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can't understand those 3-year old (motability) cars
having seen several 2005 grand scenic, ex-motability, 10k-30k miles, with lots of scratches, dirty inside. What surprised me most are the damages under the bonnet, and the repairs shown in the so-called full service history.
The protective plastic cover of the batteries of 2 cars are gone, even the lid of screen washer pipe is gone, the engine oil cap is worn, lots of dirts under the bonnet.
One car is with 27k miles, its FSH shows:
12k miles, front and tailgate wiper blades "worn";
18k miles, front and rear brake pads 90% "worn";
19k miles, Lamps exterior-headlamp bulb "worn"; Switch -coolant (low level)
and the MOT shows that an advisory notice was issued.
Really do not understand why there are so many problems within the first 3 years? even the plastic battery covers and lids under the bonnet disappear! are these problems special to motability cars?
really strange to me.
The protective plastic cover of the batteries of 2 cars are gone, even the lid of screen washer pipe is gone, the engine oil cap is worn, lots of dirts under the bonnet.
One car is with 27k miles, its FSH shows:
12k miles, front and tailgate wiper blades "worn";
18k miles, front and rear brake pads 90% "worn";
19k miles, Lamps exterior-headlamp bulb "worn"; Switch -coolant (low level)
and the MOT shows that an advisory notice was issued.
Really do not understand why there are so many problems within the first 3 years? even the plastic battery covers and lids under the bonnet disappear! are these problems special to motability cars?
really strange to me.
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Comments
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Probably the poor built quality of french cars.
Not sure how a headlamp bulb can be "worn" though?!
Wiper blades wear anyway - and if they've got the original blades on after 3 years they've done well, and besides they cost hardly anything anyway. Brake pads are also a wear and tear item - at 19k that's a bit soon to fully wear out, but being a motability car, I kind of suspect they may have been using the brakes differently somehow to an able bodied person - or another fault caused the wear. Not sure what is meant by "Switch -coolant (low level)", was the coolant level low or was the coolant level switch faulty? Coolant may occasionally need topping up.
Muck under the bonnet would be usual if it's not been properly valeted.
Plastic cover over a battery - they're probably useless anyway.0 -
Really do not understand why there are so many problems within the first 3 years? even the plastic battery covers and lids under the bonnet disappear! are these problems special to motability cars?
really strange to me.
What are you asking?
The cars people get for motability are not the best make/models for reliability/faults? or the people who get these cars do not take care of them?
One thing I have noticed is that if someone doesn't pay for an item but gets to use it and it is then replaced for them when they need it they generally don't take as much care of it as someone who had to work hard to earn the money to buy the item (appreciation and all that). I've seen it with people I know and not just with cars. I don't know anyone who has a motability car or looked at them so cannot comment on that exactly but feel it may help answer part of the question.
Cars take a lot of battering and without sounding like a boring old f*%t they don't make cars the way they used to0 -
On the other hand my parents ex-motability cars have been returned in immaculate condition,
with less than 4000 miles on them
My father has been contacted twice by the new owners to verify mileage,
as they didn't know whether or not they could trust the mileage clock !The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane[FONT="] —[FONT="] Marcus Aurelius[/FONT][/FONT]0 -
I've collected hundreds of ex motability cars, and the vast majority of them are battered and neglected, and the ones that arn't have probably been professionally touched up in the bodyshop.
As said above, if its costing the user nothing, then most will use and abuse them, same as many company cars.
There will be exceptions as in Maytaurus' post above, but they are in a tiny minority.
Look maybe at Toyota verso or Kia carens type vehicles instead, much more likely to last anyway.
I wouldn't have an ex motability unless giveaway price.0 -
well my fathers in the tiny minority that looks after his motability carthere or their,one day i might us the right one ,until then tuff0
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One thing I have noticed is that if someone doesn't pay for an item but gets to use it and it is then replaced for them when they need it they generally don't take as much care of it as someone who had to work hard to earn the money to buy the item (appreciation and all that).
What do you mean? everybody who has a mobility car pays for it with their benefit, it is not free at all. What you are saying is an insult to disabled people.
Moneysaver0 -
gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »as said above, if its costing the user nothing, then most will use and abuse them, same as many company cars. price.
Disabled people pay with their benefit, it is not free for a car. Also company car owners pay for cars through taxes.
Moneysaver0 -
The battery cover's on Scenic's are a vvank idea! As you needs a socket to get the thing off. So when you're faced with a flat battery, most people just wrench the things off and never bother replacing them.
Motability cars, or as us in the trade refer to them as Smackability cars are often well worn, grubby and not generally looked after.
Mechanically they are more worn than a mainbstream company car as they do low miles in three years. So the brakes are on, off, on, off for three years where as a company car doing 30,000 miles a year will have a lower wear rate on items like this.
There is a small number of ones which get looked after very well, as the keeper of the car they have to make sure that they get sent back in good condition, or face having a bill in the post.
One other thing with MFL cars is when they are sat in dealers compounds waiting to be collected by MFL they often have bits removed by staff for their own cars or a car that is in the workshop.
How it works:
Month 33 they get an inspection and MOT.
Any body damage has to be put right.
The cars then get offered to the supplying dealer.
If they refuse it, they get offered into the dealer network.
If they rerfuse they get offered on the MFL trade website to people like me.
If they fail to sell on there they get shipped to an auction where they get sold on. The ones at the auction are generally the scruffier ones which have been dismissed thru the pyramid above...0 -
Really do not understand why there are so many problems within the first 3 years? even the plastic battery covers and lids under the bonnet disappear! are these problems special to motability cars?
really strange to me.
They get nicked between being returned to Motability and being sold. Alloys and wheeltrims are a favourite for going as well.0 -
also it depends on the previous persons disablity , a granddad will not incurr much ware and tear , but as in my case my sone whom is autistic with severe learning problems will , I brought my car through moblity not the contract hire and its a up hill battle keeping it clean0
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