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Fighting over scraps

I scrapped my car on 29th May for a new VW Polo with VW (Wayside Milton Keynes). The dealer insisted that I hand over the tax disc from my old car which had 5 months tax remaining – even though I provided them with a photocopy of the disc. They said I should get a form from DVLA to claim the unused tax. When I contacted DVLA they said I should not have handed the tax disc to the dealer and I should ask for it back. There was also an issue with missing petrol that I had paid for when I collected the new car, so I wrote to VW and requested a cheque to cover the tax I could no longer claim back plus £15 for the missing petrol. They wrote back and said they no longer had the tax disc and the best they could do was to offer me a full tank of petrol. I have not turned down this offer yet, but as this would involve a 30 mile round trip (an hour of my time and a gallon of petrol) I would prefer just a cheque so I can get the petrol locally. I have written to VW Customer Services, but they have not replied to my letter. Should I take this further or accept that I should have been more insistent and refused to let them have the tax disc. I could have claimed back about £79 from DVLA.

Asked on 19 September 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
Lord Mandleson has done some good here by having his department write a rulebook for the scrappage scheme that clarifies a lot of confusions. You’ll find it at:- www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/sectors/automotive/scrapp...4 The VED requirement relates to the date you order your new vehicle, not the date of delivery. Your old car must have a valid tax disc or one that has expired within 14 days of the order. If there is any tax left, the tax disc should be returned to you so that you can claim a refund. To get a refund you’ll need to complete a V14 ‘Application for a refund of vehicle tax’. Send the form and the tax disc to Refund Section, DVLA, Swansea SA99 1AL. There is no need for the dealer to retain your tax disc. It is not a requirement of the scrappage scheme. The dealer may wish to keep a copy.

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