Thank you to our personal car leasing customer, from Preston, for sending through images of their amazing new car – the Mercedes CLA.
As a nationwide online business, it’s not always possible to work alongside local customers in the North West. However, when we do receive an enquiry from an individual/business in the vicinity, we do find the process is somewhat easier (for both parties), as the closer proximity allows us to work closer together where necessary. In particular, this is more of a benefit to us where things do go wrong with the transaction. This leads on to a question – what do I do if the lease car is wrong?
Every broker/finance company will adopt slightly different approaches to process. Our advice (and guidance) on this matter is bespoke to how we do this, in accordance with our regulator and ombudsman, but is no way the definitive answer to all of the issues which can arise. When you are browsing for a new car, many modern websites will provide you with “CAP data” and some general stock images, along with a vehicle description. CAP provide a licence (available for a fee) so that online parties like CarLease UK can show in-depth and up to date information on the car – standard specification, additional specification, technical information and some basic images for illustration purposes.
The issue with this is that the data is only accurate on a specific model year; this means if a manufacturer makes a subtle change, which they can do 2 or 3 times per year, there may be an issue with the vehicle shown.
For example if you see a Mercedes CLA on a website with a Model Year (MY) 18 specification and you want a MY19 specification, unless you bring this to the attention to the dealership or broker, the wrong car may be delivered. With WLTP in full flow, you will see the specification and technical information changing on a more regular basis which means that there is more chance of something being misunderstood or going wrong.
The WLTP changes, which came into force for any new vehicles registered on or after September 2018, means that cars will be subject to more in-depth testing. In particular, this will include all specification which is available on that car (which is one of the major changes for vehicle testing). Ultimately, this will see specification on vehicles change, as manufacturers may not be able to satisfy the obligations of the new testing process and they will want to avoid affecting the CO2 on a vehicle; as this will cause issues with company car drivers. As such, manufacturers may make knee-jerk changes to cars and the data, which is supplied by CAP, will not be updated or accurate. For a customer, this means that they need to ask their broker/finance company to confirm with the supplying dealer if a certain specification is included – heated front seats/parking sensors/navigation. In this transaction, we had an issue whereby the customer had spoken with a Mercedes dealership who had mentioned that the AMG Line included a number of elements which were actually not there. Upon delivery, this raised some issues with the customer. Thankfully we were able to revolve this amicably.
So what happens in these situations? Ultimately this will depend on transaction to transaction, as to what a broker (or dealer) can do to remediate the situation. If we, or the dealer, have made an mistake then the customer is more than entitled to reject the goods at no immediate cost to the. In doing so, the vehicle is returned to the dealer and the transaction will be unravelled. However, the reality is that the customer will not have a vehicle and there is no automatic entitlement to a courtesy vehicle. This can leave the customer with a big decision to make, as sourcing an alternative vehicle will take at least 2 weeks or longer.
If you are waiting for a vehicle, then you may need to arrange short-term car hire, which is only going to create further costs (unless the broker or dealer manages this).
In these events, it is important that all parties work closely together and reach an amicable solution.
What happens if a customer receives their vehicle and they make a mistake on the specification?
When the broker and/or dealer have done their job correctly, the onus falls on the customer. What needs to be understood, is that finances are no longer infinite and it is not always possible just to swap a car where mistake is made (regardless of how innocent this is). In the case that a customer makes an error and wishes to cancel the transaction, they run a risk of a) cancellation charges; and/or b) early termination charges if the finance agreement has been set live by signing the delivery note. Again, if all parties work closely together there may be an amicable solution to reach. But this is not always the case.
In terms of the car shown here, the Mercedes-Benz CLA Class Diesel Coupe CLA 220d AMG Line 4door Tip Auto, this is based on the following configuration:
· Polar Silver Metallic Paint
· Artico leather/Dinamica – Black with red stitching
· Light aluminium with longitudinal grain interior trim
· 18″ AMG 5 Twin Spoke Design Alloy Wheels In Black With High Sheen Finish
As standard the car includes a 7” colour display, artico leather upholstery, cruise control, AMG floor mats, 18” alloys, light aluminium trim, automatic rain sensing wipers, privacy glass, adaptive brake assist, black brake callipers, hill start assist, comfort suspension, attention assist, active park assist with parktronic system, collision prevention assist, DYNAMIC select, smartphone integration (including Apple CarPlay), electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, AMG body styling, diamond grille, dual stainless steel exhaust pipes, adaptive brake lights, LED headlights, gearshift paddles, sports pedals, climate control, immobiliser, ant-theft alarm, warning triangle and first aid kit. In terms of additional specification, consider – Harmon/Kardon, memory pack or the Map Pilot/Command navigation. To confirm, the CLA AMG Line DOES NOT have navigation as standard.
On the technical-side, company car and business drivers can note the P11d at £34,315.00 and CO2 at 106g/km for tax calculations. The 2143CC 7 speed auto diesel engine delivers 68.9 combined MPG, 177ps and 0-62 times of 7.7 seconds. Service intervals on a diesel CLA are every 12 months or 15,500 miles.
So would the Mercedes CLA be your select car leasing option? Or would the Audi A5 sportback or BMW 4 series Gran Coupe or VW Arteon be your choice?
Find the webs best Mercedes CLA leasing deals online @CarLease UK or read more Mercedes reviews below.
