Courtesy Car - Advice Please

Individual_11

I'm taking my car in for some warranty work on the body and the main dealer needs my car for 4 days.

So they have agreed to provide me with a courtesy car, but are saying I need to insure it.

I'll be covered under my insurance for 3rd party but need to get full comp in case it gets nicked or damaged.

Is it usual for garages to ask customers to insure the courtesy cars? I thought the normal way was that the garage insured it and you just had to prove you were allowed to drive by presenting licence etc?

Can't go elsewhere as it's a warranty job but interested to know other peoples experiences!

Ta in advance!

Conor_3

Yes it is usual to ask customers to insure the cars. They usually have a form to fill in for your insurer which temporarily transfers the cover to the courtesy car.

vikingaero

It really depends on the garage. Some garages pay higher premiums and cover customers using loan/courtesy cars under their Policy. Other dealers either want their cars covered under your own Policy or for you to pay for insurance under their Policy. There's no right or wrong - just different companies doing things differently.

Most dealers pay huge amounts for fleet and premises insurance, so a £10 a day charge isn't unreasonable. In addition most dealers have large excesses. Whereas we mere mortals may pay £100 or £250 excess in the event of a claim, most dealers pay between £1,000 - £5,000, because minor damage can often be rectified in-house.

Individual_11

Thanks for the replies, I was just wondering....

Contacted my insurer and they have me sorted for £28 for the week!

I_11

middleman_2

I've just searched for this info. 8 month old Peugeot 107 back at garage to replace altenator?!(spelling). I've been told they won't get the new part for a week. Wasn't offered a courtesy car but I pestered them because I need a car to get to and from work (public transport not an option) so they offered me a 1007 but said I would have to insure it myself. Wasn't too pleased with this and even less pleased when my insurance company told me it would cost £45 to insure for 7 days (my premium is only £156 a year!) The courtesy car is more valuable. Anyway, letter came in from insurance company yesterday with details and informing me that £20 of this was for administration. Surely they should have told me this on the phone? Sorry, just having a bit of a rant!

Wig

Many insurance policies these days promote the fat that you get a courtesy car in the event of damage to yours.

Is this some hidden charging that they are not telling people about when they take out the policy?

Iamthesmartestmanalive

Wig wrote: »

Many insurance policies these days promote the fat that you get a courtesy car in the event of damage to yours.

Is this some hidden charging that they are not telling people about when they take out the policy?

No
There is a difference between a temporary replacement car and courtesy car

Courtesy cars are offered by the repairer and are not compulsory hence any terms related to them are there to be accepted or declined by you

If you take out replacement car these are normally hire cars which are fully insured as part of the premium- although the excess are normally high

If you dont pay the extra- normally about £20 a year then dont expect it when you need it

I personally think its worth it, as we recently got a fully comp brand new micra for both drivers for 14 days whilst ours was away

movilogo

I faced this situation few months back! My car (Suzuki Ignis) was with main dealer for a gearbox warranty work. They initially demanded that I provide insurance for courtesy car from my pocket. However, I argued that should not suffer because they didn't rectify the problem before selling me the car (I bought the car from them just 3 weeks earlier). After speaking with a manager in dealer, he agreed to provide the insurance for courtesy car.

It was good though as ultimately they took 12 days to repair the car!

At the same time, I discovered that my insurer (Admiral) does not provide courtesy car cover as standard (so cheap quote not always the best) and asked £15/day for insurance!

middleman_2

Thanks for the info guys. movilog - I will ask to speak to the manager when I go back to collect my car and tell them I'm not happy about it. A mechanic friend said the altenator was probably dodgy when I bought it. Has put me off using that dealership again and the insurance company!

piggeh

I was always under the impression that for warranty work, the dealer has an obligation to put the fault right and you should not suffer financially because of any faults. Therefore they should foot the bill.

pinkfluffybabe

For work done under warranty I get a replacement car for free from the dealership.

When I put it in for a service, I pay £10 for the day to insure a replacement car.