I was thinking of purchasing the Toyota Prepaid Maintenance plan. Something just doesn't add up. Correlating the 55,000 mile/4 year plan with the TCH maintenance schedule reveals the following. The only services covered are oil and oil filter changes with tire rotation every 5,000 miles. At 30,000 miles it covers engine air filter and cabin air filter replacements. This plan's suggested retail price is $1,355. With a maintenance interval of 5,000 miles, that's 11 service trips into the dealer at an average cost of $123.18 per service (That's a little trick I call math).

Isn't that just a little too high for an oil change and tire rotation? Does changing the engine air filter require dropping the engine out of the car? I was under the impression the concept of prepaying for any service would save significant amounts of money over paying as you go. Anyone know what gives here?

Does anyone know if the prepaid maintenance plans are restricted to the selling dealer or can one take the vehicle to any Toyota dealer?

Does the prepaid maintenance just cover things like oil changes?, or is it some sort of coverage so if your engine blows they will cover it.

Does seem high if it's just for service. Not sure what the advantage would be.

Later!

Dang

Or...You could just buy a set of ramps for ~$30, Mobil 1 and a filter for ~$30 a change, and trans fluid, etc. whenever and do it yourself. Even if you pay to have the tires rotated you're still money ahead (I saved over $200 this week with 2 hrs of my own time).

It should be less prepaid.

I really think it must cover other services.

I have to go read my maintanance guide!

That sounds to me like a way the dealer can make a nice profit from those services. After I bought my car they me and my wife to a small office where a older trusty looking man sat. He talked a good while about this service. All was fine till he quoted the price. I do my own oil changes so I know it's done right. I buy my oil filters from the toyota dealer. I will switch to the toyota 0w-20 oil at my first 5000 mile oil change. I wonder if that service included toyota's full synthetic oil.

You can also buy your oil and filter from any auto store and pay a small labor fee to have it change at any oil change place. I take my car to walmart where I bought the lifetime tire rotate and balance service. They seem to do a good job and the wife loves to shop while there working on the car. Me, I head off to the electronic department to see whats new.

I'm not sure how much 4 years of air filters and AC filters would cost. I thought most air filters go about 30,000 miles till there replace. The way I drive, that would be one filter every 2 years. I always buy toyota replacement filters as there made just for this particular engine. Purolator used to make the toyota filters but im now sure these last few years.

The PPM can also back up your service history in case any warranty issue crop up. Then, it becomes your word against theirs as to the what, where & when intervals were performed. Along the same lines, the PPW (warranty) also goes hand-n-hand with the PPM. Its more piece of mind rather than a real bargain value item. I got both for two reasons:

1) It is much cheaper when you shop other dealers since it runs anywhere from $600 to as much as $1400 for the PPM from dealers. (I found out the hard way). The warranty was over $1500 cheaper thru Midwest Toyota (many ref's to them out there) and is still a Toyota warranty.

2) With so much in the Hybrid technology, and also all the little gizmos on the Camry Hybrid (mine is a loaded version) i figured that just to replace a heated mirror of power door motor could run almost as much as the warranty package. More piece of mind (again) that if ANYTHING goes wrong on the car - it's covered.

Most dealers try the tactics that after you walk out - you cant do anything. If they say that to you they lie! I would question the dealers honesty & integrity to back you into a corner to make a few bucks (quite a few) on you for undercoating, paint protection, and an inflated PPM & PPEW on the spot. Also, when being serviced the dealer is supposed to update any TSB's out on the car. If you do all the stuff yourself, they never see it.

In a nutshell - I find having the warranty and PPM is a convenience and assurance that if something does go wrong within the next 6-7 years.

Regardless - the least you should do is check out the plans online. The PPM may be more time critical since after the 1st 5K miles is when the clock starts. The ExtWarranty starts after your original 3/36 so anytime before then should be o.k. Keep in mind though that not every little thing might be covered under the 3/36 since it may be different then the extended plan.

Enjoy your gas mileage!

I bought the plan. It is worth it to me, but it may not be worth it to others. Just depends on what you expect out of it. Here are some answers to your questions:

1) You are quoting the MSRP $1355. You can purchase the same 4yr/55k plan from Midwest Toyota for $875 like I did.

2) You can go to any Toyota dealer. The dealer's service dept simply recoups their cost from Toyota, so they don't care who actually sold the service plan. (Of course, the GM of the dealership probably cares since they didn't get the sale of the plan, but that's a different story).

3) The 15k/30k/45k services are glorified oil changes, they don't do much else except check the cabin filter at 15k/45k and replace it at 30k. Don't expect the full 15k/30k/45k services that your dealer tries to sell you. IMHO, if this is a service plan that Toyota corporate sells you, then it is enough to keep the car running. Notice how the plan ends at 55k. This makes me believe that Toyota knows that the 60k full service is important, and therefore is not cost-effective to be included in this plan. I pretty much know I will need to spend the $500 for the full 60k service.

4) Yes, if you do the math, you are paying about $80 for each oil change (if you don't include the cabin filter at 30k, etc). This is about double what I would pay at Jiffy Lube. But you are locking in the price of the service for 4 years, and Toyota has a full record of all the services performed on your car. I look at it as a type of insurance. For example, on my 10k service, they put in 5W30 oil. After I got home, I noticed it on my work order and went back and made them switch it out to 0W20. But if I hadn't noticed it, and then had engine trouble, I could blame it directly on them. If Jiffy Lube had made this mistake, then any engine failure would not be covered under warranty because it was "my" mistake that I used the wrong oil as specified in the owners manual.

5) You get some additional services that I don't plan to ever use (already covered in my car insurance), but are still included. I think roadside assistance is included in the plan, in case your car insurance doesn't cover towing expenses. I forgot the exact details since i bought this plan over a year ago, so don't quote me on this, but you should research as this might be an added benefit for you.

CAMRHEE Hybrid
Completed Mods: RK-Sport body kit, 18" LexusGS430 wheels 235/50ZR18 tires, TRD/SE springs, Rear Lip Spoiler, Terk XM-Direct, Smoked tail lights, Rear Bumper Applique, Front License Bracket, Lower Grill chrome inserts, K&N, Blaupunkt THB200A sub, moved rear HSD emblem
Future Mods: fog lights, black chrome my wheels

The Prepaid Maintenance Plan is completely separate from the Extended Warranty. Many threads in this forum about the value of the Platinum Extended Warranty.

CAMRHEE Hybrid
Completed Mods: RK-Sport body kit, 18" LexusGS430 wheels 235/50ZR18 tires, TRD/SE springs, Rear Lip Spoiler, Terk XM-Direct, Smoked tail lights, Rear Bumper Applique, Front License Bracket, Lower Grill chrome inserts, K&N, Blaupunkt THB200A sub, moved rear HSD emblem
Future Mods: fog lights, black chrome my wheels

OK, then I don't quite get it. I understand the concept with an extended warranty. It's like insurance, if your engine blows, you are going to get more out of the coverage than you put in, and if nothing goes wrong you don't. It's a "peace of mind" thing.

With the prepaid maintenance, you don't really get that. There is no "extra" benefit for pre paying.
Note it's not really about "Jiffy Lube" vs. the dealer. I do go to the dealer for service, and get the exact same service you get, including the same record of service should any warranty issues come up. What I don't do is a) pay as much b) basically give Toyota an interest free loan.

Pre paying should lower your cost, which is a benefit to you, and commits you to Toyota service, which is a benefit to them.

Otherwise, why not just get it done at the dealer anyway without the upfront payment and higher cost????? There's still got to be something missing here.....

Later!

Dang

I agree 100% with Dang - I'm doing the math and the prepaid maintenance isn't adding up (unless there are more benefits that simply aren't being listed).

Scott