Service Vouchers - Good Value?

[duncanda]

Hi

I'm new to the forum as I've just bought a used (10 months old) Avensis T3-x 1.8 auto. Hopefully collect it this week.

I have been offered 3 service vouchers for £450 and was wondering if this is good value. The car has only done 7,000 miles, so the vouchers will cover it's first 3 services. It also covers increases in hourly labour rates, which I've been told is to rise from £55 to £65 soon.

I've also been offered GAP insurance for £329 to cover the period of the finance. Is this good value?

I've checked this forum and there doesn't seem to be a lot that goes wrong with these cars, which is great!!

Thanks

[Boro Sera]

Welcome to TOC mate.

Can't really help you myself with any of your questions, but I'm sure someone will be along soon who can.

Good luck with the Avensis.

Rich

[duncanda]

Thanks for the welcome Boro Sera. Nice car!!!

[Parva]

Hi

I'm new to the forum as I've just bought a used (10 months old) Avensis T3-x 1.8 auto. Hopefully collect it this week.

I have been offered 3 service vouchers for £450 and was wondering if this is good value. The car has only done 7,000 miles, so the vouchers will cover it's first 3 services. It also covers increases in hourly labour rates, which I've been told is to rise from £55 to £65 soon.

I've also been offered GAP insurance for £329 to cover the period of the finance. Is this good value?

I've checked this forum and there doesn't seem to be a lot that goes wrong with these cars, which is great!!

Thanks

I was quoted £238 for a 40,000 mile service on mine, that was from the local Toyota dealer. Told them to stuff it! If £450 is for three full services at a Toyota main dealer then that's probably not too bad. As for gap insurance the bulk of the depreciation on the car has already happened in the 10 months prior to you purchasing it but it depends what you paid for the car and what the actual value is.

Incidentally, make sure you get two keys when you get an Avensis with remote locking and alarm/immobiliser fitted as standard. I've just had to buy a spare for mine at a whopping cost of £150.28! Yup, that's the price for just one spare key. However, had my existing key packed-in or been lost then it would've been impossible to get a new key coded and the only way of mobilising the car again would be to replace the ECU amongst other things. Toyota said minimum bill for this is £1800+!!!!

[duncanda]

Thanks Parva.

What I'll do is phone a dealer and ask what the 10K, 20K and 30k services cost separately.

I'm financing £12,800 for the car, so you're right, what I need to think of is what gap I'm "protecting" over the next 3 years.

I've seen the 3 keys to my car.

Cheers

[Gadgetman]

I had a Mercedes A Class from new before I sold it for the much better Avensis. It needed servicing every 10,000. The services were either an 'A' (small) or 'B' (large). They would cost between £350 - £500 - I could have two services a year!! So Toyota servicing is extremly cheap. £238 for a 40,000 service IS good value believe me.

My local dealer has quoted me about £100 for a normal service rising to £150 for a large, This is assuming that no extra bits are required. My next service is at 50,000 and they said it would be approx £150 (I bet it is more - but cheap in comparison to Merc).

The service vouchers do seem pretty good, but remember that you can get it serviced at any garage these days, so shop around.

[duncanda]

Hi Gadgetman

I know what you mean about Merc service costs. I currently have a 1999 Mercedes E240 which I've part-exchanged for the Avensis. I love Mercs., it's my 4th, and would keep it, but my new employer insists that I have to have a private car which is less than 2 years old and I don't want to Shell out at this time for a newer Merc.

Compared to the Merc, I was impressed with the quiet and accelaration of the Avensis (auto). I'm sure I'll also enjoy the better fuel consumption and lower running costs.

[Gadgetman]

Hi Duncanda, unlike you I was not impressed with my Merc. I could list literally hundreds of faults and service costs that went into thousands, plus I lost over 10 grand when I sold it four years later.........

Anyway, I am v pleased with my Avensis, a little engine noise, but I can live with that. I am now a convert, did you know that my Avenesis has better fuel economy than my 1.4 Merc?

Cheap to run and maintain, all you Avensis owners out there who think service cost are high bear in mind that Toyota are amongst the cheapest around and so far in my experiance the custoimer service is outstanding.

Well done Toyota....