Am I still responsible for excessive wear and tear to MBFS if dealer is buying out the car for their inventory?
Returned a 2023 EQS SUV last week and received odometer disclosure with dealer informing me that a 3rd party will do the final inspection and submit the report to MBFS. My pre-inspection noted a windshield chip and paint scratches. I repaired the windshield before turning it in, but lease end statement includes both windshield and paint damages using the pre-inspection report. Dealership says no final inspection was done because they decided to buy the car from MBFS and to take it up with them. Is MBFS or the dealer obligated to provide a final inspection report?
Interested to know more about this. I have an EQS that’s due to be returned in March that has some scratches. Trying to figure out it we need to repair before or if we should just gamble on the excessive wear & tear charges.
Pre-inspection is generally recommended so you know what charges to expect and it gives you the opportunity to repair before turn-in. I’ve leased 9 cars and the charges for damages (scratches, rims, dents) on the pre-inspection reports have always been significantly less than what body shops have quoted to repair. I did do windshield repair as insurance was covering it but running into this unique situation with the lease turn in.
The dealership actually told me I should have skipped the pre-inspection since they are buying the car as is and MBFS is still charging me for excessive wear and tear. That being said, my lease was ending in March as well and I used the Loyalty Accelerator Program that covered remaining payments, disposition and $500 damage waiver for getting into another MB.
I have my 2023 eqs lease coming up in April and when i called dealer he told me to do pre inspection a week or 2 before returning it. Also can we extend the lease for couple of months in MB?
Yes, if you are just turning in your lease (grounding it) then you are responsible for any wear and tear charges. What happens after you turn it in is irrelevant, whether the dealer buys it or sends it to auction or anything else.
Whoever you talked to at the dealer was misinformed, as long as you’ve completed the 3rd party inspection then there is no “final inspection”. Has nothing to do with the fact that the dealer decided to buy it after you turned it in.
If the windshield and paint charges were noted on your inspection report then that’s what you would need to pay. If you fixed the windshield then you would need to take that up directly with MBFS to get that lease end charge removed. Again there is no “final inspection” report or anything like that.
Thanks for the response and clarification that I’m still responsible for excess wear and tear.
The only 3rd party inspection that was completed was a pre-inspection at my house by OpenLane (AutoVIN) that included a report with photos and charges.
Wouldn’t there be a 2nd (final) inspection completed after the car is grounded at the dealership to verify if anything was repaired or if there is any additional damage? According to the rep at the dealer, MBFS sends someone to inspect the car after grounding only if it goes to auction/returned to MBFS, but there is no inspection to verify additional damage or repairs if the dealer purchases it. This part does not make sense to me as the whole point of the pre-inspection is to have an opportunity to repair, but no one is verifying the repair?
Yes, for all intents and purposes that is the only inspection. That’s why you received the bill for everything that was on it. It’s a “pre” inspection in that it’s “pre” lease turn in, not “pre” another inspection.
No, the dealer may give it a cursory once-over when you return a lease to make sure the doors aren’t falling off, but as long as you’ve completed the 3rd party inspection then there typically isn’t another inspection. MBFS isn’t sending reps out to personally inspect the thousands of lease returns that come back over any given year.
So if there’s any damage on the inspection report that you fix (like the windshield) you have to take that up directly with MBFS to get it removed, which usually involves sending receipts and/or photos of any damage repairs.
I got an email from MBFS asking me what I planned to do with the car and it allowed me to schedule a free inspection. I scheduled one for two weeks before turn in
We have a large scratch on the back of our tailgate. Is there a best practice to fix it ourselves before turning the car in, or just paying the damage to MBFS?
The best practice is to get the 3rd party inspection and just see what the charge will be. At that point make the call of whether it’s easier and/or more cost effective to just turn it in and pay whatever the charge is, or fix it yourself.
I kind of cannot fully agree with this based on my experienece.
Back in Oct 2024 when i was getting into a new eqs my old eqs was bought by the dealer and no inspection was performed. A week later my old EQS was for sale on the dealer website.
Since you grounded the lease you are still responsible for the lease end wear and tear charges. It might have been better to see if the dealer wanted to buy your car before grounding it. I take it you did not purchase or lease a new MB at the time the lease was grounded, hence no trade in.
I actually got into a new MB lease from a different dealer (car was shipped) a week before and used the Loyalty Accelerator Program. I did check with the several dealers to see if they wanted to purchase but the payoff was too high and no one wanted to touch it. I’m wondering if this dealer was able to negotiate a lower price by grounding first as opposed to buying out my EQS lease.
Based on what @j_e_f_f has confirmed, I’m totally fine paying for excess wear and tear and I’ll submit receipts to MBFS for the windshield. I do believe the dealer was correct that if I skipped the pre-inspection and the dealer purchased the car from MBFS after grounding, I would not be on the hook for any charges since the only time the car is looked at is the pre-inspection.
It is interesting that the dealer you bought the new MB from didn’t want it. Did you try to turn the old one in when you bought the new one? Maybe you can get MB to waive the disposition fee since you leased another MB.
I’ve extended on two different MB vehicles, and I was not hit with over mileage. They simply prorated my 15,000/miles per year for the months I extended. To extend, I just called MB financial and let them know my plans and they facilitated with zero issue.
You should also factor in registration cost depending on state. In California, it was around $800 to renew reg for an EQS since you need to pay for the full year still.
Curious to know more. I do have my lease which is due end of February. Car has the regular wear and tear a damaged bumper which also ended up breaking the logo front of the car.
I’m unsure if I should do a pre inspection, and or just turn this in for a new lease. The pay off is ridiculously high, what is the most cheapest, logical thing to do? Do dealers tack on the cost of the damage on the “new” lease or is it paid out separately?
