Buying a Service Plan from a Dealership

AdrianC

Surely it's simple...

You're getting a discount in return for being locked-in to servicing with a dealership (if it's a manufacturer plan) or with that dealership (if it's the dealer's)?

If it's being painted as a monthly charge, simply multiply it by how many months to find out the total. It's very easy to hide high prices behind low drip-drips. £15/mo = £180/yr = £540/3yrs. If an otherwise identical three-year service plan was being quoted as £540, would you buy it?

peter_the_piper

Bought 5 years service from Kia when I bought my new Picanto, cash, £400 for 5 years service, saved a bomb as average service price around here is about £125. It also made sure that any recalls were dealt with (1 minor one as it turned out.) Will definitely do the same if/when I get my new wheels.

[Deleted User]

They are not worth it. A relative bought a brand new car from a dealer once and bought a 3 year service plan with it. At the second service they told the dealer that the brakes were squeaking when they dropped the car off for the service. When they went to collect the car later the same day the squeak was still there. They obviously hadn't checked them or done anything about it or offered advice if it needed a new brakes etc.

All they would have done is changed oil and filter (if that) as quick as possible car in and out. As they knew the service was already pre-paid they knew they weren't making money off that job so would have wanted to move onto the next job as quick as possible.

daveyjp

Potential issues, so check, check and check again.

You don't like the car and need to sell it.  Happened to use three times over the years.
The car gets written off.
The dealership closes or changes franchise.  Could mean a long trip for a service.
The service doesn't cover what is stated in the servicing handbook.  I would want all the required and recommended in a service plan including hydraulic fluid changes, gearbox changes, spark plugs etc etc.

[Deleted User]

daveyjp said:

Potential issues, so check, check and check again.

You don't like the car and need to sell it.  Happened to use three times over the years.
The car gets written off.
The dealership closes or changes franchise.  Could mean a long trip for a service.
The service doesn't cover what is stated in the servicing handbook.  I would want all the required and recommended in a service plan including hydraulic fluid changes, gearbox changes, spark plugs etc etc.

This is what happened with my relative, the dealership ran franchise for two marques on the same site. A year after they purchased the new car with 3 year plan, the dealership swapped the marque of their car for a different franchise. The service plan was still with the dealership so the services were still carried out by them but they were no longer "main dealer" services, therefore spoiling the main dealer service history.

fred246

Luckily it doesn't matter because main dealer servicing is just as bad as independent servicing.

motorguy

fred246 said:

Luckily it doesn't matter because main dealer servicing is just as bad as independent servicing.

Yeah, not most peoples experience is it Fred?

My view of your average "have a go hero" doing it themselves has always been low - and having sold probably several thousand cars as a motor trader over the years, that was based on real world experience.  Granted, there are a small amount of old school people who still can mechanic at a car properly but they are few and far between these days, with far too many just following (and being told to follow) you tube guides and hoping for the best.  And then theres the new breed of Facebook "driveway mechanics" who are no doubt furloughed / on the dole and working off a disposable Facebook account to get victims customers and then legging it when things go wrong "just nipping off for some parts luv".

And yes, then theres my most recent experience on the 6 series i bought and posted about a page back - bought off a guy who until recently had been getting the work done by a local BMW indy, but was now doing the spannering himself on the "simple" jobs (unbeknownst to me at the time as he told me it always went to the BMW indy).

The day after i got the car the coolant light came on.  To cut a long story short my mechanic got the car today and the guy - bless him - had replaced the oil cooler but had nipped the oil seal causing an oil leak and had twisted some of the water pipes causing them to perish in a short time.  The jubilee clips werent even tightened up properly apparently.   

Perhaps the youtube guides hadnt covered those bits?

He'd upgraded the "angel eye" bulbs too on the car and both those had blown within the week.  Probably cheap ebay chinese knock offs - better than paying a local indy to put the proper ones in eh?

Still, at least its in safe hands now - even if its me paying for the previous owners failures.

EssexExile

That bee under Fred's bonnet just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

[Deleted User]

I work with a chap who's son used to work for a car dealer chain with multiple franchises across multiple sites. His son told him when ever a car was in for a service, no matter which package, all they did was change the oil and filter. They would only do the other things if someone came back and complained that something hadn't been carried out/checked. 9 times out of 10 they got away with it.   

fred246

motorguy said:

fred246 said:

Luckily it doesn't matter because main dealer servicing is just as bad as independent servicing.

Yeah, not most peoples experience is it Fred?

My view of your average "have a go hero" doing it themselves has always been low - and having sold probably several thousand cars as a motor trader over the years, that was based on real world experience.  Granted, there are a small amount of old school people who still can mechanic at a car properly but they are few and far between these days, with far too many just following (and being told to follow) you tube guides and hoping for the best.  And then theres the new breed of Facebook "driveway mechanics" who are no doubt furloughed / on the dole and working off a disposable Facebook account to get victims customers and then legging it when things go wrong "just nipping off for some parts luv".

And yes, then theres my most recent experience on the 6 series i bought and posted about a page back - bought off a guy who until recently had been getting the work done by a local BMW indy, but was now doing the spannering himself on the "simple" jobs (unbeknownst to me at the time as he told me it always went to the BMW indy).

The day after i got the car the coolant light came on.  To cut a long story short my mechanic got the car today and the guy - bless him - had replaced the oil cooler but had nipped the oil seal causing an oil leak and had twisted some of the water pipes causing them to perish in a short time.  The jubilee clips werent even tightened up properly apparently.   

Perhaps the youtube guides hadnt covered those bits?

He'd upgraded the "angel eye" bulbs too on the car and both those had blown within the week.  Probably cheap ebay chinese knock offs - better than paying a local indy to put the proper ones in eh?

Still, at least its in safe hands now - even if its me paying for the previous owners failures.

Anything that goes wrong with DIY can happen in a garage because there is no difference between DIYers and people that work in garages. There is no experience or qualifications required to work in a garage. I could be working in a garage tomorrow. I could set up my own indy garage tomorrow. This forum is full of stories about people taking their cars to garages and the garage messing up.