To think I shouldn't be out of pocket.

[Toddlerteaplease]

My three year old car failed its MOT almost four weeks ago, and is still in the garage waiting for a part. With no timescale, as to when it will arrive. In the meantime I've got a hire car arranged by the dealership. It's a nice car but absolutely huge and much less economical to run than my own little car. I usually don't drive to much, but due to pre booked plans, I'm close to the fair mileage limit for the month. I will also be doing a lot of driving over Christmas, which will exceed the limit. Do I have any way of getting the dealership to cover the extra costs incurred? After so long, my patience with the dealers is wearing thin!

Ha, no, I wouldn't have thought so. I don't know many garages that provide a courtesy car at all, let alone reimburse you for it being more expensive to run than yours.

It's still under warranty and I'm on a service plan, so they have to be nice to me!

I can't move it, I think k it's illegal to drive it with a failed MOT.

It's the milage limit that's the issue!

@BusyGoldBee no, it's with the main dealer and on back order. Do not change anyone else would have it!

Ask them to increase the mileage limit given the extended time you've had it? Worst outcome is they say no. I also think that's more likely to succeed than any request to be reimbursed fuel costs.

It's not so much the fuel costs, though that is annoying. It's the penalty I might get for the
Mileage. I'll ring them and see what they say if it can be increased.

I don't think so. Don't think it's their fault

Explain to them that with it being Christmas you’re doing more driving than normal and ask nicely if it can be extended

Have a look at the fine print for the exact terms of fair usage. Generally speaking, contract terms are not enforceable if they are unfair.

I'd be looking for whether the set number of miles also had any mention of a commitment to a 'reasonable time' for the repair.

So for example, if they limited your number of miles, but did not have an equal commitment on their side for repairing the car within a time scale, that could mean you had an unrealistic and really low average daily mileage because you'd be stuck with the car indefinitely.

So like: 1000 miles for up to 30 days usage = reasonable, just unfortunate that you've got a lot of travelling at the moment.

1000 miles capped regardless of how long you have the car = unreasonable because effectively they could just delay repairing your car for a year in order to profit off you*

*I'm not saying that they ever would, I'm just pointing out that often the easiest way to determine the fairness of a contract term is to take it to hypothetical extremes to expose the discrepancies.

If you can find something that indicates that the obligations of both parties are not equal, you could then appeal to their goodwill and ask for an adjustment to the allowed mileage in light of the delays getting the parts.

If it’s already been at the garage for almost 4 weeks and you’ve had the hire car for that period then Christmas would fall into the next month’s usage, so you’ll be worrying about nothing. You need to to know what date month 2 starts

If your car is 3 years old then it’s having its first MOT and if it’s failed, that’s an issue. What’s wrong with it? I complain to dealer for sure.

Ask your insurance company directly

can you ask for a more economical hire car?

The clutch cylinder has a leak.

I think it's 1000 miles a month. But they also said the limit was 100 miles a day. I'm going to see friends and my parents over Christmas, and they live 200 miles a week away.

Agree with above.

Check docs.

Then say they've had the car a month. You've stuck to their contract but you'd like a change of terms under fair usage as it's Christmas and you'll be doing x y and z.

I'd argue that fair usage would be equal to the usage you would be doing if you your own car.

Same as if your commute to work was 120 mile round trip I'd have argued that 100miles a day wasn't fair use.

Tbf sometimes I've read and know docs (or have an idea like OP and it's not working for me) and want to know what peoples opinions are as I'm reading a contract as it helps frame my thinking as doing so.

I didn't get any documents. And when I spoke to them they were unclear.

I sighed a contract but didn't get a copy, so can't remember what it said. As I only expected to have the car for a few days.