Not sure what the mileage interval is on the TLX but the maintenance minder required a change during the recent service. The car is 2 years old but only has 12,500 miles.
you misunderstood the nature of our conversation, if something fails on the car and a dealership can point out that something you did or didn’t do caused that particular issue and they can prove it then that car no longer gets warranty work and you end up shelling out whatever it cost to fix the issue. It’s very rare but it could happen, I’m not advocating to follow all service schedule packages by the book but basic stuff like oil change is mandatory for anybody with common sense, that part we can all agree on.
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Theoretically yes. Practically, the only scenario I can think of this can happen is if one mods his car which is not “maintenance” per se. Looking at what is done in the recommended service of the first three years, I don’t see anything that will make the car break if not performed except the oil change which might be ok too. I am not trying to argue, just want to contribute to the discussion.
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No I got it, it was a good point.
And it’s a forum, it’s a discussion.
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Haha fair enough. Only relevant reason for me is to build credit since I’m young ( Currently at low 700s, want to get to 800). I don’t have any loan on me, and never have. But you’re right, might as well avoid interest
Lol, when in my post did I complain about the car not being affordable to me . I made the active decision to pay full dealer premium to maintain my car. The whole point of my post is that one should account for the big picture (taxes,maintenance, etc. ) before pulling the trigger on a lease. I was courteous enough to not cheapout despite it being a lease. The point I was trying to make was that I may have been better buying a cpo. And just so you know, you need to get your head out of the gutter. Luxury vehicles do not justify wasting money. I can give you numerous example of friends and family who have leased maintenance inclusive luxury vehicles such as the 3 series for less than or equal to what a honda accord touring would have cost them to lease over a 3 year period. In fact, I am completely justified to complain about maintenance because in my scenario, due to my high labor cost area, my A service cost more than what an Uncle paid for B service for his GLC in GA.
Interestingly, Dodge seems to be super friendly about modded Scat Pack leases! My local dealer explicitly said they love buying out modded Scat Packs/ Hell Cats
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My mindset was exactly like what you mentioned. Getting work done outside always puts you at risk on a car thats still under warranty.
Maybe from the dealer sales floor perspective, but I can tell you from first hand experience that if you pop your engine, the ECU will be pulled and sent to SRT for analysis. Tune = SOL.
Cause you’re not a moron, and actually follow the manufacturer suggested maintenance. Rear diff fluid changes are quite important on many cars. Ie. AMGs. Yes, you can definitely be unethical and skip it all since its rather rare you’d get caught, but you do you.
While I cannot confirm since we have always done the right thing and maintained cars as per manufacturer spec, around 4 dealers finance folks and mbfs folks have warned me that if caught, mbfs folks will definitely charge penalties. This varies from a penalty for completely avoiding service. Eg. lets say you are at 29k miles at lease turnin on a 36k mile lease on a loaner, but time-wise have crossed the 3 year barrier since it was a loaner, you are still responsible for the 3rd service. You won’t be charged the full amount iirc, but you still will.
Before you return your lease, you could try selling it. With the service records, you may get top dollar.
Also, buying a 3 yo lease return is more risky, even with the CPO warranty, which may not last for the entire loan.
yeah modded pcm = death for warranty work on a hc.
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You’re right actually. In fact last month I saw a craigslist post of some guy selling soon-to-be turned in Sorento, claiming he was giving people the opportunity to buy it at a lower price than market value lol. But, keep in mind that certain luxury loaner cars that have higher mileage at start (>5k) and have sat longer before being leased ( Eg. Mine sat for 7 months after being retired) get so much built-up negative equity, that selling won’t work. On the otherside, the benefit of loaners is that folks unaware that these cars can be had for low payments like these will do lease transfers in an instant.
Yessir! Exactly what I was trying to show people. Luckily for me, I had plenty of flexibility in budget, so it was fine, but if it was someone for who the 375 payment itself was barely in budget, they would be in for a surprise.
Good point. Especially technology. These days, I feel like luxury cars are no longer enjoying the exclusivity of the latest tech. Non-luxury brands are also on their heels to appeal to the masses!
So the takeaway is:
One’s payment is not the sum total cost of having a vehicle?
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Exactly why my next lease ( if I do end up leasing), will be a maintenance inclusive one! But otherwise, you’re right, it is definitely YMMV. C300 4matic is also notorious for early tire wear unfortunately.
Lol, fair enough on the lesson. It isn’t more car than I can afford, which is why I kept it instead of doing a lease transfer lmao. My whole complaint is that it ended up being expensive enough to lease in my case, that I may as well bought a CPO. Its a YMMV case, yes, but one that I’m sure many people find themselves in.
That’s akin to noting that “My grocery bill is really high. Sure, I shop exclusively at Whole Foods, but still.”
Your decision to pay full freight on service is what caused this. It’s really quite simple.
