Service plan: a warning

[Pannett]

I was speaking to an acquaintance a few days ago and he told me about his mother's experience of a potential rip off. She has a service plan and her car went in for a service by a Toyota dealer. The report afterwards told her that her suspension needed major work to make the car safe. Her son (my friend) is fortunately in the motor trade and after inspecting her car, said that the report was a lie and no work was needed. A complaint to Toyota is currently in progress. This was my concern about a service plan: there may not be a lot of profit in there, so the more unscrupulous ones will look for additional and maybe unnecessary work. Older people, like my friend's mother, are particularly vulnerable. Has anyone any experiences of service plan rip offs?

[Eddie G]

41 minutes ago, Pannett said:

I was speaking to an acquaintance a few days ago and he told me about his mother's experience of a potential rip off. She has a service plan and her car went in for a service by a Toyota dealer. The report afterwards told her that her suspension needed major work to make the car safe. Her son (my friend) is fortunately in the motor trade and after inspecting her car, said that the report was a lie and no work was needed. A complaint to Toyota is currently in progress. This was my concern about a service plan: there may not be a lot of profit in there, so the more unscrupulous ones will look for additional and maybe unnecessary work. Older people, like my friend's mother, are particularly vulnerable. Has anyone any experiences of service plan rip offs?

Food for thought 🤔 onto my 2nd year of service plan and apart from the dealer asking if i wanted endless extra add on job's like an air con service and the like so far so good but will be going to a local garage i have used over the years when this service plan is up as it is a lot cheaper and i do low mileage every year.

[Eddie G]

Sevice plan over 2 years with added MOT £770, local independent £450, so really your paying for your extender Toyota warranty at £160 a year.

[Heidfirst]

4 hours ago, Eddie G said:

Sevice plan over 2 years with added MOT £770, local independent £450, so really your paying for your extender Toyota warranty at £160 a year.

it shouldn't be afaik for a new Yaris. The service costs for a Yaris are £230 & £315. An MOT can't be more than £54.85 (I pay £40).

If it's a service plan plus that would also include 2 years Roadside Assistance (£89pa)

[Eddie G]

£30 a month over two years with X2 MOTs with no roadside, (2020 ICE 1.5 Yaris) thought it was a lot! will be changing to an independent after this one runs out in June 👍Independent garage i will be using is £150 and £210 with £45 for an MOT.

Edited September 23 by Eddie G
Added information

[Heidfirst]

was this a manufacturer's service plan or a dealer's own?

e.g. Toyota service plan plus

• Two scheduled services.
• Two MOT tests.*
• One year of Toyota Roadside Assistance (in addition to the 12 months Toyota Roadside Assistance included within each new car purchase).

£30.99 pm

[FROSTYBALLS]

5 hours ago, Eddie G said:

Sevice plan over 2 years with added MOT £770,

 

5 minutes ago, Eddie G said:

£30 a month over two years with X2 MOTs with no roadside

£30 x 24 = £720

[Eddie G]

24 minutes ago, Heidfirst said:

was this a manufacturer's service plan or a dealer's own?

e.g. Toyota service plan plus

• Two scheduled services.
• Two MOT tests.*
• One year of Toyota Roadside Assistance (in addition to the 12 months Toyota Roadside Assistance included within each new car purchase).

£30.99 pm

Sorry there just checked came with 12 months roadside not 24 with it being used 👍 it's a Toyota National Service Plan Plus Used Vehicle Package, already had Green Flag with at home cover remembering back and to cancel would have been around £20, just the normal main dealer tad eye watering prices it is then 😆 will stick with the independent from next year still 👍

[FROSTYBALLS]

8 hours ago, Pannett said:

was speaking to an acquaintance a few days ago and he told me about his mother's experience of a potential rip off. She has a service plan and her car went in for a service by a Toyota dealer. The report afterwards told her that her suspension needed major work to make the car safe. Her son (my friend) is fortunately in the motor trade and after inspecting her car, said that the report was a lie and no work was needed

Be interesting to know what age the car is, and why the son isn't getting the car serviced for her .....

[Eddie G]

£770 main dealer with one years roadside, independent £558 with two years Green Flag cover, works out at £212 extra over 2 years going with main dealer and getting the 2 years Toyota warranty at the same time.

[CassUK]

It doesn’t seem reasonable to link dealer upselling to having a service plan. Most franchised dealers, if not all, will do a report/video of basic safety issues and some might try to upsell outside of serviceable work, regardless whether the owner has a service plan or not 🤷‍♂️.

I have a service plan and there’s always a choice where to get up your car serviced but if you don’t use a franchised dealer, you’ll need to factor in the cost of a third party warranty and breakdown cover if you want like for like and peace of mind.

It’s likely the dealer makes more from servicing than in selling cars. Equally, independent garages have lower overheads and therefore cheaper labour rates but probably the same profit margin 🤔

As for upselling, I booked my new Toyota in for a service campaign/recall today. The booking advisor tried to sell me a service plan and MOT insurance. After I stopped her and said I already had a service plan and explained why I thought it was nonsense to even consider MOT insurance when the car is only 6 weeks old, the conversation ended. 

[Eddie G]

1 hour ago, CassUK said:

It doesn’t seem reasonable to link dealer upselling to having a service plan. Most franchised dealers, if not all, will do a report/video of basic safety issues and some might try to upsell outside of serviceable work, regardless whether the owner has a service plan or not 🤷‍♂️.

I have a service plan and there’s always a choice where to get up your car serviced but if you don’t use a franchised dealer, you’ll need to factor in the cost of a third party warranty and breakdown cover if you want like for like and peace of mind.

It’s likely the dealer makes more from servicing than in selling cars. Equally, independent garages have lower overheads and therefore cheaper labour rates but probably the same profit margin 🤔

As for upselling, I booked my new Toyota in for a service campaign/recall today. The booking advisor tried to sell me a service plan and MOT insurance. After I stopped her and said I already had a service plan and explained why I thought it was nonsense to even consider MOT insurance when the car is only 6 weeks old, the conversation ended. 

The main dealer did the same with the MOT insurance with me, until i pointed out the amount of miles my car has done and will do. I am not sure who i will miss more the car sales or the service department sales people! when i start going independent for my service and MOTs 😆

[Heidfirst]

14 hours ago, Eddie G said:

Sorry there just checked came with 12 months roadside not 24 with it being used 👍 it's a Toyota National Service Plan Plus Used Vehicle Package, already had Green Flag with at home cover remembering back and to cancel would have been around £20, just the normal main dealer tad eye watering prices it is then 😆 will stick with the independent from next year still 👍

it should have come with 1 year & the 2 year service plan plus adds another.

How Green Flag coverage compares to Toyota's Roadside Assistance depends upon which level of Green Flag coverage you select & also whether you value the European coverage of the Toyota plan.

[skidlid]

Last year when my 3 year old non-Toyota had a service they commented that all the suspension bushes were separating and needed replacing and were not covered by warranty, about £700 for the work quoted. Said no to replacing them since it passed its MOT at the same garage on the same day with no advisories.

Move on 12 months and no mention of the bushes at the service and another MOT pass with no advisories.

Think they were trying it on perhaps?

[Haliotis]

For around twenty years I had a service plan with Volkswagen, and have to say I was generally satisfied with the arrangement.  Now I have a service plan via Toyota, commencing April 2023.  This plan is not administered by Toyota (the VW one was) and, though satisfied to date, I feel less committed.  I do know of at least two independent garages that are highly thought of, and that I would be happy to use, but the ongoing 10-year warranty facility is at present keeping me with the ‘Toyota’ plan.

[Eddie G]

7 hours ago, Heidfirst said:

it should have come with 1 year & the 2 year service plan plus adds another.

How Green Flag coverage compares to Toyota's Roadside Assistance depends upon which level of Green Flag coverage you select & also whether you value the European coverage of the Toyota plan.

Must have been with it being a used car plan and only came with one year roadside, seems new cars get a second year?,Green  Flag I've got has home start but not European cover as i don't need it.

[Heidfirst]

if it was bought (approved) used from a Toyota dealer it should have come with 1 year roadside assistance, the 2 year service plan plus also includes 1 year roadside assistance which brings it up to 2  years of servicing & 2 years roadside assistance.

[Haliotis]

Mt Toyota approved service plan includes RAC recovery, and i was not able to have this removed with a financial reduction, so have ha to keep it.  I have been with Green Flag for years, and had double journey cover through the Caravan Club.  On retiring from caravanning I have been allowed to retain the double journey cover with Green Flag.  This means that, if we go away on holiday by car and the car broke down and could not be fixed immediately, car and us would be taken to our destination and then picked up again at the end of our holiday.  This is a facility I am not prepared to lose.

[Eddie G]

10 hours ago, Heidfirst said:

if it was bought (approved) used from a Toyota dealer it should have come with 1 year roadside assistance, the 2 year service plan plus also includes 1 year roadside assistance which brings it up to 2  years of servicing & 2 years roadside assistance.

Looking at the paper work it says, The New Vehicle Service Plan Plus includes two additional years of Toyota Roadside Assistance. The Used Toyota Service Plan Plus includes one additional year of Toyota Roadside Assistance? from wording see what you mean.

Edited September 25 by Eddie G
Added information

[CassUK]

On 9/24/2024 at 11:20 AM, Haliotis said:

For around twenty years I had a service plan with Volkswagen, and have to say I was generally satisfied with the arrangement.  Now I have a service plan via Toyota, commencing April 2023.  This plan is not administered by Toyota (the VW one was) and, though satisfied to date, I feel less committed.  I do know of at least two independent garages that are highly thought of, and that I would be happy to use, but the ongoing 10-year warranty facility is at present keeping me with the ‘Toyota’ plan.

Likewise 👍

[FROSTYBALLS]

17 minutes ago, Eddie G said:

The Used Toyota Service Plan Plus includes one additional year of Toyota Roadside Assistance.

Yes, but if the car was bought as an Approved Used Toyota and the service plan bought when the car was purchased, the car would already have come with a one year warranty, as a minimum, and 1 year Toyota Roadside Assistance. A used car service plan would add an additional 1 year Toyota Roadside Assistance, giving a total of 2 years Roadside Assistance

[Eddie G]

15 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Yes, but if the car was bought as an Approved Used Toyota and the service plan bought when the car was purchased, the car would already have come with a one year warranty, as a minimum, and 1 year Toyota Roadside Assistance. A used car service plan would add an additional 1 year Toyota Roadside Assistance, giving a total of 2 years Roadside Assistance

Yeah looking at the wording 👍 but did have Green Flag, either way it still makes going independent for a service still better option for myself, saving £140 on the next (Intermediate service) even with the cancellation fee of £25 on the service plan.

[Pannett]

On 9/23/2024 at 8:18 PM, FROSTYBALLS said:

Be interesting to know what age the car is, and why the son isn't getting the car serviced for her .....

He owns a small car body repair business, with no pit or car lift. I think it was easier for him to leave servicing (and the long warranty) to the Toyota dealership.

[Eddie G]

29 minutes ago, Pannett said:

He owns a small car body repair business, with no pit or car lift. I think it was easier for him to leave servicing (and the long warranty) to the Toyota dealership.

For me with doing low miles a year and looking at the figures the service plan is not worth it especially with the added list of extras they try to add on be they shady? or just a easy way to make extra money.

[FROSTYBALLS]

44 minutes ago, Pannett said:

I think it was easier for him to leave servicing (and the long warranty) to the Toyota dealership.

OK. However, as the car supposedly is within the Relax service generated warranty period, some or all the claimed suspension work may have been covered under the warranty - see terms and conditions attached, especially the section about cover and suspension.

This is the problem with 3rd party comments - some information gets lost in translation, and we seldom get the full story. Ie. we don't know whether or not the car owner was told if the warranty would cover some or all of the work.

This isn't an issue peculiar to service plans, and can also be an issue with non service plan servicing, whether dealer or independent. How many times on these forums have owners been told work is needed by garages, when it turns out the work isn't so urgent !

 

toyota-warranty-ts-and-cs-june-2022.pdf