We were in a very minor collision (not at fault) with my leased Mercedes GL 450. There is a minor repair needed. I’m worried about lease return - what do I need to do to make sure i’m not dinged (or smashed) at lease return?
Take it to a reputable shop that won’t half-ass the repair.
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The absolute worst case scenario is if you don’t fix the damage, then at lease end you’ll get the inspection and they will charge you a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on how bad it is.
The best case scenario is you take it to a reputable shop to get the damage fixed (with the other party or other party’s insurance paying) and at lease end you won’t be charged anything.
Go get it fixed at a good shop
Thanks everyone.
I got rear ended once in my E-class on a hit and run. No dents, but there was a long crack in the paint on the top of the rear bumper.
I decided to wait until my lease end inspection before figuring out if I needed to repair it. Upon inspection the damage was not even noted and I returned the car as is.
In my experience (MB & Infiniti), what the lease-end inspection charges for damage is always less than the cost of repair (e.g. $80 for curb rash on lower front valence vs several hundred to repair). And I have never had curb rash on the rims noted for deduction.
I recommend scheduling the inspection as early as possible to give yourself enough time to do repairs if necessary. But you may find that doing nothing is the best option.
Now, if you may have equity on the car if it’s in pristine condition, then that might be something you need to do the math on.
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