Renault Finance - Penalties for Damage?

mister-callum

Hello all,
Just after some advice on penalties when handing back my car on finance in February. I've got a Renault Clio on a PCH from Evans Halshaw.
I've gone over the mileage allowance I originally agreed and have calculated I will owe about £1000 for this (yeouch!)
I've some scratches on the front bumper and a bit of the body on the passenger side (the gate out of the office car park is diabolically narrow)
Basically I'm wondering whether it would be cheaper to take it to a bodyshop prior to handing back or whether it's better to just accept the penalty. It cost me about £500 at the body shop to get it done last time. It's 4 layer pearlescent paintwork so tends to cost a lot.
Any advice appreciated.

ToxicWomble

Buy a narrower car next time.

seriously - blaming a narrow gate and hit it not once but twice

the office must be full of people with damaged cars 

AdrianC

£1k mileage overage on a 3yr contract is the equivalent of having the correct mileage on the contract for about £27/mo extra.

The car was supplied by Evans Halshaw, but who is the actual financier? Renault? They don't seem to publicise their damage costs, as some do.

As for the gate - a Clio is a fairly narrow car. Do people in much wider cars have an alternative route out of the car park? If not, the width of the gate is not the issue...

macman

Spend 20 mins seeing how much you can polish out yourself with a bottle of T-Cut first.

mister-callum

The gate is very narrow, yes people have bigger cars, yes a lot of other people have scratched their cars on it. Mistakes happen, I'm only human. The car is scratched, being patronised is not going to change that.

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether I should take it to a bodyshop for repairs or whether it's better to accept penalties?

AdrianC

Nobody is patronising you. Merely pointing out that a lot of people get far wider cars out through the gate unscratched. Driver error in dealing with the narrow gate is the cause, not the narrow gate itself.

No, we have no idea - because we do not know how bad the damage is, how much a bodyshop will charge, or how much Renault will charge.

jimbo6977

Sometimes people can't win on a forum.

If the OP had simply asked (for instance) "Does Renault finance inflate its damage penalties such that I would be better off arranging the repairs myself pre-handback?" They would have been criticised for "not providing details" or "dripfeeding information." 

On the other hand the OP mentions having scraped a gate post, and they get slated for their driving skills.

AdrianC

jimbo6977 said:

On the other hand the OP mentions having scraped a gate post

No, the OP implies it's not fair they should have to pay up because the gate is too narrow to avoid...

mister-callum

AdrianC said:

jimbo6977 said:

On the other hand the OP mentions having scraped a gate post

No, the OP implies it's not fair they should have to pay up because the gate is too narrow to avoid...

No I have not implied it's not fair, I take full responsibility for not being careful. I think it's perfectly fair, I'm just simple trying to identify whether it's a better option to have it repaired at a bodyshop prior to handover or if I should just pay the penalty.

I came on this forum under the impression it was for sensible people but clearly not.

AdrianC

mister-callum said:
I'm just simple trying to identify whether it's a better option to have it repaired at a bodyshop prior to handover or if I should just pay the penalty.

Without having any clue as to the amount of damage, or the penalty charges the financier (whoever they may be) will levy, we simply cannot help with that.

Some financiers publish a table of charges.
https://customer.vwfs.co.uk/content/dam/bluelabel/valid/www-vwfs-co-uk/documents/vwfs-damage-charges-guide-v4.pdf
You'll notice that while some damage is a flat fee, some is not.

cpbackhouse

When my brother in law had a Renault Zoe he was due to return he had the same dilemma.
They had damage to the bumper where they had reversed into something. He contacted Renault Finance with pictures of the damage and got an estimate from them. It turned out to be quite a lot cheaper than quotes he had got to fix it locally. Might be worth a try.