Like all cars, vehicles made by the Japanese firm Mazda have to be serviced and maintained as per their recommended schedules in order to ensure their longevity. The thing about cars is that they cannot maintain themselves, the only thing they can do is tell you when something is wrong.
One of the bugbears about Mazda car ownership is that you have to pay out for certain expenses on a regular basis, one of them being servicing. Because there are different levels of servicing that have to be undertaken, some services cost significantly more than others.
Image obtained from Flickr
If you are the proud owner of a new or used Mazda, you might not be aware of the fact that you can purchase something called a “service plan” for your car. But what exactly are service plans, and do they represent good value for money?
In today’s blog post, I will tell you a bit more about service plans, and why it makes sense to buy them for your Mazda.
What are service plans?
When you book your car in for a service at your local main dealer, you will usually have to pay a fixed price according to the required service. But, as is often the case, some service costs are higher than others.
On one occasion, your car might need a minor service, which consists of an oil and filter change, and general visual inspection of the car. On other occasions, you might need to pay for a major service, where other components in and around your car are renewed.
How can a service plan benefit me?
Rather than paying for each service at the time of booking, a service plan enables you to spread the cost.
Service plans, such as those offered by www.rrg-group.com, can be completely customised to your individual requirements. For example, you might want to pay for a minor service at the time of booking, but want to spread the cost of your next major service.
Quite often, many service plans include other benefits such as discounted pricing, interest-free credit, and so forth.
What does a service plan include?
A car service plan will usually include the cost of parts and labour required for performing a standard service on your car, but exclude parts and labour on other non-related items such as brakes.
You can often include the cost of mandatory vehicle tests, such as the “MOT test” in the United Kingdom. Most people prefer to have vehicle tests carried out at the same time as a service.
How can I pay for a service plan?
As mentioned a little earlier in this blog post, you can pay for your service plan by spreading the cost over a period. Often, spreading the cost of your service plan is interest-free.
Some people also prefer to pay for their service plans upfront with a debit or credit card; this can be useful if you’ve had an unexpected cash windfall and want to put the money to good use.