five measurements: service quality, service initiation, service advisor, service facility and vehicle pick-up. The results are tabulated, and then presented as a score on a 1,000-point scale. Unlike previous years, where all brands were lumped into one single category and only three made it to the podium, JDPA broke things into two segments: luxury brands and mass market brands.

Lexus, with a score of 837, was at the top of the luxury brands, again – the automaker won last year as well. It was followed by Cadillac (827), who showed a big improvement over the previous year, and Jaguar (822). If you recall, Jaguar was at the top of the list in 2008 and finished second in 2009 (this is more indicative of a bar that continues to be raised rather than a decrease in service). Hummer (815) was top dog among mass market brands, followed by the now-discontinued brand of Saturn (808) and Buick (805). General Motors holds six of the top seven spots on the mass market category. At the bottom of the list are Suzuki (693), Mazda (717) and Jeep (720).

Overall, the industry is showing improvement as customers have expressed satisfaction with the ease of driving in and out of dealership facilities, parking convenience, thoroughness of work performed, the speed of repairs and flexibility of accommodating schedules. While that sounds like great news, experts say it most of those improvements may be attributed to the lower volumes of service bay traffic as sales slump in the new car showroom. Full release after the jump.

majin ssj eric

I can agree with half of this ranking. Our Lexus dealer has been quite frankly the best dealership experience I have ever had. We got our IS350 CPO but they have treated us just the same as if we had bought it new. The lounge area is beautiful with complimentary sodas/coffee/donuts/cookies, you name it. They have always given us a brand new loaner (2 ES350's, 1 IS250, and a GS350) with no more than a couple thousand miles and fully loaded. I actually look forward to taking the car in just for the service (all of our trips have been over TSB's not any actual breakdowns).

My Infiniti dealer has also been first-rate, though not to the standards of Lexus. I have always gotten a loaner but they typically are older, stripped-down G35 sedans. The lounge is much older and less inviting and they only provide coffee and the occasional donut. Still, the important stuff like actually fixing my car and not dicking me around on warranty claims has been top notch....

ostrich

Though I have no interest in the Lexus line-up right now, I also agree that so far, I have had the most positive experience in their showroom. The salesperson was well-dressed, polite, professional and very helpful. None of the other luxury car dealerships that I have been so far (MB, Infiniti, Audi, Acura, BMW, Cadillac) can match that service. Not even close! Isn't that sad?

If only they had the vehicle that would excite me.....

TorontoTL

I agree with the findings, the best service I have ever received has been in the Lexus dealership. Their service is what others should strive for.

charliemike

What I find interesting is that Buick has a score of 805 and yet they get a score of 5 in the Power Circle Rating and Mercedes, which has a score of 805 gets a score of 3.

Which makes me wonder if Buick buyers have appropriate expectations and Mercedes owners do not or if Buick owners have diminished expecations and are constantly (and pleasantly surprised) by how good their brand's customer service is ...

That said, if Buick can get to the luxury average of 813, I'd consider them a good value.

I'm trying to talk myself into a Regal GS ... LOL

charliemike

Oh and for VW to meet their sales goals, they need to get to AT LEAST 800, IMO.

neuronbob

My servicing Cadi dealership here in Cleveland is every bit as good as the Acura dealership I left. I was pleasantly surprised as moving to an American brand, I was expecting crap. I was there for an oil change last week and they offered me sausage and eggs for breakfast.

TSX69

J. D. Power & Associates Reports:
Contrary to Popular Perception, Consumers Say Upselling of "Unnecessary" Work by Auto Dealers is Rare
Lexus Receives an Award in Customer Satisfaction with Dealer Service for a 3rd Consecutive Year, While MINI Ranks Highest among Mass Market Brands

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite some perceptions that auto dealerships routinely pressure customers to accept unnecessary maintenance or repair services, very few service customers indicate experiencing upselling by the dealer, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study(SM) released today.

Overall, only 7% of service customers in 2011 indicate that their dealer attempted to sell them service work that they perceived as unnecessary. However, customer-reported rates of upselling increase as vehicles age. Among owners of 1-year-old vehicles, 4% indicate that the dealer tried to sell them unnecessary work. This increases to 9% among owners of 4-year-old vehicles.

Customer perceptions of upsell pressure have a notable impact on overall satisfaction with dealer service. Among service customers who say they do not perceive that they were upsold, overall satisfaction averages 780 on a 1,000-point scale. In contrast, among customers who experienced upselling from the dealer, satisfaction averages 642—a difference of nearly 140 points.

"Suggesting additional service work can actually benefit both customers and dealerships—customers may prolong the life of their vehicle, while service facilities may gain additional revenue," said Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, it is key for dealerships to properly train their staff in the subtleties involved in adequately explaining the necessity and value of additional services without placing undue sales pressure on the customer."

The study examines satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit a service department for maintenance or repair work. The CSI rankings are based on dealer performance during the 1st 3 years of ownership, which typically represents the majority of the vehicle warranty period. 5 measures are examined to determine overall customer satisfaction with dealer service (listed in order of importance): service quality; service initiation; service advisor; service facility; and vehicle pick-up.

Lexus ranks highest in customer satisfaction with dealer service among luxury brands for a 2nd consecutive year and receives an award for a 3rd consecutive year. Lexus achieves an overall CSI score of 846 and performs particularly well in all 5 measures. Rounding out the top 4 nameplates in the premium segment are Jaguar (837); Cadillac (830); and Acura (828). Among luxury brands, Volvo and Porsche achieve the greatest improvements from 2010.

Among mass market brands, MINI ranks highest with a score of 805 and improves by 19 points from 2010. MINI performs particularly well in the vehicle pick-up and service quality factors. Also among the top 10 brands in the mass market segment are GMC (803); Buick (799); Chevrolet (792); Kia (784); Hyundai and smart, in a tie (783 each); Volkswagen (779); Ford (773); and Honda (765). Of mass market brands, Mazda and Suzuki achieve the greatest improvements from 2010.

The study also finds that, during the past 5 years, dealer service facilities have gradually increased their share of service visits and spending, particularly among customers whose vehicles are under warranty. Between 2007 and 2011, the share of service visits at dealer facilities has increased from 67% to 74%. During the same time frame, overall share of spending for dealer service visits increased from 70% to 73%.

"By becoming more competitive in terms of cost and convenience, dealer service facilities are making some progress in capturing share from non-dealer service facilities," said Osborn. "Due to low sales levels during the past three years, service volumes for new in-warranty vehicles are expected to steadily decline through 2013. As a result, maintaining service customer share and loyalty will be vital to dealers in the coming years."

The 2011 U.S. CSI Study is based on responses from more than 97,300 owners and lessees of 2006 to 2010 model-year vehicles. The study was fielded between October and December 2010. J.D. Power and Associates measures dealer service in various countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK.

Luxury Brands

Customer Service Index Ranking
J.D. Power.com Power Circle Ratings

(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
For Consumers

Lexus
846
5

Jaguar
837
4

Cadillac
830
4

Acura
828
4

Luxury Average
819
3

Lincoln
817
3

BMW
814
3

Porsche
814
3

Mercedes-Benz
810
3

Infiniti
801
2

Audi
794
2

Volvo
788
2

Land Rover
785
2


NOTE: In order to be included in the 2011 rankings, brands must be represented in the study for each model year between 2008 and 2010. SAAB models did not have representation in the 2010 model year; therefore, SAAB is not included in the luxury brand rankings.


Mass Market Brands

Customer Service Index Ranking
J.D. Power.com Power Circle Ratings

(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
For Consumers

MINI
805
5

GMC
803
5

Buick
799
5

Chevrolet
792
4

Kia
784
4

Hyundai
783
4

smart
783
4

Volkswagen
779
4

Ford
773
4

Honda
765
3

Mass Market Average
758
3

Mitsubishi
754
3

Mazda
750
3

Chrysler
749
3

Subaru
744
3

Dodge
743
3

Scion
737
2

Toyota
735
2


Ram
733
2

Nissan
731
2

Jeep
728
2

Suzuki
724
2


Power Circle Ratings Legend:
5 – Among the best
4 – Better than most
3 – About average
2 – The rest

Type34

GM is still killing it. And I feel better about Mazda's 2011 score, much better than their 2010 showing.

TSX69

Lexus & GMC Top Latest J.D. Power Customer-Service Rankings

Drivers gave the service departments of Lexus and GMC the highest ratings in the latest J.D. Power & Associates survey on customer service.

The results, released Wednesday, mark GMC's 1st time at the top of the rankings, Chris Sutton, senior director of automotive retail for J.D. Power, said in an interview.

The rankings are based on a survey late last year of more than 91,000 people who owned or leased 2008 to 2012 model-year vehicles

5 measures were examined to determine overall satisfaction with dealer service. Listed in order of importance, they were "service quality, service initiation, service advisor, service facility and vehicle pickup," J.D. Power says in its report.

The index is based on a 1,000 point scale.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus unit again ranked as the top luxury brand with an overall score of 862. Lexus earned points from customers for its performance in service initiation, service facilities and overall quality.

Lexus was followed in the luxury segment by Cadillac (858), Jaguar (856), Acura (852) and Infiniti (848). Trailing the field were Mercedes-Benz (832), Volvo (830) and Land Rover (825).

GMC led the so-called mass-market brands with a score of 819. Drivers felt that GMC "performs particularly well in service initiation, service advisor, service facility and service quality," J.D. Power said.

Rounding out the top 5 in the mass-market brands were Mini (810), Buick (809), Chevrolet (806) and Volkswagen (804).

At the bottom of the mass-market rankings were Subaru (772), Dodge (762), Ram (759) and Jeep (752.).

Sutton said that the results illustrate a fierce competition to give customers improved service.

"Manufacturers and the dealerships are streamlining the process, greeting customers quickly, making it easier to get appointments," Sutton said.

"They are moving faster on the paperwork. Service advisors are doing better at setting expectations and communicating the status of the work," Sutton added.

Average overall customer satisfaction with service at a dealer facility has increased to 797, up 29 points since 2011, the report says.

Overall satisfaction with dealer service facilities averaged 44 index points higher than satisfaction with independent auto service centers, a gap that is 6 points wider than in the report released last year.