End of lease inspection, repair & payment

[Y2K20]

I'm going to return the MY soon. Just had the inspection, and will be doing some repair. I'm surprised by a few things and am in need a few answers:

1. I was not surprised by the excessive wear on the wheel for curb rash ($85 each). I got a quote from Tesla center for wheel repair for $800+. So I should just return as is?
2. Two of my rear tires have "low thread and need replaced" by inspection. I have driven 16,000 miles in 3 years. Is this normal? How often should the tires be rotated? Is this the nature of EV and one-pedal driving, or a problem of MY design in general? I doubt I can fight this.
3. Can I just replace the two tires from a regular shop?
4. Will there be any surprise charge after I returned the car, i.e. Is the Lease-End Inspection final? I was surprised that the inspection missed a pretty obvious thing that I am going to fix anyway, but there might be others. It sounds like Tesla will automatically deduct the charge from my bank account, so how can I prevent that in case of dispute?

Thanks, first time, long time

 

[EnjoyDriving]

i would normal wear and tear should be waived, and tires are definitely one of the them. Not sure why Tesla would expect new conditions for them, unless they have the expected thread life exactly listed in your lease.

Thanks for sharing and keep us updated how it goes.

 

[jjrandorin]

i would normal wear and tear should be waived, and tires are definitely one of the them. Not sure why Tesla would expect new conditions for them, unless they have the expected thread life exactly listed in your lease.

Thanks for sharing and keep us updated how it goes.

What Tesla expects is laid out by them pretty clearly (just like most other companies that lease vehicles. It can be found here:

Excess Wear and Use Guide | Tesla Support

Learn how to do a self-inspection using our guidelines to see if your vehicle wear and tear is normal or excessive.

www.tesla.com

 

[EmbersDC]

I've leased my last six vehicles. While each lease does stipulate what's required upon lease return, I've never seen a company as strict as Tesla. My last six vehicles have been: Audi, Infinity, Lexus, Acura, Acura (again), and now Tesla. All $50k price range. All prior vehicles upon lease return I never paid an additional penny. This includes driving 14-16k a year. I never changed tired or brakes either. Just oil changes for three years.

Only Tesla is picky about the condition of the car.

 

[Y2K20]

OP update：
1. It turns out they erroneously charged me for curb rash on a wheel. After I asked for photo evidence, they withdrew it.
2. Most shops that I asked about body work for a scratch gave numbers much higher (2-4x) than the charge from Tesla, so I'm just going to eat it.
3. I had assumed that Tesla app will remind me to rotate tires, but it never did. It seems unusual for tires to be worn out after light driving for 3 years, but apparently this is notorious for Tesla.
4. I brought the car to Tesla service for an obvious repair that the inspection had missed. I didn't want to chance it, and the service center staff assured me they wouldn't miss it after the return.

Overall the end of lease experience is not great. They were very proactive when they wanted me to lease a new one, but crickets once I told them I'm moving on. I will update again if there's any surprise charge after the return.

 

[EmbersDC]

OP update：
1. It turns out they erroneously charged me for curb rash on a wheel. After I asked for photo evidence, they withdrew it.
2. Most shops that I asked about body work for a scratch gave numbers much higher (2-4x) than the charge from Tesla, so I'm just going to eat it.
3. I had assumed that Tesla app will remind me to rotate tires, but it never did. It seems unusual for tires to be worn out after light driving for 3 years, but apparently this is notorious for Tesla.
4. I brought the car to Tesla service for an obvious repair that the inspection had missed. I didn't want to chance it, and the service center staff assured me they wouldn't miss it after the return.

Overall the end of lease experience is not great. They were very proactive when they wanted me to lease a new one, but crickets once I told them I'm moving on. I will update again if there's any surprise charge after the return.

I'm about to return my lease Y in two weeks. What was the cost from Tesla to replace your tires? I have a feeling they will require me to replace mine. I considered going to a tire place and replacing them all for $200 each. Also, did you do a paper inspection return or did a person inspect your car?

 

[nate704]

Tire wear is on you. your driving habit and condition will cause the excessive tire wear, especially with EVs.

 

[ATPMSD]

Can I just replace the two tires from a regular shop?

Yes and you should as that route is typically less expensive. But note, according to the lease, all four tires need to be a matched set. That is, the same make and model of tire.

 

[ATPMSD]

Not sure why Tesla would expect new conditions for them, unless they have the expected thread life exactly listed in your lease

They don’t require new tires, but the minimum tread at turn in is specified in the lease.

 

[EmbersDC]

Tire wear is on you. your driving habit and condition will cause the excessive tire wear, especially with EVs.

Yes, however in the last six cars I've leased there was never an issue with tire wear for three years with all six cars. The fact there is an issue with tire wear within 24 months of a Tesla is odd. I don't drive insane.

 

[nate704]

Yes, however in the last six cars I've leased there was never an issue with tire wear for three years with all six cars. The fact there is an issue with tire wear within 24 months of a Tesla is odd. I don't drive insane.

but your last six cars were not Model Ys.
You don't have to drive insane to wear out the tires fast in the EVs with high and instant torque with very heavy weight.

 

[Y2K20]

They don’t require new tires, but the minimum tread at turn in is specified in the lease.

Per Tesla inspector: "you can just replace the two that have low tread make sure to purchase the correct size and speed rating(on tire )."

I'm going to replace two tires for $700. Tesla is charging me $800+ per tire. Of course this is the same person that charged me extra scraped wheel and missed a major damage, so whether I can take his words is questionable.

 

[Y2K20]

but your last six cars were not Model Ys.
You don't have to drive insane to wear out the tires fast in the EVs with high and instant torque with very heavy weight.

So to educate myself, with proper driving and tire rotation, how long (miles) can the tires expect to last on Model Y?

 

[racerx2005]

They don’t require new tires, but the minimum tread at turn in is specified in the lease.

They’ll ask tons of pictures while going over the lease return process using the app. You’ve got to use a penny when taking the tire thread pictures, i.e. Turn the penny so that Lincoln's head points down into the tread. See if the top of his head disappears between the ribs. If it does, your tread is still above 2/32” , If you can see his entire head, it may be time to replace the tire because your tread is no longer deep enough.

 

[ATPMSD]

Per Tesla inspector: "you can just replace the two that have low tread make sure to purchase the correct size and speed rating(on tire )."

I'm going to replace two tires for $700. Tesla is charging me $800+ per tire. Of course this is the same person that charged me extra scraped wheel and missed a major damage, so whether I can take his words is questionable.

Get that statement in writing from the inspector. This is what my lease agreement says:

 

[DanDi58]

So to educate myself, with proper driving and tire rotation, how long (miles) can the tires expect to last on Model Y?

I just replaced my 19" OEM's at 36k miles. A lot of highway driving. I don't drive it like a sports car although I do enjoy the acceleration.

 

[Y2K20]

I just replaced my 19" OEM's at 36k miles. A lot of highway driving. I don't drive it like a sports car although I do enjoy the acceleration.

Thank you, that is useful.

 

[Y2K20]

So to close the loop, here is the final summary of my experience of lease return, which is surprisingly scant on here.
1. I had someone come out for inspection. They claimed that 3 out of 4 wheels need to be refinished, but after I asked for photo proof of the driver side wheel damage, they retracted it.
2. I went to a couple of places to get quotes on body work. They were surprisingly more expensive than what Tesla was going to charge me so I just ate the cost.
3. I did replace two tires as requested by Tesla at America's Tire. I had some choices, but went with the same brand as the original even though the inspector claimed they just needed to be the same rating. These were more expensive than the alternatives, but still less than Tesla. I sent the receipt and photos of new tires to Tesla, and they removed the charges.
4. I paid the remaining charge through the app. They do add taxes. There's also some kind of processing fee of $395. I was worried that I couldn't remove my bank account from the app, so they theoretically can deduct more charge.
5. I made an appointment to return the car, but changed my mind and returned it one day early. There was no problem. I did receive another email about paying the charges on the app, but i ignored it. It's been a week and no charge has been posted to my bank.

 

[ATPMSD]

but went with the same brand as the original even though the inspector claimed they just needed to be the same rating.

You did the right thing. The lease agreement requires a matching set of four tires, mine did.

 

[Akr]

Quick question on lease end tires. I have to change all 4. Understand they have to be a matching set but do they need to be foam filled. Can I return with regular tires matching the wheel size - brand new but not foam filled. No mention of original equipment as far as tires are concerned on the lease agreement.
Thanks.