I want to lease to avoid owning a nice car that gets carelessly depreciated by dealer techs who couldn’t care less, dinged by people in a parking lot, rear-ended by texting teens, etc.
I know various car companies have their standards of what size ding/scratch/dent they charge for on lease return… but what I am trying to find out is, realistically, what are your experiences returning cars with minor damage? Is it like an unscrupulous landlord that will find some BS excuse charges? Does it depend on which dealer you return to?
The take back is down by an independent co tractor that has a list.
They have standards that allow scratches up to a certain length and number, dent size and number, tire tread depth, marks on seats etc.
If it’s outside the allowable standard you get charged, it’s not the dealer’s choice. If you’re leasing/buying another car they might let some of it slide.
I’m not sure where the lease inspections happen but I have experience on two ends of this.
First, I’ve turned in two leases that I was so sure I would get hit with damage on and I never heard anything about it. The first one was a Honda and my first lease ever, I was young and stupid and didn’t know Snow shovels had metal strips on them, one day after a huge snow storm I took a shovel to the roof of my car and my trunk and had scratches as long as the length I pushed the shovel. Another was a GMC someone must have walked past my car and let something in their arms scratch my car from the back to the front on one side and I had a chip in the wind shield and still heard nothing.
Now on the other side I also worked for a company who transported lease returns, these cars are photographed when they are picked up from the dealership, dropped in a yard and then picked up again to be delivered to wherever they are going, in my area it is an a Mannheim auto auction so part of me wonders if these cars change through so many different areas that as long as they sell again the leasing company doesn’t a give a crap. But I also know someone who had an Audi with low miles and Audi told them they needed 4 new tires and someone else with a Jaguar with extra low miles like under 10k being told they needed brakes. I can’t make sense of how it all works.
Just turned in my 2018 Audi SQ5 after a 36/15 lease. It had wear and tear protection that had cost me an additional $25 x 36 months = $900. Audi sent me a list of 7 things that were damaged and a $0 total balance due at the bottom. That said, the peace of mind was entirely worth the $900.
I have returned several BMW & MB leases over the past couple of years.
Have never had to pay lease return damage charges.
I do take care of my cars though
I park away from others in lots. I don’t mind walking a few extra step.
If you’re getting rear-ended by texting teen, you need to file a claim against THEIR insurance.
Dealer techs are depreciating your car? What are they doing during your lease? They are changing oil & filter. They may rotate your tires. What am I missing here?
Bottom line: if the car you drive/own looks like shit, you probably aren’t a good candidate for leasing a car.
Put yourself in the position of the leaser of the car: would YOU rent someone a car that drives and/or takes care of their car like YOU do?
The OEM Finance companies usually have a resonable set of charges. $250 for Dents $90 for tires, etc
But USBank is one of those who scrutinizes EVERYTHING. I don’t have a current list of charges for them (Maybe someone here has ) but they get you on the smallest items.
And BTW Leaving it at the dealer for inspection means you owe on anything that happens at the dealership. Take LOTS of pictures.
Man, you are lucky. Haven’t been rear ended and nothing by dealer techs, but the door dings are terrible. Some guy slammed his door into mine so hard it left a dime size chip in the paint down to bare metal. Wife’s BMW had 3 door dings from people hitting her after 6 months.
