Viewing 33 posts - 1 through 33 (of 33 total)
  • Returning a lease car, how’s it gone for you?
  • wrightyson
    Free Member

    So the Kia shitheap went back on Friday and I expected a 40 something man with a clipboard and glasses to thoroughly inspect it before driving away in it. However it was some 20 year old dude from Wembley who gave it a once over. I went over his brief check with a fine tooth comb before signing it and he had missed off the fact it did have a spare wheel and tools and a parcel shelf etc etc.
    Rectified all that and off he went to the “defleet” centre, I called yesterday to see how the hand back went and was told it could be 4 weeks before I get any contact. It’s going to be very interesting if they come back with anything as I was 5k under the 20k mileage and it was immaculate, I’d even had it valleted. Any thoughts?

    woody2000
    Full Member

    Last lease car I returned was immaculate, under mileage and had been valeted etc before return. Guy went over it, then left. A few weeks later we (it was a company car) received a bill for a few hundred quid to resolve some “issues” with the car – we told then to jog on and never heard anything else. I think there’s a fair bit of “arm chancing” goes on 🙂

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    Last one, handed it into Volvo where a 40yr old bespectacled man wobbled over it and dribbled a bit.

    Handed the keys in and left.

    A month later got the release paperwork through with “scratch to bumper” £300 quote attached, I sent them pics of the car at handover (no scratch) and heard nothing else.

    The car was immaculate. I too had it valeted.

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    richardkennerley
    Full Member

    Sent our last one back early a few weeks ago. I thought we were going to get stung for a lot of bodywork damage, there was loads of chips and minor dings all over it. Ended up with just a £40 bill for one wing mirror. Excess mileage was a few hundred, but we were expecting that.

    GDRS
    Full Member

    Curbed alloys – weigh up the cost of getting someone to fix these before return vs. paying the lease firm to rectify (there is a chance that if you get something fixed and the repair is poor that you have still have to pay the lease firm to put it back to their acceptable std).

    And I have found that small scrtaches are worth getting touched in by a mobile repair – the cost for these can vary. But if the car looks poor I think they put a bit more effort into finding further fault…..(paranoid me)……

    And I do love giving cars back in the rain – all those rain drops and water on the car makes a full inspection tricky for the collection agent if you have a few light dings on the panels……

    Alex
    Full Member

    I was sent a booklet about two months before. Forgot who Skoda used to pick it up but one of the big firms. Described really well what would be considered fair-use including length of any scratches/location/etc.

    Bloke turned up (in the rain), refused a cuppa, spent 40 mins looking at it all nicely valeted (but by no means perfect) and gave it a clean bill of health. Guy who picked it up also did another inspection (as it was over a week later) but since it was freezing, dusk and foggy, not sure how thorough he was!

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Any thoughts?

    You’re worrying about nothing?

    Irrespective of your prejudice towards a young person being able to do a job they’re employed to do, you have a bit of paper describing what state the car is in. They can’t start finding other faults, it’s been examined and you have documentary evidence.

    Every lease car I’ve ever had has a clause for “reasonable wear and tear.” Obviously you’re going to get charged if you hand back a smouldering car-cass, but it’s unreasonable for them to expect that something a few years old with tens of thousands of miles on the clock is going to be in showroom condition.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    I was sent a booklet about two months before. Forgot who Skoda used to pick it up but one of the big firms. Described really well what would be considered fair-use including length of any scratches/location/etc.

    That’s a good point, I’d forgotten about that. Same happened with me last time, except I was given the info by the guy picking up the car rather than getting any advanced warning.

    johndoh
    Free Member

    The document people are referring to is the BVRLA Acceptable Fair Wear & Tear document (here). Of course the rental company needs to be a member of BVRLA for this to be adhered to.

    BTW, you won’t get any slack for the car being under mileage – that won’t be taken into consideration when looking for other defects.

    RobinL
    Full Member

    About 10 years ago I had a Nissan X-Trail on PCH ( Company car allowance ), after about 6 months I had a play off road …. bent a trackrod, dent in the sump, numerous other dents underneath and front end damage beneath the bumper. Had the trackrod replaced privately and before it was returned had a few dings sorted by ‘Chips Away’ but they wouldn’t do anything with the front damage. So with some fiberglass and filler I patched it up. Took it for a drive to get a fine layer of dirt over the repairs and left for the Hire company to pick up.
    Had a nervous day when it was picked up, but they can’t have looked too hard and certainly not underneath – never heard anything else. That was the only PCH car I was offered a good deal on to buy it ….. but I knew what it was like .. so no chance.

    russyh
    Free Member

    Also worth noting that regardless they carry a full inspection out at deflect centre. So if your car is filthy, it was dark, raining etc. There will be a clause stating they may come back at you when the vehicle is inspected in controlled conditions…not many will, but it’s in there. I will say (carefully as I work in this industry) there is little arm chancing or fiddling. Genuinely it’s a tough job, the inspectors are not on a bonus for picking up damage and get given the run around allot. You tend to find the vocal people about being stung are those that feel hard done by as they believe the damage to their car is insignificant. Remember everyone is an expert when it comes to cars!!!

    globalti
    Free Member

    My neighbour’s wife is not the world’s most competent or aware driver (got nicked for speeding in her own street about 200 yards from home by a bunch of flouro-clad PCSOs) and her lease car had several small dings and dents and scratches. Neighbour took it to some back street abortionist for a tidy up and the lease company sent it back saying it was unacceptable. Our neighbour is quite annoying, so we laughed a bit when we heard.

    cb
    Full Member

    We were told (by the BCA agent collecting the car) not to bother with repairs as they will do them cheaper than a private garage anyway. Also as mentioned above, they repair it then its their problem – they could still reject a private repair.

    It might be part of the document mentioned above but we quoted somehting like 45 quid to refurb an alloy or 160 for a single panel repair etc.

    Its not the wild west it once was…

    Jason
    Free Member

    I returned my wife’s lease car at the end of last year, after running it 2.5 years. It was in very good condition overall, but had one alloy with curbing marks, a noticeable dent/stone chip on the bonnet, together with the normal stone chipping on the bonnet. The guy who came out to inspect the car produced a report there and then which gave an indicated cost to repair the damage, he was fair in what he spotted. He collected it in the dark, although the car was parked under a street light. My wife signed the paperwork saying she wasn’t happy with the assessment. A week or so later I got a further report from the lease company with pictures of the car in a body shop and further confirmation of the charges which agreed with the guy who collected it. I gave them a call and said I was happy to pay for the alloy to be repaired (diamond cut alloys so would have been more if I had done that myself) but disagreed with their assessment of the bonnet mark – it was debatable whether it was inside the BVRLA guide lines are not, and they where charging me for dent removal and repainting. The guy on the phone was very reasonable and was happy to reduce the charges as much as he could as long as I paid there and then.

    Make sure you cancel any direct debit you have, as that way if they try to charge you for any damage they need you to agree before they can get the money.

    rone
    Full Member

    Never had any issues with several cars.

    Friend who doesn’t look after his got a bill for £169 for various bumps and scrapes and to be honest I reckon it would’ve cost £300+ at a decent body shop.

    andrewh
    Free Member

    Work car got a £1,700 bill for a month’s extra use and a scratched wheel.
    Major benefit of buying is not having to fret over every little chip in the paintwork, the extra stress of having to look after it far seems to outweigh the less stress of having the lease company take car of maintenance.

    richardkennerley
    Full Member

    Further to my earlier post, The car I sent back before the one mentioned above surprised me. The inspector on the day found lots of dents and scuffs i’d never noticed, he listed them all and suggested it would cost several hundred pounds to put right. Few days later, an amended bill came through, they’d literally crossed out (with a fat, red marker) over half the things he’d found. Final bill was just over a ton I think.

    Rich_s
    Full Member

    Previous company cars I’ve never cared about. Had a lease car go back last year which I got screwed on – should have left it as it was and handed it to BCA. I let chipsaway sort a couple of big scratches and a dent – cost plenty and when the guy came and inspected it he told me to not use them again and just to send it back.

    They (bca) don’t fix the damage anyway.

    I’d also spent ages cleaning the interior and it still got marked as “dirty” and no cost allocated.

    Next one is being vacc’d out and thrown at them, let them sort it.

    russyh
    Free Member

    They (bca) don’t fix the damage anyway.

    That’s not true, BCA fix cars on customers behalf. Different lease companies have different recon matrix.

    The inspector on the day found lots of dents and scuffs i’d never noticed

    This is because they carry out a zero tollerance inspection based on some rules and the system decides as to the damage being in/out BVRLA standards. The damage recharge element is controlled by the lease company.

    The whole process really isn’t all smoke and mirrors, but is emotive subject given no one likes to end up with a bill.

    simon_g
    Full Member

    Had two finish, gave them a decent clean but both had minor wheel kerbing and small dent/scratches from normal use. Was expecting a bill but nothing both times.

    One was via Network leaseplan, one Arval.

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    We’ve (work) have retuned two in the last few months.

    The first was a Van, the 52 year old 5’ 8” chap with gray hair and brown eyes who came for it was frankly a dick. He spent 45 mins inspecting it, continually telling me “it’s not me mate, I’ve got to do it” whilst seemingly loving finding any tiny blemish. This included moving it to different parts of the car park for better light.

    We never used it much for work, but it got used and abused by Everyman and his dog, dented rear doors, interior full of mud, dents on the roof 🙄 but 10k under limit. No bill apart from £100 to remove the sign writing.

    Volvo hatch went back, looked mint from about 3m back, had light kerbing on the front wheels but that was about it. £750 for a list of small faults, none of which (apart from the wheels) appeared on the form we signed.

    The only difference I can think of is when the Van went back they were expecting us to replace it, when the Volvo went back they’d worked out we were getting rid of the fleet in favour of allowances.

    russyh
    Free Member

    The only difference I can think of is when the Van went back they were expecting us to replace it

    That’s not the case.

    All the leasing companies outsource the inspect and collect element to one of about 4 suppliers. All of which use the BVRLA guidelines to inspect the vehicle (damage visible from 2m or sidelining) I’m not sure why the guy was a **** because he did a proper job, maybe he was proud and enjoyed doing what he does. Ultimately all of their work is audited, all they have to do nowadays is highlight the damage and the recharge rate is determined by BVRLA guidelines the lease companies damage agreement.

    Kuco
    Full Member

    We’ve been told when you hand a car back take tons of pictures and if possible have someone with you at the handover and don’t be afraid to challenge any claim that comes back.

    russyh
    Free Member

    It’s not the inspector you need to challenge! Jeez there are so many urban myths around EOC lease returns. It’s almost comical. Ironically the only dodgy part of the whole process seems to be the customers, who try anything to wriggle away from the fact they have damaged the car.

    If the inspector has highlighted damage that isn’t there challenge him, but for (certainly the two biggest inspect and collect providers) the inspectors are paid by job not for damage picked up. So they have no reason to lie. If you refuse to sign, the car is filthy or you try to avoid the process the damage recharge will be calculated off the deflect inspection. Under proper lighting, cleaned etc. My suggestion would be to ask questions to understand prior to the inspection process. There really is no ‘con’ the businesses that run inspect and collect services are massive international organisations, the lease companies are also big reputable businesses who are fully regulated. Yes the Charges can be high, but remember that when ordering cars with diamond cut wheels and pearlescent paint (which can’t just be touched in)

    andrewreay
    Full Member

    OP, I’d not worry now that you’ve had an inspection and nothing was pointed out.

    Handed a good few back now, in various states. And never had any surprises.

    Latest was inspected twice, a pre-collection and then again by the guy taking the car away (who finally accepted a cup of tea)!

    The first guy spotted the kerbed alloy, and warned about the recharge, and gave me the expected cost there and then.

    The final bill came in at exactly that price, £36! Bargain. On this basis, better off paying the charges from the leasing company as they seem reasonable, and cheaper than I could have got the work done. And if they don’t charge, then it’s cost you nothing.

    My last but one returned car was a bit of a dog. Nail in the tyre, 6 inch scratch, stone chips galore, chip in the ‘screen, chewing gum on the seat, bob on the miles. Not a sausage charged.

    Overall, my experience is that the inspectors are fair and have pointed out issues during the inspection (if there were any).

    Don’t lose sleep over it!

    If it was yours and you were PX’ing it, I bet the dealer would be far more unscrupulous in beating you down.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    That’s not true, BCA fix cars on customers behalf. Different lease companies have different recon matrix.

    BCA are an auction company, ordinary lease cars go straight to auction, or possibly to a dealer, Motability cars come to one of the sites of the company I now work for, who repair and refurbish them, if Motab agree, or they’re rejected and are auctioned, either online or via Aston Barclay or BCA; I wasn’t aware of BCA undertaking repairs.
    I was an agency driver for BCA for two years, and I had to inspect cars before taking them away. My inspections were not as detailed as the actual BCA inspectors, who video the car as well as take photos, and do a cost estimate, which is passed to the owner.
    I did get to drive a lot of different vehicles, from the sublime to the really shonky – the C63 AMG and the Maserati Ghibli were certainly sublime, the less said about many of the Motab cars the better…

    timber
    Full Member

    Last works Land Rover was collected late and without warning, still had a load of tools we were storing in the back until the new one arrived.

    They returned our tools and only charged for some paint (slipped into a barbed wire fence). Missed the self beaten front wing and more importantly the passenger door that a cow nearly removed; window winder glued on, window only goes halfway down, bulkhead bent at top hinge and you needed someone to shut it from the outside.

    Another guy got stung for arranging his own repairs on one of the Hilux, but the work was terrible, all orange peel paint and lazy blending in.

    russyh
    Free Member

    BCA are an auction company, ordinary lease cars go straight to auction, or possibly to a dealer, Motability cars come to one of the sites of the company I now work for, who repair and refurbish them, if Motab agree, or they’re rejected and are auctioned, either online or via Aston Barclay or BCA; I wasn’t aware of BCA undertaking repairs.

    Close, but unfortunately wrong. BCA own the largest defleet business in the U.K. as well as supporting new car supply at dock side to name but a few. They provide defleet, In life and recon services for most of the lease providers and OEM’s…. you’ll have to take my word for it I’m afraid, or google it to find out. But auction is only one part of the total operation.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    ordinary lease cars go straight to auction

    Tangent, is there any way of tracking this?

    Ie, when my motor goes back to Skoda later this year, is it possible for me to loop back into the auction and reclaim it? (Assuming I’d want to.)

    russyh
    Free Member

    Yes, you can speak with the lease provider or finance company and ask where it’s being sold. There should be no reason why they wouldn’t tell you. Alternatively just keep an eye and register on BCA, Manheim and Aston barclays websites. Be mindful though that sometimes cars are not sold through open auction nowadays, with so many online routes to market. Also bear in mind the indemnity costs for a private punter are significant! So it maybe better buying through the lease companies driver sales solutions.

    Rich_s
    Full Member

    This is really interesting – thanks russyh.

    The one I currently have I’m thinking of buying at the end of the lease. Is there wiggle / haggle room on the price from the lease company?

    russyh
    Free Member

    Not really, but I would say without knowing the price why worry about haggling. It really isn’t a retail environment. Driver sales schemes are a great way of reducing defleet and onward sale costs, whilst allowing the customer to buy their own lease car for family, friends etc. Pricing will be largely fixed as the calculation will have been made based on projected auction prices, defleet and collection costs etc. Almost always it will be cheaper than the retail price of your car if you were to buy from a dealer. Plus you get the piece of mind that you know the car history.

    mildred
    Full Member

    I handed my Skoda back early & based on how much their letter focussed upon how much rectifying any issues would cost me, I was quite worried when the bloke from BCA arrived.

    He got to my house late and it was now dark so he just got in and drove away saying he’d inspect it the following morning. I wasn’t too worried as it was immaculate – I hardly used it and only did about 3k miles per year, which was part of my decision to get rid of it.

    Anyway, fast forward a month & I still hadn’t heard anything from Skoda until one morning a letter arrived entitled final demand, demanding full and final payment of money owed. I’d been sat waiting for an invoice or bill, and the original letter stated that if I was happy with the amount I didn’t need to do anything as the money would be taken by direct debit within 14 days. I hadn’t received any other correspondence from VW finance so I paid the amount owed, which amounted to 5 months rental (handed back 5 months early).

    I thought nothing more of it until a further month later when I got a credit reference rating through which showed that I’d gone from excellent and above UK average to poor..! VW finance had reported that I’d made 5 months of late payments.

    I eventually got this overturned but couldn’t get them to see my point of view – they reversed it because they said their letter did not state that late payments will adversely affect my credit rating, whereas my issue was that they never told me how much to pay and when to pay it. I never received any correspondence outlining this. They simply couldn’t see that this was an issue, it was more the wording of their “final demand” (which, incidentally was their only demand) that they admitted was at fault.

    All I’d say is check every bit of correspondence to the smallest detail.

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