Hi all,
My wife is expecting delivery of her 500 TA lounge. I have a couple of questions I hope you can help us with.
Firstly, the dealership has offered us a "Fiat service offer" of 3 x yearly services for a total of £399. Does this sound reasonable?
Also when would you guys recommend waxing the car for the first time? I know that this may sound a bit strange but when she collected her last car, a Toyota, the dealer said to hold off a few weeks before waxing a new car as the paint would be soft. I don't know if that is just a Toyota thing, or if common to all makes.

Great forum by the way.....Finding it a bit addictive

Thanks in advance.
Rnine.

Depends what 3 services they are offering.

If it's just the annual "inspection" it's expensive. If it's 3 x 18k mile services it's cheap. So I suppose it depends on your annual mileage and the small print.

I've heard the same about soft paint. Not sure I get it, they are baked in an oven. Won't hurt to leave it for a few weeks though.

The annual service is basically an oil and filter change.

How long from build does it take for a car to reach the UK?

It's generally accepted that you should wait 30 days after a fresh paint job prior to waxing. I doubt they'd have said anything if you were getting their 'paint protection' though.

Try ringing the service department and ask how much the annual service is(don't give anything away why you're asking) or say at 9000 miles and one year.
Ask the dealer to clarify if its 3 x annual services or a (3 year) service plan?How many miles do you think the car will be driven per year?
Would leave the paint work for at least a few months, however it depends on the actual date of manufacture?

Having had experience of Fiat dealership servicing without having taken out a service plan, then on the face of it, the £399 would seem a reasonable deal.

I say this because the first scheduled service on our old TA cost £150. The second service, if you are to believe Fiat's pricing structure at some dealerships, can cost you in excess of £250+. And then of course, there is the third year and unless you are having just a low mileage service (6k miles per annum or under), then undoubtedly you'll be looking at another £150+

I bought a 3 year service plan when we bought our brand new i10 Premium 1.2 last year and that cost £349. The TA is a slightly more complex engine than a standard Fiat 1.2 as it requires oil service resets via diagnostics etc, something that some independent garages can't do because some don't have the equipment to reset service indicators.

Furthermore, if you decide to go the independent route, make sure that whoever you use, uses genuine Fiat service parts only. With the TA engine, absolutely avoid using aftermarket oil filters. Forum members here have reported various issues with oil service indicator problems etc using some cheap aftermarket filters.

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions. Had a call today to say it is ready to collect.
The wife's annual milage at the moment is around 7k miles. I'm expecting that to rise with the fun factor I keep reading about .
john202020's idea of phoning a dealership about individual service costs is great. I'm working tomorrow and might ring around while on the man's time :devil: And see what comes to light.
I'll get back to you with the info next week.

Again thanks for all the input.

Rnine.

We did the service plan when we bought ours in 2010 - about £16 a month I believe. We then renewed it after 3 years and have been paying monthly ever since. The price also includes the MOT when they start being required. The Fiat service history will add some value to the sale value of your car and you also get any software updates too.

Hi
After contacting 3 dealerships around the South Wales area and asking for servicing prices for a year old 500. I was advised by all that the Fiat single payment route was the way to go ie 3 x yearly services for £399. Individual service prices found on the Web £125 for minor services, and £195 for major.
I settled for the one off payment in the end. I have the choice of any Fiat dealer to do the servicing, so at least I shouldn't have any problems getting them done at a time that suits us. Picked the car up last Monday and have been enjoying it since.

Thanks for the advice.

Rnine

Rnine said:

Hi

After contacting 3 dealerships around the South Wales area and asking for servicing prices for a year old 500. I was advised by all that the Fiat single payment route was the way to go ie 3 x yearly services for £399. Individual service prices found on the Web £125 for minor services, and £195 for major.

I settled for the one off payment in the end. I have the choice of any Fiat dealer to do the servicing, so at least I shouldn't have any problems getting them done at a time that suits us. Picked the car up last Monday and have been enjoying it since.



Thanks for the advice.



Rnine

Click to expand...

Sounds very reasonable and very similar to what mini do with their service package.