Drivers are back behind the wheel across the country and racking up the miles. Mileage accumulation has returned to pre-pandemic levels along with the need for regular car and truck maintenance at the dealership. Long wait times, a headache no-one was expecting for regular maintenance services,  are affecting drivers and dealerships all over the U.S.  

According to J.D. Power’s  2022 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, wait times to book service appointments for one- to three-year-old vehicles have increased by nearly one full day.  Premium vehicle wait times are up to around 4.5 days and mass produced vehicles hoover around 4.3 days. The study, now in its 42nd year, cites three key factors in causing the unprecedented delays, the ongoing disruption of the auto parts supply chain, significant staffing shortages and regular service needs due to accumulating mileage. 

New to the study in 2022 is a measurement of satisfaction among customers who select to have their vehicle serviced either by valet or by mobile. Customers who elected to have their vehicles serviced by valet  (when a dealership picks up the vehicle) or mobile (when the dealership sends a technician to the customer’s location) had the highest level of satisfaction. Overall customer satisfaction among owners using valet or mobile service is 866, 19 points higher than those who had an in-person dealership visit. 

“Dealer service departments are in a pivotal position to improve customer satisfaction and provide greater customer convenience, even though many challenges—including the parts supply chain disruption and the availability of new-vehicle loaners­—are out of their control,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. “Proactive communication with customers is one solution for dealerships to mitigate a disruptively tough situation. Simply implementing text or email alerts can greatly improve customer satisfaction. Additionally, letting customers know what is happening at each step along the way, including why it is taking longer to book an appointment or providing any updates in parts delays, can help improve satisfaction.” 

Overall customer service satisfaction for 2022 was 848, slightly up from 2021’s 847 and 2020’s 846.