Opel capped price servicing is go

OPEL Australia will seek to allay customer fears over the steep servicing costs on European cars by offering capped-price servicing across its three model range when they go on sale tomorrow.

The Service Plus program – which Opel claims is the first such scheme offered here by a German manufacturer – covers scheduled servicing for the first three years or 45,000km, whichever comes first.

Under the scheme, the maximum price a customer will pay to service their Corsa light car will be $249, while Astra buyers – including the GTC coupe and diesel variants – will pay no more than $299.

Petrol and diesel versions of the Insignia medium-sized sedan and wagon range will cost $349 for each scheduled service.

The incoming brand joins a host of car-makers offering similar schemes in Australia – albeit all with longer terms of cover – including Toyota, Holden, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi.

Opel’s arch-rival and fellow German company Volkswagen has also expressed interest in offering a similar program.



Left: Opel Australia's Bill Mott.

Each Opel service must occur within three months or 3,500kms of the scheduled service date.

Alongside the capped-price servicing plan, the General Motors-owned company will also offer a no-cost comprehensive roadside assist program on all models for the first three years of ownership, operating 24 hours per day, 365 days a year.

Opel Australia managing director Bill Mott said both schemes would help the company build strong and open relationships with early adopters from the start.

“We feel that our complete customer care program will go a long way to building strong relationships with our customers.

“Through the introduction from launch of Opel Service Plus and Opel Service Assist we feel that any potential customer fears regarding unknown or expensive servicing costs, or the lack of roadside care when it comes to a new brand in the market, are addressed head on with our programs.

“After countless hours of planning and preparation since the announcement of the Opel Australia launch this time last year, it is exciting to see our cars in the country and on trucks arriving at our dealerships. Our dealers are energised and set to sell.” As we have reported, the Opel range will start with the Volkswagen Polo-rivalling Corsa three-door hatch from $16,490, with the Astra small-car kicking off at $23,990 for the five-door hatch, followed by the three-door Astra GTC coupe at $28,990.

The flagship Insignia will kick off at $38,490 for the base petrol sedan, with a $2000 premium for the wagon.