I just bought a 2013 Kia Soul base. They offered me a 6 year . 60K maintence plan that would cover the regular service visits (expensive) and other things that are not covered by the basic warranty. The cost is 2300 dollars. The first service is due at 7500 miles and the second at 15K. I drive about about 3000 miles a year. Is it worth getting the plan?
The first thing to ask yourself is…Are you definitely going to keep this vehicle for 6 years?
If not, then you are clearly going to throw money away.
Then, you should price the actual scheduled maintenance visits in advance, add them up, and see how much of a saving (or not) would result from buying this maintenance plan.
I suspect that you will find the plan to be overpriced.
I say that because, even at the high prices charged by dealerships, this total seems…way overpriced to me.
The only major services during the first 60k miles will be the 30k & 60K services, which would likely cost about $500 at a dealership. (So…let’s say…about $1,000 for those two major services) Aside from those major services, the other services are essentially 6 glorified oil changes, which should cost ~$50 each at a dealership. ($50 x 6= $300)
So…if you do the minimum servicing (and this plan will only pay for the minimum servicing), I come up with a rough total of $1,300 that you would pay out of pocket for those services. Do you really want to pay $2,300 up front, for $1,300 worth of servicing?
And, as others will point out, if you have the maintenance done by an indy mechanic, your costs will be even lower. Just make sure that you do NOT use a quicky oil change place for your maintenance, as the screw-up rate at those places is ridiculously high.
So–to sum up, I would suggest that you not buy this pre-paid maintenance plan.
P.S.–Someone who drives only 3k miles per year should not be doing the minimum maintenance on his/her car, as that type of driving is usually considered to be “severe service”. You will need to have the oil changed at least every 6 months, rather than on the basis of odometer mileage, so you need to find out if this maintenance plan will pay for oil changes and other maintenance more often than at the specified mileage intervals. If you drive 3k miles per year and wait until you have accumulated 7.5k miles to change the oil, you will be doing severe damage to your engine, and this damage would not be covered by warranty.
P.P.S.–What does Ford have to do with this Kia maintenance plan?
No. At 3K miles per year you will drive the car less than 20K miles by the this contract expires. That means you basically will need 2X per year oil changes. At $35.00 per oil change X 12 = $420.00. In 20K miles you won’t even a new air filter, or cabin air filter if your car has one. About the only other service will be a change of the brake fluid every 3 years, or once before the contract runs out. You will be paying $2,300 for about $500 worth of services. I don’t think the added warranty protection is that significant to make it worth $2,300.
I Don’t Know A Kia Sole Base From A Bale Of Hay As They Aren’t Sold Here And I Never See Them, But Doesn’t “Base” Indicate A Less Expensive Model Intended For Thrifty Buyers ?
Save more money. Pay for maintenance as needed. You’ll only be driving 18,000 miles.
The car comes with a warranty. In fact, doesn’t Kia have a really good warranty ? What is the coverage on a new Kia ?
CSA
You’d be better off skipping it, as everyone else has said. $2300 will go a long way towards oil changes and other maintenance. With the amount you’re going to be driving it, I’d use synthetic oil and only change it once a year. (keep an eye on the oil level though)
It would go a long way towards keeping it running well if at least once a week, you give it a good long highway drive at decent speed to get the oil hot and burn off any carbon in the cylinders too. This will help keep the battery healthy too, as using a car for only short trips can cause the battery to never fully recharge, especially if the car sits a lot between uses.
I would pass. Extended warranties are usually worthless. Put the money in the bank.
Put the money in the bank as your own “service account”, and pay for maintenance as you go. You’ll come out ahead.
“Extended warranties are usually worthless”
That is true, but this is a pre-paid maintenance plan, not an extended warranty.
My vote is for no. Keep in mind that many car makers have extended many maintenance services (not always in the best interest of the car’s longevity) and while I have not read that Kia’s maintenance schedule through 60k miles, the odds are that it’s comparatively light. Meaning overpriced for what’s provided.
Take the car in for some of the pre-paid maintenance and it could be that you will be presented with a number of other services that are not part of that maintenance plan and will cost you extra.
Need to see if I can find a Kia service schedule and peruse that…
Found a schedule and reviewed it through the 60k miles service frame so I might tend to back up on my comments a bit and add a caveat or two and also add that there are a few unknowns on that service list.
Kia recommends 3k miles oil change intervals so that’s 20 of them over the span X whatever the normal charge is on that service alone.
They also have a Catch 22 on autoamatic transmission fluid service by stating on the same mileage that the fluid should be changed and that it should also be inspected. There’s no clarity about whether it WILL be changed or not.
Inspection of valve lash is also factored in on one of the last services.
Most of the services involve checking brakes, suspension, for leaks, cabin filter, exhaust system, and numerous other functions that involve no parts or chemicals.
I’m still leaning towards a no vote on this and I’m just waffling a bit over the unknown to me dealer charges on oil changes, trans services, valve lash, and so on.
To pick the obvious, what if an oil change was 60 dollars and that is multiplied by the 20 changes due?
That’s 1200 dollars right there; approx. half of the maintenance plan cost on the one item alone.
Ronald88 Says, " I drive about about 3000 miles a year. "
6 oil changes, 1 per year, in 6 years unless it goes by 6 month intervals, then 12 changes
CSA
CSA is correct. I either overlooked or forgot the bit about 3k miles a year. Ditch the maintenance plan without a doubt.
With that type of driving I would sure change the oil every 6 months though.
Read your owners manual. Do the maintenance the manual requires (not all the additonal flim-flam the dealer tries to add). It doesn’t have to be done at a dealer. Find a independant mechanic with a good reputation and show him the book. Have him do the work and save your recipts. That is all that is required to keep your warranty.At 3000 miles a year you will probaly have $1500.00 0f the 2300 you would have spent on that 6 year warranty . They don’t reimburse you for the 42000 miles you didn’t use.
I fix cars for a living and I say no. It’s a rarity that I see a customer who bought a service/maintenance plan and has come out ahead.
Keep up on the scheduled maintenance, find and use a garage you can trust, have your mechanic take care of any unscheduled repairs before they become major problems, and you’ll be money ahead at the end.