Vehicle Maintenance

[chumleypm]

Hello everyone,

I have a 2019 Polo Vivo Comfortline, my father and I bought the vehicle together in 2019 and he was assiting me with the payments, he however passed away in 2020 due to Covid.

I was left with a vehicle in his name that i was driving.

Long story short, i bought the vehicle out of his estate, I am currently paying R3,145.00 PM for the vehicle along with Insurance that is around R1,148.00

I dont want to disclose my salary however after I have paid all my bills and contributed to my emergency fund i have around R3,000.00 left in the month to spend on myself, girlfriend and going out.

here is where the vehicle maintenance comes in

Vehicle is currently on 58,400 km, My maintenance plan ends on 60,000 km or next Month June, however i will reach the 60k km in the next month and a half.

I have previously extended my maintenance plan, dor two years or 30k KM it was around R8,0000

However upon my shock when i phoned this week, a maintenance plan is R18,000.00 for two years and R36,000 for 5 years.

I do not have this amount of money lying around to drop on a maintenance plan, i have also heard that you have to always renew your maintenance or service plan before it finishes otherwise you cannot get another one with the dealership (VW)

Now, if i were to take either of the options below i will have to borrow money and pay more interest, i do not want to borrow any more money.

A Service plan is however R4000-R6000 this covers up to 90,000 km or 2025.

However if something breaks i will have to pay for this myself.

I am seeking advise, on which plan i should take, things i should be aware of that i might not be etc.

Thank you guys, and for what its worth, I am a 27 Y/O Male, I drive about 900km every month.

Thank you kindly.

 

[j0shbegss]

@chumleypm It isn't worth it. Any RMI approved dealer can service your vehicle. Your mileage is still very low. That car can easily hit 150000km without a hiccup. Try to get your disk's and pads changed prior to your maintenance plan expiring and you're all good.
Dealership maintenance is worthless outside a plan. You're far better off going to an RMI approved shop to get your stamp at every service (to show your full service history). People who believe dealership services are a mark of quality, don't know any better.
Then find yourself a reputable VW mechanic that can deal with anything else, should an issue arise.

 

[chumleypm]

@j0shbegss Thank you so much for your advise, how do i ensure that my brake pads and disks are replaced before it expires and what is a RMI?

Further to the above, where would you reccomend i service my vehicle in future?

 

[j0shbegss]

@chumleypm Find a guy that knows someone at the dealership that can okay the brake replacement. Ask around, or maybe even on here. I'm sure you'll find someone.
Google RMI approved workshops.

 

[donna8558]

@chumleypm I would suggest shopping around for insurance. Would suggest trying out Naked insurance, they are quite good.

 

[mattlwood]

@chumleypm That insurance seems expensive. You should shop around. Try a broker

 

[chumleypm]

@mattlwood I do have have a Broker, i dont know why it is this expensive.

My broker got the amount down last year from R1400 to R1,050 i then opted to add more coverage on small dents etc.

I even have a reminder set to phone outsurance again in August to get the free R400 they offer if they cant beat my cover, (they paid out last year too)

 

[mattlwood]

@chumleypm My experience with outsurance is not good. I ended up moving to momentum and now santam via a broker. Maybe ask another broker for a quote and compare?

 

[reb2014]

@chumleypm I fully agree with @mattlwood, OP. Try and get the insurance premium down. It seems a little excessive. If you can save R200-R300/month on the insurance, you can stash that in a savings account. The annual savings will cover the service costs.

 

[chumleypm]

@reb2014 How do you think i proceed in this regard?

The last Insurance review i did was last year august when my broker reduced my premium, Should I ask her to get me more quotes?

I also dont understand why the insurance is so Expensive, i have had my license since 2018 and I have never had a claim, however, i have only had insurance in my name for two years, could this be why?

 

[reb2014]

@chumleypm If I were you, I would phone around, policy in hand. So, if you're with Auto & General, phone Outsurance or Santam or even the bank you have financing with (Absa, for example, also offers insurance) and tell them you get A, B, and C as cover from your current insurer. Ask if they can offer you the same cover at a better price. Get the quote and take it back to your insurer. If you are happy with your current insurer, ask if they can match the offer, if not improve on it. Tell them you are satisfied with their service and don't want to move but financial constraints have forced your hand. Most companies don't want to lose clientele so will try and match or offer you a better deal, simply because they will want your future business for personal short-term insurance when you have to cover home contents, appliances, electronics, and your bicycle or kayak.

As a younger/more inexperienced driver, that might put you in a higher risk bracket (for the moment) but if you have been claim free that counts in your favour - and make sure to emphasise the fact that you haven't cost the insurance company any money and are no longer a novice driver.

I think insurance companies are more worried about risks - if you drive a black car that is more difficult to see than a white car, you will pay more. If you drive a high-performance car rather than a regular hatch/sedan, you will pay more. If the car is parked in an open driveway or on the street rather than behind gates or in a lockup garage, you will pay more.

So, when you shop around, make sure to highlight all the things that make you and your vehicle a lower risk to the insurer.

 

[guitar4721]

@chumleypm I would drop the maintenance plan. Your car is still new ish with low mileage. Go to a dealer who can service your car, which there will be MANY of. Service it at the correct intervals and you should be fine. Also, your insurance is a bit high in my view, but I do understand Polos premiums are higher. I would highly suggest enquiring with Outsurance. We've been with them for all our household and vehicle insurance for over 10 years and no other company can beat them. You also get like 10% discount for just driving 'better'. Your premium is as high as my wife and mine combined (2013 daihatsu terios 4wd and 2014 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport). There's also an outbonus where we get like 5k every year if we don't claim that year I have no affiliation with them, just really think they're excellent.

 

[deelo00]

@chumleypm Hi OP. I am an independent broker and OMInsure has a plan that is called value4u. Its an amazing plan that covers the engine and multiple other engine components up to R80 000 . ( the monthly premium is less than R350(max)- depending on what plan you take)

Outsurance is historically my bread and butter. I destroyed an Outsurance policy the other day with R718 savings and we included excess waiver and car hire on the policy.

If you want assistance, feel free to reach out to me.