Damaged lease car! Help!

debtdebt

Ypnos wrote: »

Thanks for quick reply. That is my only option at the moment, it seems.

If I hire a car there is an excess (usually excessive) to pay, unless I throw down some extra money for an excess waiver, or I take out excess insurance where I pay it if needed and then claim it back.

Yes, if you hire a car on a short term basis, they insure the vehicle and it's included in the daily price.

In this case, you insure the leased vehicle and you still had the choice of having excess waiver i.e. you could have chosen to have a zero excess policy for the year but instead you chose to go for a lower annual premium with a £350 excess.

angrycrow

Ypnos wrote: »

Also, not blaming anyone. I'm happy to pay an excess as it was damaged while it was in my care, obviously. Perhaps it was a mistake asking here.

Excellent, pay the excess of £700 (£350 x 2) on your insurance and be done with it. This is what you pay insurance for.

I note you do not see why you should have your no claims bonus reduced and premiums affected. Even if you hire a car for a day if the car is damaged whilst in your care the incident is declarable when asking insurance companies for quotes.

Probably a good idea to read and understand the terms and conditions on large financial commitments in the future.

BeenThroughItAll

What does the contract you signed at the beginning of the lease say?

All the terms and conditions will have been there. You *did* read it, right?

flashg67

Check the BVRLA website for their wear & tear guideline that shows the agreed 'fair' allowances for returning lease car. Or even the VW finance version - https://www.vwfinance.co.uk/en/privatecustomers/how_agreements_work/solutions_pcp/_jcr_content/parsysContent/c911_download.downloadinline.pdf/23095_VW_Fair_Wear_Tear_Guide_v3.pdf

Try one of the 'smart' repairers like 'Revive' to see if they can do the job cheaper. Lease companies & auction houses use this type of company too

loskie

" I spent the last 2 years stupidly thinking "

Yes you did.

ozmusafir

Stop panicking, firstly find the BVRLA guide and exclude damages which fall within the wear and tear category. Any damage over the category can be repaired by VW Finance approved body shop.

I been leasing for 8 years and VW Finance are very lenient. 6 month ago I handed back my Audi A5 with:
cracked bumper
4 curb damaged wheels
crack windscreen
small dent in 3 different body panel
scratches.

VW Finance charged me £200, which is a laughable amount. Bodyshop wanted the price of a kidney.

maninthestreet

http://www.bvrla.co.uk/service/fair-wear-and-tear-guides

mark5

You could get a purchase price for the car and buy it from VW, avoiding the penalty fee and keeping the car!