Add maintenance to lease plan?

RyanY3105

I'm looking to lease my next car but wondering if it's worth adding the extra however many £££ to the monthly payment.

I've heard from others not to go with the maintenance plan that the leasing company offers and get a third party maintenance/service plan for cheaper, is this a good idea? Could I find out where the leasing company uses for their vehicle maintenance then go there direct to get a cheaper price?

If I were to add maintenance to the plan, am I told where to take the car for its service or given a list of approved garages? I'm in Scotland so if I choose an English based leasing company, will the approved garage be in England also?

I'd be looking at 10-12k miles/year over 3 years.

Thanks.

Grey_Critic

Where would YOU like the car to be serviced - obviously a franchised dealer for warranty purposes - If it is your local dealer go ask them to give you a price based on your anticipated mileage, include for brake reline and one set of tyres - they will be able to give you a price, you can then compare with the lease company quote,

ontheroad1970

If you get a plan with someone doing it to a price you may find that replacement tyres etc may not be to the standard set by the leasing company.  Any saving may be eroded by reversing  the installation of non OEM items, so tread with caution.  

bexybest

I've found if it's a luxury car then it's almost always worth the £30pm additional maintenance fees, as their services are extortionate! But their service is great with courtesy cars given as standard. Just check if tyre replacement is included though as not all plans have this. 

Sandtree

If its worth it etc all depends on what vehicle you are going for, what warranty it comes from, what its service schedule is, what your likely mileage is etc etc.

I went PCP for my last car rather than Lease as it was cheaper but my idea was always to hand the car back. They too offered a service plan but it only worked out in any way economical if you were doing more miles than me and would definitely need the 3rd service. Based on my mileage it was almost certainly the case that the car wouldnt need the service before its third birthday and so with the T&Cs of the contract I could hand the car back a day or two before its third birthday and avoid the vast expense of that major service 

As to buying a service plan from another party, as mentioned, it leave you exposed to breaching the terms of the lease if the service plan doesnt conform to the contractual requirements and so could be a big bill at the end for the vehicle value impact.

ontheroad1970

I would see the biggest risk of using a third party maintenance co would be that they might be cheaper but they might use garages that the lease company wouldn't approve of to cut costs.

Grey_Critic

The lease company can specify that a vehicle can only be serviced by an authorised dealer. It is after all their vehicle and the lease is really a form of rental.

Having been retired for awhile I am not up to date but when I worked for Ford there was a Fleet Operator rate for servicing and such as brakes, clutch, etc. The Franchised dealer also submitted claims to Ford for warranty and goodwill payments,

Fred down the road may a a fantastic mechanic but if he is not on the *approved service* list then the lease company can say no.

Have you spoken with a local rental company? I used to operate a Hire operation and I often had customers rent vehicles for several months, The rate was obviously very good for them and I kept a check on mileage so I could either service them or even switch them into another vehicle if mileage was getting a bit high. I rented a couple of Luton Vans to the local authority that did no more than 50 miles a week and were very cheap for them and very lucrative for me.