End of Car Leasing

Jobee

Hi all,

this is only my second post so please be kind!!

i've just finished a 2 year car lease. the car had 26k on the clock and was well kept other than a few scratches on the very bottom of the fender (the bit thats below the bumper) which couldn't be helped as the car was quite low (a saab 93 convertable).

I had bump in the car which was repaired and whilst at the garage I asked about the scratches to the fender. The garage advised me not to bother to repair as the same will happen again due to the structure of the car. Anyway, the car has since been collected by the company and whilst arranging collection I was advised by them to take some dated photographs of the car before collection as it would be going straight to auction. (i have done this) I was also told the car would be assesed at my premises by a qualified person before removal.

A few days ago i received an invoice from the company for £450 with regard to scratches over the car, missing key and incomplete service history

the key is easily resolved as i have a docket showing i handed 2 in, i am trying to clarify the service history issue and i'm concerned over the scratches. there was a clause in my contract which said the car should be returned in good working condition other than wear and tear. surely scratches to the fender would be classed as w&t?

Also, if going to auction do you think they would actually have repaired it or do you think they are pulling a fast one? I also found it a little odd that the lady arranging collection pre-warned me to take photos 'just in case'

Has anyone else experienced anything like this??

Many thanks

Conor_3

Whether or not they choose to repair it is down to them but they can still charge you. Having de-hired lease cars from a car hire company to the lease company they got it from, you have to be ultra fussy.

Lemonade_Pockets

Classic grey area which is open to interpretation.

Get them to provide a breakdown of the £450
I'd guess your probably looking at about £200 for the paintwork.

Then get them to send you some sort of breakdown of the paintwork bill preferably with a diagram of a car marking the scratches that you are being charged for too.
Compare this to the appraisal sheet the collection company gave you + your photo's and dispute any discrepancies. You might find they've included a whole load of stuff that wasn't present/noticed at time of collection. In which case tell them to pursue the collection company for the damage.

If you didn't sign a appraisal sheet when the collection company picked your car up, blame any extra damage on them anyway.
(Most professional collection/delivery companies will fill in a appraisal sheet before they drive off in your car. They should get you to sign to say it is a fair appraisal. At the other end they then get the recipient to sign to say no extra damage has occurred whilst in transit.)


If none of the above manages to reduce the charges. You could ask if they've got a fair wear and tear policy. The lease companies i used to work with had a very long and boring document explaining what was and wasn't classed a fw&t. Again compare this to the damage on your car.

Ultimately they are within their rights to charge for anything that is not fw&t. So if nothing i've mentioned above manages to reduce the bill. You'll have to pay it unless you want to contest their definition of fw&t in court.

Good luck

harveybobbles

When the car goes thru the auction, dealers like me will be walking round totting up in our head how much the repairs will be and thinking about the lack of service history. Just say the leasing company have a resereve set at 10grand, well with the paintwork to do we might only want to bid circa 9500, so the leasing company is left short. Hence the bill you recieved.

The face you have a docket to show you handed in two keys is good. The lack of service histoy is a strange one as it will have only had one service - as they're on 18k intervals.

A 2 year old Saab 93 sort top with 26k on it will be bought by a picky customer, so it will need to be perfect for the person buying it too.

Lemonade_Pockets

Harvey is spot on thats ultimately why they charge. But they have been know to use some poetic license when compiling the charges so its worth going through them with a fine toothcomb!

http://www.clean-image.co.uk/leasing/bvrla-guide.htm

Gives you a detailed description of the fair wear and tear definition use by a lot of lease companies.

In the "scuffs and scrapes" section you can upload your photos and someone can give you some better advice on your specific damage..

Jobee

thanks everyone, thats a great help. I'll have a look at that website and see what comes up.

with regard to the service history i wanted to double check it. i had it serviced last january when it was just over a year old and i think i was also about the 18k mark so i am confused as to why they say it was incomplete.

The car was also recalled by saab - something wrong with the software - so that was updated at the same time.

it may be similar to the key issue in that they have simply got it wrong and haven't checked the documents. I've spoken to them and they have advised me that they are 'investigating' so i'll have to wait and see what they come back with.

Thanks again for your advice, much appreciated.