Service Plans

Roger Bill · July 3, 2009

Hi all

I've just bought a new IS250SEI automatic from my local Lexus main agent and have been given quotes for two alternative plans which cover 3 and 7 services. The monthly payments seem reasonable. However, the Service Plan Provider is EMaC Ltd, who are based in Crewe and servicing must be carried out by this particular dealer.

In general I don't like being tied to fixed monthly payments and, especially as I've no experience of the service department at this dealer, I'd prefer the flexibility of being able to shop around. On the other hand this is my first Lexus and I've seen some rather high servicing costs mentioned in these forums.

Does anyone have any experience of service plans provided by EMaC or any other information that might help in my decision making?

Many thanks

Roger

ormi · July 3, 2009

Hi all
I've just bought a new IS250SEI automatic from my local Lexus main agent and have been given quotes for two alternative plans which cover 3 and 7 services. The monthly payments seem reasonable. However, the Service Plan Provider is EMaC Ltd, who are based in Crewe and servicing must be carried out by this particular dealer.

In general I don't like being tied to fixed monthly payments and, especially as I've no experience of the service department at this dealer, I'd prefer the flexibility of being able to shop around. On the other hand this is my first Lexus and I've seen some rather high servicing costs mentioned in these forums.

Does anyone have any experience of service plans provided by EMaC or any other information that might help in my decision making?

Many thanks

Roger

service plan.................................

covers the very basics of a service no screen wash or anything like that as for high servicing costs you can still get a bill as the service plans dont cover the a/c service or replacing the timing belt so youd prob be better opening up an other bank account and putting money away every month that way you decide how much you pay and what dealer you go too.

Parthiban · July 3, 2009

Servicing isn't really that expensive, especially through the first three years when the car's under warranty. How much will they charge you per month?

Depending on the size of the payment, I would be quite confident that if you just put that money into a bank account and used it for maintenance you'd probably have some left over at the end of the service plan period unless something drastic went wrong.

Roger Bill · July 10, 2009

Hi both

Many thanks for the very useful input and as a result I've decided not to take out a service plan.

Also my local Lexus dealer in Cambridge apparently doesn't offer discounts to LOC members but the next two nearest Lexus dealers do discount servicing costs. Therefore, it seems preferable to retain flexibility to shop around for prices on each service rather than getting locked into a contract with one particular dealer. A difficult decision without the benefit of a crystal ball, but I'll just have to hope inflation doesn’t push up servicing costs too much during the next few years!

ormi · July 11, 2009

remember no matter how new your car you dont need to use a lexus dealer!!and before i get my head bitten off no it doesnt affect the warranty on one condition you use lexus parts and the garage you use is vat registered and has put a stamp in your book.then if you do need anything you can just go back to lex for the free work!!

ihpj · July 18, 2009

I am a firm believer in Service Plans. I specifically went out and bought when I bought my RX as it worked much cheaper than the [three services] would have cost individually. And as it was a Lexus GB plan (administered via Inchcape) I could go to ANY Lexus Dealer and get the service done.

My advice to you would be to check what Lexus Hanley would charge per service; add up these costs together and then see what the cost of your Service Plan would be. Mine came in less than Hanley - so I opted for it. Many people will say these aren't worth it or that no point in paying up front etc. - but these are the very same people who will grumble why the 20K service is costing £X amount and can they get it cheaper...if you know the price of your plan is competitive, then you don't have to worry about what the individual service costs at your Dealership. You don;t have to spend time hunting for the best deal.

I personally would never buy a service plan tied to one Dealer Group - they can go bust - as you enver know where you may be living in a year or twos time. No, buy a Lexus GB plan and I would urge you to pay it off in one lump sum on your Credit Card. Lexus GB are unlikely to go bust and by paying on your Credit Card you will always have recourse should the worst happen!

I have posted extensively on this topic on the RX Forum.

braindead · July 18, 2009

I've recently looked into service plans and found that all the one's I looked at required you to have saved enough money through the plan to pay for the service at the time you need it. Most don't give you free credit. They are, in effect, 0% interest saving plans not 0% credit as they would have you believe.

If you haven't save enough by the time your service is due you are likely to be charged the difference by the dealer. This could happen because you did more miles than you said you would.

Some plans may be different but the ones I looked at were not good value IMO. You would be better setting up a monthly savings account - at least you would get a small amount of interest and not be tied to specific dealers.

Malc