Service plan worth it?

[Thrash]

Hi guys
My A service is due within the next few months, it's coming out at about ~£320 on average, surprising how much the cost varies from one dealer to another within about 20 miles of each other!
I can get a plan for £32 a month and would probably do 2 services over 2 years. So based on the A service costing £320, the B service would need to cost over £448 for the plan to be worthwhile. I guess this is likely?

Also what would happen if I sold the car in a few months with the service plan? I'm assuming I would have to continue paying monthly until I'd essentially paid for what I'd used?

Thanks in advance.

 

[markjay]

I suggest that you pay for the next service (3rd year?) outright as it's only a 'small' one, then take-out a Service Care Plan to cover the 4th and 5th year services which are the big ones.

 

[markjay]

If you sell the car you can cancel the service plan and a partial refund will be issued.

 

[Thrash]

I suggest that you pay for the next service (3rd year?) outright as it's only a 'small' one, then take-out a Service Care Plan to cover the 4th and 5th year services which are the big ones.

Thanks for the reply. The next service is the cars first as it will be a year old, given what it entails I’m surprised it costs so much.

 

[markjay]

Then you will probably be better-off not opting for a Service Care Plan until the 4th and 5th services are due (assuming you still have the car then).

It will work out cheaper paying for the following outright:

Year 1 - Service A - ~£250

Year 2 - Service B, brake fluid change - ~£500

Year 3 - Service A - ~£250

----‐-----------------------------------
Total for above - ~£1,000


At £32 per month, a service Care Plan to cover 3 services will cost you £1,152 over 3 years.

But it will be very good value for Years 4 and 5.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

I decided to go with the Service Plan (£39 in my case however!), partly just because its a convenient way to spread the cost and you don't have to fork out £££ all of a sudden. Mine is for three years and will be a B A B service so the value is a little bit better.

I think a big deal is to figure out if you get gearbox services included in that - it becomes much better value. Unfortunately mine isn't covered - I thought it was originally (because they told me it was) - but turns out, nope. I still stuck with it.

I will also be able cancel my AA membership which I was paying something like £15 a month. A caveat with that is that Mobilo will only take your car home or to a MB dealership, so you can't get towed to Bob Smith's Mechanic Shop to get the problem fixed - you will be paying MB dealer prices to get it fixed. But it does cover Europe and a courtesy car.

Anyway, maybe some helpful stuff to think about!

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Just realised that you have a new car so probably has a 9G gearbox (?) and I have no idea what the service interval is on that - but I'm guessing it's not going to be coming up in the next year or three.

 

[markjay]

...I will also be able cancel my AA membership which I was paying something like £15 a month...

AFAIK the AA covers you in any car... while Mobilo only covers the Merc. But you can of course have Mobilo AND keep your AA membership.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Sure - but then you're not saving ~£15 a month, so the 'value' is affected

I'm still 50/50 on cancelling the AA

 

[Harrythedog]

I took a 4 year plan out at £31 per month so I think it was worth it, the 4th year was definately the clincher

 

[James Copeland]

I think that MB now use the RAC for their road side assistance.
I haven't had to use them yet so cannot comment on any possible differences.

 

[Ayeupducks]

Purchased my 2014 E Class E220 AGM Sport Estate at 3 years old from main dealer in Stoke and took out a service plan at £35 month. now had my year 4 and 5 services - no regrets

 

[uumode]

The RAC service in my particular instance was rubbish. Wanted a change in instruction to deliver my car to a different destination, and they didn't. Also they 'lost' my car as it didn't arrive to the original destination they said they would deliver it to. C Class has built in tracker and it indicated it was in an RAC location, but they said they had delivered it. Was at the RAC facility for a few days. Kept ringing up the original destination site (My local MB dealer, and they said they hadn't received it). Kept ringing RAC they said they had delivered it, but my tracker indicated it was still on their premises. Not until a few days later did they actually deliver it with confirmation from the dealer and then my tracker indicates it to be on the dealer premises.

 

[Delderek]

Then you will probably be better-off not opting for a Service Care Plan until the 4th and 5th services are due (assuming you still have the car then).

It will work out cheaper paying for the following outright:

Year 1 - Service A - ~£250

Year 2 - Service B, brake fluid change - ~£500

Year 3 - Service A - ~£250

----‐-----------------------------------
Total for above - ~£1,000


At £32 per month, a service Care Plan to cover 3 services will cost you £1,152 over 3 years.

But it will be very good value for Years 4 and 5.

Just had my C Class C200 serviced it was year 3, "A" service, cost was £575. It is on a service contract. Oh and two days later a Nox sensor went faulty, still under warranty thank goodness.

 

[markjay]

Just had my C Class C200 serviced it was year 3, "A" service, cost was £575. It is on a service contract. Oh and two days later a Nox sensor went faulty, still under warranty thank goodness.

Service A should not cost that much. Last time I paid £260 for my C180 at Mercedes Benz Temple Fortune.

Currently online quotes from dealers are typically around the £250 mark.

How do you mean it was on a 'service contract'?

 

[Delderek]

Service A should not cost that much. Last time I paid £260 for my C180 at Mercedes Benz Temple Fortune.

Currently online quotes from dealers are typically around the £250 mark.

How do you mean it was on a 'service contract'?

It is on a three year service contract, but prior to booking I rang to enquire the price, I did say that's expensive, but seems it has a spark plug change which pushes up the price. This was MB Canterbury.

 

[markjay]

The spark plugs change is usually done in year 4 I think?

And it's about ~£100 for 4 plugs, so still the cost should have been ~£350 in total.

Was anything else done? Filters, ATF, etc?

 

[Delderek]

The spark plugs change is usually done in year 4 I think?

And it's about ~£100 for 4 plugs, so still the cost should have been ~£350 in total.

Was anything else done? Filters, ATF, etc?

Seems its three years for plugs on my model
Dust filter replaced, Air filter replaced.
It was collected and delivered, not sure how much is charged for that?

 

[markjay]

Seems its three years for plugs on my model
Dust filter replaced, Air filter replaced.
It was collected and delivered, not sure how much is charged for that?

Service A, spark plugs, air filter, cabin filter, collect&deliver, for £535 at the dealer is not unreasonable.

I think collect&deliver is £50.

Did it include MOT?

 

[Delderek]

Service A, spark plugs, air filter, cabin filter, collect&deliver, for £535 at the dealer is not unreasonable.

I think collect&deliver is £50.

Did it include MOT?

No, MOT was £30 extra (special promotional price at the moment)

Think the point is, in my case it appears to make my service contract really good value.