If you were happy with the last tune-up on your vehicle, you're not alone. In its latest U.S. Customer Service Index Study, J.D. Power found that there was significant improvement in driver satisfaction with the quality of automotive service.

The service quality score stood at 809 on a 1,000-point scale, up from a score of 782 in 2015. The customer service score also increased, rising from 802 in 2015 to 816.

J.D. Power's Customer Service Index Study looks at customer satisfaction with maintenance or repairs done on vehicles that are between one and five years old. The latest study, conducted between October and December 2016, was based on responses from more than 70,000 people who owned or leased a vehicle with a model year of 2012 to 2016.

Service advisors earned the highest level of satisfaction, coming in at 835. The study also revealed satisfaction scores of 832 for service initiation, 810 for vehicle pick-up, 809 for service quality, and 794 for service facility. Each category showed improvement from 2015.

Dealership service centers ranked higher than non-dealers in 15 of the study's 16 categories, holding the most noticeable advantage in amenities offered, waiting room comfort, and cleanliness. Non-dealers performed better in time required to complete servicing, but only by 0.06 points on a 10-point scale.

Drivers were much less likely to be satisfied with the quality of service if an automotive problem was not repaired after one visit. Ninety-four percent of respondents said their vehicle was fixed on the first try, and these respondents gave an average satisfaction score of 823. Among the 6 percent who said they needed to bring their vehicle to a service center a second time to fix the same issue, the average satisfaction score fell to 639.

"The quality of work—doing the job right the first time—can noticeably affect customer satisfaction and loyalty, but it shouldn't be viewed in a vacuum," said Chris Sutton, vice president of U.S. automotive retail practice at J.D. Power. "Proactive communication with the customer, especially while the car is being serviced, is one element that has a direct influence on loyalty."

Vehicle radios were most likely to require multiple visits to fix a problem, although 80 percent of respondents said a service center was able to fix a problem with radio reception on the first visit.

Customers were increasingly likely to prefer receiving text messages to update them on their vehicle. Sixty-seven percent said they "definitely will" return to a service center if they received text updates, compared to 55 percent who said they would return if they received updates via phone.

Forty-one percent of drivers born between 1965 and 1994 said they preferred to receive text messages from a service center. One in four respondents born between 1946 and 1964 and one in 10 respondents born before 1946 said they also preferred this method of communication.

"It's not surprising to see the preference for receiving updates through text messages continue to rise, but only 3 percent of customers indicate they receive text message updates," said Sutton. "Correcting that disconnect by adding more text message capability should be a priority with a service operation."

Twenty-four percent of service advisors said they used tablets in their work, up from 17 percent in 2015. The share of service advisors using online scheduling increased from 9 percent to 13 percent.

At 860, Buick had the highest dealer service satisfaction score among mass market brands. This was followed by MINI (850), GMC (837), Chevrolet (829), and Nissan (822).

In the luxury market, Lexus had the highest satisfaction score at 874. Other brands that scored well in this market included Audi (869), Lincoln (868), Porsche (867), and Cadillac (865).