Car Service Limitations When Paying Cap Prices [Dealer]

OK, I just overheard conversation between the service manager and another customer on my dealer service centre about the difference between cap servicing and normal (non cap) servicing.

Apparently this dude is due for 40K major service and was told if you do cap servicing it will not be as comprehensive as normal service. There will be few things they will be skipping.

My thought it is border line of misleading advertising and practice. Obviously there is information asymmetry between customers and service centres.

I won't name anything yet. Care to share what you know? Is this what the automotive industry have become?

Tl;dr. Allegedly there is different car service level performed depending if you paying cap service price or normal price.

Comments

  • +4

    Allegedly there is different car service level performed depending if you paying cap service price or normal price.

    Your car's Service Manual will outline exactly what needs to be serviced at each mileage interval. If it's the manufacturer's capped price servicing, then they should be following that Service Manual. Anything additional (that's not warranty-related) to that is not covered by the capped price and should be charged accordingly.

    So what the Service Manager is saying may be true, but the items they're skipping may be unnecessary in the first place. (Don't fall for the "5000-point safety check" and that kind of bull that mechanics keep sprouting.).

    Besides, regardless of which service you pay for, there's always the chance that they haven't done anything/everything anyway.

    • Top up your blinker fluid?

      • +2

        The capped price customers only get standard fluid, not the better halogen fluid.

  • +1

    This is a simple case of a dealer trying to upsell

  • BS.

  • +1

    If they didn’t do the recommend service items under that "cap price servicing plan" then that would void your warranty. No car dealer is going to do a cheaper service, only to turn around when your engine blows up and say "but you only paid for "cap plan" servicing…"

    @bobbified said it best:

    Besides, regardless of which service you pay for, there's always the chance that they haven't done anything/everything anyway.

  • Apparently this dude is due for 40K major service
    Geez, I read that as being dollars. Flipping heck, just buy another car man!
    Then I thought a bit harder, realised it is kms.

Login or Join to leave a comment