[lttlrck]

my car tells me to take it for service minimum once a year, for maintenance that's going to cost $500-$800 depending on the alternating schedule. 2-3 hours in the bay max. It's mostly visual, filters and fluids... material costs are small.

If there are problems, it'll be $170/hour plus parts...

A lot of people just do what the computer says and take it to the dealer. The workshop is always full... it has about 20 bays.

That's a lot of income for the dealership. If you drive a lot it'll be more than one a year...

I do as much maintenance as I can myself. If it's something I cannot manage (last year I had a split hose on the transmission radiator line) I take it to an independent shop.