One of my AI buddies…lol!
They promised so previously via emails. I’ll hold them to it.
You are not joking? Haha 
Before I know I could ask questions and get expert answers here, Gemini is my go-to tool for deciphering anything lease-related. I also feel it’s more reliable in math than ChatGPT. The latter is better at comforting me when I kicked myself after missing out a blowout deal.
Yeah, @gohawks23 clued me in… I’m AI ignorant.
That is too funny 
This should have been in a ‘we owe’ attachment to contract…otherwise how is it documented?
I didn’t ask them to put the clause in the “we owe” doc. The signing process was a bit rushed and i thought emails were good enough. Would know better next time…
The emails should suffice.
To answer this I would say yes…you need to make sure those 900ish reg/plates have actually been paid for at the DMV.
(Sorry @gohawks23 meant to reply to OP)
They will ship the car to you, OP (which is when you accept delivery), and it needs to be VIN-verified before DMV will process the tag/title I believe. What I’m not sure is if DMV fees are paid before or after the VIN-verification process. Because the car is coming from out-of-state, DMV needs to verify first.
It’s been a few years since I bought a car from out-of-state… someone else more familiar will need to chime in.
Good point!
I brought a car into state (lien free) that was less than a year old and had to pay additional CA sales tax over what prior state charged…had to get it inspected first before going inside to pay the additional tax and reg/plate fees.
CA dmv can not be finalized until you have taken delivery and driven it to the dmv for vin inspection.
I would not expect the dealer to be willing to resign the contract just because the numbers are better this month. If it doesn’t fund, sure, but they aren’t going to want to move a sale off of last month’s books, risk any step bonuses, etc, to resign unless they have to.
I agree, and I don’t mean to push them too hard. If they prefer to absorb the ~$900 CA TTL under their April book, that’s their choice and I can go with it.
Still, I think sending them a May lease rewrite proposal yesterday was a good move. It gave me two small advantages:
- If the April contract bounces back and needs to get rewritten, the dealership knows exactly my current expectations are and that sets the boundary for any new negotiation;
- If we are proceeding with the April contract, the ambiguity around CA TTL has been clarified. The costs have been re-calculated and put on the table, and the associated paying and handling responsibilities re-confirmed. After willingly choosing this route and giving me a robust paper trail, the dealership cannot send me any surprise DMV bill later on.
Now I think I am in a position to wait for updates and see what the next step is, but more at ease.
Appreciate your and @Kctham18 's response! Like Matt said, the DMV process can’t be completed until I take the car in for vin-verification. Maybe I can ask the dealer to provide a “Report of Deposit of Fees” (RDF) with zero balance left instead? This is another piece of advice from Gemini:
The dealer can submit the paperwork and pay the estimated fees to the DMV before the car arrives. The DMV will take the money but will not issue plates or a title. They will issue an “RDF” receipt. The registration stays “incomplete” until you mail in or bring in the signed REG 31 (VIN Verification). Look for the Fees Paid, Amount Paid, and the Balance Section. The final one should be “0 (zero)”
Call CA DMV and ask…or see if you can just get a check from dealer and you can handle all at DMV…where you will have to go anyway.
Called CA DMV and the person who answered my call said they don’t have the answers (whether RDF is generated before or after vin verification, when DMV can provide that to me, etc.). They understand my questions and concerns, and maybe I would have more detailed info if I visit a DMV in person. Also I should ask the dealership to provide a list of all the fees paid to DMV.
Car is yet to be funded (with a small chance the April contract might bounce back due to the $10 registration fee), but dealership told me I could pick up the car today. I am paying for shipping OK->CA. Should I start shipping? What if the contract needs a rewrite later? Would I be in a terrible spot, forced to accept the dealership’s terms or else I need to pay and ship the car back to OK?
TL;DR: Should I start shipping the car to CA at my own expense when the April contract might bounce back? (I do need the car soon) Would I be forced to pay and ship the car back or rewrite the contract in bad terms later?
You signed the contract tho, right? And provided monies…so I think you will need to see it out…at this stage I would just ask for a check for an even 1000 and you visit DMV once you have the car (dealers covering reg/plate fees is a rare occurence)…will there be any type of temporary plate on it otherwise you risk being pulled over?
Don’t ship until the contract has funded I would say.
PS, you can call DMV again and talk to a different person…and ask for a supervisor if they don’t know.
Yes I signed and provided money and planned to take delivery. And man I do want/need the car soon. Wish I knew out-of-state leasing could be this complicated procedurally…It is more suited for those who have the luxury of time and willingness to gamble.
My car broker provided a different perspective: if I signed, paid and shipped the car, and the deal falls through, then it is the dealership’s responsibility to ship the car back and even compensate me for the one way to CA. His argument is that because I have held up my end of the bargain, and it is the dealership’s error that breaks the deal so they should be responsible in unwinding or recovering the car.
I love this argument. Not sure if it is true.
The car will have a temporary OK plate during transit. I once talked to an IL Hyundai dealer that also promised to cover CA registration and tax (but they seemed more experienced in this process by using a third-party service partner). The following is their description of services. I was assuming it’s the norm of the industry…
Handling it yes but paying for reg/plate not so much!
EDIT, I still think they meant they would pay for the handling/logistics of CA reg/license but not the actual reg/license fee itself because that will be 900-1000 and is not normally paid for by dealers. That is why the specifics should have been called out in the ‘we owe’. Have you straight out asked them if they are paying the reg/license fee of near $1000? If so, I would just ask for a check and handle it yourself at DMV.
Yes when proposing to rewrite the contract under May, I have spelled it out to the SM that the CA registration fee would be $926 or more, and a rewrite would allow them to use Hyundai rebate to cover it. The SM’s response was “The (April) deal is already in the funding queue at HMF” and “I understand. We have already spoke with the state of California and in the process of registering it.”
And the following is the SM’s email promise verbatim:
'The registration is based on California registration which we register for you since that is were you reside. The cost of registration is built into your one pay lease contract and amount you will be responsible for paying to us “XX Hyundai”’
Ahem…
Complications like this is an example of why some non-CA dealers stay away from CA (besides fraud).
It can be straight-forward, but when it gets sticky, it gets very complicated. Many of us on LH in CA do buy from out-of-state but you just need to go into it eyes open. And you wanted this exact car so… YMMV 
I think the last two times I bought from out-of-state, the car came within a week and I got plates 2-3 weeks after providing the necessary docs (smog, VIN-verification). And no, I didn’t have to pay anything more out-of-pocket. The lease or P&S agreement clearly notes payment for tags/title/registration. The dealerships knew what they were doing though.
I’m surprised they’d release the car without it being funded yet, but since you’ve already paid a chunk, I guess the risk is a lot lower there. I’d just go ahead and have it shipped. Worst case it doesn’t fund, they’ll have to have it shipped back (which nobody wants) and minus mileage driven.