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Car Doc

4K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  CentexG2 
#1 · (Edited)
Car Doc is a pre-paid maintenance plan offered by Victory Automotive Group. My local Honda dealer is owned by VAG and advertises this service on every vehicle on the lot. Here's a closer look at each item that is included with Car Doc.

Oil Change - Includes Oil Filter

15 oil and filter changes are included in 75,000 miles which is one oil change every 5,000 miles. Car Doc values these 15 oil and filter changes at $500 which breaks down to $33.33 each.

Honda instructs owners to change their engine oil only when prompted by the Maintenance Minder which calculates remaining oil life based on actual driving conditions.

Continually resetting the Maintenance Minder before the oil life is allowed to reach 15% prevents other maintenance item codes from being displayed which can lead to neglected maintenance.

If you change the oil when the vehicle tells you to, you’ll spend closer to $333 on oil and filter changes over 75,000 miles.

CLAIMED VALUE: $500
ACTUAL VALUE: $333

Engine Air Filter

Five engine air filters are included for a claimed value of $32 each every 15,000 miles. The list price for a Genuine Honda engine air filter is $27.67. Honda only specifies a 15,000-mile replacement intervals when driving in dusty conditions. Otherwise, you’d need only two air filter changes in 75,000 miles.

CLAIMED VALUE: $160
ACTUAL VALUE: $55

Cabin Air Filter

One cabin air filter is included with a value of $70. The list price for a Genuine Honda cabin air filter is $21.65 which takes less than a minute to change.

CLAIMED VALUE $70
ACTUAL VALUE $22

Oil Treatment

One bottle of BG MOA “oil supplement” (additive) is included with a value of $20. Honda advises against the use of engine oil additives in the Owner’s Manual.

“Your vehicle does not require oil additives. In fact, they may adversely affect the engine performance and durability.”

CLAIMED VALUE: $20
ACTUAL VALUE: $0

Tire Rotation

15 tire rotations are included at a claimed value of $250 or $16.67 each. Tire rotations are performed only with oil changes instead of every 5,000 miles.

CLAIMED VALUE: $250
ACTUAL VALUE: $167

Four Wheel Alignment

One alignment is included at a value of $80. Wheel alignments are not part of scheduled maintenance and are generally performed only if the suspension has been damaged or repaired.

CLAIMED VALUE: $80
ACTUAL VALUE: $0

Fuel Induction Service

One service is included at 15,000 miles with a value of $180. Unless the bratty kid next door pours sugar in your gas tank, this is unnecessary.

CLAIMED VALUE: $180
ACTUAL VALUE: $0

Multi-Point Inspection

An unlimited number of inspections are included, but these are typically performed with other services. The dealer is hoping you’ll come in frequently for inspections which gives them an opportunity to sell you even more maintenance and repairs.

CLAIMED VALUE $0
They’re correct.

Road America

Roadside assistance is included in the five-year Car Doc plan, but you’re really only getting two years of coverage since three years of roadside assistance is included with the vehicle. You can purchase two years of roadside assistance for less than $250 elsewhere and are unlikely to need it in the first place.

CLAIMED VALUE: $250
ACTUAL VALUE $0

Key Replacement

One key replacement is included. In the unlikely event you lose a key, you can buy a new remote and key including cutting and programming for less than $300.

CLAIMED VALUE: $300
ACTUAL VALUE: $0

12% Discount of Parts and Service & Accessories

You can save more than 12% simply by buying parts and accessories online. In order to save $550, you'd have to spend $4,583 on parts, service, and accessories at a VAG-owned dealership.

CLAIMED VALUE: $550
ACTUAL VALUE: $0

CARFAX

Why would you need a vehicle history report on your own vehicle when you know its history? A new vehicle won't have a CARFAX history. Many used vehicle listings include a free vehicle history report.

CLAIMED VALUE $100
ACTUAL VALUE: $0

Vehicle Appraisal

Any dealer will appraise your vehicle at any time or you can do it yourself using one of the many online appraisal services.

CLAIMED VALUE: $0
They’re right again.

$500 Towards Next Purchase of a New or Used Car

Now they’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel! There’s a good chance you can save more than $500 on your own, they already got you for over $500 when you bought the maintenance plan, and there's a good chance they'll do it again next time (unless you read this).

CLAIMED VALUE $500
ACTUAL VALUE: $0

Free Loaner Car

Many dealers and some automakers provide loaners as a standard courtesy, on a case-by-case basis, or as part of a vehicle service contract such as Honda Care.

CLAIMED VALUE: $150
ACTUAL VALUE: $0

Here’s what you get when you add it all up:

CLAIMED VALUE: $3,610
SELLING PRICE: $1,095
ACTUAL VALUE: $577


Car Doc does not include other important scheduled maintenance items such as replacement of the transmission fluid, rear differential fluid, transfer case fluid, or brake fluid.

The primary benefit of the Car Doc maintenance plan is extra profit for the selling dealer. Paying for maintenance as you go only when needed is not only less expensive and more convenient, but better for your vehicle and the environment as well.

399699
 
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#2 ·
I agree with a lot of your points, but have a few notes. The actual value depends on the person buying it being someone who does their own maintenance or not.

Oil Changes: Assuming you go 9k between changes, you will have 9 oil changes. My dealer routinely has coupons for $40 (plus taxes/fees) for semi synth and $55 for full synth. With those prices, actual value would be ~$400 or ~$550. Assuming they use semi synth, it is probably $400 value.

Air/Cabin filters: True those are OEM Honda prices, but not installed. I know it is really easy to change both, but a lot of folks (and the people they are targeting with this plan) will not do their own maintenance. I would guess they charge ~$50 for each filter change, which would push those prices closer to their "value" prices.

Alignment: this could be beneficial if you hit a big pothole or something to throw the alignment off. If you used it, it would be $80 no doubt.

Key: same thing, chances are good you never use it, but I know a lot of folks, when they get a vehicle, throw a key somewhere and 5 years later, when selling the vehicle can't find the first one. This would be handy for those types of folks and would most likely save them $200.

Fuel and Oil additives, agree those are pointless.

I could see IF you got a new key, 9 oil changes, an alignment and filter changes, you could come close to $1000, but still not as much as you pay for it. The thing is, much like I have said about Honda Care in the past, even if you got $1100+ of maintenance done, those are based on their retail prices. They are still profiting on that $1100 of maintenance, which is fine by them. But then factor in that many people who buy this will sell the vehicle long before they take advantage of a lot of it, it is just a cash cow for the dealer.

There are very few who will buy one of these and actually "get their moneys worth".
 
#3 · (Edited)
Wasn't 'going to go there' in the thread where this maintenance plan was originally mentioned, but thanks for your 'analysis and observations' @zroger73 and @gti16vman. There's value in helping folks make informed decisions, IMO.

Like most pre-paid contingency plans (dare I say 'insurance', though in law that's inaccurate) there's a certain intangible benefit perceived by some folks (and those intangible benefits can be real and valid at a personal level). Not all that makes live good can be reduced to dollars.

Folks here are likely tiring of hearing me opine: One size does not fit all (Car Doc doesn't happen to 'fit' me), YMMV, choices are good (when informed and well-considered), no worries IMO ;) ;)
 
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