car service plan

anniebeetham

I have recently had my car serviced & MOT'ed - from new at the same dealership for the past 5 years. I have been contacted by them with a Car Service Plan quote. The company is Bristol Street Motors. Has anyone any experience of these plans? Are they worth it? Are they 'too good to be true'? Advice welcome

Details below:

Included - Franchise services 6, 7, 8 + 3 MOTs
Initial payment £19 followed by 33 x £19 per month
Retails price would be £794 Plan price £646, saving £148.

·Discounted cost Servicing for the next 3 year as a thank you for your business
·Small manageable monthly payments instead of having to pay in one big lump sum for your Service on the day
·All Service Parts and Labour Charges are covered in the monthly price – no hidden extra charges
·Price Freeze – for as long as you choose to keep your plan the price will remain the same, guaranteed no price increase
·No contracts – 3 years is a long time and we know things can change, you can cancel your plan at any time and get a refund of any unused money
·Transfer option – if you change your car your Plan can be transferred to your new vehicle
·A free of charge collection and delivery Service within 10 miles of the branch (5 miles London) when your Service is due or alternatively we will provide you with a courtesy car for the day
·Fantastic discounts on wear and tear work – as with any Service you would have in any garage, wear and tear work is not covered by the Service Plan but as a Service Plan customer you will receive a 10% discount on Tyres and Accessories.
·You will be provided with direct contact numbers for the Service Plan Team at head office, you will be assigned your own personal agent.

colino

While manufacturer service plans (BMW, Porsche etc.) can be real savers, especially for older cars, dealership group plans tend to be more targeted at gaining cash flow for the group and buying in the loyalty of customers long term. Surprisingly the service plans from Macklin Motors (the Scottish part of the Vertu motor group) start at £9.99 a month.
Even if they don't charge you too much for parts relating to wear and tear, tyres, exhausts etc., it doesn't seem a great enough saving to make owners stop shopping around for preferred and recommended garages to do the work.

anniebeetham

Thank you for this - food for thought . . . Apart from any other considerations, perhaps the £19 per month seems a bit high? However, I've always gone to this dealership (Lightcliffe Motors, a long established family business now taken over) - I may move & go to their other branch which deals in VW (my original car). My current car is a Nissan.
I suppose I haven't 'shopped around' because their service, in every sense of the word, has always been excellent: they have a good name & I've always felt I could trust them. Peace of mind, I suppose.
Thanks again.

Money_Savvy_Saver

Hi,

I have a car service plan with Vaxhuall (I have a Corsa). I've had this plan for several years and have used it to pay for my servicing and MOT. I have continued to pay the monthly payments and currently have £175 in the plan to pay for my upcoming service and MOT (in July). However, I am now selling may car and am looking to get my money back. Vauxhall are telling me that they can't give me my money back but they can give me a credit voucher which can be used for any servicing, parts etc in the future. However, I am buying an Audi and have no use for this voucher as I plan to use Audi to get my car serviced. Am I entitled to my money back for a service I didn't use?

Thanks for your help!

harveybobbles

No.

You dont get car insurance money back for not claiming. It's the same thing.

Money_Savvy_Saver

Thanks for your response but this was not insurance this was a scheme where a pay a little every month towards my service and MOT. As I'm not getting the service and MOT this year I don't want to pay for it (which I was doing in advance rather than at the time).

[Deleted User]

My old grandad bought a Chevrolet some years ago from a Chevrolet dealer and took up their offer of a 3 year service plan paid upfront. 6 months later the dealer gave up it's Chevrolet franchise and swapped to Fiat.

This meant his services which he paid for in advance were no longer done by a Chevrolet garage, devaluing the service history of the car no doubt.

He now uses a Vauxhall dealer to service his car every year which is probably near enough to Chevrolet (both GM brands).

mgfvvc

harveybobbles wrote: »

No.

You dont get car insurance money back for not claiming. It's the same thing.

The leaflet for the plan sold by Lookers Ford says "you can cancel at any time, the balance will be returned to you".

OddballJamie

colino wrote: »

While manufacturer service plans (BMW, Porsche etc.) can be real savers, especially for older cars, dealership group plans tend to be more targeted at gaining cash flow for the group and buying in the loyalty of customers long term. Surprisingly the service plans from Macklin Motors (the Scottish part of the Vertu motor group) start at £9.99 a month.
Even if they don't charge you too much for parts relating to wear and tear, tyres, exhausts etc., it doesn't seem a great enough saving to make owners stop shopping around for preferred and recommended garages to do the work.

Spot on Colino, the Mini plan is especially good value.

I didn't bother with a service plan from the Vauxhall dealer, the savings are all based on RRP which I never pay.

Every service I've had so far has worked out cheaper than the plan, my last service & MOT (4 year) was supposedly over £300, I haggled them down to £207.

If anyone else has a Vauxhall, get a Service Club card, saves quite a bit as your car gets older.

OP - services for years 6+ on a Nissan (unless it's a GTR) maybe more cost effective going indie as it's out of warranty now.

keith1950

Money Savvy Saver....with " most " Vauxhall dealer service plans they are underwritten by an administration/insurance company and if you buy a different make of car you can get a refund of your "pot" minus a £25 administration fee.

Perhaps you particular plan is an " in house" plan and has different terms and conditions.