Loaner programs for service customers are a sore point for many dealerships.
They're complicated to run. Automakers want the loaners to represent the brand. No Porsche owner should be put in a Kia Soul while his Panamera is being serviced, thank you very much. So for luxury brands especially, maintaining a large loaner fleet can tie up hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And some customers abuse the system. They might turn in their vehicle on Thursday for service in Boston, say, and drive the loaner the roughly 600-mile round trip for a long weekend in Bar Harbor, Maine.
But there are alternatives to loaner fleets. In some markets, for example, Uber for Business contracts with dealerships, which request rides for their customers.
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