That’s the frantic question that I got from a family friend last night, when the phone was thrust at me. It was concerning a local Saturn dealership and it was the second one in two days about the same dealer, Tony March Saturn of Hartford.

Of the two people who called me, one has an older SC three-door coupe that was out of warranty, while the other has a one-year-old Vue SUV. I gave them both basic advice about looking for another dealer, but that recall and/or emergency work would likely be able to be handled by any General Motors dealership. I even suggested that the owner of the Vue try asking the OnStar people what she should do.

But I sent a late-night email to one of the Saturn Public Relations experts, who quickly replied with the following:

"Under the terms of the warranty, the customer should first attempt to bring their vehicle to any Saturn retailer for warranty service. If there is no retailer in their immediate area, or if it is an emergency situation, the repair can be made at any General Motors dealership. In non-emergency situations, it is a good idea for a customer who is having trouble finding a nearby Saturn retailer to call Saturn Customer Assistance before going to a non-Saturn location. That number is (800) 553-6000."

In the end, it’s a good idea for owners of ALL vehicles to check the warranty information for their vehicle and to scout out alternative dealerships in their immediate (and, unfortunately, the not-so-immediate) area. No matter what brands your local dealership sells, their financial obligations may force their closure, so it pays to be prepared.

Remember that you don’t have to take your vehicle to the dealership for basic services and maintenance, and that independent mechanics actually had a better satisfaction rate in a recent Consumer Reports survey. But recall and warranty work has to be performed by a dealership under the umbrella of the vehicle manufacturer.

—Jon Linkov