Company car problem

Anyone come across this problem:

For my sins I get to manage the company fleet of cars, we lease then from all the main provides on a 36 month basis. Today one of the director's cars went in for it MOT as it coming to the end of the lease and we are waiting his new car so will run the lease over.

So his wife has taken the vehicle to the Mercedes garage to be told that the private plate shouldn't be on the vehicle as the VIN numbers don't match. Easy to solve got the leasing company to fax over a copy of the V5 as they placed the private plate on the vehicle and have always issued the tax disc with the personal plate on!

With the V5 the garage has noticed a few things

- the VIN number on the V5 is not the same as on the car
- the VIN number on the car in a HPI check does not even exist
- the V5 states the car as a E430 Elegance, the car in fact is a E350 Avantgarde

Question is:

Has this guy been driving around in an illegal car for 3 years?
Whose mistake is this?
Has anybody else had the VIN number on a V5 not match bike/car?

Also why does the director what my head on a plate for this when only been doing the job for 9 months?

[tigersaw]

Are the two VIN numbers close enough to be a typo? Someone had to apply to the DVLA to get a V5 in the first place, and declare the vehicle as new - the dealer / lease company I guess in your case. Sounds like they stuffed up, especially as the car description is wrong

When you took over the job did you HAVE to do a review of the existing leases? If yes then you missed it. If NO which I assume to be the case then tell him that you will look into sorting it out and other than that he can F OFF.

The people that registered the car in the first place are the ones in fault. The car driver of a leased vehicle just gets the keys usually. Though being me I would have checked every little detail to make sure it's right.

Originally Posted by lily

Anyone come across this problem:

For my sins I get to manage the company fleet of cars, we lease then from all the main provides on a 36 month basis. Today one of the director's cars went in for it MOT as it coming to the end of the lease and we are waiting his new car so will run the lease over.

So his wife has taken the vehicle to the Mercedes garage to be told that the private plate shouldn't be on the vehicle as the VIN numbers don't match. Easy to solve got the leasing company to fax over a copy of the V5 as they placed the private plate on the vehicle and have always issued the tax disc with the personal plate on!

With the V5 the garage has noticed a few things

- the VIN number on the V5 is not the same as on the car
- the VIN number on the car in a HPI check does not even exist
- the V5 states the car as a E430 Elegance, the car in fact is a E350 Avantgarde

Question is:

Has this guy been driving around in an illegal car for 3 years?
Whose mistake is this?
Has anybody else had the VIN number on a V5 not match bike/car?

Also why does the director what my head on a plate for this when only been doing the job for 9 months?

If the lease company have been in possession of the V5 for the past 36 months then how are you as the fleet manager expected to check the numbers on the VIN plate match the V5 when there is no document in your possession?

You could ask your director why he hadn't noticed he was driving an E350 Avantgarde when he's been paying the tax for a E430 Elegance. If he says he hadn't noticed then you could counter with a simple "Touche"


Why won't this forum let me put a froggy accent over the e?

he has been paying the right tax as the person before me informed the tax office of the car and engine size etc.

The leasing company have it down as the right car on their records....by the looks of it, it is just the V5 that the leasing company hold that is wrong.....proves they never checked it when they received it from the DVLA.

They seem to be as dumb stuck as me on this......they believe it may be the dealer that sold them the car??!!! Which makes me wonder is there someother person out there with a E420 that the dealer sold to them that may find this problem this month when they need an MOT???

looks like they have applied the personal number plate to the wrong car.... sent of the wrong V5 when they changed the plate over..

seek the origional number plate from the DVLA and it should lead you to the end of the line....

[Richie]

get the car and hide it for a couple of months..
find out the real number plate and stick them on it...


Free car...

my fee is 15% of selling value.

You haven't seen me right.