Leased Yeti - Service advice

[superdon]

Hi all

 

The Yeti has started to tell me its 20 days to its first inspection service. The car is about 22 months old and done 16,500 miles with no issues. Its on a 24 month lease (with VWFS) and will actually be going back a month early to tie in with delivery of the new leased car, so will be 23 months old on return.

 

Couple of questions.....

 

Do I need to get this service completed? I presume I do as its on the variable service, and its asking for it?

What should the cost of this service be? (looking for ways to keep costs down, as it'll be going back in 4 weeks time!)

[jonnyboy78]

I was told when I took out my lease I would need to do at least 1 service over the 2 year lease, I have now found out however my yeti was set up during the pdi with fixed servicing which could mean me having to pay out for 2 services, this is something I want to avoid so been advised to get first service done at 12 mths and then switch over to variable servicing so next service will be in approx 18 mths after the first service and well after yeti is handed back in. I'm surprised your not on fixed servicing with that kind of mileage was told that VWFS insist on fixed servicing on 10k or less per annum contracts. As for cost a first fixed service is £149 and first variable service £239

[superdon]

Thanks.

 

I made sure it was set up as variable, as I knew there was a slight chance I could avoid any service at all. Just a shame that I have just been caught for it. But, actually had it been on fixed, it may have worked out cheaper overall.

 

Have had a quote for £219 from our nearest Skoda dealer, so I guess I will just have to go for it.

Edited 9 May, 2017 by superdon

[kenfowler3966]

Seems right, my car tells me it needs a service every 18k or so.

If you are responsible for maintenance you must get this done or you will be penalised when you return it.

A lot of lease deals include routine servicing within the monthly cost, and you just have to book the service when due.

As said above I am amazed you aren't on a fixed service at that mileage and 2 would be needed so the car is returned fully serviced and hence fault free at lease end?

[Urrell]

I paid about £150 for the first 2 year service.

[SurreyJohn]

Almost certainly need to get it done (but read the small print of your agreement).  

Some Deals include servicing, others don't to lower the payments.

 

If it is showing as needing service when you return it, they will bill you for it (and may do a more comprehensive service at your expense).

 

 

[Nobbi1977]

My last two lease cars stated in the paperwork that the service had to be done within one month of it being due. I always do it a month late so the second one is not due until well after it goes back. Read the lease agreement and see what it says. The penalty for not servicing may be less than a service 

[JCP]

Please post up full details so members know to avoid buying it second hand-you don't case about the lifespan of your car but an innocent seeker of a yeti might

[anlygi]

Mine is PCH with VWFS and I was told the penalty was £400 for missing a service so it pays to service it.

 

As for what JCP says; having bought used lemons in the past I will be taking care of mine as if it was my own to ensure the person who buys it after gets a good one. Then I know people pay a fortune for new cars and don't care for them at all, wouldn't even know where the bonnet release is!

[kenfowler3966]

Similar scenario for me as car goes back in 7 weeks.

Do I get the patch of rust many have reported fixed on the rear door or leave it so the buyer knows there is a problem?

[muddyboots]

4 hours ago, anlygi said:

Mine is PCH with VWFS and I was told the penalty was £400 for missing a service so it pays to service it.

 

As for what JCP says; having bought used lemons in the past I will be taking care of mine as if it was my own to ensure the person who buys it after gets a good one. Then I know people pay a fortune for new cars and don't care for them at all, wouldn't even know where the bonnet release is!

When I was first looking for a Yeti, I found one with just the spec I wanted, it was an ex lease car...when I pressed for service history, turned out it had never actually been serviced, and had close to 40k miles on it IIRC. Didn't buy that one, even though it was cheap! The nasty chinese tyres all round were a further clue to the previous owner's attitude.

[Wardy]

23 hours ago, superdon said:

Hi all

 

The Yeti has started to tell me its 20 days to its first inspection service. The car is about 22 months old and done 16,500 miles with no issues. Its on a 24 month lease (with VWFS) and will actually be going back a month early to tie in with delivery of the new leased car, so will be 23 months old on return.

 

Couple of questions.....

 

Do I need to get this service completed? I presume I do as its on the variable service, and its asking for it?

What should the cost of this service be? (looking for ways to keep costs down, as it'll be going back in 4 weeks time!)

 

I'm surprised you've got to 22 months for the 1st service to be honest. It's clearly due before the end of your lease, you know it needs doing, so get it done.

 

Worth a call to a couple of local dealers, to see what prices you're quoted.

[anlygi]

1 hour ago, muddyboots said:

When I was first looking for a Yeti, I found one with just the spec I wanted, it was an ex lease car...when I pressed for service history, turned out it had never actually been serviced, and had close to 40k miles on it IIRC. Didn't buy that one, even though it was cheap! The nasty chinese tyres all round were a further clue to the previous owner's attitude.

 

Some people just have no respect for the poor person coming along after with the attitude of 'ah it won't be my problem'. I won't sell my last car to anyone as I'd feel bad it was so unreliable.

 

As for tyres, the rubber is the first thing I'll be looking at from now on when buying a used car. If someone scrimps on something as safety-critical as tyres then you can be sure they will have cut corners elsewhere. Worse on performance cars too. When I bought my 330ci, unknown to me, it come with decent rears and nasty fronts. The thing put me into the on-coming lane exiting a roundabout in the wet with the most horrific understeer I've ever experienced. I say understeer, it was more like no steer. Thankfully there was nothing coming the other way.

[kenfowler3966]

Unfortunately the lease company does things like insisting you use their current tyre choice and will not match the wheel on the other side of the car, let alone the other end, when they manage the maintenance costs themselves.

[Wardy]

That depends on the lease contract Ken. And then yes, a lease with maintenance costs included is different again.

[Wardy]

For info, this is the VWFS lease stipulation on tyre replacement, on a non-maintained agreement:

 

Replace any worn or damaged tyres with the same factory specification as originally supplied with the vehicle. You must ensure that you replace tyres with the correct size and speed ratings. Do not mix tyres on an axle, or at all on 4 wheel drive vehicles. Keep pressures in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations to avoid damage and additional wear.

[skoda1982]

On 2017-5-9 at 13:04, superdon said:

Hi all

 

The Yeti has started to tell me its 20 days to its first inspection service. The car is about 22 months old and done 16,500 miles with no issues. Its on a 24 month lease (with VWFS) and will actually be going back a month early to tie in with delivery of the new leased car, so will be 23 months old on return.

 

Couple of questions.....

 

Do I need to get this service completed? I presume I do as its on the variable service, and its asking for it?

What should the cost of this service be? (looking for ways to keep costs down, as it'll be going back in 4 weeks time!)

 

Mine is in on Saturday for inspection service £189 2.0l tdi second 20000 mile

 

Edited 10 May, 2017 by skoda1982

[skoda1982]

On 2017-5-9 at 13:28, jonnyboy78 said:

I was told when I took out my lease I would need to do at least 1 service over the 2 year lease, I have now found out however my yeti was set up during the pdi with fixed servicing which could mean me having to pay out for 2 services, this is something I want to avoid so been advised to get first service done at 12 mths and then switch over to variable servicing so next service will be in approx 18 mths after the first service and well after yeti is handed back in. I'm surprised your not on fixed servicing with that kind of mileage was told that VWFS insist on fixed servicing on 10k or less per annum contracts. As for cost a first fixed service is £149 and first variable service £239

 

I was told that service price was for cars over 3 years old

[Guest]

2 hours ago, skoda1982 said:

 

I was told that service price was for cars over 3 years old

They are, but I never had any issue with a dealership agreeing to that price for my Years 1 - 3 service.

 

From  some other posters it would appear some dealerships will match, others won't. Phone and ask, if they won't match, tell them you'll take your business elsewhere.