Got some clarification from Motability and the Dealer today.
So as standard, only metallic paints are covered. Pearlescent is extra. I mentioned your case, and they said it’s entirely situational and not the norm. If a dealer has a car ready to go, they may waive the extra pearl cost to try and sell it as fast as possible.
That’s different from placing a fresh order.
In regards to the Advance Payment, I spoke to two separate people at Motability who said they can’t offer a discount. The Dealer also can’t offer a discount. To make any progress on that front I’d have to switch into a different gear and speak to people higher up and be more firm, but I don’t want to spoil the relationship with the dealer.
But when he could sense my disapoointment, he offered to waive the pearl cost. So all in all I’d say that’s a good result. 40 minutes speaking to different people but I’ve saved £150 on the pearl paint.
Not perfect, if I was a normal retail customer they would have knocked off even more, but putting everything into consideration it’s not a bad result.