MOTORING NEWS - Toyota has not only been the sales leader in South Africa for 38 consecutive years, but it has also been the pace-setter in terms of its service plans, which were first incorporated into the vehicle purchase price of the Corolla in 2002 as a margin sacrifice by the company.

This development was a significant contribution to cutting the cost of ownership of a Toyota vehicle as service costs were covered for a prescribed number of kilometres travelled in a limited time.

Now the company has gone even further, by improving the terms of the complimentary service plans which come as standard with new Toyota vehicles.

Vehicles sold from 1 May 2018 now have a specific number of services for a given distance travelled. Servicing no longer has to be undertaken in a given time period as long as the vehicle is serviced at least once every 12 months. Service intervals are either every 10 000km or 15 000km, depending on the specific model.

For instance, a Corolla will require six services by the time it reaches 90 000km. In the past these services had to take place within a five-year period. Now they can take place over six years, which significantly improves the overall cost of ownership for the customer.

Using the example of a Hilux, which is serviced every 10 000km, the benefit is even greater. It will require nine services in 90 000km, which previously had a limit of five years for them to be carried out. Now the services can be spread over nine years if necessary, while still conforming with the requirement of servicing the Hilux every 12 months.

"The latest revisions will also apply to all vehicles with active service plans sold before 1 May 2018, benefiting many existing Toyota owners. We are proud that the latest fine tuning of our service plan ensures that it is the best in South Africa," explained John Thomson, vice-president of service at Toyota SA Motors in Sandton.

Placing the customer first has been part of the philosophy of Toyota in South Africa since the company was founded as a family business driven by industrialist Dr Albert Wessels, in 1961.

Toyota has over 200 dealerships located countrywide with more than 4 000 people working in the technical servicing environment to ensure top quality after-sales back-up.

Toyota service plans cover the cost of filters, spark plugs, remote batteries, oils, and fluids (brake fluid and engine coolant), as well as labour according to the schedule for each model, but do not cover wear items such as tyres, brake pads and linings and fan belts. There are also extension options to cover services up to 200 000km or a maximum of 10 years from date of purchase.

For more information please visit www.toyota.co.za/timeless.

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