A Service Plan can be purchased to cover some or all of these items. Most Service plans you pay for the full amount upfront for the period or the kilometres that you would like covered. Often you can purchase a Service Plan for less than what it would normally cost you to Service the car yourself. This happens when the company supplying the plan has managed to negotiate preferential rates with suppliers. What we sometimes are not aware of is that Service Plans are not Maintenance Plans. Items such as Brake pads are not covered under some service plans and are covered under the Maintenance Plans. Service plans generally cover the items required by the manufacturer to keep the vehicle working and to prevent major damage from occurring. When you claim on your service plan, you will get assistance with the payment up to the benefits as predetermined under the plan. There may be times when the company servicing your vehicle may look to charge more. Many Service Plan companies will be able to ensure that these overcharges do not occur. The company that is servicing your vehicle may charge you directly for some of the items not covered by the service plan – such as Brake pads or windscreen wipers.

A Warranty is an insurance policy that covers you should a major mechanical or electrical item break in your vehicle. Items that are commonly insured under a warranty are Engine, Gearbox, Management System, Steering Mechanism and so on. These items may vary a little from company to company, generally most are the same, and the value of the cover is determined by the premium that you pay. Most Warranty companies have a range of products that you can choose from depending on your budget or the amount of cover that you would like. A Decent warranty can range in price from R200 per month up to R500 per month. If you are paying less that R200 you will probably find that you will not be sufficiently covered when you claim. If you are paying more than R500, you need to look around to see what the market has to offer. If you are buying your warranty from a dealer that you are purchasing your car from, you will pay anything from R4200 up to R12 000, depending on the level of cover. This will keep you covered for 2 years. Again – anything less than R4200 is probably no good and anything over R12000, keep shopping.