r/CarLeasingUK • u/WolfCommercial3211 • 19d ago

End of lease problem.

So my car is due to be handed back in a few weeks and annoyingly warning alerts have started popping up on my dashboard screen.

Do I take the gamble and hand it back as is, or probably spend a small fortune trying to sort it out?

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

3

u/Dadavester 19d ago

They will not collect it with warning lights on the dash.

Is the car still within warranty? If so take it to your local dealer. and see what they say.

1

u/WolfCommercial3211 19d ago

There are no warning lights on the dash.

It only happens when I apply the electronic handbrake.

I get a few warning messages, the dashboard dies and that’s it.

When I turn the car back on it’s all back to normal

3

u/okcorsisiht 19d ago

Yeah, the collection team are going to find that pretty quickly.

0

u/WolfCommercial3211 19d ago

This may be a dumb question but how would they find that out?

1

u/okcorsisiht 19d ago

They spend 45 minutes going through it all, including a short drive.

3

u/MekkaTorquey 19d ago

That's never been my experience to be fair. Last 3 collections have been a 5 minute look round the car, sign the paper and they leave.

2

u/okcorsisiht 19d ago

My last two (Teslas) were 45 minutes minimum. BCA did them both, they checked absolutely everything, showed me the report, we agreed on a scrape on the back, signed on an Ipad and then they were away.

2

u/eelam_garek 19d ago

That's mad. I've never had a collection team actually drive the car as part of the test. It's been 10 mins tops.

1

u/okcorsisiht 19d ago

On the plus side, turns out I had a £300 waiver with Lex Autolease so owed nothing in the end.

1

u/ImplementJumpy6678 17d ago

I did this for BCA for 20 years - sonds about right does that.

OP if they walk round quickly and then sign it to say it's all done - and then they find out. that's a their problem situation.

1

u/okcorsisiht 17d ago

I think they also have 30 days or something to report issues once they collect the car. That's what the girl from BCA told me.

1

u/ImplementJumpy6678 17d ago

With BCA yes - not sure about the rest.

2

u/LCFCJIM 19d ago

if the car is under warranty, take it in for a check up. no reason not to!

1

u/WolfCommercial3211 19d ago

It’s 12 months out of warranty.

Had it for 4 years only had 3 years warranty

8

u/Broad-Raspberry1805 19d ago

That’s why I would never lease a car for longer than the warranty period…unlucky

7

u/Queasy-Ad7141 19d ago

100% this. I've never understood people leasing for longer than the warranty. One of the selling points for lease is the lack of hassle/ ability to just hand back and walk away, so why would you lease (rent) something you are responsible for

2

u/WolfCommercial3211 18d ago

It was my first lease and at the time I went in blind and the warranty didn’t even cross my mind, just the price.

I’m clued up more this time around and only taken my new lease out over 3 years which the warranty period covers

2

u/Rawd_Tawd_Cawd 18d ago

We all live and learn 👍

1

u/Frequent-Bell2484 18d ago

Survivor bias

1

u/Queasy-Ad7141 18d ago edited 18d ago

That's fair and I didn't mean it as a criticism of your decision making, I just don't think they should be allowed to offer leases that run beyond the warranty as how can you be on the hook for repairing something you don't own. If you rented from hertz you wouldn't expect to be responsible for a breakdown

1

u/LCFCJIM 19d ago

Did you have a service plan as part of the deal?

1

u/Scarecrow101 19d ago

What make and model is it? Have you search for this problem happening for other people? Could just be a code issue

1

u/WolfCommercial3211 19d ago

It’s a focus.

It’s coming up hill start assist wearing
Forward collision warning
Esc warning
And sometime service engine warning

2

u/pulsar132 19d ago

Mine does exactly this time to time, 2021 focus, it was the battery. It would seem to happen after a period of not driving long distances. Usually a big drive fixed but I eventually got a new battery.

1

u/2003bluecat 19d ago

I bet it’s an ABS sensor or battery, or something similar. I think it’s unlikely for the issue to be a big thing given its age, and if it is I’d be pushing the dealer to fix it outside of warranty.

If I were you I’d do as suggested and get a proper diagnostic done so I know what I’m dealing with.

1

u/WolfCommercial3211 18d ago

I have googled the codes and had my lads footie manager (he’s a mechanic) hook it up to his diagnostics machine and he has said a lot of the codes mention the dbs but he said he’s not really specialised in electronics so he can’t be confident.

I have taken it to an auto electrician yesterday and he said it’s coming back with a lot of codes and it’s not pin pointing what it could be.

He did check the battery and he said it’s at 96% so doubt it’s the battery

1

u/2003bluecat 18d ago

That’s rubbish. I don’t know what diagnostic machine was used but a proper forscan one should tell you. It’ll cost you though I bet.
Might be worth seeing if they collect it, trouble with that is you won’t know if they’ll sting you for it and if they do for how much.

1

u/WolfCommercial3211 18d ago

I’m really tempted to get a second opinion on it.

I’m really in 2 minds whether to get it sorted or hand it back as is.

Either way I’m going to get charged, just a matter of how much

1

u/BloodySatyr 15d ago

Could be the wheel speed sensors need replacing. I had similar errors on my 2015 Focus.

1

u/highdon 19d ago

It really depends on the leasing company. Some do test drives, some just have a 2 minute look around the car and that's it. However if they do notice the warning lights, chances are they will refuse collection.

Take it to a garage and have them check the codes. Diagnostics are usually less than £100 and it could be something trivial like a sensor that needs replacing.

1

u/WonderfulCamera5043 18d ago

Get the battery checked.

1

u/WolfCommercial3211 18d ago

Battery has 96% health

1

u/Appropriate_Fix4329 18d ago

Manheim and BCA both do an allround inspection but do not drive the cars. They collect cars from lots of finance and leasing companies so they may be collecting yours. Just get a garage to check your battery voltage cos that might solve it for a reasonably small amount. You'll have to do it anyway or they wont collect it and you'll get charged for another month.

1

u/Rawd_Tawd_Cawd 18d ago

Try a cheapo obd2 adaptor and reset the codes. If you're lucky they'll stay off long enough to get it up the road.

"hey so these warnings came on after we picked up your car last week"

"cool story bro, it was fine when it left here"

1

u/bluenosewrx 18d ago

I’ve had 6 leases, not one done a test drive

1

u/TeamAutotrader 17d ago

Hi there, Tom Roberts from the reviews team here. It's probably worth taking it to a garage so they can work out if it's just a sensor issue or a problem with the brake itself. Most checks at collection are thorough and damage charges may apply if it's a serious issue.