Modeler

I returned by 2007 GS to Lexus middle of last month. Long before the maturity date they send you a brochure explaining what constitutes "excess wear & tear". What that brochure told me is what Lexus considers normal wear & tear I would personally consider really excessive. Apparently you can have tear in your leather seats, but as long as it's less then 1", it's not considered excessive. Similar criterion for paint scratches. You can also have a bunch of dings (I think up to 5 per panel). I was very happy when I read that brochure.

Compared to these standards my car was in almost pristine condition. The only thing I was worried about was my rear bumper that had a couple of wide and very noticeable scratches (one all the way through the paint) from the garage door. It also had something long and thin pocking through from the inside of the bumper -- a service adviser told me that someone must've tapped my rear bumper.

The guy at the dealership accepting my lease return noticed the issues with the bumper, but not any other issues. He also said that it is better to just let Lexus charge me rather than fix things myself because Lexus charges very low rates for repairs that fall into the "excess wear & tear category".

Well, the lease guy at the dealership was right. I got the excess wear & tear bill today, and there was nothing on it for the bumper problems. But what he did not notice when I was returning the car were the curb rash scratches on my wheels. I didn't even think those would pose a problem myself. But the bill had a charge for $100 for each wheel for scratches in excess of 1". That really sucks because had I known I'd be charged for these scratches, I would have swapped wheels with my "new" 2007 GS that I bought to replace the leased one. It would have been better also because the tires on the leased car were almost new. I thought about swapping wheels, but didn't want to do it because of scratches originally; however I didn't think these scratches would be punishable by Lexus.

What I did next was save $200 with a 5-minute call. I called Lexus and asked if I can still swap the wheels. The nice lady said I couldn't, but what she did was bring up the pictures of the wheels sent by the inspection company. She said that two wheels looked bad, but the other two were marginal. So she took off $200! I was very happy with this resolution given that I expecting a higher bill for the bumper scratches.

The lesson is not to take the initial assessment of the excess wear & tear charges as final. Lexus wants to keep you as a customer and they are willing to make concessions on these charges.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, indeed lexus is pretty easy on lease returns. returned my sc430 and wow i couldn't be happier. especially if you are staying with the lexus family, they know how to make you happy

glad to hear your story!

98OysterES

iTrader: (4)

Good to know

stvincent

iTrader: (5)

never leased a car before and this info is new to me.. putting rear bumper aside, haven't seen any used car with no curb rash on wheels before, but glad to know that they went easy on the process..

HomieG

Did that brochure speak to the curb rash matter?

Yang1815

iTrader: (1)

Good to know!

telmz1

iTrader: (1)

I'm curious to know how people with leased cars are able to mod leased cars without having issues? I believe there have been some members here who put full replacements kits and even air suspension on a leased lexus.

My wife's IS250 is a lease and I'm worried about all this chips that are on the front windshield and headlights... We hit a nasty sand storm heading back to Vegas from So Cal. I have a feeling I'm going to get screwed when we return the thing.

HeartmyIS

iTrader: (18)

I think you can mod a lease vehicle. As long as you just part it out upon returning and the major services. I'm thinking like the lights, lowered, wheels, and just minor stuff they wouldn't care.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

my sc430 was quite heavily modded, when we returned the car, we just put everything back and that's about it

telmz1

iTrader: (1)

That's cool. I guess you never had to take your car to the dealer for service? Also, wasn't your LS460 a lease too? I think that was on air?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

every service done on the car was at lexus dealership, only thing i got was compliment. if anything, they should be happy coz' when i returned my car from lease, thread was like new on the tires, no curb race, brake pads were very new, and the springs/shocks were next to brand new.

yes, my ls460l was lease too, same thing, brought to dealership for everything.

a lot of bmw and mb are lease out there and people change wheels and suspensions day in day out. unless there are extensive wear on the car, otherwise there is nothing they can say to ding you. it's just like on a lease car, they can't stop you from doing the oil changes yourself (unless you mess it up of course)

uconn

My RX350 lease ends in July, and I'm interested in leasing another RX after my lease - from the same dealership. How early before lease expiration should I visit the dealership to inquire about the new car lease ? Is 3-4 weeks about right? I would of course prefer the new 2011 cars if possible.

hughh

You'll get a call from the Retention Manager a few months in advance. They will work with you and since his job is "retention" he will probably be able to offer better deals than a regular salesman can.

tromly

Great story, makes me want to consider a lease !

rominl

iTrader: (4)

also, sometimes you fall into the loyalty program (like me with the sc430), i was allowed to return my car 6 months before lease end as long as i buy / lease a new lexus. it's another great option

regarding the new car, you can always start early. sometimes you just don't know if it takes time to get your car, etc...