Be careful if looking at ex lease cars

[Anon70]

Booked my car in for its 12 month service with Ayvens (nee LeasePlan). Online form all pretty easy. Get an email telling me the car has been booked in with a local independent garage for the work. I phoned up Ayvens to check this garage would be able to log the service with MG and that they would also be able to apply any required software updates. The answer from the less than experienced sounding call taker was, it is booked in with one of our recommended workshops.

From that I take it, it will not get it's service record updated on the MG database, will not have the MG recovery service renewed and will not get any software updates, including sat nav maps (may also make it more difficult when trying to make any warranty claim in the future).

This seems like a pretty poor way to look after a 12 month old car, but if it is how all lease companies work I would be very wary of buying an ex lease vehicle.

 

[5teep]

Like any second hand item, it's buyer beware. Ask to see the log book/service history for any used vehicle you might want to buy, not just MG.

 

[Gomev]

Like any second hand item, it's buyer beware. Ask to see the log book/service history for any used vehicle you might want to buy, not just MG.

Might be difficult as it's all online with MG.

 

[gazza487]

Had this with OH buying a phev HS. Ford dealer “serviced” it but the service is worthless so checked with local dealer and had price adjusted. Phone up a nice dealer and ask - pays to now anyway with any potential recalls (not thinking mg but definitely did on my Chrysler and have heard of other getting a lot of work done FOC on Toyotas).

 

[Anon70]

So the car went for its "service" yesterday. Was collected at 9am and returned at 11:40am. The trip to the garage is probably 15 minutes each way and I know the car was driven into the service bay at 10:42am.

Now that the iSmart app has a service section where you can see what should have been done I can safely say less than 10% of the checks were made. In fact the only 2 things I can see that were done were a tyre pressure (and maybe a tread) check and a top up of the washer fluid.

The dash cam has mostly recorded some guy playing on his phone and randomly wandering around the car. Service indicator has not been reset and there is no record, electronic or paper of the work carried out (only my dash cam evidence).

If this was my car I would be making a fuss but as the lease company said they were happy with the garage they selected then it's down to them. The same as it will be if there is any warranty issue in the next 2 years, as they will be sorting it.

Just a shame the car will never get any software or sat nav map updates and will probably be disowned by MG once the lease company sell it on.

 

[okohll]

Now that the iSmart app has a service section where you can see what should have been done I can safely say less than 10% of the checks were made. In fact the only 2 things I can see that were done were a tyre pressure (and maybe a tread) check and a top up of the washer fluid.

Oh can you? I missed that and can't see it from a quick look, any ideas how you get to that?

 

[Anon70]

Smiley face (bottom right)
User manual

You should see this with a newly added Service Portfolio...

 

[Anon70]

For anyone interested this is what is listed for an MG4 service on an A and B cycle

 

[siteguru]

It used to be there in my app, but the service portfolio item got removed well over 18 months ago.

BUT! ... the app updated today (Android version ... now v2.0.6) and that item is back.

 

[Everest]

That's not good, from someone who will be looking for an MG4 in the next few months. Is there an easy way to find out (pre-purchase) if a pre-owned one was leased or serviced by MG?

 

[5teep]

So the car went for it's "service" yesterday. Was collected at 9am and returned at 11:40am. The trip to the garage is probably 15 minutes each way and I know the car was driven into the service bay at 10:42am.

Now that the iSmart app has a service section where you can see what should have been done I can safely say less than 10% of the checks were made. In fact the only 2 things I can see that were done were a tyre pressure (and maybe a tread) check and a top up of the washer fluid.

The dash cam has mostly recorded some guy playing on his phone and randomly wandering around the car. Service indicator has not been reset and there is no record, electronic or paper of the work carried out (only my dash cam evidence).

If this was my car I would be making a fuss but as the lease company said they were happy with the garage they selected then it's down to them. The same as it will be if there is any warranty issue in the next 2 years, as they will be sorting it.

Just a shame the car will never get any software or sat nav map updates and will probably be disowned by MG once the lease company sell it on.

A good reason to hard wire a dash cam. Whenever my car goes into the garage it comes back with the camera unplugged.

 

[Anon70]

That's not good, from someone who will be looking for an MG4 in the next few months. Is there an easy way to find out (pre-purchase) if a pre-owned one was leased or serviced by MG?

If it has been properly serviced by an MG dealer there will (or should) be a full electronic record you can access

 

[okohll]

Smiley face (bottom right)
User manual

You should see this with a newly added Service Portfolio...


View attachment 32448

Thanks, I didn't have that but after going into Settings and Clear Cache in the app it's appeared! However, under Service Portfolio -> Service Record Pages, there's no info apart from a bit of blurb "The following pages provide a complete record of the routine services..." Maybe historical services don't show, only the ones from this point forwards?

 

[Anon70]

As it is a database with all the records for a particular VIN or reg then I would expect to have access to all the service logs for that vehicle. How else would you prove to a dealer your car was covered under the warranty

 

[okohll]

Yes I think I will email our dealer and see what they say

 

[DBedford]

For anyone interested this is what is listed for an MG4 service on an A and B cycle

Not showing up in iSmart for the UK versions of the manuals for M4 or ZS EV, but do for the European versions???

 

[Eclectic]

Not showing up in iSmart for the UK versions of the manuals for M4 or ZS EV, but do for the European versions???

I had to select and confirm my car from the options before the service portfolio showed.

 

[siteguru]

It shows, but following the further links etc. displays nothing useful (other than the table listing A and B items).

 

[Eclectic]

It just shows what should be done, rather than what has been done - ie just a blank document

 

[Mickandsej]

My ZS ICE was serviced just before I traded it for the 5SE. They sent me a video, but all it was was a fitter and a torch showing me my tyres were all 10% worn as were my pads. Nothing else so seemed a bit pointless. Also showed a very basic workshop, a bit low level Kwik Fit if you like.
Aside from AA renewal, which I already have covered with Britannia, what ARE the benefits of franchise servicing? I really want to go with Cleevely and I’m sure they dig deeper and I’ll have a paper trail SH with them. Mines on a PCP with the intention of keeping it at the end.