Main Dealer - courtesy vehicles
Discussion
Our 'Cherished' MINI has been back to the dealer about 6 times for warranty work.
Each time I have had a courtesy MINI with no charge, mainly Cooper D but had a Countryman too.
Next time it goes in I've been promised a Roadster.
Interestingly enough when I booked our MINI in for work, through their new call centre I was told it's something like £15+VAT for the day, told them I've never paid before.
Mentioned it to the girl at the service desk when I went in, got the following reply.
'Oh no, I always look after you Mr xxxx.'
And that is why I will go back there if we choose to have another MINI. Customer service has been fantastic.
Each time I have had a courtesy MINI with no charge, mainly Cooper D but had a Countryman too.
Next time it goes in I've been promised a Roadster.
Interestingly enough when I booked our MINI in for work, through their new call centre I was told it's something like £15+VAT for the day, told them I've never paid before.
Mentioned it to the girl at the service desk when I went in, got the following reply.
'Oh no, I always look after you Mr xxxx.'
And that is why I will go back there if we choose to have another MINI. Customer service has been fantastic.
HarveyM said:
THe local main dealer used to charge me £25 per day for a courtesy car when my Renault company car went in for services. At least I got to claim it back on expenses. I was appalled - where's the courtesy, after all? That wasn't a courtesy car; they were running an undercover hire car business on the side!
Hmmm...many manufacturers have arrangements where they'll will give company car drivers loan cars (or collect and deliver) free of charge.I've never heard of a courtesy car being charged at £25. I suspect they only charged you that as they knew you could claim it back.
Deva Link said:
HarveyM said:
THe local main dealer used to charge me £25 per day for a courtesy car when my Renault company car went in for services. At least I got to claim it back on expenses. I was appalled - where's the courtesy, after all? That wasn't a courtesy car; they were running an undercover hire car business on the side!
Hmmm...many manufacturers have arrangements where they'll will give company car drivers loan cars (or collect and deliver) free of charge.I've never heard of a courtesy car being charged at £25. I suspect they only charged you that as they knew you could claim it back.
jlexv8@msn.com said:
we used to get charged £5 a day for insurance by the arranged insurance company, at Peugeot we charged the customer £10.00 per day and at BMW we charged £25.00 per day, quite often we would waive these charges or put it down to the £5.00 (covering our cost) depending on how nice the customer was, after i think 14 days that courtesy car is then free to insure with the company for the rest of the month (we still charged)
Don't most people's insurance cover courtesy cars anyway? LV= and Aviva certainly do, and anyone with a company car is normally covered to drive anything else.I've never paid the insurance excess fee in my life. To be honest, I always assumed it was a 'scam' where the dealer just kept the money anyway, I didn't know (and still not sure I believe) that the dealer actually pays money to the insurance company (the car being covered by the dealer's insurance anyway).
va1o said:
It was one of the launch ones and had been used as a loan car for just over a year wasn't in the best of condition, so didn't really justify the price asked.
The MMI screen comes as standard in UK and nav can be added on via an SD card if it has the connectivity pack. Mirrors are same as the Ibiza need to fold them manually inside, seems a bit pointless think its a restriction on the electrics. Overall though I reckon its the best small car on the market at the moment, practicality aside
I never got 70mpg in mine - more like 50. The MMI screen comes as standard in UK and nav can be added on via an SD card if it has the connectivity pack. Mirrors are same as the Ibiza need to fold them manually inside, seems a bit pointless think its a restriction on the electrics. Overall though I reckon its the best small car on the market at the moment, practicality aside
Deva Link said:
Don't most people's insurance cover courtesy cars anyway? LV= and Aviva certainly do, and anyone with a company car is normally covered to drive anything else.
I've never paid the insurance excess fee in my life. To be honest, I always assumed it was a 'scam' where the dealer just kept the money anyway, I didn't know (and still not sure I believe) that the dealer actually pays money to the insurance company (the car being covered by the dealer's insurance anyway).
Admiral Group don't cover courtesy cars as standard, you need to add it as a temporary vehicle for which there is a charge.I've never paid the insurance excess fee in my life. To be honest, I always assumed it was a 'scam' where the dealer just kept the money anyway, I didn't know (and still not sure I believe) that the dealer actually pays money to the insurance company (the car being covered by the dealer's insurance anyway).
kchika said:
And the worst courtesy car award from a main dealer goes to... Sytner BMW/MINI Nottingham. Been there quite a few times with both my cars. Almost everyone gets a MINI First. Yes, you heard me right, a MINI First!
How is that worse than Vauxhall dealers who give Insignia drivers 1.0 Corsas etc?kchika said:
And the worst courtesy car award from a main dealer goes to... Sytner BMW/MINI Nottingham. Been there quite a few times with both my cars. Almost everyone gets a MINI First. Yes, you heard me right, a MINI First!
Better than a lot on here to be honest.If they gave you some old s
tter, fair enough, but a new MINI is hardly the end of the world
Volvo have always given me a free car. I just have to sign something to say I'm insured. Most insurers will insure you on courtesy vehicles as well as your own.
On the point of using a dealer, I personally use the dealer for the first 4-5 years and then every other year. With Volvo you get free roadside breakdown assistance thrown in for a year when you get your car serviced with them which is a nice bonus.
On the point of using a dealer, I personally use the dealer for the first 4-5 years and then every other year. With Volvo you get free roadside breakdown assistance thrown in for a year when you get your car serviced with them which is a nice bonus.
versus said:
Volvo have always given me a free car. I just have to sign something to say I'm insured. Most insurers will insure you on courtesy vehicles as well as your own.
The Volvo dealer I worked for would not accept a signature,but required the customer to ring the insurance company and the service advisor would have to speak to the insurance company to confirm its fully insured.I had a courtesy car from a Skoda dealer (Graeme P Chatham in Dunfermline, awesome service 
) and showing them my Aviva policy documents was enough (it confirmed I was insured for 7 days at a time for a courtesy car)
Got a brand new 1.2 Fabia which was great, better than the 1.6 Astra that was in for repair...
) and showing them my Aviva policy documents was enough (it confirmed I was insured for 7 days at a time for a courtesy car)Got a brand new 1.2 Fabia which was great, better than the 1.6 Astra that was in for repair...
When we took the 3er for warranty work we got a sub 100 mile old 116d which was the new shape, and I have a feeling that if the dealer we got the Panda from keep the same attitude as when we were buying it will be a case of, here are some trade plates, grab the keys to whatever you want from round there, tell me what you have picked and head off.
A (very)large dealership in Ohio gave a chap looking at a 2 day repair job on his F-150 a GT-R as a CC while I was in there for a service on one of my Mustangs. I'd already told them I was prepared to wait as mine was only a 2-3hr job.
I think he was fortunate to be dealing directly with the co-owner, I overheard others being told to take the bus.
In the UK, the only time anything has gone wrong with one of my dads countless golfs, was a wear & tear related shot wheel bearing after 110k on a mk5 gt tdi. While it was in being fixed with the main dealer(on the insistence of the leasing company), he was given(curiously) a tatty base spec E90 318d with either a) crash damage; or b) trashed shock absorbers, it pulled and darted across the road almost uncontrollably, absolutely horrendous.
I think he was fortunate to be dealing directly with the co-owner, I overheard others being told to take the bus.
In the UK, the only time anything has gone wrong with one of my dads countless golfs, was a wear & tear related shot wheel bearing after 110k on a mk5 gt tdi. While it was in being fixed with the main dealer(on the insistence of the leasing company), he was given(curiously) a tatty base spec E90 318d with either a) crash damage; or b) trashed shock absorbers, it pulled and darted across the road almost uncontrollably, absolutely horrendous.
Edited by FisiP1 on Wednesday 29th February 01:12
I think some are missing the point. For a start CCs are usually used as company cars by the staff a lot of the time and deducted from their salary. (hence the earlier comments about sweet papers etc) But also they are an upselling opportunity. " Are you happy with your current car - would you like this one instead, we can do a nice deal?"
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