Beyond the Warranty Window: How Dealership Workshops Can Retain Customers and Build Long-Term Loyalty

For dealership service departments, the pattern is familiar. As soon as warranties and maintenance plans expire, many vehicle owners drift towards independent workshops in search of lower prices and greater flexibility.

According to Tendani Nevhudogwa, Regional Aftersales Manager of BYD South Africa, this migration is not unavoidable. He believes OEM dealer networks can remain relevant long after the initial ownership period by building a structured multi-brand servicing strategy that combines competitive pricing with professional standards and customer-focused service.

In his view, aftersales should not be treated as a purely operational function. Instead, it should be recognised as a long-term relationship channel capable of strengthening loyalty and introducing future customers to the dealership environment well before they consider purchasing another vehicle.

Nevhudogwa sees the issue as both operational and strategic. On one hand, dealerships must keep workshop utilisation healthy in an increasingly competitive market. On the other, they must maintain meaningful contact with customers once the protection of service plans and warranties comes to an end. While OEMs naturally dominate the early ownership years, that advantage weakens once motorists begin paying directly for maintenance and repairs. At that stage, convenience, trust, transparency and value become the deciding factors influencing where customers spend their money and which brands they remain connected to.

He suggests beginning with practical, high-frequency maintenance work that can be efficiently standardised across different makes and models. This includes inspections, diagnostics, brake servicing, suspension checks, tyres, batteries, fluid replacements and light mechanical repairs. These services, he argues, provide an accessible entry point for motorists unfamiliar with dealership workshops outside the warranty environment.

To encourage first-time visits, Nevhudogwa proposes introductory discounts ranging between 30 and 50 per cent, followed by smaller offers of around 10 to 29 per cent aimed at retaining repeat customers or increasing workshop activity during quieter periods. The objective is not to compete solely on price, but to demonstrate consistent value through transparent quotations, dependable turnaround times and a customer experience aligned with the standards associated with the OEM brand.

Maintaining service quality for existing BYD customers remains essential. Nevhudogwa recommends clearly separating OEM work from multi-brand activity through dedicated workshop bays, disciplined booking systems and carefully managed technician allocation. Additional work from non-BYD customers should be directed into unused capacity and off-peak operating periods to ensure that core customers continue receiving priority attention.

Where greater capacity is required, he believes apprenticeships and structured technical development programmes offer a practical and affordable solution. Expanding workshop capability in this way allows dealerships to support growth without compromising profitability or service quality.

From an operational perspective, the success of a multi-brand model depends on disciplined execution. Reliable diagnostics, access to technical data, skilled technicians and dependable supplier relationships all become critical components. Nevhudogwa notes that South Africa’s independent aftermarket has already produced technicians with broad multi-brand experience, creating a strong foundation for dealerships looking to expand their workshop offering.

His recommendation is to adopt a phased approach. Dealerships should begin with straightforward maintenance and diagnostic work before gradually expanding into more complex repairs as systems, skills and quality controls mature.

Importantly, Nevhudogwa cautions against turning the workshop into an overt sales environment. Customers quickly recognise when a service interaction becomes a sales pitch, which can undermine trust. Instead, he advocates for a customer-led experience centred on professionalism and convenience: efficient reception processes, clean facilities, clear communication, digital booking systems and transparent progress updates.

When customers feel valued and well supported, interest in the dealership’s products and brand often develops naturally. In this way, the workshop can become an organic pathway from service customer to future vehicle buyer without forcing the relationship.

The model is not without risk. Expanding into multi-brand servicing introduces additional liability considerations, possible tension with OEM priorities and the danger of diverting focus away from core customers. To manage this, Nevhudogwa recommends a tightly controlled pilot programme with clearly defined parameters. Dealerships should specify which repairs fall within scope, ensure work is matched to proven technical competence and maintain strict documentation and customer approval procedures. More complex or high-risk repairs should only be introduced once operational confidence has been established.

Ultimately, he believes the initiative should strengthen the OEM business rather than dilute it.

During a proposed 90-day pilot phase, Nevhudogwa would focus on several key indicators: workshop utilisation, incremental labour revenue, customer satisfaction levels and turnaround times for existing BYD customers. Repeat visits from multi-brand customers would provide a particularly important measure of success, alongside secondary indicators such as qualified leads, service-generated enquiries and test-drive activity.

Equally important, however, is ensuring the experiment causes no damage to the existing operation. If customer satisfaction declines, workshop bottlenecks increase or profitability weakens, he argues that the programme should be paused and redesigned before any broader rollout takes place.