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Dealer vs Toyota Service Plan


Chuck12345
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Just bought pre-registered Yaris and so looking at the Service Plan, as will service the vehicle at a main dealer anyway and so this looks sensible.

However I am confused as the dealer has offered me "their own" service plan, which seems similar to the Toyota one, but where the car can only be serviced at RRG Toyota garages.

The price was exactly the same as Toyota quoted me on their web site.  However the RRG plan mentions 10% discount on parts and accessories, free cleaning after a service, free puncture repair etc.  I cannot see details of these on the Toyota web site, well actually I can see very little on the Toyota web site other than the plan covers you for two minor and one major service, so I assume these are not included.

The RRG plan can be cashed in if you for example move to an area where they don't have a site, as compared to the Toyota plan which would simply let you use any main dealer.  I assume if the dealer stopped handing Toyota you would be able to get your money back, assuming they were still trading as a company.

If this common practice at Toyota garages and does the Toyota plan come with the same "fringe benefits", or are these a reason to possibly take the dealer plan?

Thanks

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We had new cars from a number of manufacturers (Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota), and most main dealers will wash and vacuum the car after a service anyway, regardless of whether you have a service plan or not.

Most Toyota dealers also offer free puncture repairs - again regardless of having a service plan.

I would probably suggest the only difference may be the 10% discount off parts and accessories.

At the end of the day, it is down to you as to which service plan you take, but the 'fringe benefits' of the dealer plan may not be all that they seem as described above.

One thing I would query ( nothing to do with the service plan) is when was the car pre-registered. The new car warranty will date from the first registration date - in your case the pre-registration date. Recently Toyota have introduced their Relax scheme and changed the period of the new car warranty - see:

For cars first registered before 1st June 2021, the new car warranty is 5 years/100,000 miles.

For new cars first registered from 1st June 2021, the new car warranty is 3  years/60,000 miles. After either new car warranty expires, if the car is serviced by a Toyota dealer, the Relax warranty is renewed which provides warranty cover for a further 1 year/10,000 miles - up to the car reaching 10 years of age.

 

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Yeah, almost all the 'extras' mentioned are things they do anyway - The wash and vac is something virtually all Toyota dealers do as standard (Not even for servicing - Every time my car's been in for something - fitting a part, diagnostic, recall work etc. they always clean it!), and as Frosty says the free puncture repair is also something they almost all offer (Emphasis on offer - Whenever I've tried to take advantage of it they always say they're too busy and I'd have to wait 2 weeks for a slot...!)

Even the 10% discount is something I normally weedle out of the parts desk at the second dealer (I don't get parts from my nearest dealer because I got sick of having to wait for half an hour for them to deign to come down from their office to see me)

 

Must admit, originally I thought service plans were a way of getting some extra benefits/discounts, but from the quotes I've had they just seem more like a way of spreading out the cost of the service and hedging against any price rises in the future. There doesn't seem to be any other tangible benefit from taking out a service plan as far as I've seen so far (Maybe I need to work on my haggling skills :laugh: )

 

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We usually have a service plan or pack as it does fix the service costs for the period of the plan.

Our best value service pack was with our 2015 i20 - £349 for three years servicing - aside from the service plan for our current i20 when was provided free as part of the deal. 

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From what I can tell service plan monthlies just add up to the cost of a service anyway so just stick the money away in a savings account 

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50 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

We usually have a service plan or pack as it does fix the service costs for the period of the plan.

Our best value service pack was with our 2015 i20 - £349 for three years servicing - aside from the service plan for our current i20 when was provided free as part of the deal. 

£349 for three years servicing!? :eek: How the sweet mother did you wrangle that!? That's about the cost of one (major) service with Toyota!! 

 

46 minutes ago, Yugguy1970 said:

From what I can tell service plan monthlies just add up to the cost of a service anyway so just stick the money away in a savings account 

My thoughts exactly! Although not as worthwhile at the moment what with interest rates on savings accounts being around 0.01% in most cases! :crybaby:

 

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10 hours ago, Cyker said:

£349 for three years servicing!?

Back in 2015, Hyundai offered service packs (as opposed to service plans) which could only be bought at the time the vehicle was ordered. The standard price for the i20 three year service pack was £349. 

Dealers also offered service plans, which were more expensive, for those who didn't purchase the service pack.

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If it helps, I have had service plans from RRG Toyota for years now and never had a problem. Changing a car or moving from one plan to another hasn't been a problem. Although you have to stick with RRG at least it can be used at any of their dealerships.

Did hear of another dealer that included the Roadside Assistance rather than the 10% parts discount but never saw it in print.

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Thanks everybody for your comments.  The car was registered at the end of April, so is one of the last with a 5 year warranty, but we expect to hopefully keep it for a long time (trade in was a 2012 iQ) so we plan to use the Relax warranty. 

Even in this Dynamic form there is so much tech that can go wrong some form of extended warranty is a good idea I think and paying the Toyota service costs is cheaper than trying to by a 3rd party one.

Car is for daugher, who does not now where or when/if she may have to move for work etc. so generic Toyota warranty seems to be better, as RRG specific one seems to add little if anything and is no cheaper.

 

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We bought a dealer service pack for our old Yaris a few years back.  Can't remember the exact figures but it was 3 services, upfront payment being less than if we'd paid each year separately.  Tied us to the one dealer but that was fine.

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11 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Back in 2015, Hyundai offered service packs (as opposed to service plans) which could only be bought at the time the vehicle was ordered. The standard price for the i20 three year service pack was £349. 

Dealers also offered service plans, which were more expensive, for those who didn't purchase the service pack.

I wish Toyota had something similar - That's an amazing deal!

 

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For the last several years I have used Arnold Clark's own service plans rather than Toyota's official plans

a) they assure me that they meet Toyota standards, don't affect the warranty & are substantially cheaper than Toyota's price

b) around me the Toyota dealers are all AC anyway ...

 

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Few weeks ago I looked into service plans and this is what I found

1) through Toyota GB it would cost exactly the same as paying for each service individually.                
2) through the Toyota dealer. It was the same cost as 1) above, ie same as individual services.             
So, it was just like paying in instalments before you got the goods.

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However, service plans fix the service costs for the duration of the plan, and you're spreading the cost over the duration. Yes you can put the equivalent monthly payment into a savings account, but you're still subject to price rises.

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8 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

However, service plans fix the service costs for the duration of the plan, and you're spreading the cost over the duration. Yes you can put the equivalent monthly payment into a savings account, but you're still subject to price rises.

From the download from Toyota plan, and the dealer plan I was looking for “prices fixed over the term of the plan”, but couldn’t see. A fixed price is something I would have thought would have been prominent to advertise as it is probably the main benefit.

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We've had service plans/packs since 2006 on all of our vehicles since then (8 new vehicles including four Toyotas), and you pay a fixed monthly payment for the duration of the plan. On all of the plans, the service costs are set at those in force at the start of the plan and is part of the contract between yourself and the dealer/manufacturer. 

The only two exceptions were the service pack with the 2015 i20, where we paid £349 covering three services when we paid for the vehicle, and the free service p!an we have with our current i20.

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I have always paid for my service plans in full upfront. Perhaps 1 of the reasons that I get a good deal (it's cheaper than paying for the services individually even before allowing for future price increases) Last August I paid £369 for 2 services (1 intermediate, 1 major)+2 MOTs.

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On 7/28/2021 at 3:53 PM, Heidfirst said:

I have always paid for my service plans in full upfront. Perhaps 1 of the reasons that I get a good deal (it's cheaper than paying for the services individually even before allowing for future price increases) Last August I paid £369 for 2 services (1 intermediate, 1 major)+2 MOTs.

Now that, Scott, looks a very attractive price. It looks like you virtually got the intermediate service and one MOT free.q Did you have to haggle that.

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No, it's Arnold Clark (yes, I know but I have been happy with their local Toyota dealerships - certainly better than their Ford/Mazda/Vauxhall dealerships in my experience) so they have massive volume of scale. & yes, it ties me to using AC only  but as I say I have been happy with them for servicing for 10+ years.

I had bought a service plan when I bought the car (they actually rolled over the unused 1 year portion of the previous Avensis' [that I was trading in] service plan so I got a 3 year plan for the price of a 2 which was unexpected) & this was a 2 year renewal from that. Just had to configure the precise spec. of the plan with the service dept.  AC assure me that it meets Toyota's warranty requirements & Toyota agreed. For me it's a no-brainer.

https://www.arnoldclark.com/servicing/plans 

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