Handing back at the end of PCP

Yeah, that’s fine. As long as there’s something to prove they’ve taken it.
 
I'm in the same position with my Macan, the PCP ending in August.

I requested the settlement fee last week and took a look at the trade-in amount offered on a couple of websites - they two figures ended up being pretty much the same (within a couple of hundred quid). I reasoned that:

  • The car will only depreciate further
  • I'm still putting miles on the car (increasing possible overage charges)
  • I'm still paying money somewhat unnecessarily

I spoke with a dealer yesterday, and they seemed happy to take my Macan as part-ex and pay off the settlement figure, saving me money and hassle.

At least that's what I told myself.

As for handing the car back to BCA, I did this with my last car (Evoque), which was valued as far less than the cost of running to the end of the PCP deal. I didn't bother cleaning the car - I figured it would be a waste of time and effort since BCA would probably clean it anyway. I didn't have any comeback on the cleanliness of the car and didn't get charged for any dings/scratches/etc that's part of normal wear/tear.
What are you trading against something of a greater value or less. I have a M4 which has 18 months left on the PCP so the VT option is not feasible but with only 7k on the clock the settlement figure is similar to forecourt prices so assuming the dealer only wants to make a couple of grand on top i may have the option to trade in as i'm mostly now WFH and only use the car twice a week.
 
Also, take pictures of the car before it goes so that if they do come back and say this has happened then you can say not on your watch.

The guy from BCA to be fair was fine when he picked mine up, there wasn't anything wrong with it apart from the mileage and I subsequently found it on the BCA auction website a couple of months later. Marked as Grade 1 condition which is the top, most cars are in the grade 3 and below so must have been hammered :)

Just had to pay my excess mileage at the time. Did write a couple of emails with the help of the Legal Beagle website but VWFS just stuck to I owe them. It was around £500 from memory and I didn't need the hassle of defending myself if they took me to court. (Mercedes finance did to one customer and they lost)

I think the guide asks for the car to be clean, that is doesn't have to be immaculate but if you driven through a field and it's caked in mud that wouldn't be acceptable.

You also don't have to sign, particularly if they do find damage for example. They should include a guide though to double-check.
 
What are you trading against something of a greater value or less. I have a M4 which has 18 months left on the PCP so the VT option is not feasible but with only 7k on the clock the settlement figure is similar to forecourt prices so assuming the dealer only wants to make a couple of grand on top i may have the option to trade in as i'm mostly now WFH and only use the car twice a week.

The trade in value is about £10k below the price of the new car. The dealer seemed happy to take mine and sort out the finance on my behalf. Essentially, I’ve reached the walk-away stage a few months early with no penalty and no voluntary termination notice on my credit history. All very straightforward and hassle free.

An additional perk is COVID - all the finance was done online leaving the bare minimum of paperwork to be done on handover.
 
Not a bad idea to take photos but if the inspector doesn't find any problems they can't come back later with problems. I've always been sent forms with images the inspector takes to confirm condition, 2 keys, service book, locking wheel nut etc.
 
Not a bad idea to take photos but if the inspector doesn't find any problems they can't come back later with problems. I've always been sent forms with images the inspector takes to confirm condition, 2 keys, service book, locking wheel nut etc.

Yes and most of the time I would agree. However, there were a number of cases on Legal Beagles where some car companies were doing a second more detailed examination for a variety of reasons and coming up with "new" stuff. Most of these were contested successfully but it was clearly hassle for the owners. I don't think VWFS and BCA are in this category but it never hurts to have your own evidence.
 
When we sent ours back BCA took photos which were emailed to us with summary of notes, I drafted out a collection letter which was signed stating any visual marks, mileage etc

Had not issues
 
Had a phone all at 1900 this evening confirming my collection for 0800 tomorrow morning. I’ve taken a load of photos etc so should be all good. I’m probably first one of the day as it should’ve been collected yesterday so someone else will probably get biffed off and rescheduled tomorrow avo.
 
All done! The chap confirmed there were no charges verbally. I've received the BCA report via email (which strangely grades the condition as 'B' whatever that means) and done my DVLA bit online. Overall, a relatively painless experience.
 
Ok, so I part exchanged my PCP car 4 months before the end of term with no problems at all. The valuation the dealer gave me was pretty close to the settlement fee (and close to the standard trade-in value), so it made sense.

The hand over was seamless - simply drove up in the old car, gave them all of the documentation, they had a look over to make sure I wasn't outright lying in terms of the condition, and I drove away with the new car after the finance company released funds.

Easiest handover ever. I'd certainly recommend anyone looking into this route when they near the end of their PCP deal.
 

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