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By Moses Akaigwe
Coscharis Motors Plc, the foremost automobile marketer and sole authorised dealer of Ford Motor Company in Nigeria, has rolled out new and enhanced service packages geared towards mitigating the rising maintenance costs of automobiles in the country.
The company said in a statement that the gesture was intended to usher in exciting times for owners and users of Ford brand of vehicles in the country, bearing in mind that some of them are finding it quite tasking to keep their vehicles on the road.
The announced service packages are parts of the bouquet called Ford Protect. The packages includethe Premium Maintenance Plan (PMP), for brand new cars; Premium Maintenance Plan Upgrade (PMPU), for the extension of a yet to expire PMP; and Premium Care (PC), also known as Extended Warranty.
Also part of the Ford Protect is Used Premium Care (UPSA), which is a fresh warranty for vehicles that are already out of warranty, up to 2013 model.
Commenting on the new after-sales packages, Abiona Babarinde, General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Coscharis Group, stated, “For us at Coscharis Motors, we constantly look beyond just selling the brand new Ford vehicles to our customers. But, we go further by providing the ‘peace of mind’ in maintaining the vehicles at an affordable rate at all times.
“To continually deliver this after-sales service is what brought up this special robust bouquet package to delight both new and existing customers alike. Taking into consideration the reality in the present high cost of living generally in the country which of course affects the vehicle maintenance cost; with this package, Coscharis is proving once again to deliver value for money in all ramifications of our service delivery.”
According Babarinde, Coscharis and Ford came up with Ford Protect, to mitigate the impact of spiraling inflation on parts and labour costs. This, he explained, was designed to help customers keep their Ford cars on the road for as long as they desire, without worries about increasing maintenance cost.
The service packages cover Ford vehicles at various stages in their life cycle. There are packages for brand new Ford vehicles like the ones that are almost running out of warranty and those that are completely out of warranty.
Ford vehicles that are as old as 2013 models can also be covered under these special Ford Protect packages.
Shedding more light on the new and enhanced service packages, Mr. Cyril D’Cruz, General Manager, After-sales, at Coscharis Motors Plc said, “We have considered all the stages of the vehicles’ lifespan and crafted a suitable package for each of them. So whether the car is brand new, about to run out of warranty, or has already run out of warranty, we have a suitable service package to help fix its maintenance cost and insulate our customer against inflation of parts and labour costs.
“This ultimately increases the lifespan of their vehicles through the use of original parts and equipments deployed by OEM trained technicians and enable a better re-sale value, by making the packages transferable to a new owner. Also, once a service package is purchased, the vehicle can be serviced at any of our service centers nationwide whenever the need arises, to access the benefits of the package, at no extra cost.”
The Premium Maintenance Plan (PMP). This plan covers a car for four years or 120,000KM, whichever comes first. It is available for only brand new cars as the coverage starts at the same time as the manufacturer warranty. It covers the cost of parts and for service of wear and tear components plus labour.
This includes the following maintenance components if they fail due to normal wear anytime within the plan coverage: Shock absorbers/struts; sngine belts; wiper blades; clutch discs; engine coolant hoses; brake pads and lining, front and rear.
It also covers all scheduled services as provided by the Ford Motor Company Service and Maintenance Guide: Engine oil & oil filter; air filters; pollen filters; spark plugs; fluids; coolant; V-belts; and gearbox lubricants.
Premium Maintenance Plan Upgrade (PMPU). For those who already have a PMP and it is almost running out, they can extend for an extra two years making it 6 years or 161,000KM by purchasing the PMPU.However, this must be done before the expiration of the PMP.
PremiumCare (PC). This package helps to extend the warranty on a vehicle for up to six years or 160,000KM, whichever comes first. PC was created to serve as an Extended Mechanical Warranty. So an owner can drive on with confidence, long after the original manufacturer warranty has expired.
The package covers parts and labour expenses for failures due to defects in materials and workmanship and/or normal wear and tear for more than 500 key components such as: Engine, transmission, rear-wheel drive axle, front-wheel drive axle, steering, front and rear suspension, electrical, air conditioning and heating parts, emissions, Ford audio, safety, and high-tech.
Used Premium Care. Used Premium Care plan will be beneficial to Ford users whose warranty has expired but due to one reason or another could not purchase premium care plan before it expired. It applies to Ford vehicles as old as 2013 model, whose warranty has expired. Its part coverage is the same as premium care plan parts coverage.
