Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • Dealer charging for "courtesy" car?
  • thepurist
    Full Member

    Dropped my car off for a service and the dealer wanted 15 quid for insurance for the courtesy car they were lending me for the day. I’ve never had to pay anywhere before, bought the car from them and paying their rates for maintenance so surely they’re getting their pound of flesh. So is this the new normal or have I just found a special dealer?

    mynamesnotbob
    Free Member

    I’ve had it before. Normally with Ford dealers, and more of a southern thing. Never paid it though, and if they won’t budge I use my insurance which they don’t like but accept. Normally ring a salesman and ask for a test drive of something else I use for the day, obviously requires an existing relationship with themselves it’s never an issue

    jimw
    Free Member

    I have been asked if I wanted to pay an extra £10 for collision damage waiver reducing the excess from £500 to zero , but never basic insurance

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    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Fairly normal with motorbikes IME although I was told not to bother putting fuel in it…..

    Jakester
    Free Member

    I had this recently, only told when I was dropping my car off v early before getting to work so no option but to argue the toss. Not only was I charged for the “insurance”, I was also charged for mileage. I was not happy – I pointed out it wasn’t a “courtesy” car, it was a “hire” car.

    Gone somewhere else.

    geoffj
    Full Member

    My BMW dealer does it if you don’t sort it through your own insurance. They also ask you to replace any fuel you’ve used. I guess it dissuades enough folk for them to make a saving.

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    Paid Seat £16 today to lend a Leon FR for the day whilst they service mine, lovely car, bit plasticky inside and a bit jittery to drive compared to mine but I’m spitting hairs there. Anyway yeah I had to pay for insurance but it was clearly displayed when I booked and if I didn’t want to pay it they would have dropped me to work instead.

    It comes with a quarter tank and you don’t have to replace it so if you use it all it doesn’t cost you anything.

    Frankly the service is ‘only’ £150 and comes with a year of breakdown cover including Europe which on balance makes it cheaper than our local place.

    aracer
    Free Member

    The thing is, if you’re not paying directly for the courtesy car costs, then who is paying? I presume it doesn’t come out of the dealership profits…

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    Varies with dealers. They are generally franchises and I find same manufacturer name dealer but different franchise, some charge for courtesy cars, some don’t. Found that with Honda dealers, which is one of the reasons I stick with one a little further away as they have a better deal for the price, better service, less likely to be fully booked weeks ahead and more polite staff than the local one that’s a different franchise.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    You get a free courtesy car?

    I’ve been driving “company” hire cars for a while, on and off. The management agreement covers courtesy cars. Insurance is pushed onto the business insurance and when I’ve not had that in place they’ve wanted ten / fifteen quid for the insurance. If you’ve got fully comp insurance (and why wouldn’t you on a new vehicle) then I’d have presumed that covered you on cars you didn’t own.

    I’ve not had a brand new personal car for a while so might be out of touch, but if I took a motor for a service and got a free courtesy car I’d be impressed.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    The thing is, if you’re not paying directly for the courtesy car costs, then who is paying? I presume it doesn’t come out of the dealership profits…

    Well it does really as an incentive for you to bring your car to them for work. You are more than entitled to shop around for service work/curtosey cars. Any main dealer stamp is good for service history / resale.

    paulwf
    Full Member

    I got charged £15 at the Mercedes dealer, and had to put fuel in back to what I used.
    I got given a B180CDI auto, and it put me off ever getting one as it was an awful car

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    Cougar – Moderator
    I’ve not had a brand new personal car for a while so might be out of touch, but if I took a motor for a service and got a free courtesy car I’d be impressed.

    8 year old Honda, personal purchase, no contracts etc, and still getting “free” courtesy car from my dealer.

    willard
    Full Member

    My local garage used to lend me a car for free, but other peopel took the piss, so they had to get people to sign waivers and the cars are sensible and not the chipped Golf TDi or the modded BMW 320i they used to lend out.

    andydicko
    Free Member

    I manage a busy Prestige garage, we pay approx £8000 per month on ‘writedown’ for our loan car fleet, coupled with approx £800 per month for insurance. I’d love to be able to charge, but there is now way we’d get away with it.

    aracer
    Free Member

    If you’ve got fully comp insurance (and why wouldn’t you on a new vehicle) then I’d have presumed that covered you on cars you didn’t own.

    Not on all policies nowadays, and in any case 3rd party only so it could prove costly relying on that.

    aracer
    Free Member

    I’d love to be able to charge, but there is now way we’d get away with it.

    Well presumably at a prestige garage the costs are being covered somehow as I alluded above.

    andydicko
    Free Member

    Well we are probably £20-£30 p/h more than the local Ford garage, their costs are probably 1/4 of mine, so I doubt that very much.

    But at the end of the day it’s about the service given, if it’s good then the Customers will come back.

    jimplops
    Full Member

    Smith knight fay wanted £15 for the courtesy car, inchcape didn’t charge both vw main dealers.

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