"Why should the local dealer expedite service, parts or put you at the top of the list for support when you did not buy from them?"
I think more and more companies, our industry and others are separating the service department from the sales dept so much that each will be required to stand alone if necessary. There has always been a gap between sales and service and who wins is usually dictated by whether the person at the top came from sales or sevice. At some point the service dept is going to say, "I have numbers to hit too and I can't afford to just walk-away from revenue for the sake of the sales dept." The day of sales departments dictating service policy is coming to a close.