I’m turning in my 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV SX-P to Kia Finance this week and wondering if I should expect any charges.
Would worst case just be getting charged per the self-assessment damage rates ?
Attaching the Kia self-assessment PDF I used. Appreciate any insights from folks who’ve done a Kia Finance lease return recently!
Sorry, but thats not a scratch, thats a gouge that goes on both doors.
Expect a larger fee..not sure how much but gotta be bigger than 225
Thanks curious if you’re basing this on prior experience with Kia or other car brands?
I would get a pre-inspection scheduled as soon as possible. Get a quote from them on the damages. Then see if it is worth it to get it fixed yourself or just return the car. Scheduling the pre-inspection well before the return date is advisable.
If I was getting it fixed myself, I would definitely expect more than $225. For a dent/ding in my previous car, I was quoted anywhere from $600-$2k by local body shops. I had to visit 6 different shops over two days. However, the damage on my car was much smaller than the damage on your car but I am also in a HCOL area. I would expect NY to be cheaper.
Wow thats steep! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Just to share an update with the community. Kia Finance was kind enough to give me a grace period till the end of the month to have the inspection done. I have contacted Alliance and have my inspection happening Thursday. In parallel, I also intend to try and get a couple estimates on fixing it with my own auto body shop. Aiming to move quickly after I get the inspection report on Thursday. Wish me luck!
Also, if you know any fair auto body shops in the Queens / Long Island area do let me know!
Thanks!
Did you check if you have equity?
A 3-row of any kind especially a hybrid is the most sought-after used car.
Thanks for the idea. I did check on that, the residual is higher than KBB value / CarMax offer. Also spoke to a broker, I would have to pay to sell it.
By how much? Paying $500 might be less than paying to have that gouge fixed.
A few grand last I checked.
Typically a fee from an inspection is usually less than trying to fix it.
I don’t see this being charged more than $1000, but i also don’t think the $225 will cover it
The biggest exception is tires, those flip flop between cheap or expensive
Spoke to a couple auto shops today and got prices from 1700-2500 for repairing the existing door. They made me aware that the gouge made its way inside the door as well and there is little bit of work to be done there too. One shop said that they would only replace the entire door for 3500.
Everyone is keen I go through insurance and swear my premiums won’t be impacted. I find that hard to believe.
Now I am wondering if I should fix it and then do the inspection OR do the inspection and then fix it only if Kia’s price is too expensive. Obviously the auto shops suggest that I should repair before inspection because Kia will be really pricey according to them. But this could just be sales talk!
What I don’t want happening is I get the inspection, Kia is expensive, I fix it myself and then Kia still comes after me because they claim its not up to the mark.
Do the inspection first. It will be cheaper than fixing it.
