VT of PCP - Questions over Service History

Pmaddocks86

I am in the processing of VTing my VW Polo and the finance company are trying to charge me for a missing service. Here is where it gets a bit tricky:

The car is 3 1/2 years old and has done close to 40k miles. It has had 3 services, all carried out at the VW dealership. For a car of this age and mileage, that is the exact number of services it should have had.

The issue I have however is due to a recall, I got my car serviced 5 months early for the first service. Every service since has been 11 months and 12 months past this as I never got to the mileage. It has now been 13 months since the last service was completed.

Do I have any standing in claiming that the car has been given back in a reasonable condition and within the fair wear and tear guidelines given it has actually had the right number of services for its age??

AdrianC

But it hasn't been serviced for 13 months... I presume the schedule is mileage-or-12mo-whichever-comes-first, right?

So it IS a month late for the scheduled service - or, to put it another way, missing a service.

motorguy

If they are trying to charge you for a missed service, then i would be arguing that it wasnt missed it was done within the scheduled miles.

They might not push it subsequently if they see they are meeting resistance.

Finance companies are getting tighter on VT's as people are doing so as a matter of course now rather than because of extreme financial difficulty which was the original reason they were put there.

How much are they proposing to charge?

If they persist you could refere it to the ombudsman i guess, but you might be delaying the inevitable.

AdrianC

motorguy wrote: »

If they are trying to charge you for a missed service, then i would be arguing that it wasnt missed it was done within the scheduled miles.

But outside the scheduled time.

neilmcl

Pmaddocks86 wrote: »

It has now been 13 months since the last service was completed.

This is the key point here. It doesn't matter how many services you've had and when up to now you've still missed this last, scheduled service. I don;t see you have any argument.

motorguy

AdrianC wrote: »

But outside the scheduled time.

Actually I misread it. I thought they had done the last service just a little late


It appears they haven't at all and just handed it back overdue a service.

Pmaddocks86

They are proposing to charge £400 which ironically is more than the service costs. It is my own fault for doing the first service so early, it had a knock-on effect on everything else.

Since the service history is digital I didn't realise I had missed it until I got the service book (it is held digitally with VW but I got told by the finance company there would be another £400 if I was missing a physical copy)...When I got this and got it stamped I realised it had in fact been over a year.

motorguy

Pmaddocks86 wrote: »

They are proposing to charge £400 which ironically is more than the service costs. It is my own fault for doing the first service so early, it had a knock-on effect on everything else.

Since the service history is digital I didn't realise I had missed it until I got the service book (it is held digitally with VW but I got told by the finance company there would be another £400 if I was missing a physical copy)...When I got this and got it stamped I realised it had in fact been over a year.

So summarising, you handed the car back a month after the last service was due?

I think they have you over a barrel if thats the case. Not sure its depreciated the car by £400 but it doesnt seem ridiculously excessive either.

neilmcl

Pmaddocks86 wrote: »

They are proposing to charge £400 which ironically is more than the service costs. It is my own fault for doing the first service so early, it had a knock-on effect on everything else.

Since the service history is digital I didn't realise I had missed it until I got the service book (it is held digitally with VW but I got told by the finance company there would be another £400 if I was missing a physical copy)...When I got this and got it stamped I realised it had in fact been over a year.

As with most cars there's a reminder on your dash as to when the next service is due, not sure how you can plead ignorance. I doubt £400 is excessive given that the car probably requires a major service about now.

Herzlos

A charge of £400 doesn't sound too bad - you'd pay most of that for a service and now it's had a late service that might hurt it's value by the difference.



If you still have possession of the car it may be worth getting it serviced and then handing it back and hoping they don't notice it was late. If not, it'd be a lot easier to just pay it.

purpleparrotuk

I will be doing a VT in a few weeks with VW. I am just over 40k and the car will be around the same age as yours. I am on variable servicing though and only need a service when it asks me so I have had 2 and a DSG service. Surely they won't want me to pay any more since its on variable?

1 at 17984 miles 09/04/18, 1 at 34333 miles (1 year later) and the dsg at 39293 miles