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Where to Take Your Damaged Contract Hire Car
Unfortunately it should always go to the main agent to have any damage repaired. To do otherwise is risky and can in the long term work out more expensive. Whilst a vehicle is under warranty one must be conscious not to do anything that risks invalidating the warranty and of course one has to take into account that the leasing company owns the vehicle.
There is always the temptation to get repairs carried out at a local garage, particularly if it is not going through the insurance. When companies have a large excess on the policy it is sometimes easier just to get it repaired. Or possibly it is because the company is worried about making another claim on their policy. Accidents do seem to be like buses and come all at once, which can be a bit disturbing if a company is concerned about the renewal of their policy.
Technically of course the insured is supposed to tell the insurance company of any incident, whether they claim or not but of course they don't. There was a case not so long ago where a car was broken into, close to the owner's home and the radio was stolen. The driver not wanting to claim had the broken window and the radio replaced at his own expense.
Not long after the car was stolen from approximately the same location, the insurance company became aware of the previous break in, perhaps through the police report, and refused to pay out. They said that they should have been informed of the break in, because that would have indicated to them an increased risk of theft. Of course just because an insurance company refuses to pay out, it doesn't mean that they are correct in doing so, or that it can't be challenged.
One risk associated with having work done elsewhere rather than the main agent, is that if the leasing company detects this you will be debited the cost of having the work carried out again at the Dealership. Do they get the work re done? Well it will really depend how they dispose of the vehicle, if it is going to be sold through the auctions, perhaps not but in any event they are entitled to make the charge.
Where repairs are carried out other than by the main agent, which involved damage to the engine is generally more risky for the hirer; manufacturers will invalidate the cars warranty if they find out and with the diagnostics of today there is not much they can't detect.
The exception to this is tyres. However before you replace a damaged tyre it can be worth checking the maintenance agreement, if you have one; many contract hire agreements include maintenance and with certain companies tyre damage is covered.
If tyres are not covered under a maintenance agreement, it is perfectly acceptable to buy them at another outlet (the difference in cost can be significant), rather than the main agent. Although it is important to purchase the tyres that are specified by the manufacturer. Beware of retailers who try to sell you a tyre "that is exactly the same" Perhaps it will serve just as well, perhaps not and you may only find out when you are skidding out of control.
In summary it is really the safest option to in general to get the repairs to your lease car carried out at the main agent, at least then you can be confident there will be no problems when the car is returned at the end of its term.
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