Let ChipsAway Take the Pain out of Returning your Lease Car.

It's easy to understand why so many private individuals and companies decide that the lease option is the best option when choosing their new car. It helps with cash flow and enables a replacement car to be acquired every 2 or 3 years without the significant outlay of outright purchase. The main problem with leasing a vehicle however, comes when returning the vehicle to the lease company. What many people would consider fair wear and tear, is not necessarily considered to be acceptable by the lease company and with significant repair costs being applied by many lease companies, this "easy option" can become a very big headache.

THIS IS WHERE CHIPSAWAY CAN EASE THE PAIN FOR YOU!

ChipsAway Telford are able to offer you an End of Lease (EOL) vehicle inspection by a British Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association (BVRLA) accredited independent inspector and provide you with a comprehensive condition report on your lease vehicle. The process has been developed to help you avoid the headaches often associated with returning vehicles at EOL. Let us inspect the vehicle and then we can do as much or as little as you require. Simply call us any time (normally 21-28 days) prior to the EOL date to arrange an inspection and we will do the rest including:

• Arrange to carry out a full EOL inspection either at your premises, home address or our workshop at a pre-arranged time.
• Provide a list of all damage on the vehicle and identify which damage falls outside of acceptable fair wear and tear standards. 
• Provide a competitive quotation for all identified damage.

Should you subsequently request us to carry out any repair work we will deduct the initial inspection fee (£35+VAT) from the final invoice. If all work in excess of fair wear and tear is carried out then we will also carry out a final inspection including:

• Take a comprehensive set of photographs to confirm the return condition of the vehicle.
• Complete a BVRLA EOL Condition certificate for the vehicle.
• If required we can store the vehicle free of charge at our premises until collected directly from us by the lease company.
• Should any charge backs be attempted by the lease company we can, with your authority, dispute these on your behalf and if necessary invoke the BVRLA arbitration service.
• If using our direct collection service remember to bring all vehicle documents (ie. service and log books) and both sets of keys and check if the car needs an MOT. (we can arrange this if you give us notice)

Please note that whilst we offer all of the above and more (including valeting, 30 day account facilities (Subject to status), etc) it is entirely up to you which elements of our service you wish to make use of. ChipsAway Telford are happy to provide references from other satisfied customers should you require them.

For further details or if you have any queries please feel free to call Paul on 0771 367 8700

THERE WILL BE MORE INFORMATION IN THE COMING WEEKS ON HOW TO ENSURE THAT YOUR LEASE VEHICLE REMAINS SOMETHING YOU CAN ENJOY, RATHER THAN SOMETHING YOU END UP REGRETTING.

The Real "Insurance Company" Hustle! Be Prepared!

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!!

If you need to make a claim on your motor insurance or on the insurance of an identifiable 3rd party who may have damaged your vehicle, remember one thing when dealing with the insurance company:

DON'T BE BULLIED

The Association of British Insurers and the Financial Services Authority agree, it's your car and the choice is yours. There are very few exceptions to this rule.

What sort of obstacles will your insurance company put in your way in order to wriggle out of their obligation to allow you freedom of choice?  Well these can be many and varied and over the last 10 years I have to say I have heard plenty.  If you have been in this situation before, maybe you will recognise some of these........ if you haven't, or if you have been lucky enough never to have made a claim, bear them in mind, you never know when being prepared for them will come in handy in the future.  

"The "You simply have to..." Ruse"

When you first report the incident to your insurance company, they will normally inform you that they will arrange for their "authorised repairer" to contact you.  There is nothing wrong with this, except that it implies you have no choice and simply have to use their nominated garage.  The use of the word "authorised" also implies that all other repairers are "unauthorised".  This is not true, and if you wish to use your own nominated repairer, tell them so.  

"The Courtesy Car Dodge"

Many insurance policies provide for the use of a courtesy car when your car is in the garage. Your insurance company will probably emphasise that in order to qualify for a courtesy car, you must use their repairer.  However, your chosen repairer will very often offer the same service, so remember to ask.  

"Approved v Non-Approved Ploy"

The call centre operatives will normally refer to their own repairers as "approved" or "authorised", implying that all other garages are not approved to work on your car.  This again is quite incorrect and you are entitled to consider the benefits of using a garage of your choice. Maybe you already have a relationship with a local garage or have been referred to one by a friend or relative.  It is quite natural after all, to want your car to be repaired by someone you can trust rather than a member of a large group who may be some distance away who you have no experience of. 

"The Guarantee Trick"

It may be implied to you by your insurance company that should you choose your own repairer, you will forgo any rights to a guarantee with your repairs.  However, if your chosen repairer is a member of the Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association (VBRA) then you will always receive a 24 month guarantee with your body repairs.  Some repairers offer much longer warranties including, in some cases, a lifetime warranty  (e.g ChipsAway).  It pays to check what guarantee your repairer is offering and to read through the terms and conditions to make sure you are satisfied. Just remember it's not just insurers "approved repairers" who offer guarantees, any reputable repairer will do the same.

"The Busy Engineer Manoeuvre"

There are occasions when an insurance engineer will need to inspect your vehicle before work is carried out.  If the vehicle is taken to an "approved " garage, then this will normally happen there.  If you choose your own repairer, then the engineer will view the car either at your home or at your chosen garage.  You may be told that the inspecting engineer is busy and will not be able to view your car for a long period if you use your own repairer.  This is a fallacy.  The insurer has to deal with your repairs in a timely fashion and cannot threaten to penalise you in this way.  You should insist on your claim being handled in the same way, whoever you decide to use.


"Multiple Estimates Gambit"

Another ploy used by insurance companies to try and make life so inconvenient for you, that you give in and simply agree to use their repairer (when we are busy, it's sometimes a case of "anything for an easy life!"), is to tell you that you need to get multiple estimates for the repairs. You do not! You only need to supply one estimate from your chosen repairer.  Further estimates are only required if the insurance engineer and your repairer cannot agree costs. 

"The Increased Excess Strategy"


Something which has been introduced in recent years by some insurance companies in order to force you to use their garage is to increase your excess for not using their repairer.  So, instead of paying an excess of £150, you have to pay £350 because you have not used your insurers garage!  Two companies that do this currently are Aviva (Aviva excess policy - see page 2) and E-Sure (Click here and see point 5)

BEWARE:  This increased excess is something that you must check when considering which insurance company to use, you are committed to it once you have taken out your policy. You could also infer from this that your insurance company typically makes £200 out of every repair passed to their network and that they are just trying to recoup this from you, their customer.


Some useful links:

VBRA Code of Practice

Know Your Rights

Getting ready for winter - a checklist.

Well after a fantastic Summer (I am assured it was somewhere!) it's now a sensible time to prepare your car for another British Winter.  I thought it may be useful to suggest a few measures which could help avoid the frustration of a mid-Winter breakdown, other than simply emigrating to warmer climates for the next 5 months or so.  Remember, this is Britain in Winter, so it's reasonably safe to assume that it will be cold, it will be wet, it will probably freeze and snow at some stage and prevention is better than cure.  Hopefully this simple checklist may help:

Fuel.  Try to keep fuel at no less than a quarter of a tank to allow for emergencies.

Antifreeze.  Check coolant level regularly and top up when necessary.  Get a garage to check concentration levels are high enough to protect against really low temperatures

Tyres.  Make sure your tyres have plenty of tread (at least 3mm). Check pressures regularly (at least once every fortnight) as cold weather will cause you're tyre pressure to fall.

Battery.  Get a garage to check your battery (and alternator) to check it's charging correctly.  If it isn't, change it.
 
Lights.  Carry spare bulbs and clean your lights regularly so that you can see and be seen.

Wiper blades.  Make sure that you wiper blades are up to standard. Ensure they are not cracked or perished and are not leaving marks across the screen.

Screenwash.  Top up your screenwash regularly and carry a ready made up bottle in the boot just in case.  Screen wash can often run out quickly if you do a lot of Winter driving.

Things to carry.  Ice scraper, de-icer, warning triangle, tow rope, jump leads, reflective jacket and a torch. Also, if travelling in snowy conditions, carry a shovel, warm clothing a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate.

Some extra top tips!

Locks. Spraying some WD-40 into your locks will help to stop them freezing.

Windscreen.  Keeping your screen clean helps reduce dazzle from low sun.

Doors seals.   Rubbing a small amount of vaseline onto your door seals will help prevent them from freezing shut.