This procedure leaves most people with a very bad taste in their mouth and usually prevents them from pursuing another lease vehicle.
On the day the new car lease is over it is time to take the lease vehicle back to the dealership. At this point you can either go into another new car lease or just walk away.
But in either case the lease vehicle will be inspected and this can get tricky. Each dealer handles the lease return differently.
Some dealerships just say thank you very much and let the lease company handle the post lease inspection including contact, negotiation and billing for required repairs to the lease vehicle.
You will also find that some dealerships will perform the off lease vehicle inspection and report to you directly.
What will they report on you ask. The new car lease contract stated you would be responsible for any damage to the vehicle that was considered above and beyond normal wear and tear.
This statement alone (that you signed off on) is very ambiguous and open to interpretation. What is normal wear and tear? Again this will be different between individual new car lease companies.
In my experience the lease vehicle provider will let you slide on a few minor nicks and scratches. But will charge you full retail price for repairs such as body damage and vandalism damage.
This is why you would want to prepare the lease vehicle for turn in before the off lease inspection occurs. You can fix the car cheaper on your own by shopping around for the best prices on the needed repairs.
When the new car lease company’s saw their customers upset to the point of refusing to lease a vehicle again they developed a strategy to assist on the new car lease turn in procedure.
Some company’s started providing a free inspection a month before the end of the new car lease contract. This helped prepare the consumer of what to expect.
This is where I came in. I worked for BMW North America as an independent contractor and performed these free inspections.
I was paid to go out to the lease vehicle and educate the consumer on what they would be charged for on turn in. What I found was most of these people never read their new car lease contract and where not ready for what was to come.
I would point out chargeable damage on the lease vehicle and provide helpful instructions for the repair of the deficiencies. The new car lease company paid for this service in full.
As a Side note you have to remember that the leasing company has planed to resell the lease vehicle in question as a low mileage perfect looking vehicle. This sale brings top dollar resale values and is how the company makes multiple incomes from just one unit.
First they made money on the new car lease and the required repairs to return the car to top-notch condition. Then they make money on the resale of the vehicle. This double profit system is why they are in this business.
If bad things happened to this car while you owned it you will have to pay for the restoration of the unit.
As far as the BMW inspection procedure the company had me take digital pictures of the damage and also the current odometer reading and VIN plate to assure they where in the loop about the current condition of the lease vehicle.
I would also perform a complete mechanical inspection and forward the results to the company. The inspection was very thorough and often the vehicle would require tires to be replaced.
BMW required 4/32 of tread or more to be on the tires at the time of turn in. Tires can be expensive on some vehicles.
Most people did not like the inspection procedure even though I was there to help them. For many this was the first time they could actually see the costs involved with leasing the vehicle and having to return the car or truck for resale.
It is human nature to get attached to your car. And to have someone point out its deficencies can be unsettling. My advice is to obtain a written guideline for what is required at the end of the new car lease contract.
Take the required steps and repair the lease vehicle yourself as opposed to letting the company do it for top retail prices. You can save hundreds of dollars buy doing it yourself. I hope this sheds some light on the end of the new car lease turn in procedure and that your lease vehicles turn in goes smoothly.
Mark Gittelman is an ASE Certified Master Technician With more than 23 years experience in the automotive repair business. For more free automotive information visit his automotive web site Or to post a car question visit his online auto repair manuals page www.autofacts.org/autorepairmanuals.html
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» left by Billy from Miami,Florida (1 year 1 day ago.)
That's not all true, Many Leasing firms Charge a wholesale rate not Full Price.
Also, if you go out and repair the vehicle yourself if the repair is substandard then you will be billed for substandard repairs.The best thing to do is get the inspection and then take your options.Alot of Body shops will scare the consumer that they should repair the damage before the inspection,that's B.S...I have seen alot of substandard work and have had to sadly bill the lease,and then the leasee would have to go back to the Poor Quality Body Shop and demand their money back, or re-do the job.And of course, No body shop would do that.I have been an Off Lease Auto Inspector over 7 years working for many leasing companies,and 4 different Inspection Firms.The bottom line is wait, and take your options.The Off-Lease market has changed alot, and yes Leasing Companies are concerned over their investment I'm sure we all would be.The Auto Leasing Companies took Million Dollar Loses between 1999-2001 and they don't want too see that again.That's why there serious when it comes to excessive wear n tear. Respond to this comment
» left by Mark Gittelman(5,502) Mark Gittelman (1 year ago.)
Thanks billy for your response. As far as the substandard body work I do see your point and all the readers can see your advice on the topic. I as i wrote the article I am living in a town that has 3 award winning body shops that over deliver in high quality repairs in there competition with each other. So I guess I have a higher opinion of body shops then you do. But other areas may not be as fortunate to have quality body shops. I guess I'm just spoiled but I do appreciate your expertise and comments from you. Respond to this comment
I just turned in a leased Chrysler CrossFire that originally came with GoodYear tires. Over my lease term in purchased different brand tires. When I tured my car in they said the tires are mismatched because I did not replace them with Goodyear which is what they came with, they admit the tread is fine. Can they really charge me for 4 brand new tires even though the tires on there now are fine just because the brand is different, that doesnt seem right?
No this does not seem right to me either. If the tires you put on are the same exact size and (very important) speed rating (example: H rated) Then this should be okay. You will have to check your original lease contract to see if it mentions rules about tire changes. The brand name should not have an impact in my opinion. Goodyears are okay but what if you went with Michelin tires (better) would you be penalized?
We had the inspection and all was well. In between then and now someone backed into my car. Should I fix it on my own or return it and see what they charge me? VW
My Chrysler lease is nearly up. We are looking at GM products now. Can I turn in my Chrysler leased car at a GM dealer or do I have to turn it in at Chrysler and have no trade of any kind at GM?
If your vehicle was leased through a chrysler program and not an aftermarket program like first union then I believe you have to return it to a chrysler dealer. Respond to this comment
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