- This topic has 32 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 6 months ago by kezo.
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- August 16, 2022 at 10:49 pm #194407steve
For a reason I will put in a future post, my scheme vehicle went back 9 months early. Low mileage, was near perfect with a few minor scratch that could be polished out.
I was expecting the standard £600 “good condition bonus” but what did I get £400 – because the vehicle went back early !
The explanation I received was it was a “pro rata” rate due to the lease ending early. I would have assumed that having the vehicle back earlier and with less mileage would have been of more advantage to MB especially when the retail value of my vehicle has only depreciated a few thousand pounds almost equivalent my monthly payments.
More and more, MB seem to be tilting away from service to profit
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- August 16, 2022 at 10:52 pm #194411
I think pro rata is the right way to go, following your rationale if you returned the vehicle after a week (for a valid reason) you would be entitled to £600 good condition bonus.
August 16, 2022 at 11:17 pm #194415When I contacted them to inform them I would be leaving the scheme as I was getting a car off the scheme. I was told how much GCB I would receive beforehand and was no surprise at all.
1 year £250 and 2 years £400
Gave my scheme car back after having it just under 2 years as the new car arrived and got £250 GCB.
Although I did also get a little over 1/3 of the advance payment back I had made and that worked out differently was on a monthly basis.
had I waited for the 2 years to be up I would of got less ap back pro rata so all in all for me it’s was not an issue at all and something I knew before handing the car back.
August 16, 2022 at 11:25 pm #194416We had to return an unsuitable car after 3 months once, we didn’t expect or get anything back apart from a pro rata portion of the AP.
If I was returning a car 9 months early I still wouldn’t have been expecting anything so I’d have been chuffed with £400.
If I seem a little strange, that's because I am.
Skoda Karoq SEL.
August 17, 2022 at 6:53 am #194424Will I get more of a bonus because I am over 3 years?
VW ID3 Max is my DD
August 17, 2022 at 7:28 am #194425kbfernOnly at 5yrs does the extra GCB kick in over the normal 3 yr bonus, we had our 4 year old Tiguan handed back in March this year when we got our new VW ID4.
August 17, 2022 at 8:36 am #194430i changed 6 months early last time due to a change in my conditions, they explained before hand that the gcb would be prorata and i would get a prorata refund of ap. they were very clear about it before i commited to the early termination.
as it turned out i timed it perfectly as everything went to pot shortly after and the ap’s went out of control and cars started dissappearing. if i had waited the 6 months i would have paid far more in ap than i lost in gcb.
i am hoping that by the time renewal comes up next march things will improve or like many others i will have to extend and look for something affordable off the scheme.
August 17, 2022 at 8:49 am #194432I think it would be fairer if the GCB was monthly pro-rata same as the AP is. Both are part of the three year lease conditions. Why is one calculated per year and the other per month?
August 17, 2022 at 9:32 am #194434Will I get more of a bonus because I am over 3 years?
From memory I had an additional £100 ontop of the £600gcb for keeping the car 4yrs 6months.
I will never extend my lease again as it doesn’t make sense to me.
August 17, 2022 at 11:06 am #194450Will I get more of a bonus because I am over 3 years?
Yes.
https://www.motaclarity.co.uk/news/how-much-is-the-motability-good-condition-bonus
Prior: SEAT Ateca Xcellence Lux 1.5 TSI DSG MY19
Current: VW Golf GTE PHEV DSG MY23August 17, 2022 at 11:57 am #194457I think it would be fairer if the GCB was monthly pro-rata same as the AP is. Both are part of the three year lease conditions. Why is one calculated per year and the other per month?
I guess one is what we pay towards the car and the other is a geture of good will.
At least they increased the gcb from what it was when i first joined the scheme £200 for 3 years. I got more than that back for 1 year in june.
I will never extend my lease again as it doesn’t make sense to me.
The only sense it makes, is for them to make more profits and people will extend as then they’re avoiding paying such high ap’s or can keep the car they have longer as non on the scheme are suitable or affordable for them, but who benefits from that also at the end of the lease or if any added extra’s are added.
I have never added an extras or extended past 3 years except for during the 1st lockdown as i was due to exchange in april 2020 and couldnt pick up the car.
Now with the extreme long waits for cars on the scheme, if they actually honor your order your lucky and don’t cancel on you after a years wait to have to order again. More and more will be extended and more profits will be made. That money will go towards projects and charities outside the scheme.
Leaving the scheme when i got my new car in 4 weeks seems a real good move for us now and I can see many having to leave or get something unsuitable to remain mobile especially if you extended already for 5 years.
August 18, 2022 at 8:46 am #194564unfortunately rox, some cant work or like me only part time and just exceed the tax credit threshhold etc so are v unlikely to qualify for hp or a loan. so the only alternative to the scheme is a cheap runabout 2nd hand that we have to have the cash for, a vicious circle.
thats what i am going to have to do i think extend for 2 years with the aim to save enough to buy a 2nd hand suv.
which may suit as it prob wouldnt have all this touch feely screen crap and robot drivers interfering, ma even have knobs and buttons lol.
August 18, 2022 at 8:47 am #194565sorry y key not working needs a clean lol.
August 18, 2022 at 5:11 pm #194642steveAll in my case, MB wanted the car back after 3 months in the garage because of the random electrical problems. I would have liked to have kept the car, if the could guarantee that the problems were resolved.
I am 6 months from the end of my lease and don’t see why I should be penalised due to problems outside of my control
August 18, 2022 at 5:59 pm #194645unfortunately rox, some cant work or like me only part time and just exceed the tax credit threshhold etc so are v unlikely to qualify for hp or a loan. so the only alternative to the scheme is a cheap runabout 2nd hand that we have to have the cash for, a vicious circle. thats what i am going to have to do i think extend for 2 years with the aim to save enough to buy a 2nd hand suv. which may suit as it prob wouldnt have all this touch feely screen crap and robot drivers interfering, ma even have knobs and buttons lol.
I have not worked since 2004 and got finance on the basis of my income alone, from the contribution based esa and the pip allowance I recieve and my excellent credit rating, which i have built up since having to stop working with 0% loans 1st with an argos card and then with 2 / 0% purchase credit cards and a samsung mobile phone on 0% also.
The car i got was almost 25k I put down 2.5k and is also on 0% via the manufacturers own finance my bank wanted a silly apr amount for a loan which i was considering to get a used car it was advertised from 2.7% and most manufacturers offers was lower than what the banks offered. The 0% was a huge factor in me getting the car i did and making the move when i did. Now it’s 6.8% but they give you 2k towards it.
When looking the new car wasn’t that much more than one a few years old once you added the interest, So it can be done, even if on a low income, really it depends on your disposable income and I don’t really have a lot of out goings.
I get it won’t work for some, but it is an option worth looking at. also like you I want to future proof myself against many things i don’t like about the way cars are going and also I need an automatic and worry about used ones more than i would with a manual.
August 18, 2022 at 6:28 pm #194649I also got finance on the basis of my daughters DLA when we made the garden more accessable. I was also on ESA.
August 18, 2022 at 6:58 pm #194655All in my case, MB wanted the car back after 3 months in the garage because of the random electrical problems. I would have liked to have kept the car, if the could guarantee that the problems were resolved. I am 6 months from the end of my lease and don’t see why I should be penalised due to problems outside of my control
I guess you won’t like the reasons but in the 1st 3 years is where the car loses most of it’s value and is why they offer 3 year min leases as then the payments we make cover the depreciation over that period and ending the lease early, for whatever reason, I guess they have not had all those payments and do not offer the full gcb if 3 years is not reached. Sadly the moment we drive a car away, it’s worth less than the otr price as it has now one owner and is why exdemo cars, sometimes can be great deals to buy privately but you will be the 2nd owner, not the 1st and motabilty buy the car outright at the start of the lease.
I was looking at a article the other day other the worst deprecating suvs the other day and some lost over 40% after 3 years.
I guess the problems are outside of mb’s control also as well as yours and I think in the situation they trying to resolve the situation of you not having the car the best way they can after you’ve not had the car for 3 months and the manufacturer cannot fix it to your satisfaction, so you have faith in it. I totally get it’s not your fault neither though is it Mb’s imo.
There policies are pretty clear.
I handed my car back 2 weeks before 2 years of the lease was up, as the new car was ready and i knew I’d get £250 not £400 it is what it is.. That’s the policy they have and should they change it just for one unfortunate situation like your’s, is another question imo, it would have to be a policy change for all, not just for a one off occasion.
I know it was my choice and your’s was forced upon you but at least they’ve allowed you to change it and probally not charged you, in doing so either.
I had to pay a termination fee, to cancel early, albeit they reduced it to £50 for being on the scheme 11 years and having never cancelled or changed a car before. If I’d been charged the full £250, I would of accepted it as it was their policy, and if i was to rejoin the scheme and did it again I would be charged the full amount.
I am guessing you’ve got the new car now or have you ordered one and are waiting for it to arrive and driving a hire/loan car, which mb could be footing the bill for as well i guess or was the dealer providing a car, for however long they have or had been. The situation needed to be resolved somehow.
Which is another thing to consider as a good thing as i know you’ve had issues with the car for a while on and off. I am trying to look at the positives for you as that’s what i do. I’m not even a scheme user anymore but I do see many positives still of when you are on the scheme even in the current climate and I think looking at the postives of this situation is best.
Yep you didn’t get the full gcb you got 2 years worth and any ap back you did pay for the 6 months remaining on the lease.
How can it be the case that you get the 6 months ap back and 3 years full gcb, if you get the 3 years gcb you won’t get any pro rata ap back. That’s something I wouldn’t like them to change or think they should.
Unless you get a zero ap car you gonna lose out on what you have actually paid towards the car, not the gesture of good will they offer for handing a car back in good condition and with the higher and higher ap’s of currnet cars thats a big issue moving forward and in most cases might be more than the 1 years loss of ap.
August 19, 2022 at 7:25 am #194675Good reply @rox and thanks all for answering my query.
VW ID3 Max is my DD
August 19, 2022 at 7:50 am #194676steveThanks Rox,
The vehicle I had over the two and a bit years is in demand on the pre-owned market and equivalent ones have only dropped £2-3k from the RRP, so MB with their arrangements will not be at a loss on the vehicle.
Up until the car was returned, I had covered more miles in hire cars than in the scheme car. I never really had what i had entered into an agreement over.
Like many other people have found the scheme vehicle selection is very limited and nothing suitable for our needs. One benefit of the last few years is that I was forced to live with many of them as hire cars. Even if I could order one the AP’s for most are out of my reach and of course would not get one for many, many months.
I am currently stuck in an unsuitable hire vehicle. Getting a vehicle where you can put a scooter in and an assistance dog is quite a battle. My lease ends in January at which point MB will want the hire vehicle back.
Living where we are without a vehicle will make me more housebound. Not a good position to be in
August 19, 2022 at 2:03 pm #194705Totally steve in the current market used car values have risen, what I said is the normal situation. the huge profits they making right now is another issue altogether.
My brother bought a car drove it into london from essex 5 /6 days a week for a year and got back what he paid for it recently as his company now given him a van.
I do feel for you and yeah maybe an estate would be an option for the size but for some they need a higher vehicle to get in and out of.
The VAUXHALL ASTRA SPORTS TOURER boot space is 597 litres for some that need a lot of space for scooters etc then i think thats right up there and cheapest auto is £949 plus you will get £250 for getting a new car one time offer.
For a bit more there are a few other options with larger boot space. HYUNDAI TUCSON ESTATE is 620 litres but its a manual. I cannot do manuals and maybe you could ask for a grant towards getting an automatic. That all depends on your circumstances. but if you don’t ask you won’t get.
Surly if you order something on the scheme mb will provide you a hire car till the new one arrives.
Often when selecting something on the scheme I have had to make hard choices due to price and I will not pay high ap’s to lease a car as for me it’s just not viable. higest i have paid was £1599 but i did get £200 from dealer and that was a one off, normally before they’d been no more than £750 for a seven seater as we was a large family of 5, 6 when my mum came to stay.
All our needs are different and sometime a trade off has to be made to get what you really need over what you don’t for me that’s adaptive cruise control and a comfortable seat. getting in and out of any car causes me pain to some degree and the truth is for me anyway driving it is where i spend most of my time as the only driver and using acc has really made a huge difference on any med to long journey.
What i would say is go and have alook at all the options and sit in them, they might not have the exact model trim to test but often some different cars they have even used ones have the same seats and i try those to see if the actual seat i will be getting is suitable.
As something that can carry the load you need is high on your needs if a acar is livable with, it’s imo better than nothing at all. such a tuff situation sometimes and many have gone in the way of estates right now from suvs, as what good is going out if you cannot fit what you need in the car.
August 20, 2022 at 10:52 pm #194845steveThanks for the reply. The car we did have was perfect – 7 seats, 700+ litres of space with the rear seat down, big wide doors, high seats, automatic and so many features that made life so easy – including adaptive cruise control and comfy seats but all the tech proved to be unreliable.
The frustration was the MB wouldn’t replace it like for like after a year of problems. Then when it was finally accepted that there was an issue with the vehicle, it had been delisted from the scheme. Then as they pondered over what to do, more and more cars disappeared off the scheme. So handing back a 2 1/2 year old vehicle with low mileage in perfect condition and hardly dropped in value and then getting £400 good condition payment really sticks.
Plus covering some 1,000 plus going to the garage and also having issues with Europcar over their vehicles (2 broke down, 2 with defective and illegal tyres) and the MB policy of telling Europcar to provide as small a vehicle as possible e.g. an Aygo! I had Peugeot 5008, 3008, Astra estate, Toyota Proace, Citroen DS4, Hyundai, Ford Focus etc. They were ok for a day or two but nothing I could live with long term.
As you say for most of us having a comfortable car that is easy to get in and out and drive, plus reliable and stress free is all we want.
August 21, 2022 at 12:48 am #194849I have the Tuscon Ultimate @rox and as you say its manual which I regret and now need an Auto as hospital advised, but nothing on the scheme yet so pondering doing what you have done.
The Tuscon Ultimate is a nice car electrical everyting including heated leather(ish) seats in front and rear and the front ones are ventilated. If you need auto your looking at the 48v mild hybrid £3k plus. My choice would have been the full hybrid for fuel economy but at £5k plus Ive got better things to spend my money on. The ICE which I have and the 48v mild hybrid have rubbish fuel economy IMO. The Tuscon is the most I have or willing to pay again £2099 AP
Not sure what car you sent back @steve but I think from memory the Tuscon and PUG 5008 are currently the biggest on the scheme at the moment.
August 21, 2022 at 6:33 pm #194920steveIt was SEAT Tarraco 4wd DSG Xcellence 2.o l 190 bhp. One of the most perfect cars for drivers and passengers with a disability. So many driving aids, wide opening doors, plenty of room in the middle row (back row) never used, huge boot with electric opening.
One of the best cars I have every had including Mercedes and BMW’s apart from the electrical faults
August 21, 2022 at 8:17 pm #194930the Tuscon won’t match it on size or space, electrical and safety systens definately if not more. I take it your Tarraco was diesel with tou saying 190bhp.
Sadly as you are aware there’s nothing really like currently it on the scheme at the moment, with the only one coming close is a 5008 @4641mm (L) and there the waiting time involved. I think mb are tring to downgrade us and squash us into a compact car.
August 22, 2022 at 1:02 pm #194943steveYes exactly smaller cars with smaller engines are ok for some people. However, if you need an automatic, low power petrol or diesel engines are not the best. Or if you live in a rural area you do not necessarily need 4×4 but you need the bigger wheels and clearance to cope with the roads,
The 5008 we had on hire for a while the over large, over designed central console between the seats makes it quite difficult for me to get in because I lean over to get in an out. Oddly for PSA cars the gearbox on the 5008 has had a lot of problems
August 22, 2022 at 2:02 pm #194986Agree with the engine / auto comment.
The other thing steve is if you search for large cars on mb’s site, it lists medium sizes. When looking for cars I tend to use motaclarity.
How about the Kodiaq, although there is no 2l diesels or 2l petrols on the scheme.
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