We are going to return 2020 BMW 330i in 17 days. We haven’t scheduled pre-inspection yet. Is that still worth to schedule given it seems to be late now (I saw the recommended time is between 30 - 60 days)
Some more contexts:
We just financed another 2024 BMW X3 at the same dealer. It looks like no equity on the 330i so trade-in is not an option. The dealer did not provide an option to return the vehicle immediately after we financed a new X3
There are some curb rashes on 3/4 of the wheels. I think the right 2 wheels have very obvious rashes. The left one is minor in my mind
The 330i has > 20% of the available mileage that has not been used (10k/yr)
I’m now worried about the return charge - It seems BMW charges $400 for each 19’ wheel. And I don’t know if there’s any other charge coming up
Would BMWFS generally waive (at least some of) the wear charges given we finance a new BMW? If so, do I need to call BMWFS once the charge is posted? Thank you so much!
I would still get an AutoVIN inspection, yes and ASAP. If bmwfs wants to bill you more than FMV for that curb rash, you have time to get it fixed. I had two rims touched up this week, I texted my guy at 2pm and it was done by 6pm.
People frequently post that their AutoVIN inspection found a chargeable issue they didn’t anticipate - you want to find and possibly fix that before disposition, why we recommend 30-60 days. You still have time, it may just be a scramble.
I’m not aware of bmw waiving excess w&t on a new loan/lease but others may know differently.
Curb rash is a cheap and easy fix assuming you did not really destroy them or have some crazy unique wheels. I have had mine touched up by the same guy the dealership uses for their cars. Charges me $80 per wheel.
Your new deal is done so they are less likely to cut you some slack. Never hurts to ask though. In my experience, when the transaction is around the same time of the lease return, they can help you out in hopes of closing a deal. I returned a car 4K over miles and without factory runflats, but leased a new car with them. They waived any fees and I can confirm they were not tacked on to my new lease. Other family members have also returned cars with no charges when getting another. I think the dealer has a way to absorb the costs or get around BMWFS.
Thanks. I think the rims are still OK but the rashes are bit too long in my mind - One rim has 2 rashes, and each of them is like 3-4 inches. Another rim has a ~5 inch rash. I did a pre-inspection at local dealer today (in Bay Area) and they called it out and mentioned the charge might be $400 for each rim (so $800 in total). Not sure if I should just fix it by myself, or they may be waive (some of) the charge after negotiating
I did a pre-inspection at dealer today. Looks like they are not AutoVin (They call themself as “genius” team). They mention the curb rash on the 2 wheels which may cause $800 charge. It looks like I can get them fixed by $300. Should I call BMWFS to schedule a AutoVin inspection to get a more precise result?
No idea what kind of pre-inspection you did at the dealer, never heard of that, but if it was not the “official” inspection by AutoVin then whatever they told you is meaningless. Yes you have curb rash and may get charged, real helpful.
Also saying it could be $400 per rim for curb rash is insane, maybe to replace the entire wheel, but for just curb rash it will be nowhere near that high.
I had decent curb rash on 2 wheels when I returned my last Audi, thought for sure I would get dinged, but the AutoVin inspector just noted it as normal wear and tear, no charge.
I’m not sure whether $400 for each make sense (It’s my first lease return), but from what people told me is it’s a rip-off. I’m quoting some mobile service to see how much it cost for repairing the curb rashes
I called BMWFS today and scheduled another pre-inspection with AutoVin. They told me this might be the final inspection and they may post charges after that. Should I get it fixed before that? Or I could wait for the result and decide whether to fix it (assuming they will inspect again after returning the vehicle)
Another interesting thing is yesterday I was able to download the pre-inspection report by dealer in BMWFS website. It marks that my pre-inspection is done. However, after I called today, the report is gone in the system. Perhaps it’s get deleted so that AutoVin could upload their report?
I financed a 2024 BMW X3. The deal was 12% off + 1000 loyalty + 1000 recent grad rebate. Good luck! Lease rebate is even higher from what I remember, maybe $2000
My last return (back in 2021) on a 3 series that my wife drove had very similar wheel damage, and the lease return inspection said that there would be no charge so maybe I got lucky. You can definitely get it fixed cheaper than $400 per wheel though.
I had similar curb rash and went to dealer for pre-inspection and turn in. Both times they did not charge me anything. I actually DM’ed OP to ask him to go to same dealership for pre-inspection, not sure if it is the same place. Given the situation, I personally will spend the $300 and have them repaired.
Thanks. I ended up went to a nearby dealer mainly because my partner is not comfortable to drive a vehicle on highway (on the return day). There’s no luck Let’s see what’s the AutoVin looks like. Hopefully it will be all good
The AutoVin inspection is basically the only/final inspection. Once you get that you will know exactly what (if any) charges there will be.
The dealer may very loosely look the car over when you return it as a “final” inspection, but as long as the car isn’t just trashed with major damage that wasn’t on the AutoVin report then the dealer is not going to ding you for anything else. It’s not their car, they really don’t care.
And it makes zero sense to fix the curb rash before the AutoVin inspection. The pics above really don’t look that bad, it will most likely be normal wear and tear, no charge.
Get the AutoVin inspection first, if there are any charges then decide whether it makes sense to just pay them or fix it on your own.
You should not be charged for that minor curb rash. Also, don’t waste time on a dealer inspection. What the dealer says is not binding on BMWFS. It only applies if the dealer keeps your car and buys it from BMWFS. You should get a credit for some of the unused miles and waiving of the disposition fee. That is what I was offered when in a similar situation a few months ago. I got several letters from BMWFS with this offer. Regardless, make sure you take pictures of any damage and tires before turn in. BMWFS tried to charge us $300 per tire claiming excess wear, but all tires were above minimum tread depth, so we got BMWFS to waive tire fees. If they want to charge you for anything, ask them for pictures of any excess wear claim. We negotiated a $1500 bill down to $300.
Let’s see what’s the AutoVin looks like. Hopefully it will be all good