Maintenance Service Agreement

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BackPack

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When I picked up my Mini last month, I planned on paying just for the car when I got to the Finance office. I typically pay cash for my cars, but this time with cheap money I financed through my credit union so no additional work for the Finance guy.

However, I did end up paying for the extended maintenance service (not extended warranty). The cost was $1,800. It covers all service for the first 5 or 6 years so technically it’s covering the last 3 or 4 years since Mini already covers the first 2 years. Normally, these add-ons in the Finance office are always a hard no and we move on to signing. But then I started looking at the maintenance requirements as you get into the outer years and started adding up the service cost. Even in today’s pricing, it was saving me money. I know inflation like we see today won’t stick around, but I also know prices won’t go down either. So it also locks in all the maintenance cost. The only thing not covered was tires.

Technically, this is pre-paid maintenance and I could have put the $1,800 into the stock market and come out better (or worse) when it came time to pay for the service in outer years. I also can cancel it at anytime and get money back pro-rated. I keep my cars 10 - 20 years so I know I’ll use the agreement. I do need to remember that it covers wiper blades and cabin filters which I normally change myself.

I’m sure others have been offered the same thing when you made it to the Finance office. I haven’t seen it discussed on here before.
 
What outer years maintenance are you referring to that would be expensive?

Extended maintenance agreements are typically a waste of money on an EV with very little standard maintenance.
 
It's a bad deal. You'll get at most 3 brake fluid flushes, plus wipers and cabin filters.

Does it still include brake pads? I know it used to, but I thought they changed it a few years back. You might get one brake pad change, though with regen braking, maybe not.

And to correct your original post, the standard included maintenance is 3 years.
 
chrunck said:
And to correct your original post, the standard included maintenance is 3 years.
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Or 36,000 miles! (I hit that in two years, which is atypical).

Also, the batteries are warrantied for 100,000 miles. Is the 12 V battery covered under the extended maintenance? Since it's an AGM battery it's a few hundred dollars to replace.
 
who knows - maybe the car's computer will fail or CV axels will rip themselves apart from heavy acceleration driving over time.. so you at least have some peace of mind knowing you don't have to deal with any of that. Plus if you're not into working on your own car you now have insurance that you basically don't have to do anything. So I understand the decision.

Me personally I probably won't do that when I pick up my car. Tires/Rotations/wiper blades..maybe a 12V battery is all I expect to fail..(unless something electronic throws a curveball like a switch or relay or something fails). Hope it's smooth sailing for you!
 
Matt007b said:
who knows - maybe the car's computer will fail or CV axels will rip themselves apart from heavy acceleration driving over time.. so you at least have some peace of mind knowing you don't have to deal with any of that. Plus if you're not into working on your own car you now have insurance that you basically don't have to do anything. So I understand the decision.
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Those are warranty items, not maintenance items.
 
chrunck said:
Those are warranty items, not maintenance items.
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ahh woops! You're right I keep forgetting this is a brand new car... so yeah... cabin filters and... tire rotations.. brake fluid like others have said... shouldn't be too much.
 
All the crap the finance person tried to sell me added up to more than the car cost. o_O
It was hard no from me on all of it. I'll take my chances.
 
If the average user came out ahead on extended warranties, the dealer would lose money. The reason they sell them is because they profit. There is a chance you come out ahead but it’s probably unlikely. If you feel you need it, great. Personally I’ll install $20 filters and wipers myself.
 
A famous consumer protection guy once advised, “If they’re pushing you to purchase an extended warranty, what does that say about their confidence in the car?”
 
It’s a maintenance service agreement and not an extended warranty. The big maintenance cost I remember was for the cooling system on the battery. I think it’s at 4 years. I’ve got to find the paperwork to remember.
 
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