In your opinion, is an official service worth it?

[yossarian247]

58 minutes ago, AJones said:

 

I'm not sure what to make of the Relax warranty, the sales messaging is that it's simple and straightforward, no complicated requirements, extends your coverage upto 10 years etc But the Terms and Conditions are as long as your arm and there's a great long list of exclusions, particularly on anything which has failed because of wear and tear, which makes me wonder how much use the warranty actually is because when a car gets 5+ years then almost everything which fails is wear and tear, so not covered under the T&Cs. Some posters talk about the goodwill aspect, but there's no guarantee with that, it's at the whim on the company. 

 

A key difference is that the T&Cs of the paid-for extended warranty covered everything by default, except for a specific list of exclusions. The T&Cs of the Relax warranty cover nothing by default, except for a specific list of covered items. Having said that, there have already been mentions on here of items being replaced by dealers under the Relax warranty despite not technically being covered by the T&Cs. Toyota customer service have also repeatedly said that Relax covers 'any manufacturing defect' despite the T&Cs saying nothing of the sort. Who knows what to believe?!

[NGRhodes]

One thing to consider is how good your alternative to the main dealer is.
Some indies have good expertise in repairing parts that a main dealer would replace at far greater cost, conversely some indies don't even bother with all the checks required for a proper service, just throw new oil and filter in and stamp the book.

[Cyker]

There does seem to be some conflicting information as I originally read the Relax warranty is as comprehensive as the OE warranty! As people say tho', we'll only know when people here start to claim on it and given how many people on here seem to be getting new cars recently that won't be for a good few years!!

 

[Catlover]

2 minutes ago, Cyker said:

There does seem to be some conflicting information as I originally read the Relax warranty is as comprehensive as the OE warranty! As people say tho', we'll only know when people here start to claim on it and given how many people on here seem to be getting new cars recently that won't be for a good few years!!

What about those come to the end of 5 year new car warranty, they could be using relax now, also this who chose to use non Toyota servicing but now feel like they want Relax for the next 5 years.

[Cyker]

Good point!

[Davidhee58]

2 hours ago, Catlover said:

What about those come to the end of 5 year new car warranty, they could be using relax now, also this who chose to use non Toyota servicing but now feel like they want Relax for the next 5 years.

Early next year will be the end of 5 year warranty of my car, I really don't know if I should continue to bring my car to the dealer for service, having read the T&C of the Relax warranty, I feel the Relax warranty is in favour of Toyota, not of the customers. I think Toyota has carculated and designed the warranty to attract  car owners to bring their car back for service. I don't know much about the car, but I guess the parts and components covered by the relax warranty might have only 1% of probability to go wrong during the 10 years (my pure guess), and those on exclusions list could have very high possibility to develop faults (so they aren't covered). it's just like insurance, customers pay extra more to buy a peace of mind for that 1% of risk, it's just my thoughts, maybe I am wrong. Another point is after 5 years, when you go to the dealer for the service, you may not just pay £190 for intermediate service and £340 for a full service, the dealer could ask you to replace some parts, which may not be necessary, because they want to keep your car in a perfect condition to avoid warranty claims. This year when i brought my car to the dealer for a full service, they asked me to replace front wipe blades, which, of course, were not in a new condition after 4 years, but the wipes were absolutely fine for me and didn't affect me to drive in the wet days at all, for my previous VW car, I had ended up to pay £840 for a dealer service after 3 years warranty! And when you do need to make warranty claim, it's not as Toyota said very straightforward, sometimes you have to argue with the dealer, , last year, my car alarm frequently went off for no reasons,  i had my car checked in the dealer garage, they couldn't find a clue, and said the only possible reason was the faulty sensor, they could replace it for me but said I needed to pay the costs! then I had to argue with the manager because my car was still on the 5 years warranty, it was quite annoying!

Now I keep asking myself for next 5 years whether I should carry on the service in the dealership or not, considering my car is a hybrid car, I may have no other options, as the Indies nearby don't know much about hybrid car, even have no idea where is the jump start point in my car🤣

[Cyker]

If they wanted to attract more custom the best thing they could do is compete on price - The gold and silver service costs were very reasonable, but the normal prices are quite high. I'll suffer them because my car is new and a hybrid, and I want that 15 year Battery warranty, but I'm under no illusions that the higher cost means they are any better than any of the other garages I can take the car too, given their level of competence on my previous vehicles. It just feels like a gouge tbh.

 

[Catlover]

Hi David, I am in a situation similar to you, just couple days ago my Prius was 5 years old, but due for a full service next June. Do I or do I give the job to a good independent. The hourly rate of labour at Toyota garage is probably around £80 per hour. Natural thought is that is a rip off! After all, hourly pay is maybe £15ph, but there is all the overheads of Nat.Ins, pension, holiday pay, sick pay, then there are training courses, plus overheads of the actual operating costs of a fully equipped workshop, parts stock, support staff, plus other things we don’t think of.        
I know my local garage, who I have dealt with over the last 10 years, has told me he won’t touch the hybrid bits, but will do brakes, suspension, exhausts, tyres etc…….. that affects more the wife’s 11 year old Auris hybrid, but mine also if I decide to take work away from my Toyota workshop for my Prius.      
Pn this forum we hear of the benefits of customer loyalty, that is if you have the car serviced at a Toyota dealer, when a out of warranty problem arises you may receive a “reward” for being loyal by Toyota helping out with costs. That is of course at their discretion, but it could mean something considerable in monetary terms.        
It is difficult, isn’t it David. Tough choice.        
Not sure though you can compare vehicle servicing with car insurance. A big chunk of motor insurance MUST cover third party claims, just in case you injure others or damage their property. For those driving around without insurance, and we are told it is thousands, then if they found out the penalty should be very heavy, and I mean heavy.

[nielshm]

I use a Toyota dealer that charges by the hour and used materials. It's a 2019 Corolla. 

My wife gets her Aygo serviced *else there* and the price is just 20-30% lower. Thinking of the Aygo and Corolla in size and hybrid diagnostic check, it should be much more expensive using the authorized dealer. 

I know my cheap Toyota dealer is 50 miles away, and I have to wait for 2 or 4 hours, but I like the feeling deep within, that I have done the best I can to take good care. I might sound like a fool, by I love the feeling when I pick up my car after a service, seeing the check list is complete, and it might just run a little better or small noises has gone.

One thing about the other garages, they hate Toyotas thin 0w16 oil. It's not in stock, and they will try to use 5w30 like they do on 90% of their cars. Some might even claim that the engine will be ruined, and they know better than Toyota whats right for the car. 

[Auris James]

It will be interesting to see how "relax" works out for us customers in due course. I'll await the verdict.

James👍

[Catlover]

29 minutes ago, nielshm said:

I use a Toyota dealer that charges by the hour and used materials. It's a 2019 Corolla. 

My wife gets her Aygo serviced *else there* and the price is just 20-30% lower. Thinking of the Aygo and Corolla in size and hybrid diagnostic check, it should be much more expensive using the authorized dealer. 

I know my cheap Toyota dealer is 50 miles away, and I have to wait for 2 or 4 hours, but I like the feeling deep within, that I have done the best I can to take good care. I might sound like a fool, by I love the feeling when I pick up my car after a service, seeing the check list is complete, and it might just run a little better or small noises has gone.

One thing about the other garages, they hate Toyotas thin 0w16 oil. It's not in stock, and they will try to use 5w30 like they do on 90% of their cars. Some might even claim that the engine will be ruined, and they know better than Toyota whats right for the car. 

Do the “other” garages hate using Toyota recommended oil and use 5w-30 May because they would have to charge more for the 0w-16 and this would close the price difference somewhat. Especially if they but a large quantity of 5w-30 at bulk price advantage.

[Davidhee58]

1 hour ago, Catlover said:

Pn this forum we hear of the benefits of customer loyalty, that is if you have the car serviced at a Toyota dealer, when a out of warranty problem arises you may receive a “reward” for being loyal by Toyota helping out with costs. That is of course at their discretion, but it could mean something considerable in monetary terms.        

I doubt any of Toyota dealers will reward for owners' loyalty, in my more than 30 years driving experience, i never found a garage near to my lived area could be trusted, including dealer garages. one year warranty after each service does not attract me at all,  if I decide to continue the service in the dealership, it's purely for my hybrid car, some people think the dealer service history can increase the car value, i don't know whether any people want to buy a used petrol car or not after 5 years or so, it may just like a diesel car now, my friend's diesel car now is useless, because he needs to pay £12.50 daily ULEZ charge in London, the VW Golf is less than 10 years old with good condition, he wants to sell it for £1000, so far the car is still parking on his drive. I think similar situation will happen to all petrol cars in the next 5-10 years.