Renault returns capped-price servicing

RENAULT Australia has announced the permanent introduction of three-year capped-price servicing across its local range, having dabbled with the scheme as a special offer last year.

The plan – designed to make maintenance costs more transparent by setting a maximum dealer service price – covers the first three scheduled annual services, with prices for each set at $299 for passenger vehicles and $349 for light commercials. The French company offered the same capped-price servicing model on certain members of its range in August and September 2012, but this was a limited offer.

Renault Australia corporate communications manager Emily Ambrosy told GoAuto this week that the offer was now here to stay and would include RenaultSport models for the first time.

The offer applies to all new, demonstrator and executive-driven cars sold from January 1, 2013.

The majority of Australia’s top ten automotive brands – including Toyota, Holden, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi – now offer capped-price servicing, with terms ranging from three to seven years.

Renault’s French rival Peugeot offers three years/60,000km servicing on all passenger cars from $270 for the 208 to $330 for other passenger cars.

Top European brand Volkswagen last year entered the fray by offering fixed pricing on its Up city car to alleviate the perception that its cars are expensive to service, and said it will look to expand the offer to other models.

Under Renault’s plan, regular passenger models including the Megane, Fluence, Latitude and Koleos will have a fixed price of $299 for three services, either annually or every 15,000 kilometres (whichever comes first).

Servicing the RS Megane and Clio hot hatches will cost the same, but the increments are once-per-year or every 10,000km instead.

The LCV range – Kangoo, Trafic and Master – will cost $349 per annual or 15,000km service, which Renault claims is the “most competitive” commercial vehicle offer on the market.

Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar said the company had removed all the perceived barriers to owning a European car, such as prohibitive maintenance costs and reliability issues.

“Since I started at Renault, we have been very focused on creating exceptional value for customers with competitively priced, highly specified cars and by focusing on the cost of ownership over the life of the vehicle,” he said.

“We were the first European manufacturer to offer a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on our passenger cars, and in 2012 we introduced an Approved Used Vehicle program to help with controlling the resale and residual value of Renault vehicles.

“Now, with our new Capped Price Servicing program, we are making good on our promise to deliver peace of mind and certainty across the whole-of-life ownership experience.”

Renault Australia aims to boost sales beyond its record-breaking 2012 – in which it recorded 5011 sales, up 38 per cent – with the introduction of the Megane wagon and the new Clio range in 2013.

Renault will again offer base Clio models here, not just the hot RS as it does presently.

The company said it had grown its dealer network from 19 to 31 sites over the past 12 months.

Six of the new sites are in New South Wales, addressing what Renault perceived as a dire shortage of representation in Australia’s most populous state and largest new-car market.