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Received an email from MB today starting “you’re close to our fair use policy ” and I may be asked to pay for or contribute in future.
It’s basically because I’ve just had 4 tyres fitted (on Kwikfit’s advice) at 27000 miles. Only tyres I’ve had. I’ve pretty much had a new set of tyres on every car I’ve had with MB towards end of lease and never had anything like this.
I was quite put out by this and called MB to ask what this is about. Apparently they want to keep costs down so introduced fair use. I pointed out Kwikfit felt they needed replacing who we have to use and got it approved 1st by MB, would they prefer I drive around with illegal dangerous tyres.
Got an apology that I felt the generic letter came across as a bollocking and not to worry.
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Four tyres at 27k doesn’t seem terribly excessive. When added to all the cutbacks recently announced, it does make you wonder if Motability have hit the ‘self destruct’ button. If they carry on like this, they are at risk of only being used by those who have no other option.
In my Terms and Conditions, there is no mention of a ‘fair use policy’.
maybe you should request a copy of this policy, and/or make an official complaint.Just to get a balance view, how far are you within your leases 12/18 months etc ?
Under there fair use policy you are limited to 8 tyres within your 3 year lease. Modern vehicle have a puncture repair kit which renders the tyre useless.
Are we looking in the future at 8,000 – 10,000, 24,000 or 30,000 leases ?
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
Re. Oscarmax . “Under there fair use policy you are limited to 8 tyres within your 3 year lease.”
Where is the Fair Usage Policy.?
Just to get a balance view, how far are you within your leases 12/18 months etc ? Under there fair use policy you are limited to 8 tyres within your 3 year lease. Modern vehicle have a puncture repair kit which renders the tyre useless. Are we looking in the future at 8,000 – 10,000, 24,000 or 30,000 leases ?
I’m 5 months short of the 3 years.
The girl I spoke to did mention the 8 tyres thing so why send email after only having 4.
She was very apologetic that it came across the way I took it. What I don’t get is I’ve never had it before. Seems like they’re trying to trim the fat anywhere and everywhere
@oscarmax We use our cars much less than we used to; only 4.5% of cars travel over 15000 miles in a year.
One of my neighbours although not a motability car told me that four of his tyres had nails put in them and it was not hear where we live but somewhere he had parked I suppose that would be classed as vandalism would this be a bad report on your record.
@oscarmax We use our cars much less than we used to; only 4.5% of cars travel over 15000 miles in a year.
Online a lot of the lease companies advertise competitive lease rates until you look at the mileage, Octopus Energy EV are one of them.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
@oscarmax We use our cars much less than we used to; only 4.5% of cars travel over 15000 miles in a year.
Online a lot of the lease companies advertise competitive lease rates until you look at the mileage, Octopus Energy EV are one of them.
Most (if not all) lease companies will provide quotes ranging from as low as 6k miles Pa up to 20k Pa. Given the incredibly low mileages that most Motability customers seem to do, a lower limit than 20k Pa wouldn’t make any difference whatsoever to the vast majority of customers. For those who need the full 20k limit I would hope that Motability will make that an affordable upgrade when they reduce the mileage limit next year, just in the same way as other lease operators do.
Just to get a balance view, how far are you within your leases 12/18 months etc ? Under there fair use policy you are limited to 8 tyres within your 3 year lease. Modern vehicle have a puncture repair kit which renders the tyre useless. Are we looking in the future at 8,000 – 10,000, 24,000 or 30,000 leases ?
I’m 5 months short of the 3 years. The girl I spoke to did mention the 8 tyres thing so why send email after only having 4. She was very apologetic that it came across the way I took it. What I don’t get is I’ve never had it before. Seems like they’re trying to trim the fat anywhere and everywhere
An allowance of 8 tyres over 3 years seems quite generous. From memory, I think the most we’ve ever had is 4 over 3 years and most cars have been just 2. That’s obviously from general wear though. Vandalism is different.
I got that email the other week, but I’d had 7. Only two down to wear, the others non-repairable punctures (according to KF). One of them got replaced and then got a puncture about 6 days later!
Like you it coincided around the 16-20 week before end time so must be a degree of automation involved. I just deleted it and thought well I’ve still got one left then!
I got that email the other week, but I’d had 7. Only two down to wear, the others non-repairable punctures (according to KF). One of them got replaced and then got a puncture about 6 days later! Like you it coincided around the 16-20 week before end time so must be a degree of automation involved. I just deleted it and thought well I’ve still got one left then!
Same here it was simply an automated email which I read, deleted and thought no more of, the 8 tyres seemed a reasonable number (we are also on four).
I’m sitting in Kwik Fit now and the technician has just shouted out to the fitters “the Skoda has been approved”. 11,000 miles covered- I’m a careful driver and never needed 4 tyres so early in a cars life . It’s either the compound(Bridgestone), the fact is a heavy EV, that they are 21 inch wheels or there’s something wrong with the alignment. I sent Motability a message ahead of my visit to tell them I was worried. I had no response. Motability has gone so far down in my expectations – when I will no doubt get this email, I will need to control my grumpiness and send them a stern message because I am not paying for tyres on this lease. The can come and collect the car and take it back!!
2024 Skoda Enyaq estate- 85x Sportline plus in Race Blue. Extras: Supernova 21 inch wheels, Maxx Pack, Transport Pack, Heat Pump and Pano Sunroof.
Ordered 31/10/23, Delivery 27/3/24I got this email the other day. I’ve had four tyres now on a 25,000 mile car three months away from end of lease. However, I’ve only had four because KwikFit near me are a bunch of drips.
I took the car to them because I kept getting the tyre pressure warning come on, and when I looked I had a screw in the tyre. I told them which tyre it was and left them to it. An hour later they called me to say it was done and I returned to my amazement to find the tyre in question well and truly still on the vehicle. When I queried this with them, there was some consternation and they returned a short while later and apologised and said “yeah but the other tyre needed replacing” I know this isn’t true because I keep an eye on my tyres. So they clearly lied to motability to get retrospective authority to replace the tyre they took off in error due to their incompetence. I also later noticed they had replaced the valves but not put dust caps on either of them.
I also think they say the tyres aren’t repairable because they get more for supplying a new tyre. I’ve had many a screw in the tyre in a similar place in my own vehicle that I have had successfully repaired.
As said elsewhere – Motability’s “worry free motoring” slogan, is starting to unpick faster than a MG 7 year warranty!
My lsst petrol car, the front tyres lasted 10k miles and were replaced. The rear 2 went to 14k and replaced.
My current ev are on 16k miles and still good.
@oscarmax We use our cars much less than we used to; only 4.5% of cars travel over 15000 miles in a year.
obviously people have their own lifestyle, but with kids and work we never made less than 20,000 pa each. Even now with the kids out, I made 39,000 since my lease began in April 2024.
Sent from a mobile device.
Apologies for briefness and spelling mistakes.Motability Skoda Enyaq SportLine 85x April 2024 (unhappy customer - Ombudsman pending)
Motability Mazda CX-60 PHEV July 2023 (unhappy customer - early termination on mechanical grounds)
Motability VW Touran Family Pack May 2019 (happy customer)As said elsewhere – Motability’s “worry free motoring” slogan, is starting to unpick faster than a MG 7 year warranty!
I have talked to the wife about leaving the scheme, she keeps going about they service your car and tyres, most company now do 3 year fixed price servicing for £500 ish.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
I have talked to the wife about leaving the scheme, she keeps going about they service your car and tyres, most company now do 3 year fixed price servicing for £500 ish.
I was all for leaving the scheme last time we changed (and the time before, from memory), but my wife (who is the benefit recipient) said similar things to yours, so we stayed. With the removal of premium brands, the ever increasing focus on EVs and PHEVs, surging APs (with even more increases to come following the budget) and the very unfortunate (and unjust) stigma that has now surrounded those who use the scheme, she is now as convinced as me that we will now look outside the scheme – and we have started to do so.
If there was a car that came onto the scheme that we would really love (which isn’t going to happen now) then we’d revisit that decision, but there’s not a single car on the scheme now that even remotely appeals to us, so any Motability car would be a compromise and we are now of an age where we don’t want (or need) to make compromises.
As said elsewhere – Motability’s “worry free motoring” slogan, is starting to unpick faster than a MG 7 year warranty!
I have talked to the wife about leaving the scheme, she keeps going about they service your car and tyres, most company now do 3 year fixed price servicing for £500 ish.
As well as manufacturers/dealers. RAC do service/mot plan, ther’s also indie’s who are cheaper than main dealers and a “trusted” VAT registered back street garage, so there are various options.
That would pop you in the 4.5%. Congrats.
What I am confused that if I am in 4.5% only and the vast majority don’t get even close to my mileage, than the statement that Motability vehicles are life changing is not defendable.
It would cost significantly less money to the government to simply cover the costs of shipping things like grocery (NHS prescriptions delivery is already free, at least for the elderly I know in Newcastle) as well as a couple of taxi’s a week: lost of 20% VAT on the cars on the scheme vs the costs of taxis etc.
Wouldn’t you agree?
Sent from a mobile device.
Apologies for briefness and spelling mistakes.Motability Skoda Enyaq SportLine 85x April 2024 (unhappy customer - Ombudsman pending)
Motability Mazda CX-60 PHEV July 2023 (unhappy customer - early termination on mechanical grounds)
Motability VW Touran Family Pack May 2019 (happy customer)Just to get a balance view, how far are you within your leases 12/18 months etc ? Under there fair use policy you are limited to 8 tyres within your 3 year lease. Modern vehicle have a puncture repair kit which renders the tyre useless. Are we looking in the future at 8,000 – 10,000, 24,000 or 30,000 leases ?
I buy a can of Holts Tyreweld for £7 – £10 anx keep under boot floor. Never had to use it but apparently it can be washed out so as long as tyre is repairable it removes the “tyre being rendered useless” ‐ in theory.
That would pop you in the 4.5%. Congrats.
What I am confused that if I am in 4.5% only and the vast majority don’t get even close to my mileage, than the statement that Motability vehicles are life changing is not defendable. It would cost significantly less money to the government to simply cover the costs of shipping things like grocery (NHS prescriptions delivery is already free, at least for the elderly I know in Newcastle) as well as a couple of taxi’s a week: lost of 20% VAT on the cars on the scheme vs the costs of taxis etc. Wouldn’t you agree?
I would agree that the term ‘life changing’ might be a bit of a stretch (anyone who can afford to sacrifice £12k in benefits every 3 years can afford to run a second hand car privately as tens of millions of private motorists do – assuming that they can save the initial deposit etc), but I would not want to deprive people of the choice.
I do around 10k miles a year and the case for Motability versus private (I would buy, not lease) is a fine one, and I personally think that anyone who is doing less than say 6k miles a year is not using their money sensibly by leasing a brand new car, even through Motability, but I’d defend their right to do so if that’s their choice.
In summary, it shouldn’t be for the government to pay for the alternative services that you suggest as viable alternatives. That’s what the benefits (PIP etc) are designed to cover and most recipients of these benefits do just that rather than lease through Motability.
What I am confused that if I am in 4.5% only and the vast majority don’t get even close to my mileage, than the statement that Motability vehicles are life changing is not defendable. It would cost significantly less money to the government to simply cover the costs of shipping things like grocery (NHS prescriptions delivery is already free, at least for the elderly I know in Newcastle) as well as a couple of taxi’s a week: lost of 20% VAT on the cars on the scheme vs the costs of taxis etc. Wouldn’t you agree?
Having a car gives both freedom & indepence to anyone, but for someone that is disabled, who would otherwise be housebound or wouldn’t go out, puts freedom and independance into a new light.
There are health benefits of having freedom to go out and having the independce to go shopping on your own or with a carer.
Taxi’s aren’t always fit for purpose, if you want a day out or take a down memory lane. Equally somene who finds it difficult to be with strangers, would lose their freedom without their own car.
Their are many sides to being disabled and closing the door on them between four walls isn’t always the best way!
Mr & Mrs Average, should not be punished, because Mr Above Average believes those beow him are not worthy of the same, when it is Mr & Mrs Average’s higher value trade in, help to keep Mr Above Abverage’s cost of AP’s down!!
The haste of decisions surrounding the scheme, will have a negative impact on both the sales of new and used car markets, which is being overlooked.
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