Tweet
R0b Hello, I was hoping you might be able to help with a query re service liability please.
I am 44 months in to a 48 month PCP with Audi and have had a change of circumstances and will no longer be working as of October. As a result I don't need the car anymore (we have another one that is cheaper to run that my husband uses for his commuting) and I now can't afford nearly £500 per month for the Audi. I started looking into my options which I believe are: 1) Early settlement using savings and then sell the car myself to get back as much of the cost as possible 2) Voluntary termination with associated costs.
Both options are going to cost me quite a lot of money, but there isn't much in it and I am struggling because the VT option costs are not made clear in advance, even though apparently once I have entered into the process it isn't reversible.
Re Option 1 my early settlement figure is £17,900 which I could pay from savings, but the car is apparently only worth approx £15k if sold privately, so I will likely be £2,900 out of pocket (and it may take a while to sell).
Re Option 2 and VT, I already know I will have to pay over £1,600 in excess mileage charges and about £550 to refurbish the diamond cut alloys and sort out a small scuff on the bumper, plus any other costs that they decide to add on (and there are plenty of horror stories out there about huge additions, which you then have to go through a long and stressful process to challenge). That option would have put me about £2,150 out of pocket (assuming no silly additional costs) so would have been the better option.
However, since I've started investigating all of this the "service due" message is now showing. I have contacted VWFS who provide the Finance, and Audi themselves, and neither of them can tell me for certain whether I am liable for the cost of servicing if I VT now. I also contacted BVRLA whose guidance VWFS apparently use to assess the cars when they are returned, but they just said that their guidance doesn't cover servicing as it's not a factor under wear and tear. They said I should refer to my contract (which says nothing at all about servicing) or ask VWFS, who again said they didn't know. Their advice was to return the car and then challenge the costs afterwards if the inspector applies them. My issue with this (other than that is is frankly ridiculous to force someone to commit to an irreversible process without the information being available in advance to inform their decision) is that depending on the costs, I could be better off just buying the car and selling it myself. But as I won't know that until I get the VT inspection report, it's now become a Catch-22 situation. I'm also concerned that if I VT without a service they will charge a ridiculous amount (i.e. much more if I'd taken it in myself).
Are you able to advise whether I am liable to pay for the service now it has become due please? I can confirm that the car has a full manufacturer's service history for all previous services.
Thanks :-)
I am 44 months in to a 48 month PCP with Audi and have had a change of circumstances and will no longer be working as of October. As a result I don't need the car anymore (we have another one that is cheaper to run that my husband uses for his commuting) and I now can't afford nearly £500 per month for the Audi. I started looking into my options which I believe are: 1) Early settlement using savings and then sell the car myself to get back as much of the cost as possible 2) Voluntary termination with associated costs.
Both options are going to cost me quite a lot of money, but there isn't much in it and I am struggling because the VT option costs are not made clear in advance, even though apparently once I have entered into the process it isn't reversible.
Re Option 1 my early settlement figure is £17,900 which I could pay from savings, but the car is apparently only worth approx £15k if sold privately, so I will likely be £2,900 out of pocket (and it may take a while to sell).
Re Option 2 and VT, I already know I will have to pay over £1,600 in excess mileage charges and about £550 to refurbish the diamond cut alloys and sort out a small scuff on the bumper, plus any other costs that they decide to add on (and there are plenty of horror stories out there about huge additions, which you then have to go through a long and stressful process to challenge). That option would have put me about £2,150 out of pocket (assuming no silly additional costs) so would have been the better option.
However, since I've started investigating all of this the "service due" message is now showing. I have contacted VWFS who provide the Finance, and Audi themselves, and neither of them can tell me for certain whether I am liable for the cost of servicing if I VT now. I also contacted BVRLA whose guidance VWFS apparently use to assess the cars when they are returned, but they just said that their guidance doesn't cover servicing as it's not a factor under wear and tear. They said I should refer to my contract (which says nothing at all about servicing) or ask VWFS, who again said they didn't know. Their advice was to return the car and then challenge the costs afterwards if the inspector applies them. My issue with this (other than that is is frankly ridiculous to force someone to commit to an irreversible process without the information being available in advance to inform their decision) is that depending on the costs, I could be better off just buying the car and selling it myself. But as I won't know that until I get the VT inspection report, it's now become a Catch-22 situation. I'm also concerned that if I VT without a service they will charge a ridiculous amount (i.e. much more if I'd taken it in myself).
Are you able to advise whether I am liable to pay for the service now it has become due please? I can confirm that the car has a full manufacturer's service history for all previous services.
Thanks :-)
