Turning in 2015 GMC Acadia Denali the end of October. Had the Autovin inspection last week and when I viewed the inspection report online a couple of days later, it showed only $160 of excess wear & tear. I was pleased with this amount since there are several dings.
Now for the problem. I’ve scheduled to return the car next week and went back online to review the inspection report again, and the wear & tear amount is now $1,200. After several call to GM Financial, I could not get an explanation as to why the report changed. Why would they publish the report only to change it a week later? Of course I did not print out a copy of the first report.
Has anyone else experienced this? Wondering if i have any recourse besides fixing the damage before returning. Thanks!
The inspector usually assesses the damage cost. He is trained to do so and that’s his job. At least that’s my understanding. For example “scratch more than 2 inches but less than 4 inches = $200”. They have standards for damage costs.
Spoke with Autovin and confirmed all they do is write the report, take pictures and then submit the report to the leasing company (they do not assign any damage numbers).
GM Financial published the report on the website then somehow changed their mind.
then they work differently than others. A lot of inspection companies print you the report on the spot and that includes the damage cost. But that’s good information for you, now you know that GM Financial is the contact you need to talk to for sure.
Yes, he gave me a card with instructions to access the report online. When I first looked at it there was $160 in excess damage, now a week later it’s $1200. Unfortunately, I did not print out a copy of the first report.
When the inspector finished up, I asked how it went and his reply was something like, “I’m not allowed to say, you’ll get the full report when you go inline.”
GM Doesn’t post the report…AutoVin does on their site. You have to log into their site to see it.
I’ve never had a GM vehicle returned that has had the numbers change. AutoVin provided the total (Both excessive and non-excessive), and that’s what was owed (less any damage waiver coverage).
AutoVin notes the damage and their software provides costs. I suspect each captive instructs them what to charge, however.
I just turned one in last month. I knew I had excessive damage, and the charge was more than fair. My local body shop quoted me almost 1,000, and they charged less than 400. I was covered by the loyalty waiver, and I had no surprises…the report said what was owed, and did not change.
how bad was your damage? I guess it’s possible AutoVin woefully underestimated it and GM changed the total after seeing the pictures, although I’ve never had it happen, nor heard of it happening in the past. Maybe their getting tough due to losing their shirts on lease returns and trying to make it up somehow. I’d be shocked if they even fixed it TBH, and will probably sell it to a dealership or auction it off as-is. That’s what they did with mine.
The damage is a gouged rim (needs to be replaced) and small bumper crack. Honestly, it feels like about $1200 in damage. That’s why i was happy when the first report said only $160. Guess it was too good to be true. Now I’m pissed.
Get some local estimates on repair. IDK how bad the bumper crack is, but it may be repairable. At worst, you’ll need a bumper cover and a reshoot. Gouged rim may be repairable as well depending on how bad it is.
You can get an extension from GMF for a month or 2 in order to get the repairs done.
I just looked at my report again for giggles…it does say to Contact GMF at 1-800-436-1463 with any questions. If you’re not getting any help from the minions that answer the phone, you may have to demand escalation to a manager.
Thanks, that’s the same number i have. Did escalate it yesterday and said the would call back. Not expecting too much. Lot’s of holding and transferring when speaking to them. The worst is when they ask you to hold and transfer you without first telling you. Pretty unprofessional.
I’m leaning towards not fixing the damage (unless i get a good deal on used rim) and trying to settle as @mp11477 mentioned, they’ll probably just sell it as auction.
If you’re getting into a new GM car, use that to your advantage when talking to them. You can always back out of it, or at least threaten to. They may reduce/eliminate the charge altogether. YMMV, of course.
