Insurance for a courtesy car?

[rudebhoy]

Car going in for a service on Monday, when I booked it in, they wanted a tenner to drop me off and pick me up, so I opted for a courtesy car instead.

Got a call from them yesterday saying I need to take along my DVLA code (got that) and a cover note from my insurer. Phoned the insurer, they said I need to take out a 1 day temporary policy with another company, who need to know the reg of the courtesy car.

Phoned the garage who said they don't know which car it will be, but they can do the insurance for £18 which will be less than the temporary policy. Had a play on the website for the temporary policy, and it looks like it will be at least £30 on there for a 1 day policy.

Is this a new way they have dreamed up to take money off you? I've had courtesy cars in the past and haven't had to pay extra to insure them.

 

[Smiffy]

We charge for courtesy cars. They cost money to run. And our insurance excess is £2,500.00.
Lost count of the number of cars we've loaned out full of petrol, brought back running on vapours.
Who pays for that???
With servicing costs cut to the bone to stay competitive you can't have it all ways.
We don't charge for collection and delivery though. That's free.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

It depends on the garage and the dealer. I lease my car and when that is done through the dealer then I would not expect to pay insurance on a courtesy car. I'm giving them all of my business, lease, servicing etc and I expect something in return. If I had leased through somewhere else and was just paying for servicing then I accept it could go either way. The dealer has to make a profit so there has to be enough margin in there for them to cover all costs.

Incidentally, I always return the car with the same amount of fuel as was in when I collected. With my last dealer that was an egg cup full. I'm hoping my new one gives slightly more so that the immediate dash to the pumps is not so desperate.

 

[Smiffy]

It depends on the garage and the dealer. I lease my car and when that is done through the dealer then I would not expect to pay insurance on a courtesy car. I'm giving them all of my business, lease, servicing etc and I expect something in return.

You're getting something in return, a fully serviced car!
I don't doubt that you personally return the car with the same amount of fuel. Many don't. I was generalising.
I can assure you that the dealer that you dealt with wouldn't have made "fortunes" out of the sale, those days are gone.
The leasing company would have made more. And the leasing company don't contribute to the costs of the loan car that you are receiving from the dealership carrying out the servicing.

 

[rudebhoy]

It depends on the garage and the dealer. I lease my car and when that is done through the dealer then I would not expect to pay insurance on a courtesy car. I'm giving them all of my business, lease, servicing etc and I expect something in return. If I had leased through somewhere else and was just paying for servicing then I accept it could go either way. The dealer has to make a profit so there has to be enough margin in there for them to cover all costs.

It's the same garage I bought the car new from 2 years ago, I paid for 2 years servicing up front. They never charged for insurance last year. They will have made a profit on the sale, and the upfront cost of the servicing presumably gives them a reasonable margin.

It just feels like a petty rip off for £18, leaves a sour taste.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Two sides to this, Smiffy as a dealer, Rudebhoy and myself as a customer. The car being serviced is something I pay for. When I go to the dealer for a service I know I pay more than for an independent but there is a trade off relating to goodwill and an extra level of service. The cost of insuring the car for the day is no doubt factored into my bill somewhere along the way, same as when I offer free carriage to customer I have built that in. It is the psychology of offering something to a customer that makes them feel special.

For Rudebhoy, you have to look at the cost of the service and work out whether it was cheap, if so not enough there for the dealer to offer extras, or whether it was a 'dealer' price at which point I would take my custom elsewhere next time.

 

[fundy]

Two sides to this, Smiffy as a dealer, Rudebhoy and myself as a customer. The car being serviced is something I pay for. When I go to the dealer for a service I know I pay more than for an independent but there is a trade off relating to goodwill and an extra level of service. The cost of insuring the car for the day is no doubt factored into my bill somewhere along the way, same as when I offer free carriage to customer I have built that in. It is the psychology of offering something to a customer that makes them feel special.

For Rudebhoy, you have to look at the cost of the service and work out whether it was cheap, if so not enough there for the dealer to offer extras, or whether it was a 'dealer' price at which point I would take my custom elsewhere next time.

You might think there is, not convinced always the case. Our cars go to an independent, every time they go to him they are collected from our house, repaired,serviced etc and returned to us later in the day having been cleaned in and out. If I want a courtesy car I can get one for free as long as I book in advance. I pay a lot less than dealer rates and get far superior service than Ive ever had from a main dealer

 

[Smiffy]

You might think there is, not convinced always the case. Our cars go to an independent, every time they go to him they are collected from our house, repaired,serviced etc and returned to us later in the day having been cleaned in and out. If I want a courtesy car I can get one for free as long as I book in advance. I pay a lot less than dealer rates and get far superior service than Ive ever had from a main dealer

What car do you run?

 

[fundy]

What car do you run?

an audi and a kia

 

[Hobbit]

Customer buys product and then the dealer owes them something for the rest of their lives.... really? You bought a car and a service package. Did the package include a courtesy car with insurance? Obviously not. Get over it.

 

[bladeplayer]

We charge for courtsey car will do the insurance transfer for u during working hours .
U pay for ur car . U get what u pay for
U pay for ur service . U get what u pay for .
U want use of a car that devalues with mileage and useage . U pay for it .

The customer loyalty for purchase and service is or should b rewarded in the event of problems outside the manufactures warranty . You get 36 month warranty. Vw ireland give u the first 24 . The additional 12 is a dealer warranty provided and paid for by dealers . Having a main dealer service history is an advantage

 

[KenL]

The price of Audi servicing at a franchised dealer is not "cut to the bone" - the absolute opposite I would say.

Was quoted £308 for a first service on my A3. That's basically an oil change and to inspect a few things.

Oh, and they charge £15 for a "courtesy" car with £500 excess for the customer.

 

[rudebhoy]

Had another look at my policy, it gives me 3rd party cover to drive any other car. Is that not enough to satisfy the VW dealer, or does the cover have to be fully comp?

 

[bladeplayer]

Would need to cover garage car so fully comp id say

 

[Smiffy]

an audi and a kia

Is the Audi an old clunker or fairly new???