Lease Car Collection and Inspection
Discussion
Hello There,
Although I'm a regular follower of this group, this is my first post and please excuse me
.
My car lease is coming to an end soon (Volvo) and the leasing company is collecting it soon with a pre-inspection. Did some googling and found the company is quite strict (of course, most of them are) but they can be very nasty by picking up every little detail with an end-of-lease bill.
The car condition is spotless, no scratches, and it's as good as new except the wheels as I hit kerb sometimes when parking which took the paint of on the wheels (minor).
Any advice on what to look for or anyone who has any experiences to share is much appreciated.
regards
BG
Although I'm a regular follower of this group, this is my first post and please excuse me
.My car lease is coming to an end soon (Volvo) and the leasing company is collecting it soon with a pre-inspection. Did some googling and found the company is quite strict (of course, most of them are) but they can be very nasty by picking up every little detail with an end-of-lease bill.
The car condition is spotless, no scratches, and it's as good as new except the wheels as I hit kerb sometimes when parking which took the paint of on the wheels (minor).
Any advice on what to look for or anyone who has any experiences to share is much appreciated
.regards
BG
bGuy said:
Hello There,
Although I'm a regular follower of this group, this is my first post and please excuse me.
My car lease is coming to an end soon (Volvo) and the leasing company is collecting it soon with a pre-inspection. Did some googling and found the company is quite strict (of course, most of them are) but they can be very nasty by picking up every little detail with an end-of-lease bill.
The car condition is spotless, no scratches, and it's as good as new except the wheels as I hit kerb sometimes when parking which took the paint of on the wheels (minor).
Any advice on what to look for or anyone who has any experiences to share is much appreciated.
regards
BG
Our experience has been pretty positive. First was VW finance who didn't charge anything at all. There wasn't really anything wrong with the car but they have fairly clearly defined guidance on what is acceptable damage and what standard charges apply so you know where you stand. Although I'm a regular follower of this group, this is my first post and please excuse me
.My car lease is coming to an end soon (Volvo) and the leasing company is collecting it soon with a pre-inspection. Did some googling and found the company is quite strict (of course, most of them are) but they can be very nasty by picking up every little detail with an end-of-lease bill.
The car condition is spotless, no scratches, and it's as good as new except the wheels as I hit kerb sometimes when parking which took the paint of on the wheels (minor).
Any advice on what to look for or anyone who has any experiences to share is much appreciated
.regards
BG
Second one was collected by BCA. Car did have the odd thing that could have been quibbled over but the Mrs picked the guy up to save him having to get various forms of public transport to us and then made him a cuppa when they got here. I think that helped a lot. No charge again on that one.
I was probably expecting the worst on both having read a few horror stories but both guys that did the inspections were entirely reasonable humans.
ETA, FWIW both inspectors said that they were pleasantly surprised to turn up and find a clean car not full of junk. One mentioned that they often find tyre warning lights on, empty washer bottles etc. I guess it's probably worth setting the right tone of a looked after car from the off.
Edited by Gad-Westy on Thursday 25th November 13:18
Gad-Westy said:
Our experience has been pretty positive. First was VW finance who didn't charge anything at all. There wasn't really anything wrong with the car but they have fairly clearly defined guidance on what is acceptable damage and what standard charges apply so you know where you stand.
Second one was collected by BCA. Car did have the odd thing that could have been quibbled over but the Mrs picked the guy up to save him having to get various forms of public transport to us and then made him a cuppa when they got here. I think that helped a lot. No charge again on that one.
I was probably expecting the worst on both having read a few horror stories but both guys that did the inspections were entirely reasonable humans.
ETA, FWIW both inspectors said that they were pleasantly surprised to turn up and find a clean car not full of junk. One mentioned that they often find tyre warning lights on, empty washer bottles etc. I guess it's probably worth setting the right tone of a looked after car from the off.
Cheers Second one was collected by BCA. Car did have the odd thing that could have been quibbled over but the Mrs picked the guy up to save him having to get various forms of public transport to us and then made him a cuppa when they got here. I think that helped a lot. No charge again on that one.
I was probably expecting the worst on both having read a few horror stories but both guys that did the inspections were entirely reasonable humans.
ETA, FWIW both inspectors said that they were pleasantly surprised to turn up and find a clean car not full of junk. One mentioned that they often find tyre warning lights on, empty washer bottles etc. I guess it's probably worth setting the right tone of a looked after car from the off.
Edited by Gad-Westy on Thursday 25th November 13:18
bGuy said:
Inspection company is Manheem
There is no chipping on the car. My only concern are the wheels with very minor scratches.
No stonechips at all, on any of the front / bonnet / wings / etc...? that would be very unusual.There is no chipping on the car. My only concern are the wheels with very minor scratches.
I had 2 cars go back recently to VWFS
The first a golf that had only done 2k miles in 2yrs and was totally immaculate and still had the 'new smell' zero issues and no cost
The second was an octavia, I paid to had the rear bumper repainted where someone had clipped it, but other than that it looked ok (other than a crease on the swage line of the passenger door), usual stone chips etc. and was about 2k miles over the allowance, on collection the guy from BCA flagged all manor or minor stone chips on the leading edges and roof resulting in a bill for nearly £1500 - I rang and queried the chips, but agreed at the swage line damage, they said they couldn't see any damage at all on the pics and cancelled all charges there and then.
most lease companies have a guide on how big dents, scratches and wheel marks can be before they charge to repair them
heres a VW one
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&a...
heres a VW one
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&a...
x5tuu said:
No stonechips at all, on any of the front / bonnet / wings / etc...? that would be very unusual.
I had 2 cars go back recently to VWFS
The first a golf that had only done 2k miles in 2yrs and was totally immaculate and still had the 'new smell' zero issues and no cost
The second was an octavia, I paid to had the rear bumper repainted where someone had clipped it, but other than that it looked ok (other than a crease on the swage line of the passenger door), usual stone chips etc. and was about 2k miles over the allowance, on collection the guy from BCA flagged all manor or minor stone chips on the leading edges and roof resulting in a bill for nearly £1500 - I rang and queried the chips, but agreed at the swage line damage, they said they couldn't see any damage at all on the pics and cancelled all charges there and then.
A very very small chips if one looks very close but I wouldn't count those unless the inspection company look at them with big eyes. I had 2 cars go back recently to VWFS
The first a golf that had only done 2k miles in 2yrs and was totally immaculate and still had the 'new smell' zero issues and no cost
The second was an octavia, I paid to had the rear bumper repainted where someone had clipped it, but other than that it looked ok (other than a crease on the swage line of the passenger door), usual stone chips etc. and was about 2k miles over the allowance, on collection the guy from BCA flagged all manor or minor stone chips on the leading edges and roof resulting in a bill for nearly £1500 - I rang and queried the chips, but agreed at the swage line damage, they said they couldn't see any damage at all on the pics and cancelled all charges there and then.
I may sound worried but I dont want any nasty bills end of the day
. If there is something reasonable its fine but doesnt look it will be the case./When our Kia Niro was collected the handback took well over two hours. There were initially three guys there but two of them nicked off after about half an hour, leaving the other gent to conduct the inspection by himself.
I’d had the car properly valeted a couple of weeks before and it was as close to being immaculate as it could be.
He picked up tar on the alloys as damage (it came off with a bit of encouragement), some very light bramble scratches (Cornish roads etc) and footprints in the footwell - the mats had been removed.
It was vaguely insulting because it was very obviously well looked after.
As it happened I grew bored of watching him pick holes in the car and left him to it. Once we’d gone over his report and photos, prior to submitting them to the finance company I signed to confirm it was accurate. And then it was sent…. He then discovered that there was a bloody great hole in the boot lid cover on the inside where I’d taken a length of 4x2 to the tip and had unknowingly shut the boot lid on it and smashed the cover. The report had been submitted by that point; and not able to be edited. It was amusing to see a such a pedantic, pompous little fellow deflate, as he realised that it was now on his head and we’d both signed the condition report as “undamaged”.
I’d had the car properly valeted a couple of weeks before and it was as close to being immaculate as it could be.
He picked up tar on the alloys as damage (it came off with a bit of encouragement), some very light bramble scratches (Cornish roads etc) and footprints in the footwell - the mats had been removed.
It was vaguely insulting because it was very obviously well looked after.
As it happened I grew bored of watching him pick holes in the car and left him to it. Once we’d gone over his report and photos, prior to submitting them to the finance company I signed to confirm it was accurate. And then it was sent…. He then discovered that there was a bloody great hole in the boot lid cover on the inside where I’d taken a length of 4x2 to the tip and had unknowingly shut the boot lid on it and smashed the cover. The report had been submitted by that point; and not able to be edited. It was amusing to see a such a pedantic, pompous little fellow deflate, as he realised that it was now on his head and we’d both signed the condition report as “undamaged”.
Gad-Westy said:
Our experience has been pretty positive. First was VW finance who didn't charge anything at all. There wasn't really anything wrong with the car but they have fairly clearly defined guidance on what is acceptable damage and what standard charges apply so you know where you stand.
Second one was collected by BCA. Car did have the odd thing that could have been quibbled over but the Mrs picked the guy up to save him having to get various forms of public transport to us and then made him a cuppa when they got here. I think that helped a lot. No charge again on that one.
Much the same here. Second one was collected by BCA. Car did have the odd thing that could have been quibbled over but the Mrs picked the guy up to save him having to get various forms of public transport to us and then made him a cuppa when they got here. I think that helped a lot. No charge again on that one.
15/65 Tiguan collected September 2017. I had it valeted to within an inch of its life which, in hindsight, was a mistake as it meant the couple of marks were perhaps more easily picked up. But the VWFS charges were reasonable.
18/18 Disco Sport collected by BCA in March this year. Said valeter was closed, for obvious reasons, so I washed it myself. Which is never a good job. No charges whatsoever this time!
bGuy said:
A very very small chips if one looks very close but I wouldn't count those unless the inspection company look at them with big eyes.
I may sound worried but I dont want any nasty bills end of the day. If there is something reasonable its fine but doesnt look it will be the case./
You may not, but the inspector will have to make an objective judgement on them.I may sound worried but I dont want any nasty bills end of the day
. If there is something reasonable its fine but doesnt look it will be the case./You will be able to download the BVRLA fair wear and tear guide from your financers portal - that'll tell you what they consider to be acceptable for stonechips - with VW (IIRC) it was if there was more than 5 stone chips on any one panel then it was £X (upto 5mm each) to repaint the panel.
They absolutely love to pick up on wheel scuffs OP so I would expect him to flag that and try to charge £50 - £75 each wheel.
If you think they're minor just don't sign the inspection form and it will then be up to the finance company to pursue you for the money which for something minor like that - in my experience - they never do.
If you think they're minor just don't sign the inspection form and it will then be up to the finance company to pursue you for the money which for something minor like that - in my experience - they never do.
Canon_Fodder said:
They absolutely love to pick up on wheel scuffs OP so I would expect him to flag that and try to charge £50 - £75 each wheel.
If you think they're minor just don't sign the inspection form and it will then be up to the finance company to pursue you for the money which for something minor like that - in my experience - they never do.
Yes, there are some scuffs and minor dents on the wheels. Also, Tyres are on the dot 1.66 almost throughout the tyre diameter. I hope they don't pick on them If you think they're minor just don't sign the inspection form and it will then be up to the finance company to pursue you for the money which for something minor like that - in my experience - they never do.
Sorry about the late reply as Piston heads wouldn't let me post more than 5 as I'm a newbie.
Canon_Fodder said:
They absolutely love to pick up on wheel scuffs OP so I would expect him to flag that and try to charge £50 - £75 each wheel.
Interesting you say that as I had a lease car (BMW) collected by Mannheim for auction and they weren't in the least bit bothered about the wheels.Granted, there were only a couple of bits of damage but the BVRLA guidelines allow for 50mm of rim scuffs per wheel anyway.
Lex picked up my V90 a couple of weeks ago. I'd given it a good wash and vac before it went back, otherwise it was in decent nick. There was a slightly kerbed alloy that tbf I hadn't noticed, but it was within their allowed sizes so I wasn't charged a penny.
The most damage that day was when I let the chap into my house to use the loo, he walked over my lawn and up the stairs, taking all the mud with him! He was apologetic enough about it so I let it go, if he'd have charged me for the car though I wouldn't have been so accommodating. You get some real characters collecting sometimes...
The most damage that day was when I let the chap into my house to use the loo, he walked over my lawn and up the stairs, taking all the mud with him! He was apologetic enough about it so I let it go, if he'd have charged me for the car though I wouldn't have been so accommodating. You get some real characters collecting sometimes...
I've had about 5 or 6 leases and the most I've ever paid was £36 (to VWFS for a trolley ding on an A4 that also had a cracked windscreen).
My Volvo V90 went back via Manheim and I never got charged anything. Had a couple of alloys scraped (tight multi-storey) and a couple of small scuffs on the rear bumper (from the first month - before I got used to how long it was!)
They might also pick things up on inspection that Volvo may deem them not worth charging for, and you can dispute anything stupid.
Don't worry about it
My Volvo V90 went back via Manheim and I never got charged anything. Had a couple of alloys scraped (tight multi-storey) and a couple of small scuffs on the rear bumper (from the first month - before I got used to how long it was!)
They might also pick things up on inspection that Volvo may deem them not worth charging for, and you can dispute anything stupid.
Don't worry about it
Couple of tips
1. Be really nice to the collection blokes. Invite them in, offer them tea, coffee and lots of biscuits.
2. Here's a really good bit of advice from PHer Dog Star that he posted a while back, should they try and charge you for anything:
"My technique.....
- make sure that any direct debits are stopped immediately after your final payment is made. This is just in case they try and take any alleged damage monies by DD.
- when you get a letter off them asking for £xxx send one back and dispute it. This will stop the clock.
- when they write back to you wait a month before replying
- always wait a month before making any reply BY POST
- ask for some better photos. By this time the car is long gone so they can't
I got a 500 quid bill down to 50 using this technique. Just spin it out."
1. Be really nice to the collection blokes. Invite them in, offer them tea, coffee and lots of biscuits.
2. Here's a really good bit of advice from PHer Dog Star that he posted a while back, should they try and charge you for anything:
"My technique.....
- make sure that any direct debits are stopped immediately after your final payment is made. This is just in case they try and take any alleged damage monies by DD.
- when you get a letter off them asking for £xxx send one back and dispute it. This will stop the clock.
- when they write back to you wait a month before replying
- always wait a month before making any reply BY POST
- ask for some better photos. By this time the car is long gone so they can't
I got a 500 quid bill down to 50 using this technique. Just spin it out."
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