Discounted Toyota Prius Extended Warranty /Service Contracts

[ekc]

What did you mean by 'if you don't use the warranty, you can get almost all of your money back?'

[ekc]

I'm referring to 'mikepauls' comment above.

[ekc]

I agree, it seems like a no brainer..

[ekc]

Have they knocked the warranty from 8/100,000 down to 8/80,000 for the 2005 models? If so, that really bothers me since I have a 2005 coming in some day.

[mmccking]

I just got a 2005 and wasn't given an option for anything more than 7/100k, but I don't really think the dealer knew enough of what might have changed for 2005.

BTW, I decinded it because I didn't trust the finance guy who was trying to sell it to me.

He started a 7/100k at $4,000 and the 55K Service at $2000!

After an hour of this, he finally came down to $1280 and $995, respectively. I said that $995 is the MSRP for the 55K service according to Toyota.com, what kind of deal is that!

[jofam]

Danny's deal of $670 is a great discount from MSRP for prepaid maintenance. Is it in the form of 11 service coupons which can be used at any Toyota dealerships nationwide? How much wou;ld the dealers charge for the minor maintenance (5000, 10000, 20000 etc.) and for the major maintenance (15,000, 30,000, and 45,000)? Should you have the car serviced only at the dealerships or can it be done, at least for the minor which seems to be only oil filter change, anywhere? Thanks for the info.

[bookrats]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jofam\";p=\"41948)</div>

Danny's deal of $670 is a great discount from MSRP for prepaid maintenance. Is it in the form of 11 service coupons which can be  used at any Toyota dealerships nationwide? [/b]

I'd like to know about this as well

How much wou;ld the dealers charge for the minor maintenance (5000, 10000, 20000 etc.) and for the major maintenance (15,000, 30,000, and 45,000)?

It varies from place to place. For more information, see [url=http://priuschat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=249&start=20]this thread for specific pricing info.

Also, great link from [url=http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/maintenance.do]Edmunds.com with information about what is performed at regular maintenance, and a ballpark cost estimate.

Should you have the car serviced only at the dealerships or can it be done, at least for the minor which seems to be only oil filter change, anywhere?

This has also been discussed in a number of PriusChat threads; there are opinions either way (and also include those who suggest changing the oil and filter yourself; John1701a's web site has a tutorial with photos on how to do this).

I'd summarize in saying that the main reasons provided for going to a Toyota dealership for the minor checkups are:[list]That the techs may recognize other problems (Prius-specific problems) that a normal oil change mechanic wouldn't.[*]That the average oil change people will overfill the oil for the Prius.[list]
However, this all depends on the competence of the techs at your local Toyota dealership. Lots of people have had oil changes at Toyota service shops and had the oil overfilled.

Originally Posted by jofam\";p=\"41948)</div>[quote

Is it in the form of 11 service coupons which can be used at any Toyota dealerships nationwide?[/b]

The Premium 4/55K] 5,000 mile interval plan, is in the form of an 11 coupon booklet.

The second part of the question isn't such an easy answer. Unlike the service contracts, only dealers that actually offer the Auto Care pre-paid maintence plans are required to honor them....but, I have sold quite a few to people in a number of different states, and have yet to have someone find a dealer that refused to honor them, even non-participating dealers, since the dealer still does get paid for the services (just not as much as they'd like) and since it does keep the customer coming back to them for all their service work giving the dealer the opportunity to "upsell" non-covered services, i.e. new tires, wheel alignments, brake jobs, accessories, etc... Toyota actually uses that fact to promote the dealers into selling the plans. But I still strongly suggest, that anyone interested in the maintenance plans contact the service dept of the dealer they plan on using for service just to make sure they will honor the coupons.

BTW, here is the link to Toyota Financials Auto Care webpage: Auto Care pre-paid maintenance

I have been avoiding this topic since it will probably be a lengthy discussion diserving its own thread, but since it has been brought up again.....

The money back if not used guarantee is not a "no-brainer". It is also not something that Toyota Financial offers. It may be something that a dealer is either guaranteeing themselves, or it may be a third party insurance company that is offering it, in which the dealer simply includes the cost of that insurance in their service contract pricing. Just make sure and read the fine print if anyone finds a dealer that offers this, since you will be paying a premium for it.

My personal opinion on this, is that its a VERY good gamble on the dealers/insurance co. part. They make an extra 4-$500 profit on every service contract they sell, in which they get to hold that money and collect 7 years of interest on it. So, it costs them nothing out of pocket and then they would still break even, even if 1 out of every 3rd sale got their money back, and the numbers are probably more like 1 in 50 to 100 that a person will not only keep a car 7 years (nearly double the average), but also then never have a warrantable problem in that time. So, if that is such a good deal for the dealer/insurance co, then its probably not such a great deal for the consumer.

In addtion, anyone that has purchased this guarantee will be hesitant to file claims on their service contract and defeat the purpose of buying it in the first place. I can see people driving around with their check engine light on, or paying out of pocket for repairs, just so they can try and get their money back at the end of the 7 years....

anyway, thats my .02

Oh, I should probably add Toyota Financials actual refund policy...

Within the first 30 days from purchase, you can cancel the plan for a 100% refund, after that you have the ability to cancel your contract at anytime for any reason prior to its conclusion and get back a pro-rated refund based on the percentage of time/mileage remaining less a $25.00 fee, even if you have already filed a claim(s) against it, and regardless of how much those claims were for.

[mooomoose]

Hi,

Does anyone know if someone from Canada can buy the discounted ECP plan that is offered here? The longest ECP plan available from Toyota Canada is 84/120K or 72/160K.

Thanks