Contracts

Sorry but that is incorrect regarding servicing as some manufacturers still don't keep cross dealer records. A large percentage of leasing is fleets of under 5 vehicles and will not have maintenance agreements and there is no need to report servicing (some just write their own). Add this to the number of people who take a lease or PCP on 8k per annum and don’t think there’s anything wrong with John from Facebook adjusting the miles every year to keep payments down. The sad thing is clocking is very common across lots of types of vehicle contract, I have known hire companies vehicles be adjusted on long term contracts to avoid going over monthly mileage limits as well as privately owned and leased vehicles The only way to stamp it out would be to make mileage adjustment illegal and have large fines for anyone involved.

Next week is going to be fun. A couple of us have been working all day trying to plan client vehicles for the next 6 weeks. Some fleet sales people who have responded think they will be completely shutting next week so no new car deliveries after Wednesday but the collection companies believe they will still be collecting end of contract cars as normal. These cars will need to go somewhere. The next hurdle is a no deal Brexit as nobody has currently confirmed they are price protecting cars that run into next year. If a no deal does happen and 10% import duties start I think there will be another round of price increases on all sub 4 year old European stuff.

If it happens again best get the registered keeper to call call DVLA, pay £25 over the phone it it arrives in 3 days. Have done a couple the last few months including a Rolls Royce V5 for a key worker.

Is pot luck. I sent a postal change of class / incorrect seats on V5 / tax at the start of August and the new V5 is already back. What’s the actual issue?

The DVLA site shows the last V5 issue date. In your case could this have been the switch from blue to red V5s? I know plate and address changes generate a new V5 but for most cars It is accurate.

Ferrari / JCT / £200k

Have a couple of 19/19 Startlines due back but basic engine and white with barn doors so pretty much the opposite of what you want. Will pm you if anything nice pops up.

Decent vans have gone mental. Are the Transporters you need anything special?

Have had this a few times but it is normally noticeable as it is either the VRM or chassis that’s recorded. Normally cars with manufacturers plates eg BMW - YC, VW - GC Etc. Have an interesting one going on with Volkswagen Financial Services at the moment. Short story we purchased a 6 month old vehicle outright, has been with a client 18 months and we have now sold it retail. Upon collection the buyer HPI checks and shows on finance with VWFS (we had no reason to do this as it is our vehicle). We call VWFS they can’t discuss the finance as we can’t confirm the details of the person on the agreement! After explaining they have clearly made a mistake and maybe should phone their customer to confirm the reg of the vehicle they actually have? Time goes on, buyer drops out, VWFS management won’t help and stick to the we can’t talk to you are you can’t pass security line. We then raised a case with HPI. HPI come back saying VWFS have confirmed details are correct and can’t help. Last resort we called the VW dealer we got it from and they checked their deal files and it seems they put the wrong vehicle details (ours) on a finance document 18 months ago. Hopefully VWFS will now remove the marker but I can’t help thinking a quick call or email to their client would have resolved all this hassle.

Its realtime.... https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/?_ga=2.204624984.937146301.1574888656-442130928.1574888656

Check the vehicle status online and it should show as untaxed.

If they are sold and you need to tax why not V62 at a post office. I know it’s not great for the buyer not seeing a V5 but is a solution (as long as they have passed to trade).

Have an account with them. Have seen a couple of cars in the past that would have liked but not managed to buy from them as outbid on one last minute and the other the seller changed their mind prior to purchase. Used Tootle but they disappeared. Probably because both times they never invoices for the introductions

We had this a few years ago with a batch of Skodas. We had 4 with near similar miles but 1 was mint, 2 average and 1 a bit of a dog. All were advertised within £500 of each other but it was the mint one we got left with.

Quite a few main dealers are opening service departments this week with non key workers bookings from next week. Several I have spoken with have commented on the number of customers asking for C&D which they are unable to help with due to their drivers being from the higher risk group.

From my experience I think most are summed up above. The biggest annoyance for us is customers comparing to a similar vehicle or deal somewhere else and making up a deal they have been offered (this happens a lot more in leasing, comparing apples with apples springs to mind) Last year had a guy trying to chip us on a Evoque as he said he could get the similar car at Stratstone with a £1000 off the advertised price plus they offered more for his car. As we all know this does not happen with Stratstone and he did buy our car even when he said the deal was “costing him £2000 more”. Trouble is you feel these customers resent you and overall the transaction has a bitter taste.

Nothing will need changing, many new cars sit for months at a time, we still have access to some new and unused BMW’s registered June 2019. Before you ask the warranty starts from registration date but do check the service countdown is reset if it’s had an early PDI. Some larger fleet dealers are delivering cars but most smaller retail outlets have furloughed staff and would need individual people to do the following to make it happen, PDI, Valet, Invoice, Register / RFL, Hans over. In most cases main dealers are just taking holding deposits on used cars rather than delivering them.

Have got a few lumpy sports cars coming in SOR including a 69 plate Bentley. As for commercials, we are down a bit on renewals but it was heading this way before C19. This is partly due to the list prices of new vans increasing so much in the last 12 months

Likewise, the last few days has generated a lot more leads across the business and we have taken deposits on two used over the weekend. The downside is the stupid offers are still coming, around 75% of the asking price seems the norm, one even had links to Bloomberg and other forums stating how far values could drop. There are also a few offering knackered PX’s, one has even been open and said his X3 diesel won’t go more than 20mph so we need to collect it. Apparently it’s a simple fix which begs the question why does he not get it done. Will just be a case of sorting the buyers from the dreamers.

We have an email stating the car was being “serviced” as this was part of the agreement and was the reason the car was delayed. In reality it seems someone reset the light and hoped nobody would notice. The client is aware and not really bothered but we are waiting for the dealer to advise how we progress. Has been up for a while, has previously been wrapped with an aftermarket wing and painted. Surprised at that price it’s not going for a foreign holiday.

Know a couple of people with 570 / 720, one uses his most days without problems, the other two are keen to get out of them as unreliable and lots of defects with paint etc. Warranty is essential on these but annual renewal is just shy of £5000. As for main dealers, purchased a car 2018 car for a client last year from a main dealer, paid just shy of £180k so expected it to be right, has been back several times for things that should have been sorted pre delivery and in March this year found out the year one service was not completed.....

Have had problems with Ecoblue engine service lights coming on early due to oil dilution issues but Ford have covered these under warranty. From memory the wet services are a maximum of 24 months / 36k but most seem to ping the warning late 20’s. Excluding the DPF issues the 2.2 was so much better.

On the subject of distance selling it is a worry for us unless we already know the client. A couple of years ago we funded a California for a private client from a main dealer. Turns out we were lucky the dealer would not trade us the car as there were a few faults that were fixed by the local Ferrari dealer but our client finally backed it for a full refund after a month due to a cosmetic problem. On the subject of taking orders, we are on minimal staff and very few people are talking about changing their cars and even if we did get orders none of the dealers we use seem to be delivering. When things do start to move again there will be a backlog of new cars to deliver, we even have one that was released by a dealer to their delivery company on the Monday of lock down, driver took it home to deliver next morning but stopped working!

Most manufacturers are stating quiet about it but BMW are extending any that ran out after 14th March until the end of June TBA along with service packs etc.

He is leaving keys and paperwork on seat and we are posting keys. Our drivers have got little packs of spray and cloths to wipe contact surfaces either end plus rubber gloves. As for us working, nobody other than staff are allowed in the office and there are only 3 in working within different individual offices, no A/C allowed, no sharing communal areas. Everyone else is at home as not much to do. As for deliveries, we think we are allowed to do it, it’s only 30 miles and the driver won’t be stopping anywhere. to be fair probably the only one we will be doing for the foreseeable.