MAINTENANCE AND EXTENDED MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS-IS IT WORTH THE ADDITIONAL COST?
This is one of the tougher questions to answer, because it all depends on what the vehicle requires for maintenance and the cost associated with that maintenance. There are a couple of different choices when it comes to maintenance programs. There is usually a standard maintenance program(runs concurrent with factory warranty), and there are extended maintenance programs(usually from warranty end up to 100K miles). There are a few select manufacturers such as BMW that include scheduled maintenance on the vehicle for the period of the factory warranty. This can save you a significant amount of money over the warranty period. All vehicles require some sort of maintenance, and some more than others. The easiest way to approach this is to assess how much you will be driving. If you will driving quite a bit of miles, and you can utilize the full benefit of the program, then it may be worth it. If you are a low mileage driver then I do not recommend these programs, because in most cases you will never be able to realize the full benefit of the program. In most cases, you can purchase extended maintenance right up until the point that the original warranty expires. This means that you are not really under pressure to sign up right now, but you run the risk of a higher cost for the program down the road.
If you want to determine whether the cost benefit is there, then I suggest talking to the service department and asking for a menu of services. They usually have these for customers, and it outlines the cost for the scheduled maintenance. You can then add up the costs and then be ready to compare them to the cost of the program. I would calculate the amount of anticipated annual mileage, and then compare this to the service intervals required by the manufacturer. If you factor all these things in, and you feel there is a cost savings that you will take advantage of then go ahead and sign up.
These programs will be offered to you in the finance department of a dealership also, so once again they are negotiable to some degree. In my experience there is not as much profit margin available on these programs, when you compare it to how much they will mark up an extended warranty. However, there is undoubtedly profit, and it does not hurt to negotiate a lower cost if you really want the coverage. Every little bit you save adds up, so it is to your benefit to negotiate everything.
Note: Regardless if you have a maintenance program or not, it is important that you service the vehicle according to the manufacturers(or the vehicles computer system) recommendations. This will avoid any disputes in your service department, or with the manufacturer over warranty claims. The last thing you need is to have your car in the service department, and the manufacturer is refusing to pay for the repairs on the basis of neglect.