Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Returning a Lease car

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Hey,
We’re starting to prepare to return our leased M3. (About a month away)
It’s in really good condition except for a some Kerb rash (I’d say a little more then general wear and tear)
And some *^%# knocked our passenger front wing, just on the wheel arch.
I’ve taken it to a couple shops and they all said it needs replaced.
Problem is I doubt they would get the wing in time.
The quotes range from 1.2k (local body shop) to 2.5k (authorised body shop next to Tesla dartford)
Should I extend the lease until we can get it repaired or roll the dice and hope the lease companies 3rd party bodyshop don’t rub their hands on the captive audience?
 
It’s probably a six of one and half a dozen of the other answer to this.

Any excess wear and tear should ideally be assessed by the lease company against British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association's (BVRLA) published guidelines. If you think any excess charges are wrong, you should first complain to the lease company. If it can’t be resolved that way, the BVRLA has a dispute resolution process.

It may be that the lease company can get better repair rates than yourself because of their buying power.

On the other hand, my lease company charged for more excess wear and tear work than there was evidence. I challenged this and got the costs reduced by one third.
 
When I returned my leased Audi A3, they charged me £36+VAT for damage on 2 wheels. Was astonished. All quotes for repair were far in excess of that and not guaranteed to meet the BVRLA guidelines. The guy said they just have a huge assembly line making these wheels so it's much cheaper for them.

They also missed a scuff elsewhere on bumper so got away with that 🤷‍♂️

Can't confirm it'll be the same for my M3, but based on that experience I will definitely wait to see what they see & quote me when they come to collect the car. I'll challenge it if it's extortionate, but at least I can guarantee that once I've paid them I'm done. Any repair elsewhere (unless it's replacement) could still come back to bite again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DigbyChicken