Lease Car repair evidence?

robleedavies

I have been charged hundreds of pounds damages for a returned lease car which I argued both on the inspection and since. There were some extremely small scratches with I think are fair wear and tear.
I have requested evidence for the repairs that I have been charged for but have yet to receive any response.
I have it on good authority that most returned lease vehicles are sent straight to auction and these repairs that I am being charged a fortune for don't actually happen.
Does anyone have any experience of this? Do lease companies need to provide evidence of the repairs that they charge for at the end of lease?
It seems madness to pay for repairs if there isn't any evidence of them ever being done.
Thanks.

AdrianC

Fair wear and tear expectations aren't a matter of opinion - they are very well documented in the industry-standard guide produced by the BVRLA. Your financier should have given you a copy, but it can be found here...
https://issuu.com/bfwsn67/docs/bvrla_fair_wear_and_tear_standard_-_cb6bf45bb50403?e=2001091/30897824

No, they do not have to produce evidence they've done the work.
Yes, they may well have sold the car on with the work undone... and simply taken a hit on the resale price instead.

Yes, you agreed to this when you took the lease contract on, whether you read it or not.
If you didn't like that, you should have bought the car instead of renting somebody else's for several years.

The time to query whether there will be a rectification bill is before returning the car. If the car does not meet the standard, you can then get the work done yourself prior to return.

neilmcl

They do not have to provide evidence nor do they have to actually get the car repaired. They're charging you for the loss in value of the vehicle to to the damage caused.

robleedavies

Thanks guys. I did appeal the decision of the inspectors on the date on inspection and also since.
Guess I will have to pay up.
Lesson learnt for future. Thanks for the advice.

Penelopa.Pitstop

Let us know finance company name and who inspected the car on collection. Was it Manheim?
Some finance companies are lenient, some are very stringent. It's just the question of avoiding bad ones.

Damage doesn't have to be repaired but it should comply with fair wear and tear. Don't give up if you have evidence that it was acceptable wear and tear.