new10g37

Hello All,

Just bought a 2010 G37 Sedan. After purchasing, I was made aware of how high the maintenance costs were! Approx $2400 on my 36 month 20k mi/yr lease.

At the dealer I bought the car from they wanted $1694 for the elite schedule 2 maintenance plan. On infinitiwarranty.com it was $1097.....big difference.

Does anybody know where or which dealer is the cheapest to buy this from and if it pays to have.

Please advise.

Thanks!

SindhiStyle

If its a lease why are you doing ALL the maintenance? Just get oil changes every 3750 miles and rotate the tires every other oil change and call it a day.

On the other hand, if you are planning to buy the car afterwards, then that is a different story.

15951

Don't do it. I know I'm wasting my breath because people do every bit of "recommended" maintenance, but hear me out.

I have leased my last two vehicles for a total of 7 years. The last car was a Lexus IS350. I did all of my service a la carte. That is, I opened up the service manual, and had an oil change done when necessary, but didn't pay for ANY "inspection" items. Lexus had a hilarious entry for every 5k service that insisted that the "axle flange bolt" be retorqued. I asked numerous techs about that one as well as service advisors, and not one of them ever did that service or even knew where the hell that bolt was located. I just returned that car off of lease, and got rave reviews from the dealer about how perfectly maintained it was. I never paid for them to check the flux capacitor or blinker fluid levels, and it got to the point that they would smile knowingly and just do the necessary oil change.

I just did a review of the 2010 service manual for the G37. After throwing out all of the "inspections", here's what you're left with:

1. Every three months or 3,750 miles - replace oil and filter;
   
2. Every six months or 7,500 miles - rotate tires (not on staggered fitment);
   
3. Every year or 15,000 miles - replace in-cabin air filter (DIY!);
   
4. Every two years or 30,000 miles - replace engine air filters (DIY - 2 minutes tops!!);
   
5. Every 48 months or 60,000 miles - replace coolant; and
   
6. Every 84 months or 105,000 miles - replace spark plugs;

That's it! If you think that paying thousands of dollars extra to have the tech stare at the underside of the car for a couple of seconds during the above service for inspections, then by all means, it's your money.

Now, if you're concerned that your wheels will fall off without those expensive inspections, note that all dealers perform a complementary multi-point inspection for any service. Look at the checklist on the complementary form - it's right there in the maintenance booklet, page 13 - and you'll notice that they inspect anything worth looking at for free.

For my Lexus, I paid around $50 for service, and got an inspection sheet with remaining tire depth, brake pad thickness, etc. The next person in line that paid hundreds of extra dollars for inspections got the exact same sheet.

Sorry for the novel, but I hope this helps.

15951

By the way, the engine air filters on this car are a fantastic design for maintenance. Undo two clips, and it pulls right out. It's idiot proof. Go out and check under the hood, and you'll laugh when you realize that the dealer is probably charging $30 for this (at least).

TheLocNar

iTrader: (5)

That's exactly when they will try to hit you up for more unnecessary work. Those "complimentary inspections" are there just for that.

It makes sense to just be careful with what you let the dealer charge you for. If they say something is broken/rusted/malfunctioning/etc., insist that they take you to your car while it's on the lift so they can point out exactly what they are talking about. If they hesitate, there's your answer.

SM_Shadowman

Great post! It would be nice to have a sticky like that one because it's easier to read than the maintenance schedule guide. If you approach it like I do -- "hmmmm, how often should I change the coolant?" -- the maintenance schedule is difficult to follow because you have to check all the intervals until you find it.

Of course most of the inspections for every service are overkill, but obviously one should have inspections on things like the brake pads and drive belts at some interval as well.

I'd add to your list replacing the diff oil & MT oil every 30,000 miles also. But that's probably more important to owners than leasers.

Wiggum

I got the Essential 1 plan for 477. 3yr 36k miles. I just couldn't be bothered with doing the oil myself. Oil changes every 3750 or 3 months.

Hitdog540

Hey folks,

I just looked out the window and inpected the car. Looks great...just saved $1000!!!

If I have any other issues, the warranty will take care of it.

JonfromCB

Agree with 15951. Suggest reading some of the available reports/articles
from Consumer Reports and/or news agencies about prepaid service plans.
Simple economics/high pressure sales hype....try to hype/sell additional
products at exactly the right moment of closing the sale when the
customer is in a highly charged emotional state is very profitible.
Not only do they typically charge a premium price compared to
"pay as you go", but then they add it to your financed amount and
charge you interest for it!!!!. Fools beware. Paying up-front for
service makes about as much sense as prepaying for your
funeral. Admittedly, there are circumstances when a service plan
is good...ie you drive alot of miles, say you need service every
month or two, want it done nearby and by the same folks
everytime, and they sell you a package that is cheaper than
"pay as you go" prices because you prepay.....but generally
speaking, prepaid service pakages sold from dealerships and
rolled-into your financing should be illegal.

When I bought my last car and the "finance guy" was
giving me his hype about protecting the trade and
resale value of my investment ...(since when is a
frickin' car an investment?)....I just smiled and
said "Biiiiiiitch Please" and we both broke out
laughing.

PascalT

Our finance guy didn't try to sell us maintenance but rather an extended warranty plan. I regret taking it since I didn't negotiate and he was quite happy to add it to my monthly financed payments Live and learn..

thanks for the maintenance plan, i was a bit worried it would end up costing me too much for nothing.

movinon

I will use the free 1 year maintenance, then change oil every 7,500 miles. Unless your driving style actually meets the severe oil change requirements, your just wasting your money.
The key word in the maintenance schedule, for severe service, is if you "PRIMARILY" operate your vehicle under any of these conditions.

mossman

The only thing I might add to this is that I didn't ask to have my air filter changed at all. Nissan dealership. My 08 X had 20k miles on it. He came in with my air filters and they were very dirty. I was surprised how dark they were actually. So I had them change them (knowing they were very easy to do myself). He basically charged me $5 labor plus the cost of the filters so no big deal. Oh I am in Vermont so far from a dirty environment.

My car is leased as well. I didn't do the in cabin air filter yet.

15951

Sadly, the air filters he showed you probably weren't yours, but the standard "dirty filters" they show everyone so they can upsell service.

SM_Shadowman

Yeah, I've heard of that dirty air filter trick ^^. I thought it was limited to places like Jiffy Lube, but I'm sure there are dealerships that do it as well. I've even heard about places showing a dirty square filter to a guy who had round ones.

Just tell 'em you will vacuum it when you get home.

SkyMG37x

At 20K miles the filters would be dirty and with only $5 labor charge I doubt the dealer would be trying to make any money here - just trying to do the right thing.

As for the maintenance plan, I think there is value if you pick the right one and do your homework. I paid $1099 for a 5yr/75K Deluxe 1 (3750 interval and no air/cabin filter changes). Over that mileage I estimate the cost of the 30K and 60K service alone will exceed that before considering the individual 3750 interval services. By pre-paying you're out of pocket sooner but protected by future increases in costs so I think it's a good value. The next level Elite basically added about $700 to change the filters which is not worth it.