FAQs

Simply Clever is a phrase that ŠKODA uses to communicate its philosophy, in the same way that SEAT uses Technology to Enjoy. The ŠKODA design team focuses on clever but simple features like the bag hooks in most new ŠKODA models, built-in LED torches in the boot area or in the Superb’s case, a sensor under the rear bumper that raises the tailgate simply by passing your foot under it, should your hands be full! Come and see and test drive the ŠKODA range and you’ll see what it means! See lots of Simply Clever videos at http://www.skoda-auto.com/en/experience/brand

As part of the Volkswagen Group, some UK ŠKODA cars were indeed fitted with the so-called ‘defeat device’. A ‘fix’ for these has now been agreed with various Government bodies and those cars affected are being recalled and modified at ŠKODA’S expense and minimal disruption for the customers. But no new ŠKODA cars on sale today are affected so you can buy a new car with confidence. If you have any questions, please contact the ŠKODA teams in our brand new showroom in Leeds, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Bradford, Hull or York and they’ll be delighted to help.

ŠKODA has three production sites in the Czech Republic. Mladá Boleslav is the HQ with a tradition of industrial production dating back to 1895. Mladá Boleslav is not only home to the brand's headquarters and R&D department, but is also the location of ŠKODA's largest production facility in the world. ŠKODA also produces engines and gearboxes in Mladá Boleslav for use both in ŠKODA models, and also for other brands within the Volkswagen Group. At the company’s Kvasiny plant, Škoda builds the Yeti and Superb. The ŠKODA Citigo is produced at ŠKODA’s Slovenian plant near Bratislava.

ŠKODA is wholly owned by Volkswagen Group, which shares manufacturing expertise and components between its brands.

ŠKODA is indeed part of the Volkswagen Group (as are Audi, Volkswagen and SEAT) and ŠKODAS share many parts with other cars in the group. Much of Volkswagen Group’s success has been due to its ‘platform strategy’ whereby it develops one chassis or engine or whatever and shares them across its different brands. The advantages for customers of any of the group’s brands are cars underpinned by Volkswagen Group’s legendary quality and reliability whilst still having a character and style of their own.

Here is Dougal Keith to explain this further: 

Technology to Enjoy is a phrase that SEAT uses to communicate its philosophy, in the same way that ŠKODA uses Simply Clever. The SEAT design team focuses on driving enjoyment and uses technology to make cars which are more fun and pleasurable to drive. And to look at, of course. Come and see and test drive the SEAT range and you’ll see what it means! For more SEAT videos go to https://www.youtube.com/user/seat

As part of the Volkswagen Group, some UK SEAT cars were indeed fitted with the so-called ‘defeat device’. A ‘fix’ for these has now been agreed with various Government bodies and those cars affected are being recalled and modified at SEAT’s expense and minimal disruption for the customers. But no new SEAT cars on sale today are affected so you can buy a new car with confidence. If you have any questions, please contact the SEAT team in our brand new showroom in York and they’ll be delighted to help.

Most SEAT cars are manufactured at its ultra-modern plant in Martorell, near Barcelona in North East Spain. It’s the same factory that produces the A3 for Audi. SEAT is wholly owned by Volkswagen Group, which shares manufacturing expertise and components between its brands.

SEAT is indeed part of the Volkswagen Group (as are Audi, Volkswagen and ŠKODA ) and SEATs share the platform technology with the rest of Volkswagen Group. Much of Volkswagen Group’s success has been due to its ‘platform strategy’ whereby it develops one vehicle platform and shares them across its different brands. The advantages for customers of any of the group’s brands are cars underpinned by Volkswagen Group’s legendary quality and reliability whilst still having a character and style of their own.

Here is Dougal Keith to explain more: 

We have had lots of customers ask us how to pair a mobile phone with a new car. It's really easy - have a look at these two videos:

Do you struggle with entering a postcode into your new Sat Nav - then look no further than this handy video:

ŠKODA park assist is a great function, here is a handy video just in case you need some assistance:

If our video doesn't answer all of your queries please don't hesitate in contacting a member of our team. 

Mileage figures are based on strictly controlled Govt.-controlled tests on cars under ideal conditions so they can be compared with one another. They’re the maximum that you can expect rather than if for instance most of your driving is short journeys or stop-start commuting. It’s something that you should discuss with your Sales Advisor, who will be happy to tell you what kind of mpg you can expect given your kind of driving. Unfortunately, if you only ever drive in heavy traffic, the car isn’t going to be as economical as one that only ever drives on clear roads at 50mph!

The ŠKODA Yeti is very versatile and the back seats can be easily removed - want to know how? Have a look here:

Don't forget if you need any more help on this or any other query a member of our team will be more than happy to help - either give us a call or pop in to see us. 

Rather than explain it, watch this video: 

We are more than happy to go through this or any other query that you may have - so please don't hesitate in contacting a member of our team.  We will be happy to help. 

Rather than explain it, watch this video: 

The quick answer is that you can’t. The KESSY system automatically unlocks the car doors when you’re within 1.5 metres of the car so by the time you're behind the wheel you simply press the starter button to start the engine. One press on the buttons in the exterior door handles activates central locking, however and if the key has been left inside the car by mistake, the system will refuse to lock it. And as soon as you’re more than 1.5 metres from the car, it’s automatically deadlocked again.

ISOFIX mountings are a great and very important safety feature in vehicles. However different models have different fixings and different seat groups have different brackets.

Here is a handy video to show how an ISOFIX base can be fitted into a Yeti - which has the mountings on show.

Watch this space for more videos - showing the different fixings and mountings available

Those ISOFIX brackets can be a bit tricky, so if you are unsure whether or not the car seats are fitted correctly it is always best to get them double checked by an approved car seat safety expert.

Don't forget if you can't see a video you need - please don't hesitate to contact our Marketing team and we will do our very best to accommodate your request - email us at Marketing@dmkeith.com

If there’s a fault with the car within the first 30 days that we can’t fix, legally we have to refund you the full purchase price. If it’s within six months, we have to repair or replace the car. But if you just decide that you made a mistake in the model or specification after you’ve taken delivery, technically it’s yours. That’s why we always spend time with customers making sure they’re buying the right car and specification, and take the car on a test drive. We’ll often be able to give you an extended test drive over 24 hours so make sure you like it.

Well, it depends… If it’s in stock (and as the UK’s largest ŠKODA dealer, we have large stocks) and already prepared, you might have it in a day or two. At the other end of the scale, if you want a very specific specification and the factory is on holiday, it might take as long as 16 weeks. But we have new cars in the pipeline all the time and it’s unusual if we won’t have one that’s close to your ideal spec on its way from the factory, so available in a few weeks. The best thing to do is ask, clearly: contact any of our showrooms and our Sales Advisors will be delighted to tell you exactly what’s available and when.

Diesel engines are still the most economical for most people, but the current generation of Volkswagen diesel engines have very low emissions, helped by very clever technology that ‘washes’ the exhaust through a chemical called AdBlue. But the new generation of petrol engines are surprisingly economical and may in some instances work out just as cheap to run as a diesel. Come and talk to one of our Sales Advisors, tell us about your driving habits and we’ll be delighted to advise you

We try to list all our used stock on the website, but with such a large turnover it’s highly likely that we’ll have some cars that aren’t listed yet. Plus we’ll often have cars coming in at the end of a lease or as a part-exchange that we’ll know are about to arrive but we don’t list them until they’re physically on site. On top of that we have access to ŠKODA and SEAT group Approved Used stock so your ideal car may be on someone else’s forecourt in Aberdeen, Abergavenny or St Austell. So tell us what you’re looking for and let us do the searching for you.

Most optional extras add to the value of the car, although it’s true that some add more value than others. BETTER AN LX THAN AN UPGRADED L If you want a very unusual specification it may make it less attractive to the next buyer, so it might actually decrease its value. All of our new cars some in a wide range of specifications, from those that have very basic features to the luxurious L&K range, where it would be difficult to find extras to add! The best course is to talk to any of our Sales Advisors and they’ll guide your purchase so you get the features you want at the best whole-of-life cost (the total cost of owning the car for, say, three years).

We certainly do. At time of writing we have at least one at every site. But we don’t discriminate on the basis of gender: we recruit sales people because they’re great with customers and good at their job, so we’d be very disappointed if you didn’t have the same great experience with either a male or female D. M. Keith family member! But if you’re dead set on dealing with a woman, do please call your nearest site and we’d be delighted to make an appointment.

Our Sales Advisors are always going to do their level best to help you buy a car: it’s their job. But we deliberately recruit people that fit our family values of Fit, Fun, Family and Fearless, so the answer to your question is a firm Yes! But come and meet the team for yourself and hopefully you’ll find the as pleasant a bunch of folk as we do.

You can indeed, although there are various documents which we’ll need you to sign on our premises. And of course we’d very much prefer you to test drive the car before agreeing to buy it. But where there’s a will there’s a way and we have a team of a dozen drivers so as long at you’re not in Troon, Truro or Timbuktu, we’ll find a way that’s convenient to you.

The vast majority of our finance deals are backed by the factory through Volkswagen Financial Services, and of course they’re keen to support the sale of new cars. In fact VWFS also support the sale of used cars, often by supporting low rate finance which is often substantially cheaper than High St lenders. As they’re not a High St lender so they have to be highly competitive. But if it’s always worth asking what deals we have available and checking the Special Offers on the website.

Leasing costs are based on the difference between the initial price and what we expect the car to be worth at the end of the lease: the residual value. So a £30,000 car worth £20,000 after three years can be cheaper than a £25,000 car that’s only going to be worth £13,000. Sometimes for instance, a top-specification model like the L&K might be cheaper to lease than an SEL because demand is very strong for the L&K. So always come and talk to one of our Sales Advisors and see what’s on offer: you may well end up with a better car than you’d bargained for!

Let’s explain three of the most popular ways to finance your car so you can decide which is right for you. This guide will walk you through three of the most popular finance plans – Hire Purchase (HP), Personal Contract Hire (PCH) and Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) – to help you decide which is right for you.

Hire Purchase (HP)

If you choose to pay for your car with a Hire Purchase agreement, you will normally pay an initial deposit and will pay off the entire value of the car in monthly instalments. When all the payments are made, the Hire Purchase agreement ends and you own the car.

Pros

• You’ll be able to drive away a car that you may not have managed to buy outright.
• Unlike a PCP or PCH contract, you won't need to estimate your mileage at the start of your Hire Purchase agreement, so you'll avoid excess mileage charge
• Once you’ve made your final monthly payment, you'll have full ownership of the car.

Things to bear in mind

• Monthly payments may be higher than other finance options, such as PCP, as you're paying off the full value of the car.
• You won’t be able to sell the car without settling the finance.

Personal Contract Hire (PCH)

Personal Contract Hire (PCH) is a type of long-term rental that will suit you if you’re not looking to buy the car at the end of your contract. You lease the car for an agreed period of time by making fixed monthly payments. When the contract expires, you simply return your car or take out a new contract on a new vehicle.

Pros

• It’s hassle free, as you can drive away a new car without worrying about the warranty running out, or how you'll re-sell it.
• Your monthly payments on the car will be much lower than if you were buying it.
• It's flexible - you can change your car easily, and you will have access to new cars that you may not have been able to afford to buy.

Things to bear in mind

• There’s no option to buy the car at the end.
• You will need to agree an approximate mileage estimate at the beginning of your contract - there may be a mileage charge if you exceed this.
• You’ll have to take out comprehensive car insurance - it's not included in your contract.

Personal Contract Purchase (PCP)

Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) is similar to a Hire Purchase agreement as you will usually pay an initial deposit, followed by monthly instalments. What's different with PCP, is that your monthly instalments are only paying off the depreciation of the car, rather than the entire value of the car.

How does PCP actually work?

At the start of your PCP contract, a Guaranteed Future Value (GFV) of the car is estimated. This is the car's expected value when your contract ends.

For you, this simply means that the money you're actually borrowing and repaying is the difference between what the car is worth now, and what it will be worth at the end of your contract (the depreciation). You'll pay this difference off in monthly instalments. This means lower monthly payments for you, but you will need to pay a final payment at the end (the Guaranteed Future Value) if you want to buy the car.

Once your monthly payments are finished, you’ll have three options:

• Buy the car by paying the final balloon payment (the Guaranteed Future Value)
• Hand the car back - your finance company has already predicted the Guaranteed Future Value of the car, so handing the car back will settle the deal.
• Part exchange for a new car

Pros

• Monthly payments on a car financed by PCH are usually lower than if your car is financed by a Hire Purchase agreement.
• If you decide not to buy the car, you can simply walk away when you've made all the monthly payments.
• Similar to PCH, you can drive away a brand new car every three years without worrying about it running out of warranty, or selling it on.
• If your car is worth more than the Guaranteed Future Value then you can use that equity towards a deposit on a new car.

Things to bear in mind

• If you want to buy the car you will need to pay your final balloon payment (the Guaranteed Future Value)
• Similar to PCH, you will need to agree on an approximate mileage estimate at the beginning of your contract.

Can I settle my PCP deal early?

You can normally settle your deal early, however many finance companies will require you to pay off the difference between what your car is worth now, and what you still owe (negative equity). For example, if your car is currently worth £12,000 but your finance settlement figure is £14,000, then you will need to pay the £2,000 to clear the negative equity. Keep an eye out for early repayment charges!

In a word, no. What you can do is end the agreement early, but you may well incur additional charges and you may find that it’s better financially to continue the agreement. That’s why we always spend a lot of time making sure you fully understand the different schemes so that you can decide which suits you best before you buy.

The average excess mileage charge on a lease is currently around 7p per mile, so on your current contract, the additional 12,000 miles would indeed incur an additional charge of £840 when you hand the car back in. That charge reflects the lower residual value of the car with higher mileage and would be the same if you owned the car outright and wanted to sell it on the open market. Under certain circumstances, however, you can adjust the mileage on a lease: you must have had the car for at least six months and you can only increase the mileage, not decrease it. If you think your mileage is likely to increase, raise this with your Sales Advisor at the start of the process and we’ll explain all the options and make sure the lease package suits your needs.

The vast majority of our customers now use some sort of finance to ‘buy’ a car. And indeed, the automotive finance industry is very competitive, so finance providers linked to manufacturers such as Volkswagen Financial Services will often make special offers to win business. Sometimes those special offers might be as low as 0% finance and in those circumstances we’d probably advise customers to retain their capital and take advantage of the offer. Especially in uncertain times!So always come and talk to one of our Sales Advisors and see what’s on offer – you may decide to keep your capital for a rainy day!

In a word, yes. And that’s the protection you get from finance that’s secured against the car rather than, say, your home. With the kind of funding we offer, you have a legal right, once you’ve paid off 50% of the loan, to hand the vehicle back with nothing further to pay. Moreover, if you’ve paid back a third of the loan, the finance company can’t repossess the car. So it’s always worth getting a finance quote from us as a comparison as you know you’ll be fully protected, whereas you won’t get the same protection on a loan that’s secured on your property. And in uncertain times, that level of security and protection might be welcome!

Yes to all three questions. Our six showrooms are all newly refurbished and have been specifically designed to enable easy access. You’ll find clearly marked disabled parking bays adjacent to the entrance, step-free access from the car park into the showroom and clearly signed toilets that accommodate a wheelchair. Oh, and a warm welcome!

Pretty much all our Sales Advisors have been Motability trained so you can talk to any of them about the Motability scheme without having to make an appointment. But we’d always advise you to make an appointment at a specific time, so do please call any of our showroom and we’d be delighted to arrange a convenient time for you to discuss your requirements.

Meet some of our team here: 

The Motability scheme is Government controlled and prices are set centrally. So technically, no we can’t. The only flexibility we have is if for instance you have a car that you’d like to sell: we might offer you a better price than another dealer, especially if it’s a well-kept ŠKODA, SEAT or Honda as we might want to sell it ourselves. That and, of course, our knowledge of the Motability scheme, stunning cars and outstanding service levels!

Yes we can. We regularly modify cars to suit the needs of individual customers and have a range of special devices that will help you drive in comfort and safety. Please call or email any of our showrooms, tell us what you need and we’d be delighted to help.

Rather than explain it, watch this video:

We certainly do. We are a Volkswagen Approved Body Repair Centre and can handle anything from a tiny scratch to major accident damage. And we have our own full-time smart repairer so your bumper scrape can be fixed in a trice! Click here to make an appointment with one of our specialists.

The quick answer is, normally, no: it’s highly likely we’ll be the same price. Plus you’ll know that you’ll have the correct tyres for the car and they’ve been fitted and balanced by Volkswagen Group trained technicians. But email or call us and let us quote – you might be pleasantly surprised!

Yes, independent garages can be very cheap. They don’t have to conform to Volkswagen Group’s demanding standards as we do, they use non-genuine parts and their technicians are often unqualified, so they can cut costs. And most independents don’t have the technology to automatically update the car’s software like we do. But we have a fixed price menu for most service items so you know exactly what the work will cost before you start and our prices are very competitive. Plus we have special prices for cars over three years old. So a service from D. M. Keith is competitively priced, uses 100% genuine parts and is carried out by Volkswagen trained technicians. And a full dealer service history will enhance the trade-in value of your car.

No and yes: it depends on the parts. Consumer law says that your warranty is valid as long as the parts fitted are of the same quality as the originals. So if you can show that they’re Original Equipment quality, you’re safe. But with fixed competitive prices at D. M. Keith, why take the risk? And a service history from a franchised dealer will always enhance the resale value of the car.

We certainly do. We offer to help keep you mobile whilst your car is with us and we’ll discuss your transport requirements with you when you book. It may mean that you need a car but often our customer prefer a lift to a bus stop or station!

It certainly is, and has been since the 1950s. Dougal and Angus Keith, the sons of the founder, still own and actively run the business day-to-day. Both Dougal and Angus are Directors and regard themselves as ambassadors for D. M. Keith’s ‘family values’ of Fit, Fun, Family and Fearless and you’ll be as likely to see them making a customer a coffee or solving an IT issue as running a meeting!

D. M. Keith likes to put something back into the community and proudly supports a number of local charities, such as Yorkshire Air Ambulance and St Gemma’s Hospice. If you represent a charity and are looking for support, please contact Dougal Keith directly at our Head Office in Leeds. We’re not promising we’ll support you, but we’re always open to approaches from worthy causes that fit with out family values of Fit, Fun, Family and Fearless.

We’re always looking for good people. D. M. Keith employs over 200 in a wide variety of roles from valeter to Finance Director, technician to Sales Advisor. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds and although people like technicians need specialist skills and qualifications, many roles just need the right attitude and to fit with our family values of Fit, Fun, Family and Fearless. Vacancies are advertised on our website but if you don’t see anything suitable and would like to talk to us, please contact Rachel Thompson, our HR Director. Click here to hear more from Rachel.