Toronto, Ontario - OK Tire has ranked highest in satisfying automotive customers in Canada with the service establishment experience, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates.

The study measures the service satisfaction and loyalty of owners of 2- to 12-year-old vehicles. The study looks at five key factors: appointment/check-in, service advisor, work quality, after-service and customer orientation. The study examines both automotive dealerships and aftermarket facilities.

OK Tire achieved an overall index score of 902 on a 1,000-point scale and performed particularly well in work quality and customer orientation, two of the most important drivers of customer satisfaction. Petro-Canada (Certigard) followed in the rankings with a score of 886, while Autopro ranked third at 881.

The study found that customer satisfaction with the service experience has risen steadily, up from 826 points in 2004 to 850 in 2008. The improvement is driven by increased satisfaction in the customer orientation, service advisor and work quality factors.

“In addition to improvements in various measures of dealer performance, satisfaction with service delivered by new-car dealers in particular also increased,” said Adrian Chung of J.D. Power. “This suggests that service centres across the industry are listening to their customers, and putting more focus on improving the overall service experience.”

The study found that 2- to 12-year-old vehicles account for nearly 70 per cent of all vehicles in Canada in 2008, and owners within this category spend an average of $860 annually on service and repairs.