any views here on dealership service plans ?

mahemick

seems to me that you get a bit of discount for paying for a 2 year plan monthly rather than taking the hit when annual services are due.for my prius it looks like £528 v £590. but as i say you start paying a year ahead of that first service ... 

AdrianC

Why do they give you a discount? Because they find the lock-in increases their revenue over all.

mahemick

well im locked into the dealership anyway - if i go elsewhere (non toyota) i lose the warranty cover on the battery. it does give a 2 year freeze on servicing costs which is why i thought it might be worth doing. however by the time your service is due you`ve just about already paid for it ..
i suppose what they get out of it is that you dont go to another dealership and the regular cash flow ...

EssexExile

Over £500 for two services? Wow.

MinuteNoodles

EssexExile said:

Over £500 for two services? Wow.

If it's a minor and a major depending on the marque that may be cheap. I was looking at buying an 18 plate merc A series due it's third service within a few thousand miles and it was enough of a cost at the main dealers to put me off the vehicle.

mahemick

yes i said something worse than "wow" ....
though have to say its very cheap on fuel and a dream to drive, very quiet and comfortable and plenty of power when you need it

DoaM

My brother works for Vertu Motors in the office that sells service plans .........

If you would normally dealer service anyway then it can be reasonable value. Plus it means it's already paid for so you don't need to remember to save up for it/have the funds set aside - it depends on how well you normally budget your finances. But don't take the first offer from the dealer ... you can get further discounts if you hold out for a few weeks. Which dealership/brand are you buying from?

Car_54

A service plan is basically a means of saving. Except that, unlike a bank or building society, your savings are not protected. If the garage goes bust you lose it all.

facade

It should fix your prices, when the dealer service goes up (because of Covid-19 Sir! ) you will save even more.  

The_Fat_Controller

They can be good value, the service plan for my Yaris GRMN was exactly the same as my last Yaris Hybrid.
That was with Arnold Clark and even the person who sold me the car was surprised as the GRMN is a limited edition model.

Nomad2020

mahemick said:

well im locked into the dealership anyway - if i go elsewhere (non toyota) i lose the warranty cover on the battery. it does give a 2 year freeze on servicing costs which is why i thought it might be worth doing. however by the time your service is due you`ve just about already paid for it ..
i suppose what they get out of it is that you dont go to another dealership and the regular cash flow ...

Hybrid?? If so ( and I've clarified this at least 3 times) you do not lose your warranty on the batteries. I get my service done at my local garage and have the batteries checked once a year. I've never been told I lose warranty so I would check you have heard correctly