Northern Auto Tech - ECU and Blue & Me Repairs

General Curbed Alloys - Handing Back to Manheim/FCA

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General Curbed Alloys - Handing Back to Manheim/FCA

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105S

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Hi

My wife is just about to return her PCP 500S, at the end of her 4 year PCP contract, to Manheim and three of her alloys are lightly curbed but beyond the BVRLA's stated 50mm. Does anyone know roughly how much FCA charge per curbed wheel.

Many thanks in anticipation
 
Depends on the finish; powder coated wheels will be cheaper to refurbish than diamond cut ones; the latter will likely need remachining.

I'd have thought somewhere in the region of £60 a corner would be a reasonable surcharge for powder coated wheels; perhaps double that for diamond cut ones.

Leasing companies often surcharge for damage and then send the car to auction "as is".

This guide isn't from FCA, but it will give you an idea on what to expect.


chris3234 said:
Don't know
But wouldn't be surprised if to worked out cheeper to get them repaired idepently
Click to expand...

Not necessarily - the surcharge on a damaged alloy may actually be the same or less that the cost of a repair. The following extract is from a company specialising in lease car return inspections.


Firstly:- Don't repair every scratch and dent - some damage is acceptable.
Secondly:- Be cautious of having sub standard repair work as you may end up having to pay twice.
Lastly:- Many drivers make the mistake of just focusing on the obvious repairs and miss those repairs otherwise found by the lease company.
For Example:

  1. Alloy wheel damage, when in fact the recharge on a damaged alloy is usually the same or less than the cost of a repair
  2. Returning a vehicle and missing items like a hole in the carpet, or having a sub standard previous repair undertaken even if provided by an accredited Accident Repair Centre
  3. Returning a vehicle without the second/additional key - This is quite often usually found on a partners or colleagues key ring
 
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Many thanks for the advice, it really is very much appreciated. I have tried calling FCA but could only speak to someone who essentially was a call handler. I will try again tomorrow to see if I can get someone technical. If I can get some sense out of them that will help with the decision whether to get them repaired or just hand it back as is.
 
If you do an internet search, you'll find Manheim get mixed reviews; some have returned cars with minor dents & dings without issue, others have had an inspector spend the best part of an hour itemising every last defect.

The common theme is that they will check carefully that the service history is fully up to date, so make sure all is in order in that department.

Please let us know how the inspection goes; it may help others in a similar situation.

Fingers crossed all goes well on the day.
 
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jrkitching said:
If you do an internet search, you'll find Manheim get mixed reviews; some have returned cars with minor dents & dings without issue, others have had an inspector spend the best part of an hour itemising every last defect.

The common theme is that they will check carefully that the service history is fully up to date, so make sure all is in order in that department.

Please let us know how the inspection goes; it may help others in a similar situation.

Fingers crossed all goes well on the day.
Click to expand...

Will do mate and even sooner if I can talk to someone sensible at FCA. I've read on Pistonheads that BMW's hand back (BCA) charge £26 per wheel

https://www.bmw.co.uk/finance/existing-customers/returning-your-bmw/bmw-damage-charge-matrix.pdf

so lets hope FCA are as generous!!!!
 
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105S said:
Will do mate and even sooner if I can talk to someone sensible at FCA. I've read on Pistonheads that BMW's hand back (BCA) charge £26 per wheel

https://www.bmw.co.uk/finance/existing-customers/returning-your-bmw/bmw-damage-charge-matrix.pdf

so lets hope FCA are as generous!!!!
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention that it was three of the four wheels that were damaged beyond BVRLA's limit and that they were 16" diamond cut. The great news is that FCA only charged us £60 per wheel whereas to get them repaired locally at the Alloy Wheel Specialist would have been £183 per wheel. So a result as far as we're concerned :).

They also picked up on some tiny dents where the drivers side door sill and B pillar meet, cause by my wife closing the door on the seat belt buckle (God knows how she did that) and are trying to charge £138 for it, but I am going to contest it and see how it goes. Many thanks for all the advice, it really is very much appreciated
 
Thanks for coming back to us and letting us know what happened.

I'd agree £60 a corner is very reasonable for diamond cut alloys; it confirms what others have said about it often being cheaper with wheel damage to return the car 'as is' than to effect a repair.

As for the seatbelt dings in the pillar, I'd bet this is more common than you'd think; it's very easy to do this on a 500. Probably impossible to do a paintless repair as you can't get behind it, hence the cost.

In reality, they'll likely send it to auction "as is" rather than attempt repair of either the wheels or the dents. Personally I'd offer them £250 for everything as a 'full and final settlement'; I'd have thought they'd accept that.

Fingers crossed - and do let us know the final outcome.
 
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jrkitching said:
Thanks for coming back to us and letting us know what happened.

I'd agree £60 a corner is very reasonable for diamond cut alloys; it confirms what others have said about it often being cheaper with wheel damage to return the car 'as is' than to effect a repair.

As for the seatbelt dings in the pillar, I'd bet this is more common than you'd think; it's very easy to do this on a 500. Probably impossible to do a paintless repair as you can't get behind it, hence the cost.

In reality, they'll likely send it to auction "as is" rather than attempt repair of either the wheels or the dents. Personally I'd offer them £250 for everything as a 'full and final settlement'; I'd have thought they'd accept that.

Fingers crossed - and do let us know the final outcome.
Click to expand...

A quick update: I mailed FCA Fleet Operations (you can't call them for some reason) saying that the £180 for the wheels was a fair cop but i contested that the dings in the sill/B pillar contravened the BVRLA guidelines. They took their time getting back but mailed yesterday to say that as a goodwill gesture we only need to pay them £228 in total instead of the original £318 quoted, so we're very happy with that. It's funny how theses small victories make you feel so happy :) My missus is now driving around in a PCP 595 with a much cheaper initial deposit and even cheaper monthly payments than her 500S and loves it. Many thanks for you kind assistance with this mate it really is very much appreciated (y)
 
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