Is FREE Maintenance REALLY FREE ?

In the last couple of years we have seen many car makers offering free maintenance upon purchase of their vehicle. This is an additional incentive for car buyers to buy their cars but the question is, is free maintenance really free? Let us take a look at what they call “free maintenance”.

Free coverage maintenance differs from one carmaker to another. This means in some it is free tire rotation while to others this means total maintenance for usually up to four years. Free maintenance is like a warranty. The free vehicle maintenance programs is offered for lease or bought cars. It is also transferrable. This means when you sell the vehicle, the succeeding owner will get to enjoy the coverage. Of course there are things that are considered for the maintenance to be free, such as the mileage and the time coverage. Now to see the difference in coverage, we must take a look at the different carmakers.

The most comprehensive of the free maintenance is BMW’s. Their Ultimate Service program is free maintenance for up to four years or up to 50,000 miles. This includes wearable parts, such as wiper blades and break pads. Saab, although not as comprehensive as BMW’s also offer free maintenance. While Mercedes Benz only offers limited free maintenance, free diagnostic check and free tire rotation, which is usually offered by most dealerships.

For the latest models, Volkswagen has the Carefree Maintenance Programs for their 2009 models and other selected models. This includes scheduled maintenance at every 10,000 miles until 30,000 miles. Scion on the other hand, offers free oil change since 2004. Then last year, they added scheduled maintenance visit. This year Volvo now offers extended free maintenance. Some carmakers however downgraded their coverage. Land Rover for one downgraded to only one scheduled maintenance visit instead of their up to0 45,000 miles.

So is free maintenance really free and can save you money ? Well generally yes. However, that is if you buy high-priced vehicles since their maintenance can cost you thousands of dollars and since they are the ones which offer the best services. Nevertheless, if you buy less expensive cars, you do get to save on the initial service. Convenience wise, you do not have to go around dealers yet for service. Plus with the free maintenance, regardless of coverage, this is like your warranty. With the coverage, you will get to enjoy good service for your vehicle.