Lease company insisting on MOT prior to handing back

SnowWhiterThanWhite

Hi, have a car on 3 year lease which ended in May. Whilst arranging collection of car, lockdown happened and the finance company and myself agreed to extend the agreement up to 6 months on same terms. The MOT was automatically extended and is due end Nov. I have contacted the finance co. today to arrange handing car back next month, around middle of the month but, they are insisting that the MOT be done in advance. Does this seem right? I see so many people commenting on different forums that if you're handing the car back PRIOR to MOT due date, that you're not liable to get the MOT done, but, the finance co. say differently?

Sandtree

Its probably not that simple because of the covid situation but what does your lease say?

On my last one it stated that everything that was due by the collection point had to have been done (and so I got away without the last service or MOT by handing back just before 3 years) however I've heard others saying anything that'd fall due by the end of the agreement or within X days there of and hence I would have had to pay for it (at least according to the sales guy who didnt get my business as a consequence).

There is then going to be an interpretation issue on how the covid changes interact with the contract wording... were MOTs still due on their due date but a grace period given for not having one or did legally the due date change etc.

Car_54

Again, what does the lease say? I'd guess it may stipulate that an MOT is required at three years.

chrisw

Are you expecting it to fail? For the sake of at most £55 I would just get it done. 

SnowWhiterThanWhite

chrisw said:

Are you expecting it to fail? For the sake of at most £55 I would just get it done. 

Sadly yes. Had it serviced at 2 years, and they did mention that new tyres and brakes were needed to get through the MOT, quoting around £500. Done around 5k miles since then, but obvs well within the lease mileage. Will dig out the contract and go through the small print...

SnowWhiterThanWhite

Damn it - The small print states 'You will ensure that at the end of the fixed period, the vehicle does not require an MOT test for at least two months following the end of the fixed period' So looks like I would have had to MOT it anyway (before Covid/lockdown) Is this standard for lease companies? I'm trying to source a new car at the moment, but may go for 2 years instead of 3!

Car_54

SnowWhiterThanWhite said:

chrisw said:

Are you expecting it to fail? For the sake of at most £55 I would just get it done. 

Sadly yes. Had it serviced at 2 years, and they did mention that new tyres and brakes were needed to get through the MOT, quoting around £500. Done around 5k miles since then, but obvs well within the lease mileage. Will dig out the contract and go through the small print...

So even if they didn't insist on an MOT, you'd be hit for the cost of new tyres and brakes. You should be able to get those done for (much) less than the lease company would charge.

SnowWhiterThanWhite

Car_54 said:

SnowWhiterThanWhite said:

chrisw said:

Are you expecting it to fail? For the sake of at most £55 I would just get it done. 

Sadly yes. Had it serviced at 2 years, and they did mention that new tyres and brakes were needed to get through the MOT, quoting around £500. Done around 5k miles since then, but obvs well within the lease mileage. Will dig out the contract and go through the small print...

So even if they didn't insist on an MOT, you'd be hit for the cost of new tyres and brakes. You should be able to get those done for (much) less than the lease company would charge.

We wouldn't have needed to do that though until MOT. Service was done and the tyres/brakes were an advisory to be done prior to passing an MOT. Local dealership charges almost twice as much as my local garage does but the finance company insist on using the main dealer. Very annoying

Sandtree

SnowWhiterThanWhite said:

Is this standard for lease companies? I'm trying to source a new car at the moment, but may go for 2 years instead of 3!

As already mentioned, terms vary significantly between finance/leasing companies.

Car_54

SnowWhiterThanWhite said:

Car_54 said:

SnowWhiterThanWhite said:

chrisw said:

Are you expecting it to fail? For the sake of at most £55 I would just get it done. 

Sadly yes. Had it serviced at 2 years, and they did mention that new tyres and brakes were needed to get through the MOT, quoting around £500. Done around 5k miles since then, but obvs well within the lease mileage. Will dig out the contract and go through the small print...

So even if they didn't insist on an MOT, you'd be hit for the cost of new tyres and brakes. You should be able to get those done for (much) less than the lease company would charge.

We wouldn't have needed to do that though until MOT. Service was done and the tyres/brakes were an advisory to be done prior to passing an MOT. Local dealership charges almost twice as much as my local garage does but the finance company insist on using the main dealer. Very annoying

If I've understood you correctly, you were told 18 months ago that the tyres and brakes would need done within a year. Regardless of the MOT, the lease company are unlikely to miss tyres that need replacing.

SnowWhiterThanWhite

Car_54 said:

SnowWhiterThanWhite said:

Car_54 said:

SnowWhiterThanWhite said:

chrisw said:

Are you expecting it to fail? For the sake of at most £55 I would just get it done. 

Sadly yes. Had it serviced at 2 years, and they did mention that new tyres and brakes were needed to get through the MOT, quoting around £500. Done around 5k miles since then, but obvs well within the lease mileage. Will dig out the contract and go through the small print...

So even if they didn't insist on an MOT, you'd be hit for the cost of new tyres and brakes. You should be able to get those done for (much) less than the lease company would charge.

We wouldn't have needed to do that though until MOT. Service was done and the tyres/brakes were an advisory to be done prior to passing an MOT. Local dealership charges almost twice as much as my local garage does but the finance company insist on using the main dealer. Very annoying

If I've understood you correctly, you were told 18 months ago that the tyres and brakes would need done within a year. Regardless of the MOT, the lease company are unlikely to miss tyres that need replacing.

My local garage did a winter check some 3 months after the service I and did ask about the cost of replacing the tyres and was told they didn't need replacing. The brakes were an advisory, based on my mileage at the time of the service which, has halved in the last 7 months. I know that the service/repairs need to be done at the dealership but I'm waiting for the finance co, to clarify whether the MOT does.