New to the forum here, hoping you guys can help. Apologies for the long post. I’ve got a 2016 Subaru Legacy with 2 months left on the lease. Just made an appointment with Autovin at the end of the month for inspection before giving the car back. Carelessly, rather than just call SOA, I’ve relied on advice for what I am about to mention from the Subaru dealership and the rest of the internet (besides leasehackr). The vehicle was in 2 accidents that were fixed by 2 different reputable insurance agencies (one was my fault, one was not). I unfortunately never reported these accidents to the lien holder (Chase bank or SOA). I’ve been told that if you get into an accident, as long as you get it fixed then there is nothing to worry about. I finally got around to looking at the lease customer guide from SOA, and it mentions that SOA finance must be contact after an accident. These accidents both occured over 2 years ago. Am I screwed? Furthermore, it seems that some of the work that was done under the hood wasn’t perfect (the check oil light comes on now after driving the car after a few minutes–not immediately). A mechanic said it could be a wiring harness. I’m honestly a little worried here, but I’ve been saving for a down payment for a new car and am just wondering if I will have to give up most of that towards an additional penalty for not letting SOA/chase bank know about the accidents.
Any insight would be much appreciated. Granted, its been almost 2 years since the accidents, but I may just need to call SOA and let them know now. It would be great to hear some advice here. Thank you for reading.
I wasn’t aware that the accidents need to be reported to the lien holder. Realistically the inspection person is probably unlikely to find out if there was an accident.
I wouldn’t be worried at all, play dumb and say nothing. As long as it’s in good condition nobody will be none the wiser. And even if the inspector notes previous repair, that’s more for whoever is going to purchase the car, that report is used to charge you for excess wear and tear, but it’s also used to sell the car on the wholesale market.
The inspector isn’t going to drive it, maybe start it, so as long as that light doesn’t come on from idling for a bit, you should be fine.
That’s precisely what the dealer and a few salesmen on other Internet forums said. Perhaps I’m not knowledgeable about what happens post lease and how the car is sold after I return it. Can’t SOA just pull a carfax, confirm the accidents happened, and then hold me accountable for not informing them? The way I see it is that they are taking a huge loss here since the car is worth so much less than market value and it would be in their best interest to fine me for not following directions. If honesty is the best policy I will follow through with it and notify them, especially if it’s going to save me a massive fee of thousands of dollars a few months after I return the car. But, if you’re right, and if the inspection from Autovin is all that matters, then I will truly be blown away and relieved. Leasing is wild.
They don’t care, people crash their lease cars all the time and don’t tell the bank. All they care is that it’s fixed to spec. You’ve gone this long not telling them, so you’ve already broken the rule, no use in self disclosing. As far as they’re concerned it’s another car that’s been farted in and will go to auction.
You know, that’s a huge relief to hear. I guess I just need to worry about what’s going on under the hood. The battery leaked acid onto some of the plastic covers, and some wires are after market and were not wired per Subaru spec. Tough call though, as I hear Autovin only takes a photo of what’s under the hood, and they do not record any mechanical issues. Thank you so much for your reassurance here man, I appreciate it!
Sorry to raise this back from the dead but I had one more question. There’s an oil level light sensor malfunction from when one of the body shops put the module back together after one of the accidents. They definitely did not do it correctly (this was over 2 years ago), because the oil level light comes on after about 3-4 minutes of driving (and the oil levels are fine). A mechanic looked at it quickly and said they would have to dig in to see what the root cause of the issue is, and would charge me for the diagnosis and the work. Easily looking at $500 at least, probably more. Will I get hit later on if I don’t take care of this now? I dont think Autovin will be turning the car on, but I am not sure if SOA/Chase bank, or the dealer will have to fine me later on when they do the final odometer reading an see that the oil light is on. Any insight here would be really appreicated.
100% the inspection will check for any lights and you will be responsible for fixing them or be charged the cost of the repair. Most body shops warranty their work, so you should take it back and have them fix it at no charge to you.
Thank you. Just spoke with the last autobody shop, I am going to bring it in to have them take a look. What sucks is that this vehicle has been in 2 accidents, both head on. I am taking it to the body shop that fixed it last. If they don’t claim responsibility, I’ll have to reach out to the first one. Here’s hoping this all works out.
Sounds good. I’m going to get the wheels in motion here. I have heard that sometimes it is cheaper to just pay the “fine” and have Subaru fix the issue, rather than taking care of the repair myself before returning the vehicle. Would that be the same case for an oil light? Essentially, a bunch of wiring will need to be replaced.
Don’t let them claim responsibility. If it started after they fixed it and didn’t exist before, then tell them as much. Especially if that particular module was something they replaced as part of the accident.
If it was replaced as part of both accidents, then by definition the second shop is responsible for your current issue because the part shop #1 fixed was pulled out by shop #2.
Noted. I am unfortunately not finding much information on whether there are second or third inspections done by Subaru/Chase bank after the initial one is completed by Autovin. I spoke with Autovin on the phone about their 20 point inspection. They mentioned that they do not look for anything mechanically but they do take a picture under the hood and turn on the ignition to view the odometer. Whats interesting (and I’m not trying to sneak out of this) is that when the turn the car on the light will now show up. It only shows up after about 4 minutes or a couple miles of driving. Either way, I’ve reached out to the last body shop I went to and will be paying them a visit towards the end of the week.
