[kathytn]

Starting a new thread since I couldn't find one that was just on the Maintenance Plan (vs Warranty plan).


I was just talking to my dealer and they have a "42,000 miles, 7 Service visits" plan for $989. I questioned it being limited to 7 visits if you have the oil changed every 6 months. He said you shouldn't get the oil changed until the car tells you to do so. Depending on how you drive, you may go another 5,000 (total 11,000 miles) before needing it changed.



I said that the Subaru manual says every 6,000 miles (6 months ?) and that the plan says you have to have proof of scheduled maintenance. So, if I waited for the car to tell me I needed one and it was at - say 9 months, the plan wouldn't cover it because I didn't do at 6 months.


He said no, they look at the computer and so long as you do it when the computer says so, that's considered "scheduled" maintenance.


Any thoughts/feedback?

 

[Jason]

Starting a new thread since I couldn't find one that was just on the Maintenance Plan (vs Warranty plan).


I was just talking to my dealer and they have a "42,000 miles, 7 Service visits" plan for $989. I questioned it being limited to 7 visits if you have the oil changed every 6 months. He said you shouldn't get the oil changed until the car tells you to do so. Depending on how you drive, you may go another 5,000 (total 11,000 miles) before needing it changed.



I said that the Subaru manual says every 6,000 miles (6 months ?) and that the plan says you have to have proof of scheduled maintenance. So, if I waited for the car to tell me I needed one and it was at - say 9 months, the plan wouldn't cover it because I didn't do at 6 months.


He said no, they look at the computer and so long as you do it when the computer says so, that's considered "scheduled" maintenance.


Any thoughts/feedback?

Maybe I'm missing something, but Subaru's don't have a feature that reminds you when to do service. If you wait for the car to tell you it needs service, its generally the check engine light telling you that you have issues lol

 

[pilot1226]

I believe the car will in fact tell you when it needs service, doesn't it? It's not like Maintenance Minder for Honda, but I think within the infotainment you can specify a date or mileage for it to remind you for service, but it is NOT automatic and must be programmed every time you do a service.
@kathytn

From what I've heard in the past, the services are good for "x" miles. If you tell them that you're on the severe service plan, you can offer to pay for those extra oil changes out of pocket instead.

The big thing you want to watch for is that you don't accidentally "use" one of your services for the big 30k service.

Or, you can just skip the whole thing and pay a la carte when you need it. That's what I plan on doing, but I also do my own oil changes since it's more convenient for me.

 

[pashi266]

Maybe I'm missing something, but Subaru's don't have a feature that reminds you when to do service. If you wait for the car to tell you it needs service, its generally the check engine light telling you that you have issues lol

Doesn't Starlink provide you the maintenance notifications?

 

[kathytn]

He told me that it will tell you when it needs an oil change based on your driving, etc. He said it will say "at 15%", etc. I'm buying the Touring, not sure if that makes a difference.


And, Yes on the "a la carte", I would certainly do that rather than waste a more expensive visit.

 

[cjkenton]

If you read through the manual (do a Google search), it mentions that the Ascent WILL keep you informed of upcoming maintenance...AND it can schedule the appointment for you at your local dealer!!!

As far as Maintenance Plan's, I plan on doing some research. From what I understand, there are two versions. One that is only applicable to the dealership that you purchase it from. And another that is good at ANY Subaru dealership in the country. I plan on purchasing the later.

 

[Jason]

If you read through the manual (do a Google search), it mentions that the Ascent WILL keep you informed of upcoming maintenance...AND it can schedule the appointment for you at your local dealer!!!

As far as Maintenance Plan's, I plan on doing some research. From what I understand, there are two versions. One that is only applicable to the dealership that you purchase it from. And another that is good at ANY Subaru dealership in the country. I plan on purchasing the later.

But you have to go in and set the reminder. There is no self checking system that will monitor the quality of the oil and alert you when it gets bad.

 

[kathytn]

But you have to go in and set the reminder. There is no self checking system that will monitor the quality of the oil and alert you when it gets bad.

I honestly don't know--that's why I put it out here. This was the finance person and he insisted it would let you know when it was actually needed, not what the schedule is in the manual.



He insisted that it reads the actual oil situation (my words), how you drive it, etc. determines when it really needs changed. He specifically used a percentage - such as the reminder coming on at 15%.


I pressured him on this because the maintenance plan says you must have documentation that you performed all scheduled maintenance. I said I would not have documentation if I didn't get an oil change until 9,000 rather than 6,000 miles. That's when he said their computers read when the changed was needed and did you do it then,

 

[Dandy]

We have purchased the maintenance plan for my wife's last 2 OBs. When we traded the 14 in for the 17 we got a $500 credit because we had the maintenance plan. So to me, we went ahead with it again, because if we trade within 4 years (I think it is 4 years) we will get a $500 credit so the plan really doesn't cost that much. This is the only service that we allow the dealer to perform. I know they want to try and get us to get everything there such as tires, brakes, etc from them, but we don't.

Check and see if there is a credit given back if you trade in a few years. Of course this is dependent on you trading on a regular basis. We generally trade every 3-4 years anyway so this becomes a good value for us. In addition they dealership is +/-3 miles form our office so it is easy enough to allow them to do the basic maintenance.

 

[cjkenton]

Jason or Carl...

And insight/pricing for Maintenance Packages that are good at any Subaru dealer...that's a thing, right?

 

[Jason]

Jason or Carl...

And insight/pricing for Maintenance Packages that are good at any Subaru dealer...that's a thing, right?

Yes, they are real. Most dealers sell them for $695ish but my dealerships gives it to everyone for free. I think they are awesome, especially if you find yourself buying a Subaru every 4 years or so. Then you get the $500 loyalty coupon that has been so coveted on here.

 

[calimomofboys]

Our dealership said they give us our first year free but then sold us (and we bought it- hope we didn’t get taken but if so oh well now) a 4 year plan for around $1250. Said it covers every service, everything, for the first 4 years. Their explanation said they usually give the first year free but in buying the four year they swap the first and fourth years so we “paid” (in that $1250) for the first three years and they instead then give us our fourth, more expensive service wise, year for free. Dunno that this makes sense but at 10p at the end of a whirlwind day of buying the Ascent and selling the husband’s car it did. He said they basically added up the cost of all services for the first four years and we just prepaid it- labor, parts, everything.
He said we could take the car to any Subaru mechanic anywhere for the first three years of service but for the fourth since that was their freebie we have to take it to them.
Thoughts? Sound like a somewhat reasonable amount or did we get taken?

 

[leky411]

Jason or Carl...

And insight/pricing for Maintenance Packages that are good at any Subaru dealer...that's a thing, right?

The same gentleman that has been giving great pricing on extended warranties can get you a maintenance plan at a great price. It is $810 for 36months/36,000 miles.

$890 for 36months/42,000 miles

My dealer initially offered it to me for $1900 and then $1100. Needless to say I am going into tomorrow to cancel.

 

[Jason]

The same gentleman that has been giving great pricing on extended warranties can get you a maintenance plan at a great price. It is $810 for 36months/36,000 miles.

$890 for 36months/42,000 miles

My dealer initially offered it to me for $1900 and then $1100. Needless to say I am going into tomorrow to cancel.

MSRP is $1246 for the 36/42,000 synthetic so that makes sense. Kinda ridiculous to try to mark it up to $1900.

 

[PhantomTypist]

MSRP is $1246 for the 36/42,000 synthetic so that makes sense. Kinda ridiculous to try to mark it up to $1900.

Where I got mine they tried selling me the 10yr/100K Gold Plus for $2500+. I eventually told them that I can get it elsewhere for $1550. They actually ended up price matching it. They tried the same over pricing on the 3y/36K maintenance plan, but I got them down to $810


It's amazing how much money they probably make off unsuspecting people. Look I'm fine paying a little bit more, but when you try selling these two things over MSRP that's just a little crappy of you.

 

[Rgashton]

The same gentleman that has been giving great pricing on extended warranties can get you a maintenance plan at a great price. It is $810 for 36months/36,000 miles.

$890 for 36months/42,000 miles

My dealer initially offered it to me for $1900 and then $1100. Needless to say I am going into tomorrow to cancel.

MSRP is $1246 for the 36/42,000 synthetic so that makes sense. Kinda ridiculous to try to mark it up to $1900.

Can you (or Carl) tell us, specifically, what these maintenance plans pay for? Is there anything in official documentation stating the items that you're 'buying' with this plan? Or is it just a vague "it pays for the maintenance schedule of items"? Ok cool, but there's replace, inspect, and perform... Out of those what gets billed and covered by the plan for those 36k or 42k miles?

And I added up the service visits in the maintenance schedule and it didn't really add up to the $800 that we would pay for it. To me it would be less expensive just paying for each regular maintenance service visit as you go.

Am I forgetting/missing something?

 

[leky411]

Can you (or Carl) tell us, specifically, what these maintenance plans pay for? Is there anything in official documentation stating the items that you're 'buying' with this plan? Or is it just a vague "it pays for the maintenance schedule of items"? Ok cool, but there's replace, inspect, and perform... Out of those what gets billed and covered by the plan for those 36k or 42k miles?

And I added up the service visits in the maintenance schedule and it didn't really add up to the $800 that we would pay for it. To me it would be less expensive just paying for each regular maintenance service visit as you go.

Am I forgetting/missing something?

All normal maintenance services as
recommended by Subaru in your Warranty
Maintenance Booklet, and are honored by
Subaru Dealers nationwide.
• Coverage of inspections at 15,000 and
30,000 miles.
• Parts, labor and fluids.
• Synthetic or regular oil (whichever is
recommended in your Subaru Warranty
Maintenance Booklet).
• $500 Loyalty Coupon towards the
purchase of your next new Subaru.

https://www.subaru.com/content/dam/subaru/owners/added-security/sas_brochure.pdf

Yes it is not very specific. It covers all the replace categories along with the larger inspection which my guess Subaru charges extra for. Anything that the manual does not specifically list as replace, but that is considered a wear and tear item will need to be paid out of pocket should it be past its life. Yes it is not worth it. You can get an air filter for half the dealer price online. Same with the cabin filter. There is a brake flush and replace of fuel lines at 30K, but my guess is they are talking about the fuel filter, I doubt they are replacing all fuel lines. Before committing I would call a local Subaru service center and find out the pricing of the services. And even if you change things yourself. Keep the receipts if you are worried about warranty claims.

 

[FoRealz]

MSRP is $1246 for the 36/42,000 synthetic so that makes sense. Kinda ridiculous to try to mark it up to $1900.

Also curious how buying these maintenance plans works with those of us that get free 2 year maintenance. I'm interested in the plan, but don't want to pay for it if it's only going to cover the same stuff that's included in the free two years. It if it covers after that, then I'd be interested.

 

[crowdc]

I really do need to look into what options I have when my Ascent gets here in September. I haven't even begun to talk shop to my dealer about what they will offer vs what I should get. Dang it. Choices. IF in fact these are good at any dealership; I will buy at the dealer I'm getting my order from and have the service done closer!

 

[Sparkland]

Also curious how buying these maintenance plans works with those of us that get free 2 year maintenance. I'm interested in the plan, but don't want to pay for it if it's only going to cover the same stuff that's included in the free two years. It if it covers after that, then I'd be interested.

You definitely would be paying for services already covered in your 2 year free maintenance. Exactly like the Subaru gold plan - you are really only purchasing 5 years of extra coverage if you buy the 8 year plan because the first 3 years are covered by Subaru anyway.