The question is not how close your Cat dealer is but, how close is your Cat dealer's "resident technician(s) in your areaIJ" Cat prides itself in being second to none when is comes to product and service support. Typically, they come to you vs. you paying freight or traveling extensive miles to get to them (goes for parts delivery too). Cat dealers typically place resident service technicians through out their territory who work out of their rolling shop on wheels. This service coupled with the highest level of knowledge that a service technician could have will result in the highest quality of servie possible. Cat service technicians have been trained for and have worked longer with the unique operating systems that are implemented in the latest off-road vehicles (includes all ag application vehicles) avaialble. They have worked longer with and have a better understanding for vehiclew and engine electronics, CAN bus diagnostics, etc., which are just some of the areas that the competition is only in the infancy of supporting. My Cat dealer has provided me with the highest quality of support for my lexion combine, Challengers, truck engines, as well as competitive equipment (i.e. plnaters) that I will probably not consider another dealer because of the quality of support.