looking to take over a lease on a 2018 530i. would appreciate some guidance from the hackrs, on my first lease transfer…
did a surface check of the vehicle, but considering requesting an inspection. what can I expect to pay, for a BMW inspection?
NY-to-NJ transfer… what happens with the tax paid? am I risking increased payments on the lease?
3a. I’ve realized that while the vehicle warranty transfers, the maintenance does not. is it reasonable to ask the transferror to have the car fully serviced prior to transfer? he said he’s kept it serviced per schedule (last done in Nov '19).
3b. what costs might I expect to encounter without the maintenance package? note, only 11 months left on the lease and about 12k miles remaining
3c. is it sufficient to check the maintenance statuses on iDrive?
am I missing something, to check/confirm before proceeding? I’m generally fine with the lease terms/mileage remaining/servicing history (confirmed with BMW shop).
Dealer inspections are mostly useless. It’s like a cursory inspection of tire tread, brake pad depth, etc. Tire tread you can measure yourself and then do the math on whether you’ll be below 4/32” by the end of the lease, which you would solely be on the hook for.
Find a good auto body shop instead. Ask about any evidence of a major collision, unrepaired damage on the underside, any paintwork below quality, any evidence of substandard parts, etc.
Of course you’ll pay tax on this. Whether you pay lump sum at the DMV or it’s rolled into your payments, you’re going to pay tax. Unless you found an exemption you qualify for, which is…?
If it’s a 3-yr lease due in July 2021, then it had an anniversary last month and should have had its annual service then unless it was done earlier for some reason.
Most likely the BMW plan is only good for one more oil change anyways so if find a dealer coupon for a $79-89 oil change.
For lease transfers, you can also ask either your local dealer service dept or BMWFS (I forget which) to transfer the maintenance for a nominal fee of like $100. If you don’t ask, they won’t tell you it’s available.
What mileage has been done between Nov when it was last serviced and now? If it’s a few thousand miles they might as well take it in early for the free service otherwise you’ll need to pay for it later this year. Definitely get the brake pads checked as they can be pricey, if they take it in for a service BMW will document the pad wear. I’d definitely ask a good body shop to check for damage, it should be cheap.
Google BMW ding-o-meter and you’ll see the plastic guide BMW will send you to judge exterior damage but sounds like you already have checked for that.
