When I bought my used Skoda approved Superb I was offered a 2 year / 20,000 service plan for £175 by the franchised main dealer. 

 

I was told that it includes a minor (oil change) and major (inspection) service together with a brake fluid change.

 

A quick check on Skoda's national pricing website and I could see that the oil change was valued at £129, the inspection service at £249 and the brake fluid at £45, a total of £423, making the plan a nice little sweetener for the dealer to aid the negotiation of the sale of the car.

 

I was assured that all of the above was included irrespective of the manufacturer's service regime.

 

10,000 miles ago I had the oil change.

 

It's booked in tomorrow for the 3 year / 30,000 mile inspection service.

 

After a bit of checking according to Skoda my car isn't in need of an air filter or fuel filter until 60,000 miles.

 

I have a sneaky suspicion that they'll try and wriggle out of doing them claiming that they aren't due and therefore excluded from the service plan. This wasn't how the plan was sold to me.

 

What are my chances!?

Edited 3 March, 201412 yr by silver1011

What does the paperwork say? Coz that's what you'll get.

The paperwork lists all of the above but mentions "if required".

 

I require them

The paperwork lists all of the above but mentions "if required".

I require them

When the hell is it required? When it breaks?! "Sorry sir, your not covered"

Air filter until 60k??

Thats a joke!

Airfilter is every 10k, 20k at a push!

But 60k? They are having a giraffe

Yep, when I dropped the car off for the first 'service plan' visit I asked if I could have the inspection service done first which includes the air filter and fuel filter.

 

When the dealer rang Skoda for approval access was denied so I had to have the oil service and paid extra to have the air and fuel filter done.

 

For the sake of two £10 paper filters they should be replaced each time the car is serviced in my opinion.

 

After the service plan is done I'll be servicing the car myself from now on.

 

I just wish I'd had what the dealer told me in writing now.

So how was this Mis- Sold if you are getting what you paid for.

If you re-read the OP what was described to me wasn't what I ended up getting.

Were you told specifically that the major service would include a replacement oil and fuel filter at the planned service mileage?

Air filter is 90000km or 6 years. Fuel filter is 90000km. Pollen filter is 60000km or 2 years.

I checked the service book, air filter and fuel filter are both 90,000 km's or 4 years.

 

This is what I was told I was entitled to:

 

i 1x oil change at 10,000 miles or 12 months.

ii 1x inspection service at 20,000 miles or 24 months.

iii 1x dust and pollen filter at 24 months.

iv 1x brake fluid change.

v 1x fuel filter.

vi 1x air filter.

 

This is what is on the paperwork that arrived in the post after I signed up and paid for the plan...

 

i 1x oil change at 10,000 miles or 12 months.

ii 1x inspection service at 20,000 miles or 24 months.

iii 1x dust and pollen filter at 24 months.

iv 1x brake fluid change if required.

v 1x spark change if required.

vi 1x fuel filter if required.

vii 1x air filter if required.

viii All as determined by the manufacturers recommended schedule.

 

The dealer missed the all-important 'if required' and point viii.

Looking at it from another angle.....

 

 

 

Two services at standard rates would have cost you £129 + £249 = £378 and, if carried out according to the service recommendations, wouldn't include certain items unless required

 

You have bought a plan for two services for £175 which, if carried out according to service recommendations, wouldn't include certain items unless required

 

I see a gain in real terms of £203, so I can't see that anything has been mis-sold

My gripe is that I was told that I'd be entitled to an air and fuel filter over the 20,000 miles. That isn't the case, therefore the plan was mis-sold.

 

I'm not disputing the value for money. I agree that financially I am still better off, even after paying extra for the filters to be changed.

 

You also missed the brake fluid change valued at £45.

 

The service plan was used as an incentive towards the purchase of my car, so when the salesman calculated it's value he used a higher amount than what it was actually worth. Had I known this I'd have looked to negotiate more off the screen price.

 

My gripe is that I was told that I'd be entitled to an air and fuel filter over the 20,000 miles. That isn't the case, therefore the plan was mis-sold.

 

I'm not disputing the value for money. I agree that financially I am still better off, even after paying extra for the filters to be changed.

You also missed the brake fluid change valued at £45.

The service plan was used as an incentive towards the purchase of my car, so when the salesman calculated it's value he used a higher amount than what it was actually worth. Had I known this I'd have looked to negotiate more off the screen price.

Brake fluid change is now 3 years from factory and probably would have been at the time of the sale. I'd be annoyed too. It isn't a complaint based on technical but sales shortcomings. I'm sure they will refer you to the paperwork (which I guess you should have checked) but you only saw that after the sale had gone through. At the very least I'd want a free break fluid change in a years time.

I deliberately ignored the brake fluid change cost, since that is charged over and above the normal service charge

In the scheme of things what is the cost of an air and fuel filter? About £50, if that?

The biggest problem is you thought a Salesman would know anything about servicing.

The biggest problem is you thought a Salesman would know anything about servicing.

 

or even cars

The fuel filter and air filter are £55 and £45 respectively.

 

We were in the final throws of a tough negotiation so the environment was already quite tense. Agreed I shouldn't have taken the salesmans word for it. 

 

He was so clued up on all non-car related items (Autoguard, GAP insurance, extended warranties etc.) I wrongly assumed he'd know the exact value of the service plan and how it could potentially impact the bottom line on each sale he used it for.

 

Nevermind, as has been mentioned I'm not financially worse off, I was just a little annoyed when my dealer said the items weren't covered by the plan after I'd been told they were.

£45 for an air filter? Is that including an overstated labour charge?

£45 for an air filter? Is that including an overstated labour charge?

might be one of those new fangled ones without a replaceable element, on some cars you just unbolt the entire airbox assembly and fit a new one.

It's an old fashioned one I'm afraid.

 

4x screws, remove lid. Remove and dispose of air filter. Refit new filter, replace lid and tighten 4x screws.

 

The filter can be had over the parts counter for £17 inc. VAT so the dealer is earning a tidy £28 for removing four screws in addition to the margins on the filter itself.

 

Nice work if you can get it!

It's an old fashioned one I'm afraid.

 

4x screws, remove lid. Remove and dispose of air filter. Refit new filter, replace lid and tighten 4x screws.

 

The filter can be had over the parts counter for £17 inc. VAT so the dealer is earning a tidy £28 for removing four screws in addition to the margins on the filter itself.

 

Nice work if you can get it!

 

Buy the filter and DIY  

Maybe you should have taken the air filter out when you got to the dealers.

Then it would have been replaced as the servicing says replace if required.lol

IIRC, the air filter elecment is £21 retail incl VAT and the fuel filter element+gasket is £36-37 retail incl VAT

Air filter until 60k??

Thats a joke!

Airfilter is every 10k, 20k at a push!

But 60k? They are having a giraffe

 

 This isn't uncommon. Being the suspicious kind of a soul he is, a friend put tippex dots on various filters around the car before sending it to Vauxhall for a service. He immediately checked on picking up the car and found that the air filter hadn't been changed. The smug response was that it had been cleaned out and didn't need replacing...