Ford Maintenance Plans, are they worth it

Mike Alcocer

Tremoraholic
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Location
Santa Rosa, California
Military
Air Force Reserve, Spouse
Current Ride
2020 F-250 XLT Tremor 6.7
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Fire Captain
I will answer the obvious right away. Buying a maintenance plan really depends on its value to you. Can you do the work yourself or pay a non dealer shop to do it (competently). What is really covered in the plan? How well can you access and advocate for them to provide the service you have paid for up front. For me I kept saying no and then the finance guy finally brought the price down on the plan to where the quick math in my head at the time said it is worth it. I now find myself needing to verify that math.

That being said I need to weigh what value I will actually get out of the plan I purchased. If I opt out of it now before I receive service I take a small hit financially but get most of my money back. The service plans for the most part wont see full value redemption until you reach the end of the plan anyway but based on how they prorate the refund, if you wait till then you really get screwed.

The plan is listed as "Ford Maintenance" and for $3040 you get 6 years or 60k of all inclusive maintenance. The listed service interval is 7,500 miles. I am currently sitting at 4,555 miles after 6 months of ownership. All inclusive per the fine print says: "Wear items: brake pads and linings, clutch disc, spark plugs, engine belts, coolant hoses, clamps, seals, wiper blades, shocks/struts"

So to break it down for a 6.7 diesel:

8 oil changes and tire rotations, $100 in oil/filter, maybe a $40 air filter every other time. Do it yourself price would be $960 over the course of the plan. Not sure what an oil change costs at the dealer, sure someone can add that in for us. My guess $2000

1 set of brakes with turning, pads and calipers $370 and $40 per rotor for turning. Do it yourself price would be S410. Cost to have it done at the dealer? Guess $1000

1 set of shocks $430 rear and $470 front. Do it yourself price would be $900. Cost to have it done at the dealer? Guess $1400

This is all assuming these are the general items that will wear out enough for ford to replace them under the plan. And they don't resist you advocating them getting replaced. I got the part prices from Ford.com based on my VIN. The shocks were listed as performance shocks but did not say in the listing specifically for Tremors only.

So that makes it about $2270 in parts and your time to do all of that work. Or my guess is close to $4400 to pay for it outright at the dealer. Obviously there maybe things I am missing and there are any number of ways between these two options to get the same work done for different prices.

Curious on anyone else thoughts or experiences.
 
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I purchased Jan 15 2020 so bear with my memory. My dealer gave me the Premium Maintenance plan for 1 dollar over dealer cost. Mostly because I have bought 5 vehicles in 6 years and put maintenance and warranty on every one. I have a 6.7. The Premium service covers all servicing, including brakes, shocks, wipers, and of course DEF fluid. Oil changes, tire rotation, filters.....everything. I only bought 4 years 60, 000 miles but it was only $1241. I probably will repurchase at the end of the term.....but we will see.....Also they set the maintenance interval for my truck at every 5000 miles. All I have to do is take it in and use full synthetic and my truck is kept tip top at the severe duty maintenance schedule. To me it is TOTALLY worth it.

That being said: Not every dealer is Lafayette Ford (5stars)...lots of shady dealerships out there. I trust these guys with my truck!
 
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My Calculations based on 60k maint plan as per the "severe" condition chart below:

60k / 5k oil change intervals = 12 services needed - oil change kits (oil + filter) I'm finding are about $130ea
60k / 15k fuel filter intervals = 4 changes needed - finding these kits for less than $50ea
60k should be about 6yrs or so = 2 brake fluid flushes - should be less than $40ea

DIY costs over 60k:
Oil changes: $1,560 ($130 x 12)
Fuel Filters: $200 ($50 x 4)
Brake fluid flushes: $80 ($40 x 2)
Total: $1840

Dealer cost: Unknown
However - if as stated above brakes, wipers, tire rotations (they're HEAVY), belts, and struts (IMO these should be warranty if failed!!) are included then that would easily make up quite a bit of cost.

Bottom line for me, if its offered to me @ or below 2k it's a no brainer. If 2.5k then I'd probably go for it, any more than that and it would really depend on my mood at the time. Also it would matter to me if this were a "Ford" plan being offered or something from the dealer group or individual dealer I'm doing business with. Who knows what 6yrs will bring, I don't want to find myself living 2hrs from the dealership I purchased a maint plan through and find I'm not able to use it. Also, dealers change hands and management, what if my relationship with that dealership is strained for some reason? Generally speaking I like to keep my options open.

Ultimately I'm really glad I came across this thread as it forced me to do my homework and get pen to paper so I know what to do when presented this option during the purchase of my Tremor in the coming months. (IF IT EVER GETS HERE!!!! - hopefully end of October)

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Thanks for adding a few things I didn't even think about, fuel filters and various fluid flushes will add up. I need to make sure I am checking the list of what should be replaced and when. I have a feeling this is something I will have to be very specific about when I go in.

Don't forget to include your time into the figure. Doing just 12 oil changes is going to take a good hour of your time each. Sure you can change the oil faster but you have to get the parts and dispose of the old stuff. And thats just the oil change. I would probably need a few hours to do the brakes myself and then the whole headache of running rotors back and forth to get turned. I could spend 12 extra hours at work and make $600.

I love to work on my own stuff but the project list is getting long and I already have the wife and daughters cars to maintain and before 6 years is up we will have another child driving. I would rather spend the little time I have not doing the simple or mundane tasks. I would rather be installing the factory winch when it gets here!
 
Yes, time can be a big thing. My situation is not typical, I work at a (non-ford) dealership in the service department, so some of those tasks will be easier for me since I have access to those facilities after hours. However, that it is still more time away from the kids/wife and taking time from other projects. Either way, I have no doubt I'm missing $50-$100 worth of cost in my DIY estimate. That plus the time/lack of expertise on this vehicle/lack of relationship building with a dealership has to be considered. I can tell you first hand, if you develop a relationship with a dealership by being a loyal/good customer they can be a real help if something is in question or goes wrong, being a nice guy typically helps allot also! Ultimately I think unless their price for the maint plan is way off to one side of the price spectrum (like David's option to buy it for !!$1241!!) then I'm not sure there's a bad choice.
 
I will answer the obvious right away. Buying a maintenance plan really depends on its value to you. Can you do the work yourself or pay a non dealer shop to do it (competently). What is really covered in the plan? How well can you access and advocate for them to provide the service you have paid for up front. For me I kept saying no and then the finance guy finally brought the price down on the plan to where the quick math in my head at the time said it is worth it. I now find myself needing to verify that math.

That being said I need to weigh what value I will actually get out of the plan I purchased. If I opt out of it now before I receive service I take a small hit financially but get most of my money back. The service plans for the most part wont see full value redemption until you reach the end of the plan anyway but based on how they prorate the refund, if you wait till then you really get screwed.

The plan is listed as "Ford Maintenance" and for $3040 you get 6 years or 60k of all inclusive maintenance. The listed service interval is 7,500 miles. I am currently sitting at 4,555 miles after 6 months of ownership. All inclusive per the fine print says: "Wear items: brake pads and linings, clutch disc, spark plugs, engine belts, coolant hoses, clamps, seals, wiper blades, shocks/struts"

So to break it down for a 6.7 diesel:

8 oil changes and tire rotations, $100 in oil/filter, maybe a $40 air filter every other time. Do it yourself price would be $960 over the course of the plan. Not sure what an oil change costs at the dealer, sure someone can add that in for us. My guess $2000

1 set of brakes with turning, pads and calipers $370 and $40 per rotor for turning. Do it yourself price would be S410. Cost to have it done at the dealer? Guess $1000

1 set of shocks $430 rear and $470 front. Do it yourself price would be $900. Cost to have it done at the dealer? Guess $1400

This is all assuming these are the general items that will wear out enough for ford to replace them under the plan. And they don't resist you advocating them getting replaced. I got the part prices from Ford.com based on my VIN. The shocks were listed as performance shocks but did not say in the listing specifically for Tremors only.

So that makes it about $2270 in parts and your time to do all of that work. Or my guess is close to $4400 to pay for it outright at the dealer. Obviously there maybe things I am missing and there are any number of ways between these two options to get the same work done for different prices.

Curious on anyone else thoughts or experiences.

Click the link below and this dealer publishes and sells rock bottom ford protection plans.

Also think of these extended warranties as an insurance plan. If your truck it built tip top your out a few bucks if you have issues they are golden .

Also all these calculations are based on not a single major problem 1-2 problems Andy warranty is super golden .


 
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I purchased Jan 15 2020 so bear with my memory. My dealer gave me the Premium Maintenance plan for 1 dollar over dealer cost. Mostly because I have bought 5 vehicles in 6 years and put maintenance and warranty on every one. I have a 6.7. The Premium service covers all servicing, including brakes, shocks, wipers, and of course DEF fluid. Oil changes, tire rotation, filters.....everything. I only bought 4 years 60, 000 miles but it was only $1241. I probably will repurchase at the end of the term.....but we will see.....Also they set the maintenance interval for my truck at every 5000 miles. All I have to do is take it in and use full synthetic and my truck is kept tip top at the severe duty maintenance schedule. To me it is TOTALLY worth it.

That being said: Not every dealer is Lafayette Ford (5stars)...lots of shady dealerships out there. I trust these guys with my truck!

4 YR/ 60K warranty would have been 715.00 for a 100.00 dollar deductible /895.00 for a 0.00 dollar detectable, from this site, dealers at times make a killing here, my prices are on a 2020 tremor with 100 miles in wa state. A friend of mine paid dealer 5k for the 125k premium warranty that is just over 2 k on flood ford esp.
 
Good info here. Thanks
 
So, I decided to take some time and put together a spreadsheet to decide if a premium care extended service plan is a good idea for me.

The numbers I came up with are calculated using parts cost only. The service interval is based on servicing the truck, exactly as written in the manual, every 10k miles. I pulled prices directly from Oriley's website using the appropriate Motorcraft part numbers and quantities listed in my owners manual. This includes oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter, foam pre-filter, cabin air filter, def fluid & brake fluid.

I also assumed that the wipers would be replaced at every service interval.

If I were to follow the book exactly, my Oriley parts cost would total $2314, before tax , at 10k service intervals all the way to 100k miles.

Remember, This price doesn't include labor.

I'm getting a deal on my service/maintenance plan. So, in my situation, lets say I pay $2700 for a ford service/maintenance plan (8yr, 100k, 10k intervals, 10 total services.) $2700-$2314 gives me a difference of $385. In my opinion, my time is worth way more than $385. If i had a shop do the work I would pay way more than $385 in labor. If you were to pay more for your maintenance plan, you may have more than a $385 difference and it may not work for you.

You could argue that a shop would charge me less for the same parts, or I could order parts from a cheaper distributor than Oriley and do the work myself. But I just wanted some baseline numbers.

When you add breaks and shocks into the equation it makes even more sense for ME to go with the service/maintenance plan. Lets assume that I will replace the brakes and shocks 1 time each over the 8yr 100k mile timeframe. My cost on brakes is $204.98 from Oriley. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the tremor shocks are $100 more expensive, each, than the traditional HD shocks, a total of $670. Someone please help clarify if I have the correct part number for shocks ( Front- ASH866150, Rear- ASH866122)

Add in the peace of mind and therefore resale value the maintenance plan gives a potential buyer, and the plan is an even better idea still.

Anyway, I think I'm gonna go for it, based on the price I'm getting...

Let me know if anyone wants to see my spreadsheet and part numbers.
 
So, I decided to take some time and put together a spreadsheet to decide if a premium care extended service plan is a good idea for me.

The numbers I came up with are calculated using parts cost only. The service interval is based on servicing the truck, exactly as written in the manual, every 10k miles. I pulled prices directly from Oriley's website using the appropriate Motorcraft part numbers and quantities listed in my owners manual. This includes oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter, foam pre-filter, cabin air filter, def fluid & brake fluid.

I also assumed that the wipers would be replaced at every service interval.

If I were to follow the book exactly, my Oriley parts cost would total $2314, before tax , at 10k service intervals all the way to 100k miles.

Remember, This price doesn't include labor.

I'm getting a deal on my service/maintenance plan. So, in my situation, lets say I pay $2700 for a ford service/maintenance plan (8yr, 100k, 10k intervals, 10 total services.) $2700-$2314 gives me a difference of $385. In my opinion, my time is worth way more than $385. If i had a shop do the work I would pay way more than $385 in labor. If you were to pay more for your maintenance plan, you may have more than a $385 difference and it may not work for you.

You could argue that a shop would charge me less for the same parts, or I could order parts from a cheaper distributor than Oriley and do the work myself. But I just wanted some baseline numbers.

When you add breaks and shocks into the equation it makes even more sense for ME to go with the service/maintenance plan. Lets assume that I will replace the brakes and shocks 1 time each over the 8yr 100k mile timeframe. My cost on brakes is $204.98 from Oriley. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the tremor shocks are $100 more expensive, each, than the traditional HD shocks, a total of $670. Someone please help clarify if I have the correct part number for shocks ( Front- ASH866150, Rear- ASH866122)

Add in the peace of mind and therefore resale value the maintenance plan gives a potential buyer, and the plan is an even better idea still.

Anyway, I think I'm gonna go for it, based on the price I'm getting...

Let me know if anyone wants to see my spreadsheet and part numbers.


I would like the spreadsheet! I think I'll be modifying the 10k interval since it will mostly be my toy/tow pig and I'd prefer to follow a more severe maintenance schedule. Plus, I don't have my truck yet, so the specific intervals on things like air filters and such are a little hard to trust from random websites. Either way, if you don't mind sharing, I'd be thankful!
 
I purchased Jan 15 2020 so bear with my memory. My dealer gave me the Premium Maintenance plan for 1 dollar over dealer cost. Mostly because I have bought 5 vehicles in 6 years and put maintenance and warranty on every one. I have a 6.7. The Premium service covers all servicing, including brakes, shocks, wipers, and of course DEF fluid. Oil changes, tire rotation, filters.....everything. I only bought 4 years 60, 000 miles but it was only $1241. I probably will repurchase at the end of the term.....but we will see.....Also they set the maintenance interval for my truck at every 5000 miles. All I have to do is take it in and use full synthetic and my truck is kept tip top at the severe duty maintenance schedule. To me it is TOTALLY worth it.

That being said: Not every dealer is Lafayette Ford (5stars)...lots of shady dealerships out there. I trust these guys with my truck!

I called and it sounds like my maintenance plan is set at 7500 miles. Would you recommend I (try to) get it changed to 5000 miles? This is my first diesel and I'd like to do the right thing. Odometer currently at 6k miles.
 
I called and it sounds like my maintenance plan is set at 7500 miles. Would you recommend I (try to) get it changed to 5000 miles? This is my first diesel and I'd like to do the right thing. Odometer currently at 6k miles.
From what I have been able to find (maybe it was in the manual somewhere) there are 3 different service interval recommendations from ford 5k, 7.5k and 10k. The difference is all based on how hard you use the truck. I am sure the cost is different for each interval and 7.5k is probably going to be best for most of us. You can ask to have it pushed up to 5k but they may ask for you to pay more. Of course you could always get lucky and it never hurts to ask.
 
For those with the maintenance plan, I have a few questions?

1. Are you required to purchase extended warranty to be eligible for the "Maintenance Plan"

2. With the 7500 mile plan. Does this include Oil, Fuel, Air, etc at each 7500 mile interval ?

3. I assume any "wear" items, belts, brakes, coolant, etc would be "as needed"

4. Any other things I should know while considering purchase?
 
No warranty needed almost all of the maintenance is added needed. So fuel and air filter will not be everytime. Other wear items so far have been as needed.

It's not a bad deal so far but only time will tell.
 
My dealer sold me on a 100k mile maintenance plan. First time in my life that I won't be doing my own oil changes and service. ?

I literally just got back from my first service. Fresh oil, def topped off, everything checked, windshield cleaned. ?

I don't even concern myself about whether I'd be saving money doing it myself. Tremor will tell me when it needs an oil change, and the dealer will take care of it... I've earned it. I've worked hard all my life. My time and energy have become valuable enough to be a little more discretionary with how I spend it.

But that's just my "old guy" rationale. I totally understand those that elect to do their own maintenance, there's a lot of satisfaction and confidence of a job well done that comes along with that.

Whatever you choose, make sure it includes driving that Sombitch! Haul some stuff! Climb some hills! Throttle it up in some mud! It's a Ford, made for hard work and hard play, the American way! ?
 
Is your Ford dealer even convenient? Mine Isn't. I would never go to any Ford dealer for anything other than included warranty work because it's too far away/inconvenient. That means no extended warranty either. If they were willing to come fetch and return, like some premium mfgs, my mind would change.
 
I went with the maintenance plan on my 19 F-150 and strongly decided against it on the Tremor. That was the first and last time I’ll ever do any kind of maintenance plan.

Remember they have the lowest skilled, lowest paid and lowest experienced people do everything they can.

I had issues with crappy service at dealers and it is so inconvenient to schedule service I waste more time taking it in than doing it myself plus the worry of them screwing things up. They also never keep things clean or clean up poorly.

I would drop off early and put the keys in the drop box with their form filled out and leave notes and they couldn’t even follow the notes.

I have Dimple super black hole magnets on all my filters and they threw them away with the filter. I don’t know how dumb you have to be to not see them and think let me put these on the new filter even if you weren’t told about them. Luckily they found them.
 
I went with the maintenance plan on my 19 F-150 and strongly decided against it on the Tremor. That was the first and last time I’ll ever do any kind of maintenance plan.

Remember they have the lowest skilled, lowest paid and lowest experienced people do everything they can.

I had issues with crappy service at dealers and it is so inconvenient to schedule service I waste more time taking it in than doing it myself plus the worry of them screwing things up. They also never keep things clean or clean up poorly.

I would drop off early and put the keys in the drop box with their form filled out and leave notes and they couldn’t even follow the notes.

I have Dimple super black hole magnets on all my filters and they threw them away with the filter. I don’t know how dumb you have to be to not see them and think let me put these on the new filter even if you weren’t told about them. Luckily they found them.
I think every dealer will be different as far as quality and service. Some of the best mechanics I have met worked their whole career at a dealership. Work is stable and pay is great.

Any shop will have problems with low skilled workers. The smaller they are the less likely they are to have a depth of experience. I am fortunate to live in a decent size city and the dealer so far has been great. Are Toyota dealer is also great.

Toyota had two years free maintenance on our last two vehicles. Once that ran out I did my own like I always have. I will probably do the same on the ford. My thinking on the ford was just as much about having one less thing to do on my list then not doing it myself. I am at a time in my life were time is money. I also have the wife and daughters cars to maintain and soon to have another new driver in the house.

Everyone will have a different input on the value of this service. To each their own.
 
I think every dealer will be different as far as quality and service. Some of the best mechanics I have met worked their whole career at a dealership. Work is stable and pay is great.

Any shop will have problems with low skilled workers. The smaller they are the less likely they are to have a depth of experience. I am fortunate to live in a decent size city and the dealer so far has been great. Are Toyota dealer is also great.

Toyota had two years free maintenance on our last two vehicles. Once that ran out I did my own like I always have. I will probably do the same on the ford. My thinking on the ford was just as much about having one less thing to do on my list then not doing it myself. I am at a time in my life were time is money. I also have the wife and daughters cars to maintain and soon to have another new driver in the house.

Everyone will have a different input on the value of this service. To each their own.
I think the issue with what was meant by skilled vs unskilled more pertains to the lube guys. When you take a vehicle in for regular maintenance its the lube techs that perform the work most of the time. In fact most dealerships have the lube shop separate from the mechanics shop. You know "Quick Lane". So these guys are the lowest skilled and lowest paid guys in the shop. Your long time skilled mechanics earn their pay doing the hard stuff not by doing vehicle maintenance. It wouldn't be unheard of but it's usually not the case. They want to move vehicles fast and mistakes are made and cleanliness can be an issue. I still have them service my vehicle but the way the shop is set up there is a bar top type counter with stools looking right into the two bay quick lane service department and I watch the whole time so nothing wonky happens. I never leave my vehicle and just come back later.
 
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