As my car approaches the 3 year old mark, my dealer has unsurprisingly mentioned the Skoda All In Service Plan.

There are various threads on this which I’ve read. I’m naturally sceptical of service plans and extended warranties but for £38 a month this seems reasonable. I’ve compared the cost of 2x services*, 2 x MOT and 2 years breakdown cover if I used my local VW specialist and any of the major breakdown cover suppliers and the cost is £29 per month.

In effect then I’m getting 2 years extended warranty for £9/month which seems ok until I read the warranty terms and conditions, which basically exclude most things that actually go wrong and in particular this clause -

“The gradual reduction in operating performance (wear and tear) due to the age and mileage of your vehicle.”

My principal reason for getting this plan would be for some major failure such as the dsg, or turbo. It seems to me that clause is a get out for just about any failure.

Is it just a way to keep you with them, there isn’t really any saving other than their inflated prices. Am I missing the point ?

The service plan basically offers a slight discount on Skoda dealer service and MOT costs, AA recovery and the warranty.

*The specialist service is better and more clearly defined than Skodas and they are a VW service centre and update the digital record etc

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by classic

In year 4 and 5 what are you having to pay for that is not included in the All in plan?

Will you have the brake fluid changed at 3 years?

Then to pay for at 5 years.

Is the Pollen filter included @ 4 years?

Are they even going to look at the air filter or change it in year 3, 4 or 5?

I assume the AC is not being checked or serviced.

Is your DSG going to be due a service by year 5 and are you just paying for that?

Is it a TSI & getting Spark Plugs changed

or a TDI and having the fuel filter replaced?

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by Ootohere

Of course they want to sell you a service plan as it ties you in to them for 2 years, during that time they want to pick up other chargeable work.

You can look at these plans as a measure for some sort of stability and reassurance or you could just deal with things as they come along or better still preventative measure such as full and proper servicing and maintenance (including that which the owner/driver should be carrying out rather than leaving it all to a once in a year check.

As has been put you need to fully consider what these two services actually cover for years 4 and 5.

VWŠkoda "services" on some years are little more than an engine oil & filter change (the engine not being the most important system or component on the car anyway, but the change is still required) and a look for more chargeable work. The VWŠkoda "maintenance schedule" is to my mind a bit scant and too long intervals too.

Whilst I like AA breakdown cover they're not the only providers and you can get cover via other sources and purchases such as insurance, bank cards(?) accounts, other organisations at often discounted prices.

Ootohere is your main for how good or not the particular DSG is in your car and its real requirement for servicing, plus the joys or otherwise of the particular 1.5 engine and of course other Superb owners, 2022 and earlier years.

With warranty and service contracts you do need to carefully check who the contract is actually with as it may not be the garage or business selling it to you Dealerships change hands (well the brand names sometimes) and so do independent garages (or perhaps go out of business) so you need to be sure the contract can be carried out by others or taken over.

If you're intending keeping the car beyond its 5 years and particularly if many years after that the regular full and proper services and maintenance of the whole car should, to some extent at least, help reduce or spot some issues before things go too far.

If you are like many owners the expensive 12V battery may need replacing in year 4 or 5 - it's reliable useable life could be extended by not having the stop/start unavailable when it should be available (first sign of battery needing a charge) and occasional preventative recharging - I've put loads of info on this all over this site.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

1 hour ago, Ootohere said:

In year 4 and 5 what are you having to pay for that is not included in the All in plan?

Will you have the brake fluid changed at 3 years?

Then to pay for at 5 years.

Is the Pollen filter included @ 4 years?

Are they even going to look at the air filter or change it in year 3, 4 or 5?

I assume the AC is not being checked or serviced.

Is your DSG going to be due a service by year 5 and are you just paying for that?

Is it a TSI & getting Spark Plugs changed

or a TDI and having the fuel filter replaced?

The plan includes spark plugs and air filter, but in actual fact it would only include them if they happened to be required during the plan, if that makes sense. You pay the price for the plan regardless, it states plugs and air filter included but some owners wouldn’t get them from what I can see.

Really it does not make sense any more than the old system before Oil & Inspection Services and Extended Scope.

Minor / Interim & Major service alternative, or Major / Major, each 2 years.

A Technician without looking decides no Spark Plugs required, after all only 20,000 miles at the first Major, or not 40,000 miles at 4 years.

3 or 4 spark plugs stay on the self.

The Tech decides no Air filter to look at or replace.

The Same money gets charged, no extra labour time, no parts used & no VAT required,

But the Fixed Cost is the same. They make double profits on some cars and others actually get serviced / maintained to Manufacturers Recommendations, Guidelines, Schedule, Specification of Advice.

It is a p!$$ take really. Warranty and recovery is good, but Warranty requires Serviced to Manufacturers Guidelines.

The old way.

They too the Michael. Or many did if they could get away with it.

Up to 2019. Computer says no, you paid but no go away minus parts.

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by Ootohere

ETA: Ootohere and I seem to be editing our posts at the same time 😄 but I'll leave the old lists in anyway.

"The plan includes spark plugs and air filter, but in actual fact it would only include them if they happened to be required during the plan,"

And how does that compare with the better and more clearly defined specialist service over these years.

In case you've not seen them, below is an old (out of date, and to me too scant and stretched) VWŠkoda "Servicing & Maintenance" price list and schedule (former VWŠkoda UK cambelt change scam crossed out).

And from an Ootohere post a newer list of "service" title work.

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by nta16
ETA:

^^^ That Green Chart prices are 5 years old. This Blue one 4 year old.

The ones i posted are 6 years old.

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by Ootohere

ETA: I'm having a torrid time editing, the system is almost beating me, 😄 you misunderstood which chart(s) I meant but yeap that's the blue one.

3 minutes ago, Ootohere said:

That Green Chart prices are 3 years old.

Might be older than that, can't remember, I had a bluer chart before that one, the schedules were the same. What isn't needed perhaps so frequently is on there DSG?, air-con service and of course the cambelt! with overstretched intervals for perhaps air filter and "Extended Scope" work/checks. And what driver cant spray a little GT85 on hinges, locks, etc. very occasionally.

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by nta16

Specialist service is minor every 10k miles (oil & filter and inspection ).

Major service every 40k miles ( minor plus spark plugs, air filter and pollen filter). All other add ons such as dsg ( not required on my dq200 - but that’s another story….), air con and brake fluid are obviously extra but still cheaper than dealer.

@nta16 I edited. Green chart was 2020

Major was every 2 years.

But what Skoda Main Dealers was charging a Major at the First 2 years the same as at 4 years.

That was fraud really as at 2 years you never got what was due at 4 years. HMRC lose out, the parts department has parts. Some how the same £279 or £289 was charged including VAT.

@classic How many miles have you done @ 3 year. Are they calling it a Major Service.

It is Oil & Inspection year 1 & 2 & 3rd year plus Extended Scope.

Then Oil & Inspection year 4 & Oil & Inspection year 5 plus extended scope.

Skoda came up with Extended Scope each 2 years after 3 years old.

They also changed brake fluid back to first at 2 years not 3 then each 3.

They want the work yet can not fit in for services for doing Warranty or TPI,s. Because they never do right the first time.

Then they upsell when they do get you in.

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by Ootohere

If you have a good quality reliable garage, mechanic, auto-electrician (so very difficult to find in my personal experience) then I would go with the annual/10k-mile engine oil & filter change ("service"?/service) and add on stuff from the 40K-mile plus whatever is wanted/required.

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by nta16

I would want brakes serviced not just Brake Fluid changed.

Not just told 80% worn when 20% worn and advised to have new discs.

I had one of these plans, took it out about part way through year 4, so car had been out of warranty for few months. At the time they had special offer and I was paying nearer £26 per month.

I think I had the major service around its 4th birthday, then the minor service, but I specifically requested spark plugs second time (even though it had only done about 15k miles since they were changed (before I took out all in one). I explained it includes a spark plug change, so although not due, do it because it is effectively free as paid for.

So look what it covers, and get it done, even if not scheduled at the mileages your services come up. If plan covers it, you have paid anyway, so silly not to have new parts if you have the option at no cost.

From memory, mine had European breakdown cover included, so worth more than a UK only policy, but wasn't that obvious unless read the small print.

.

Edited 7 July, 20257 Jul by SurreyJohn

I've had these VW plans on 2 cars and have it on a Golf currently.

Everything required on the service schedule has been done, OK had to ask for DSG service but it was done under the plan.

Not yet had to claim for a repair on the Golf but repairs on a previous Audi were covered under the plan. The usual caveat of a charge for a diagnostic if no fault found applied but they found a fault and so no cost to me.

That is the problem - having to ask for things to be done, not everyone will realise this or want to ask - and even if you do ask I've seen posts here where the garage doesn't do it even if asked unless it's on schedule. It's an all-in price of what's (considered sometimes) required just because it's included in a sample list doesn't mean it get's done unless its on schedule time/mileage. As Ootohere has put before if the parts, materials, time and labour can be kept in stock that's the garage's gain.

My wife has had to ask the Dealership to carry out chargeable scheduled when booking "service" work at least twice! And once at collection after the "service" and originally missed schedule work had been done they mentioned the (con) cambelt work was due, at collection not at point of booking, unfortunately we fell for the con, £429! At the time my wife dealt with everything as it's her car. I wasn't drafted in until the Dealership started acting like a typical bad Dealership, finding unnecessary work and messing her about. Which reminds me I must show her the two lie sheets ('Visual Health Check' ticksheet) one with £1200 of work for "Clutch pedal heavy to press" and "Rear bump stops perishing", by the one bloke they seem to have working there and the next only 20 days later by the same bloke where these worrying items to my wife have disappeared and items marked greenbox G (good) despite absolutely no work, attention or mention given to these items then or since, nearly 2 years ago.

My point was that you can have the required servicing work done on a VW all in one plan. It's not, in any way, excluded. The fact the dealer needs "reminding" of the schedule is altogether another matter.

@Aldfort Which car did you have with which DSG that got it serviced under an All in one Plan?

Was it one that needed it at 40,000 or at 80,000 miles?

How much was the 'All in one plan' which included a DSG service when you took it out?

Are they available now?

Or just 'All in' plans?

Edited 16 July, 202516 Jul by Ootohere

It was on an Audi, as I already mentioned, and they were happy to do all the work the maintenance schedule dictated. I took out a 2 year plan when the car was 3 years old and another when it was 5 years old. All plans were administrated by VW finance. Can't recall the exact costs but less than £40 per month. Plan included all servicing and breakdown cover, including repairs as a result of the breakdown. Only caveat was - diagnostics which did not show a fault, had to be paid for.

It would seem, from your Google AI post that this may no longer be the case but, as with all things in life, best to ask what's included before committing. I personally found the plan to be good value but that's just my opinion.

37 minutes ago, Aldfort said:

best to ask what's included before committing.

Best to get it in writing, what's said (verbal) is often forgotten and disputed and even the written contracts can be open to interpretation and dispute, but that's the fault of the company that drew up the written contract. Car companies, Dealerships, garages, financial companies, etc. have had many decades (into centuries) of experience so should be getting it about right. It would also help if they employed Plain English principles at least when dealing with England.

Of course there are two sides to this, as well as bad companies there are bad customers that want something for nothing and given an inch will want a mile but unfortunately in my decades of experience with the English motor trade it's often more likely the English motor trade in the wrong, or even ripping-off or conning their customers. Not that VW has ever done that . . . 😄

As with all things legal in life you should read the small print, most don't which apparently in the 21st century is not always their fault, at least according to lawyers that run mis-selling class actions!