mddreeves

I have a 2009 G37 which I purchased at my dealer in December of 2009. When I was in the process of purchasing my car, I expressed concern about the maintenance expense of Infiniti vehicles and I was given some marketing information detailing what the costs would be to fully maintain a G37 from 0 to 90K miles. It showed numerous services adding up to approx $4800. I was then told about the pre-paid maintenance plans Infiniti offers and they had a current special of $2500. I negotiated the price of that contract down to $1750 when purchasing my car and was told that it covers everything except for "new tires and brakes", even when I asked several times as it seemed too good to be true. I guess my instinct was correct.



At the time, I was very happy and thought what a great deal this was. I included the maintenance plan in the financing of the car. I have been taking my G37 to my dealer for all services and on my most recent trip into my dealer for an oil change, I found out that my service plan only covers oil changes and tire rotations, which up to 90K miles adds up to approx. $1800. I couldn't believe it. What I don't understand is why would my dealer advertise this service as a deal at $2500? What really sucks is that I put that $1750 into the financing, so I am really paying more than $1750. If I knew the plan was really only a pre-paid plan for oil changes and tire rotations, I would have never bought it.


I have never had an issue with the service department. They have always treated me very well and I do love my G37.


I sent this to customer service and the General Manager of my dealership called me yesterday and left me a voicemail. He is calling me back to day. What should I ask for or expect?

erick_G

im sure it had to be listed in the details of the service contract at the time of purchase. i never believe any stealership untill i see it on paper!

jesse550

You should politely explain the situation and make sure you mention the person you spoke to when you agreed on the deal, he may be the best proof you have. What you should expect is to at least get what you agreed for, sometimes they offer compensation but chances are they won't.

Good luck, hope you get it all sorted out.

mddreeves

The problem is that you purchase the service plan, but then the package comes in the mail several weeks later.

hadokenuh

Yeah, for me

1. I never purchase any service plan. I may only purchase extended warranty but not when I buy a new car. Only when I have time to research all the details of the warranty I purchase.

2. I never believe anything dealership people say verbally unless it's written and signed. The only exception may be that if I have a very very closed friend, or close relative, or an immediate family member who is the owner or GM of dealership. And I don't have any

canucklehead

iTrader: (9)

i suggest taking a very close look at the contract before you speak to the GM. know you material. if your contract only covers oil changes and tire rotations (which would make it a complete joke), then your only hope is goodwill on the dealer's behalf, for business development purposes.

it is certainly reasonable to expect that all fluid changes, belts, filters, lubrication, adjustments & inspections would be covered. but then again, the dealer is only bound by what is stipulated in the contract. hopefully you didn't get hosed.

visualguy

These cars don't require much maintenance. If you add up what actually needs to be done according to the maintenance brochure, you see that the maintenance plan isn't worth it even if you do the oil changes/tire rotations/filter changes at the dealer. Also, bear in mind that you get free multi-point inspections anyway. I've never been able to negotiate the maintenance plan low-enough to make sense.

cy7878

iTrader: (1)

I'll chime in....

When I bought my car in a dealer in San Deigo, the same push for the plan was also made. I bought the extended warranty plan (120k/7yr) for $2100. The finance lady recommended the maintanence plan at $2500. The way she pushed it was that the said dealer charges $40 for the oil changes recommended at 3750 mile intervals. $400 for the 15k mile service, $600 for the 30k mile service, another $400 at 45k and $900 for the 60k mile service. So all the little oil changes and the big 4, will add up to close to $4000 for the first 100k mile of owenership for the G37. Brakes and tires not included, neither are belts and hoses.


Now, obviously, as you all know, the G37 doesn't cost anywhere near that to run the first 100k miles. The problem is that the dealer will "recommend" brake fluid change at 1 year inervals, instead of the manual stated 2 years. The dealer also recommends Throttle body cleaning and fuel injector cleaning that they bill into the 15/30/45/60k services, each is about $150. The dealer will also charge $1-200 for engine and cabin filter changes, which is apparently easy to do as DIY. The tire rotation is extra if you run staggered setup. And no body knows still what the service recommendation is going to be for the 7AT. BTW, who changes oil at 3750 mile intervals anyways?

As I poured over the manual, it looks to me that I can just ask the dealer to change the oil with synthetic every 5-7k miles. The brake and coolant every 2 years. TB at 30/60/90k miles if I get rough idle and never worry about fuel injectors. I can change the air filters myself once a year. Once the dealer can show me what Infiniti recommends on the 7AT, I will follow as to not void my extended warranty. And the differencial oil can be done with the brake fluid changes. Belts at 30/60k if they are noisy.



As to the OP's question, there should be a provision in the contract for cancellation. Read it and see.

visualguy

If you cancel you get a pro-rated refund minus a processing fee.

cy7878 - I don't think the maintenance plan includes anything that isn't in the maintenance brochure (for Schedule 1, 2, or Premium depending on the plan). The ridiculous thing is that even if you do all these things at the dealer (including air and cabin filters), it's still cheaper to pay as you go rather than get the maintenance plan.

The expensive "services" (7.5K/15K/30K/etc.) they use to frighten you with when selling the maintenance plan are meaningless. Just add up the items that actually need to be done according to the maintenance brochure based on the a la carte dealership rates, and you'll see that it's not a big deal to pay as you go. Inspections are free anyway.

In reality, the less your car is messed with during the first 100K miles, the better. Unless a problem is noticed by the customer or during multi-point inspection, the dealer shouldn't really be doing anything more than what the maintenance brochure specifies. which is very little. The more unnecessary work, the higher the chance of screwing something up. These cars are built to require very little maintenance - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

cy7878

iTrader: (1)

You are absolutely right. The Finance lady was counting on people not being familiar with what the car needs. Service Department packages items into their 15/30/45/60k mile service as if they are "required" so naturally people easily can get the wrong impression that the plan will save them money.