First time turning in an Audi lease as I have always been an owner, so I have some questions.
Did my inspection a month ago and my lease ends this month.
Inspection only noted curb rash which I fully expect to pay. That said, there is a small scratch in the leather in the gear shift. There are also some scratches that are not deep, but longer than 2-inches on the rear passenger door. Quite frankly, I feel like these existed the day I got the car, but of course can’t prove that even though I took pictures of them a day after. They weren’t noted in the inspection though. What should I do about that? Expect to get dinged and get them fixed beforehand?
The inspection said I would be charged $100 for the curb rash as it is more excessive than what the guide says. Totally fine.
I just question how much stake to put into the inspection at the end of the day. I don’t want to pay dealer/AFS prices because the inspection wasn’t the most thorough.
I’m confused, you said it was inspected, if that’s the case the charges should be clearly stated. So looking at your post again, you’re concerned about things that weren’t noted. If the inspector didn’t see it, it’s not there. This car will be bought by the dealer you turn it into or go to auction, no one from Audi financial will ever see or care about your car. I turned in a VW with a giant hole in the bumper that was covered by a new license plate bracket, nobody was none the wiser, $0 charged. Literally no one pays attention to or has any care about lease returns, once that inspection is done, you’re pretty much good to go unless the thing looks totaled
You will be charged max $100, and that’s all that they are allowed to charge you, hence the inspection. Inspection is intended to protect you, so unless you turn it in with the bumper hanging off, or other significant damage, you will be fine
I admit that I am still a little confused though. With the inspection done 60-days out, a lot of things can happen to a car. Scratches, burns, dents etc. can happen within that time. What is to stop a company from charging for those after it is turned in?
Especially with Audi saying they will send a final Turn In Settlement Invoice 4-6 weeks after the car has been turned in. So no one is going to retroactively go back and take a look once they have the car in possession?
Audi doesn’t look at the car again, nobody with any direct interest in the car will come in contact with it. Once turned in, sold directly to vw/audi dealers online or goes to auction.
Most leases I’ve turned in before maturity but 5 years ago I turned in a Nissan that I kept full-term. They did the inspection at my home about 45 days out then the day the lease was up I was instructed to return the car in to a local Nissan dealer. The dealer had someone there conduct a final inspection to make sure nothing new had happened since the previous inspection. Once it was done I simply signed some papers and left.
I can see the dealer inspector giving a closer look to a car like that though since the owner is simply turning it in and walking out the door afterward as opposed to a situation where the returning party is also looking to make a deal on their next car. In that situation it’s in their best interest to keep the person in a good mood.
Hi! Just wanted to see how your lease turn-in went, as I’m in the same position now. The pre-inspection done by AiM indicated that we have about $400 worth of damages (and we’re fine with paying that amount) but I’m worried that the dealer will do its own inspection and come up with a much higher number than that. We’re not planning on buying/leasing another Audi, which might work against us. Did you find that what you were charged in the end matched up with the inspection report?
Dealer will not do any inspection. You’ll get a vehicle return document from the dealer who’ll ground the car. AiM will do another inspection sometime afterwards and based on the final inspection you’ll get the final lease end invoice from AudiFS. You can take pictures at the dealership before grounding the car to be in the safe side. In my case I found that the dealer somehow lost the owners manual (and was changed $60) even though it was present in the car. But I had manual listed in the dealer provided document and had that change removed from AudiFS invoice.
