Did you get the prepaid maintenance program?

No. Why? I might total the car, might die, might sell it, might want to have the oil changed somewhere else, might move, the dealer might move, might lots of things. If it maybe costs a little more to maintain my flexibility, I can live with that.

 

congrats! i wasn't offered prepaid maintenance. you get two years free, what does the next 3 years consist of?

 

I did not buy - I am confident to adopt a driving style favorable to the mechanical lifetime of my prius. So 2 years seem good enough to me. Though I would enjoy a 5 years long peace of mind.

 

I did that once and learned my lesson! When I purchased our Sienna, I walked over to the service department to price out a 30,000 mile service. It was very comprehensive. The service department had a preprinted list of services performed, and it cost about $600. At the point of sale, they offered me the 30k service and the 35k service for only $275. A "no brainer", right? So I gave them the $275. Move ahead about 18 months, and it is time for this complex and expensive 30k service. I bring the car in, hand them the coupon, and the dealer proceeded to change the oil and air filter. That was all they did. All of the other services that were described to me at the point of sale were "optional" and not described as "necessary" in the owner's manual. So now I paid $275 for about $75 worth of work. Needless to say, I was not happy. After some " thoughtful" discussion with the dealership, my service plan fee was refunded. That was the last time I purchased a service agreement. If it sounds too good, it probably is...

 

I bought my car before the 2 year Toyota Care service started. I purchased a 36k mile service package that sounded reasonable at the time and I wanted to "establish a relationship" with my Toyota dealer as it was my first Toyota purchase.

It was overpriced as the individual 5k maintenance services came out to be less than the total package price. If I had to do it again I would not purchase the service package but pay for the individual services.

Also I became dissatisfied with the dealer's services and did not even complete the 36k mile service and began doing them myself.

 

I opted to say NO to the high pressured, obnoxious finance guy that tried to scare me into the extended warranty and/or service plan. They almost lost the entire deal because they would not take NO for an answer and I became angry

 

My dealer could not back up in writing that the oil changes were included at 5,000 mile intervals instead of 10,000 as the owner's manual suggests. That killed the option for me. They also tried to sell a $2,500 extended warranty to cover the car until 100,000 saying that with all the computers and the $145 per hour service rate it was a great deal. I told him I really appreciated his honesty in letting me know the car I was about to buy would likely need more than $2,500 in repairs in only 64,000 miles (since Toyota picks up the first 36,000) and that he had just saved me from buying what must be a terrible car if it breaks that much. Can you believe he then changed his tune about how good the extended warranty is?

The net is they are there to make money, not give it away because they like you or grew up near you or whatever they say.

 

Extended warranties are not for me. Always feel its a rip-off; just giving more $ to the dealer



iPhone ?

 

the one time I bought an extended warranty (ford) everything that did go wrong with the car was not covered, never bought one again

 

My dealer extends the 2 yr/25k mile maintenance plan to 3 yr/36k miles on all Toyota's they sell. I think they figure they'll get you when you need to replace the air filters, but I do my own and save the 200% markup! Also it's a great way to keep tabs on people that trade every 3 years and know they'll have a well maintained car for resale on their used car lot!

 

My experience is with a Subaru dealer. Sister purchased a maintenance plan. When she came in for her 60k maintenance, dealer said they needed money. We said, "No, we paid for the maintenance plan." Dealer said the maintenance plan only covers basic oil changes and does not cover that service and it is required in the owners manual.

I don't remember what the service was but I will never buy extended warranties or maintenance plans from anyone. My sister still does. She trusts dealers implicitly. The experience hasn't soured her trust at all. I can see why dealers do these shady practices. They get away with it all the time.

 

I highly doubt there would be a time when purchasing a prepaid maintenance program from a dealer would save money. If you must have a plan you can get it aftermarket from other sources for a better price, I guarantee it. When I bought my v the dealer financing guy tried adding in extra warranties and the like without even telling me...then I told him that the payment should not be 458 dollars a month and I don't want anything extra. The things they do are criminal, it's disgusting.