End-of-Lease Inspection | Mini Cooper Video

This video is from our report after we have carried out a lease inspection. As well as getting a written report, we make a video showing everything we have found.

We then make recommendations on what we think the customer should fix and what they should leave. When a car is returned to the lease company, they allow a certain amount of damage which is fair wear and tear, and a certain amount which is rechargeable. Essentially, if you have just a small amount of damage, it just isn't worth their admin costs to try and collect the money from you. 

We advise you with the aim of reducing the amount of damage on the car until you are under this threshold. Although we will be sitting with a calculator adding up the numbers, it is more art than science, and what we advise can sometimes seem counter-intuitive. But years of experience have informed us what they are strict on, where they are lenient, which repairs the lease companies will under-charge you on, and where recharges can get very painful in the pocket. 

Lease companies never repair cars you return to them, they would just charge you for devaluation, which they may, or may-not base on the cost of a repair.  If you have a scratch on a door, which might easily polish out for a relatively low cost, they will charge for the cost of a full repair-and-repaint at a body shop.

If you have a small hole in a carpet, which could easily and cheaply be repaired, they will charge you for the cost of a replacement carpet, which would be much more expensive. 

On the other hand, if you have a scuff on a wheel, they could charge you trade prices for a 'blow-in' repair, which would probably cost less than you could pay to have the wheel refurbished. 

With this Mini, there was very little damage to begin with but enough that would add up to likely incur recharges.  We fixed the trim and polished out the scratches, and touched in scuffs on the wheels.  With the seats given a shampoo and the chip on the windscreen fixed, this car should pass, even though there are some minor issues such as the dent on the tailgate. Having dents removed can be very cost-effective, but if you don't need to do it, why spend the extra money?

With our End-of-Lease inspection service, we aim to save you money. It really is worth having an inspection, so you know where you stand and have peace of mind.