Service Plan

[Chris-net]

Anyone use the service plan?

Do you think its good value?

would it be worth it on an 18 month old car?

 

[AMGeed]

I had a 3 year service plan on my previous car which was worthwhile.
The secret is to take it out before the B service is due to get the main benefits. Doing it this way ensures you have a B/A/B service.
If your car is 18months old, it should have had an A service at 12 months so your next service is the bigger B service.
Taking out a service plan does mean all filters/oils/plugs/brake fluid/atf changes are paid for within the plan. Consumables like discs and pads are unfortunately not covered.

Not sure how long your warranty is, but keeping main dealer service history also gives you Mobilo accident and breakdown cover for 12months.

 

[sonic]

I had a 3 year service plan on my previous car which was worthwhile.
The secret is to take it out before the B service is due to get the main benefits. Doing it this way ensures you have a B/A/B service.
If your car is 18months old, it should have had an A service at 12 months so your next service is the bigger B service.
Taking out a service plan does mean all filters/oils/plugs/brake fluid/atf changes are paid for within the plan. Consumables like discs and pads are unfortunately not covered.

Not sure how long your warranty is, but keeping main dealer service history also gives you Mobilo accident and breakdown cover for 12months.

I did that on both of our cars, got a 3 year deal when they were discounted about 2 1/2 years ago.
both cars needed the auto gearbox oil changing during the contract.
Paid about £1,000 for the SLC, & £1,100 for the E350CDI.

 

[mioba]

service plans have been covered to death on the forum. the search function will pull up the results.

 

[Ron240]

I have always bought service plans when buying a brand new car and paid up front, for the main reason that I can then forget about the cost when it comes around to service time.
Normally a service plan is (and should be) cheaper than paying for the individual services on the day and this has been my experience in the past, but with Mercedes I am not so sure this is actually the case.
Take my previous and present model...the upfront cost for a 2 service plan purchased when the car is still under 12 months old was £720.
Now if the car is over 12 months old at time of purchasing the plan the price increases significantly. I cannot remember what the over 12 month rate for my car was but todays rates for a 2 service plan are - under 12 months £744, over 12 months £984.

I do not think this represents good value for me compared with paying on the day because I have recently had my first service and I asked what it would have cost had I been paying on the day, and it was £280.
This means my second service would need to be more than £440 to make the service plan cheaper.
Yes I realise my B service will include the unnecessary brake fluid change, but if i was paying on the day I would not choose to have this optional item done.

 

[mioba]

Brake fluid change is not an optional item. if its on the service schedule it needs to be done - end off.
If you choose not to do it, then bot likely you will get a stamp if you need Mobilo.

 

[richlumb]

Yes a service plan is definitely worth it , do a search on the forum there has been a lengthy discussion on this before

 

[Ron240]

Brake fluid change is not an optional item. if its on the service schedule it needs to be done - end off.

That is a very confident statement you have made.
Brake fluid change is on all manufacturers service schedules, but in my experience it has always been an additional recommended item at an additional cost.
Most manufacturers recommend it changed at 2 years. Audi say 3 years from new then every 2 after that, although I cannot think of any logical reason for the extra year from new. Maybe they use some kind of magic fluid exclusive to Audi vehicles.
Brake fluid is a very important safety item and it degrades with both use and time, the time aspect is due to it being hygroscopic.
Brake fluid in normal use should still be fully functional and safe far longer (double) than the 2 years that manufacturers recommend, but they cannot take chances however slim with safety.
There is always exceptions of course and it could probably be possible to ruin brake fluid in a short 2 year period if for example the car was often taken on track days.
There is an easy test that can be performed to check on the condition of the fluid, but dealers do not routinely do this.
I have not always had brand new cars changed frequently so I would have my fluid checked at service, and never has there been a need to have it changed...even at 5 years old or more.

Going back to your original statement, no it does not routinely "need" to be done every 2 years.
Mercedes as part of their Service Care plan say additional items such as brake fluid and screen wash are included in the plan.
This is a controversial subject and most people will have their own opinion on it, but most people will simply have it changed because it is classed as a safety item.

 

[KennyN]

Going back to your original statement, no it does not routinely "need" to be done every 2 years.
Mercedes as part of their Service Care plan say additional items such as brake fluid and screen wash are included in the plan.
This is a controversial subject and most people will have their own opinion on it, but most people will simply have it changed because it is classed as a safety item.

On the BMW if the fluid is not replaced every two years the service history is not complete according to SH stored on the iDrive so for any potential future customers and for trade in prices, it will be a bargaining point regardless as to what the seller says regarding their opinion of when it really needs replaced.

For the extra £100 it is a no brainer to keep the history complete.

I had the big 48m (60k) service done on the BM , which included all manner of things including the plugs even though the car had covered just 9k but it kept the SH up to date.

K

 

[richlumb]

I had a service in December on the GLC and as part of the service plan the brake fluid was changed, you do get a lot of extras with the service plan which for me makes it worth while esp if it’s due a gearbox oil change.