So, I'm about to return my Model Y after leasing it for 3 years and I got a bill for almost $3,000! Prior to leasing my Y, I owned a Model 3 for 2 years and I keep my cars in impeccable shape. Due to the design flaw with the Y and 3s and their low clearance, some of you may have experienced the spray from dirt and gravel that chips at your rear doors. I tried to mitigate this with my Model 3 and while it helped, it didn't prevent it completed. Due to this with my Y, I now have to pay about $850 per door to fix them which I find to be ridiculous. That shouldn't be considered excessive wear and tear. Most leases give you $1,000-$2,000 credit so if there are issues like this, but no other issues, that credit will take care of it. Tesla does not do this and they will nickel and dime you for any amount of damage to your vehicle. I'm still fighting them about my tire replacement since the tread is right at 1/8 inch, but they are stating that I need to replace them. I'm just about done working with Tesla. Their customer service is terrible and I can tell that they just care about their stock price and profit. They are going to make so much money selling my Model Y and won't even work with me being a loyal Tesla customer with a Cybertruck reservation. Well, likely cancelling that and getting a Rivian or something else. Anyone else have similar issues with them? Oh yea, definitely make sure that there are plenty of auto body shops in your area that will work on your car before buying or leasing a Tesla. I live in an area where all of the body shops have refused to work with Tesla because they are such a pain to work with and require $150K up front payment to become a certified shop.
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Model Y Lease - Be Careful
- Thread starter friarj13
- Start date
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
The chipping that may occur on the rear doors of the Y is due to the fact that the Y is wider in the rear. It has nothing to do with low ground clearance. As you stated, this is a known issue and can be mitigated with a set of front mud flaps and PPF in that area from Tesla for <$100. Could have just spent the money from the start to save yourself from the damage.
You returned your Y with chipped doors it sounds and Tesla wants you to pay for the repairs. Doesn’t sound unreasonable since returning your car in the same condition it was received is in your lease contract.
You returned your Y with chipped doors it sounds and Tesla wants you to pay for the repairs. Doesn’t sound unreasonable since returning your car in the same condition it was received is in your lease contract.
elambo
Member
What you're describing is mint condition and no car is mint after 3+ years. Each manufacturer allows some degree of wear and tear.
howardnj
Member
My understanding of leasing is you are paying for the first three years of depreciation?
You are left with nothing.
Leasing is more expensive than an outright purchase unless used for business and its write off.
Bottom line
Don't lease
elambo
Member
People tend to say "left with nothing" in defense of financing/buying-outright, but it overlooks the fact that you're purchasing 3 years of use of a vehicle at a much lower rate, and it ignores the fact that many people aren't concerned with owning a car. "Bottom line: don't lease" is a generalized suggestion for an entire group of people with different needs/wants. I'd say, "bottom line: do what best fits you."
Yeah . . . that's not how leasing works. You are permitted to return the vehicle with ordinary wear and tear - which is very different than the "same" condition it was received. If you've ever leased a car (and I have 10+ times), the leasing companies all have guidelines. Minor scratches, small dings, etc are all considered normal wear and tear.
If Tesla - which actually owned the car during the lease - wanted to limit this type of "known and typical" wear and tear, perhaps Tesla should equip the car with mud flaps or PFF when it is sold? If chipping results from ordinary use of the vehicle as factory equipped, I don't know how a leasing owner is responsible for it.
I’ve leased plenty of vehicles in the past, mainly Audis and a 2019 Tesla Model S. I’m familiar with how leasing works, thanks for mansplaining though.
In general you need to return the vehicle in the condition it was received, less normal wear + tear which is stipulated in the lease contract. Returning vehicle with chipped paint probably either exceeded the acceptable size of the paint chips and/or the quantity. It’s impossible to tell since there are no pics provided by the OP. Even if Tesla is aware the Model Y is prone to chipping in those spots, it’s still up to the leasee to abide by the terms of the contract. The lessor can hold the leasee strictly to the contract terms or be more lenient. Tesla typically holds people strictly to the terms of the contract based on other people’s experience.
Ultimately if you lease, you don’t own the vehicle and may end up getting the short end of the stick if you don’t return the car in great condition. That’s one of the risks of leasing.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
As could have Tesla, but hey, let’s blame the customer.
The rear panels get chipped because of shitty design. Period. If they look like every other MY with the same shitty design after 3 years, it would be hard to call that anything other than normal wear and tear.
Maybe OP drives on dirt roads all day or something and the damage is severe… that’s why I asked for pics.
This thread is useless without pics. I own a MY and am very familiar with the fender sandblasting and chipping problem - it is a vehicle design flaw, as is the case with the model S - that area should come with free ppf from the factory option in every geographical area, not just certain northern climates. Minor chipping and sandblasting is normal wear and tear, however Tesla has standards of normal wear and tear stipulated in their contract most likely. Did you catch a few rocks that dug pits more than certain size, did you get corrosion or other damage, it’s unclear from the description. If not you can dispute and probably win your argument.
Also you will catch chips very low and high in that area even with mudflaps - ask me how I know. I’m not putting grimey exposed edge ppf in that area and I have mud flaps. They don’t eliminate the problem completely. I own the car and this is my choice. Tesla doesn’t warn their customers of this defect and they should ppf their leased cars or offer the option to free of charge as it is their design flaw. They know about it, as they have tested these cars extensively on dirt and sandy roads. The M3 is not nearly as prone to this issue.
What does gender have to do with this? How do you even know what my gender is?
You before: "Doesn’t sound unreasonable since returning your car in the same condition it was received is in your lease contract."
You now: "you need to return the vehicle in the condition it was received, less normal wear + tear which is stipulated in the lease contract" - which is what I said.
Those are not the same thing, yet you reply as if I somehow was wrong to correct your clearly wrong initial assertion. Sorry - not sorry for explaining to you why you were wrong.
And to the point, Tesla actually tells us what their position is right 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.
To quote; "Normal wear can include a few small door dings, chips or scratches and you will not be charged. These are expected from the normal use of a vehicle."
Excess wear may include items such as dents, cracks in glass, tears in the upholstery or poor-quality repairs. These are not expected from the normal use of a vehicle and may warrant charges. Review the Excess Wear and Use Table for a comprehensive list."
And final point - the Tesla lease form I saw via google search defines excess wear as "actual cost of repairing wear beyond that reasonably expected with ordinary, every day use and maintenance according to the lease." So if the chips are "reasonably expected" with "ordinary" use - which seems to be the case - then Tesla doesn't get to unilaterally charge for those chips. The contract controls over whatever is on their website or in their internal policies. If I got charged for excessive chips (from ordinary use), I'd go to small claims court and would like my chances to win. I'd cite the the hundreds of internet threads reporting this exact issue. The bank financing the lease (in this case Tesla) expressly assumed that obligation and risk.
That’s if you opted out of arbitration in writing for your car within the first 30 days. Most people don’t read the fine print and don’t so there is only one path, that’s arbitration, not small claims court.
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ucmndd
Well-Known Member
The only correct thing you said in this post is "most people don't read the fine print" - including you apparently. From the order agreement:
kobefan234
Member
All the material I have read for my recent lease makes me think reasonable small chips overall would be fine. I have the same concern as the Op but will deal with it in 2 years when the car is due. You always have the option of NOT PAYING them. They can ding you on your credit and you can get it removed by sending details. I know because I have done so in the past. They can pound sand if they are unreasonable. I have cancelled many an order via chargeback for the same reason as I do think they can be unreasonably ridiculous at times. As for leasing, it definitely makes sense with the $7500 you get to put against your lease payments when you don't qualify for the tax credit due to income limits on a straight up purchase. Plus I am on my second Y and sold the first one for a great price. I saw the depreciation of the Y's coming a mile away and sold mine and then transferred into a cheap lease. This way I am insulated from price swings on the downside but admittedly get no benefit on the upside but let's all be honest, Y resale prices are only going down, especially with Juniper next year. Anyone in the same boat should really look at leasing. I am normally a buyer btw.
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