3 Year Servicing Deal: Advice Wanted

[mdmuddin]

Morning everyone

We have a 1.6L CVT Auris MY2014. Had it's second service at Jemca yesterday. They offered us the following deal:

Next 3 services

One brake fluid change

One air-con recharge

2 MOTs

all for £673 and we can pay that direct debit with no added cost. 

My calculations for all of the above are:

£615 for 3 services (Jemca rates)
£39 for brake fluid change (Jemca rates)
£50 for air-con recharge (Jemca rates)
£80 for 2 MOTs (local indi rates)
Total: £784

To keep the 5 year warranty, I will have to service at the dealership for those 3 years anyway and I would get my brake fluid changed regardless. 

It's making sense to me at the moment, but I want to get a second opinion and also ask if there are any alternative perspectives I need to look from before going for this? For example, do dealers sometimes have offers on servicing that I can look out for that would mean an even bigger possible saving over 3 years?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Probably based on Toyota's Fixed Price Servicing - https://www.toyota.co.uk/caring-for-your-toyota/service-and-maintenance/car-servicing.json

Presumably at the 4 year/40,000 mile service they're doing the Full rather than the Full+ service.

Think it would be as well to get more detail as to what is included in their quote - ie 2 Intermediate, 1 Fuill or Full+ service, etc - so you know exactly what you're paying for.

Would you change the air conditioning filter yourself as this isn't included.

 

[alan333]

3 hours ago, mdmuddin said:

 

To keep the 5 year warranty, I will have to service at the dealership for those 3 years anyway and I would get my brake fluid changed regardless. 

 

This isn't the case any more, since main dealers lost a big legal battle a few years ago.  Under block exemption rules you can have your car serviced at any vat registered garage you want, but the onus is on you to prove that it was done to manufacturers spec intervals and procedures - so you need to keep receipts.  This applies to new car warranties, not aftermarket warranties (aftermarket can specify anything they like).  Yours should be under the 5 year new car warranty so you'll be fine.

[mdmuddin]

2 hours ago, alan333 said:

This isn't the case any more, since main dealers lost a big legal battle a few years ago.  Under block exemption rules you can have your car serviced at any vat registered garage you want, but the onus is on you to prove that it was done to manufacturers spec intervals and procedures - so you need to keep receipts.  This applies to new car warranties, not aftermarket warranties (aftermarket can specify anything they like).  Yours should be under the 5 year new car warranty so you'll be fine.

Excellent news, thanks for telling us that. 

If you have any useful links to hand, kindly post just so we can keep them for a rainy day. 

[mdmuddin]

5 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Probably based on Toyota's Fixed Price Servicing - https://www.toyota.co.uk/caring-for-your-toyota/service-and-maintenance/car-servicing.json

Presumably at the 4 year/40,000 mile service they're doing the Full rather than the Full+ service.

Think it would be as well to get more detail as to what is included in their quote - ie 2 Intermediate, 1 Fuill or Full+ service, etc - so you know exactly what you're paying for.

Would you change the air conditioning filter yourself as this isn't included.

 

Thanks for your reply. 

I'm attaching a picture of the quote. Can you advise based on that?

The AC filter is different to the pollen filter (apologies for the newbie question)?

[Mike169]

I turned this offer down as I don't like being committed to one particular dealer. You might find their work not to your liking also what happens should the car be written off in a crash, do you get a refund, easily, is it transferred to the next car which means it presumably has to be another Toyota.....i'd rather pay as I go along, I/you might even just get bored with the car, what happens to the contract then?

Mike.

[FROSTYBALLS]

So the 4 year/40,000 mile service is the Full rather than the Full+. The only additional items would be the air conditioning filter (otherwise known as the pollen filter, and is different to the air filter), and any other options that may fall due (ie brake pads or similar). The air conditioning filter is easy to change oneself, and there are instructions on how to do this in the owner's manual.

Usually dealerships use a management company such as EMaC for their service plans. This is where the management company are paid by the customer via direct debit over, for example, 30 months for a 3 year service plan. The dealer invoices the management company when any service is carried out under the plan.

A couple of points to be aware of:

1) get Jemca to write into the plan that they will provide the customer with a copy of the invoice when a service is carried out. This can then form part of your car's service history and it informs what has been done and when. Otherwise you will just have your service book stamped. They may block out the address of the management company on the copies.

2) if you want Jemca to use Toyota's preferred oil for your car (eg 0W-20), this can also be written into your plan. Just remind the dealer at each service of this.

3) quite often service plans also provide things like 10% off parts and accessories, and sometimes labour costs for any additional work you have done during the service plan period.

Effectively you are buying the service plan from the management company. If circumstances change (you change car, move, etc) you can cancel the plan and have any payments refunded less any costs of services already carried out. So one won't be out of pocket if things change.

Also your service costs are fixed for the duration of the plan.

We've had service plans on our last three cars, and, in our opinion, they work quite well provided the service costs aren't inflated in any way. In this case the service plan seems to be based on Toyota's Fixed Price Service scheme, and seems to offer quite good value.

Just check out the three points I've mentioned above before you sign up.

[alan333]

2 hours ago, mdmuddin said:

If you have any useful links to hand, kindly post just so we can keep them for a rainy day. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_Exemption_Regulation

http://iautouk.com/car-block-exemption-laws/

[Devon Aygo]

1 hour ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

So the 4 year/40,000 mile service is the Full rather than the Full+. The only additional items would be the air conditioning filter (otherwise known as the pollen filter, and is different to the air filter), and any other options that may fall due (ie brake pads or similar). The air conditioning filter is easy to change oneself, and there are instructions on how to do this in the owner's manual.

Usually dealerships use a management company such as EMaC for their service plans. This is where the management company are paid by the customer via direct debit over, for example, 30 months for a 3 year service plan. The dealer invoices the management company when any service is carried out under the plan.

A couple of points to be aware of:

1) get Jemca to write into the plan that they will provide the customer with a copy of the invoice when a service is carried out. This can then form part of your car's service history and it informs what has been done and when. Otherwise you will just have your service book stamped. They may block out the address of the management company on the copies.

2) if you want Jemca to use Toyota's preferred oil for your car (eg 0W-20), this can also be written into your plan. Just remind the dealer at each service of this.

3) quite often service plans also provide things like 10% off parts and accessories, and sometimes labour costs for any additional work you have done during the service plan period.

Effectively you are buying the service plan from the management company. If circumstances change (you change car, move, etc) you can cancel the plan and have any payments refunded less any costs of services already carried out. So one won't be out of pocket if things change.

Also your service costs are fixed for the duration of the plan.

We've had service plans on our last three cars, and, in our opinion, they work quite well provided the service costs aren't inflated in any way. In this case the service plan seems to be based on Toyota's Fixed Price Service scheme, and seems to offer quite good value.

Just check out the three points I've mentioned above before you sign up.

Full + on an Auris Petrol would be at 6yr/60k when the spark plugs are required

[FROSTYBALLS]

2 hours ago, Devon Aygo said:

Full + on an Auris Petrol would be at 6yr/60k when the spark plugs are required

Just trying to determine what had been quoted for.

[Mooly]

On ‎18‎/‎02‎/‎2016 at 5:19 PM, FROSTYBALLS said:

 

Usually dealerships use a management company such as EMaC for their service plans. This is where the management company are paid by the customer via direct debit over, for example, 30 months for a 3 year service plan. The dealer invoices the management company when any service is carried out under the plan.

I took out a 7 year plan (done through EMAC) for my Auris back in 2010 for a cost of £15.15 per month. This covers all service work, MOT's and recommended routine work such as brake fluid changes. To me it seemed a good deal as previously I never seemed to get away under the £300 mark for routine servicing and MOT's at the same dealer. On average it works out at £181 per service... and I bet I would be paying more than that if I were paying for them as one offs.