Voluntary termination - fees on inspection

[The Large Portion]

Hi everyone,

 

I need some advice if you could help me out please?

 

We're in the process of VT'ing the girlfriend's ford fiesta. The company sent a man out to inspect it, who now says that the car is in poor condition and wants to charge the following :

 

£100 for an MOT (which I'm disputing as it ran out yesterday and they took their time getting to me in the first place...)

£100 for no service

£200 for bird dropping damage to the roof.

 

All in all - £400 for a car that's just bang on three years old.

 

The one I want to dispute is the bird dropping damage to the roof. As far as I can see, after cleaning and polishing the car, the damage is a slightly bubbled paint effect on the top of the roof of the car.

 

I'm prepared to get the car MOT'd and serviced, that's no problem, but what are the rules on paintwork? My understanding was that the car had to be in reasonable condition for it's age, and at three years old I'd expect there to be some minor paintwork damage. If necessary I can take a picture for you to look at, but I wouldn't say it needed £200 worth of remedial work.

 

Any and all help would be gratefully received.

 

Many thanks,

 

Paul

[Jamesx81x]

What exactly do the terms and conditions state? Should be sections in those that explain.

 

If not dont see how they can charge you.

[Conniff]

You should take lots of pics anyway especially if you are using a digi camera, you can get hundreds as they will probably find other things once it is out of your sight.

 

How on earth he could come to £100 for an MoT that cost £54, was the other bit his commission.

Bird poo would be acceptable wear and tear. Is the service not within date, you don't have to have it serviced if you have a receipt which has valid miles before the next is due.

 

Try a bit of 'Tcut' on the marks.

 

It is all just another company rip-off, an attempt to screw you for as much as they can.

[heliosuk]

As Conniff says the mot is a maximum set charge and we don't exactly know how the charges are set up. So on the basis of the difference I dont think so. If you combine the service and MOT charges they make together then it might make sense on the assumption it's actually due for a service, then it could be quite a reasonable charge.

 

The bird pooh is the questionable one. Count out wear and tear as the owners manual is bound to state something to the effect of washing the car. Bird pooh can be highly corrosive and is out of the control of the manufacturers. £200 to re-spay a roof seems cheap which leads me to think somewhere down the line they are taking the Michael. A wash and cut with a polish often solves the problem but it does depend on the damage. However, they need to spend half an hour cleaning before making this decision.

[The Large Portion]

Well it seems a little rediculous to me.

 

The car is due a service - actually it's due two as it should have been serviced last year and it wasn't done. I'm prepared to get it MOT'd and serviced as that is in my control and I accept that the service at least should have been done. I can get this done at a local garage for £100.

 

It's more the paint on the roof that I'm concerned about. I can't accept that a 2" square area of bird poo should be classed as unreasonable wear and tear on a 3 year old car, especially as the rest of it is absolutely pristine.

 

Unfortunately, the paint has actually bubbled and will not t-cut out. The terms and conditions in the HP agreement are nondescript regarding damage to the car.

[gwc1000]

It's more the paint on the roof that I'm concerned about. I can't accept that a 2" square area of bird poo should be classed as unreasonable wear and tear on a 3 year old car, especially as the rest of it is absolutely pristine.

Sorry, but I would disagree. The bird tish would have had to be on the roof for a fair while before it started to eat in. Weeks, not days. It was in your power to wash it off, and you chose not to. How can that be described as wear and tear? I would be more inclined to describe it as neglect. The fact that a three year old car has missed two services would also raise suspicions and point to a seriously neglected vehicle. Two years without an oil change is not good. Also, as a previous poster has mentioned, the handbook would describe the effect of bird poo on paintwork and would advise it to be washed off immediately, which I assume you didn't.

In our bodyshop before resorting to re-painting bird poo marks, we always try "flatting and buffing" first. Many times it works. It may be worth your while visiting a local bodyshop to see if they consider that it may work in your case. It would be no more than an hour's work.