End of Lease Inspection : Polestar3 with 2-year lease Video

The video shows what was found after an inspection and lists all the little chips scuffs and scratches which can accumulate on a two-year-old car.

This is an inspection we do on YOUR behalf, before it goes to the lease company, where they do their own inspection to determine how much you owe them for excess wear and tear. Our aim isn't to make the car like new, it's just to get it through the return inspection while spending as little money as possible on repairs and avoiding recharges.

You will notice we didn't do a lot with the two larger scuffs on this vehicle, and this is deliberate. A lot of smart repair companies and body shops will say that they do lease return inspections, and it's no surprise that they will advise you to repair the bits they specialize in repairing. But it's the little bits which add up. The chip on the rear arch would incur the same fee as a large scuff, but the chip costs next to nothing to touch in with a paint pencil, while repairing a scuff by repainting the wing, may cost more than the cost of the recharge... and if they don't make a good job of it, you may get charged for 'improper repair'.

Therefore, by removing or reducing all the little scuffs and scratches, touching in chips, giving it a clean, making sure all the accessories are present and paperwork is in order, the larger bits of damage which remain, will hopefully fall under the charges threshold. That is to say, they won't bother to send you a bill because it isn't worth their admin costs for a few hundred pounds. (You can actually ask your lease company what their threshold is, some will tell you.)

Even if the cost of the remaining repairs does get charged, these days the charges are very reasonable. What they charge for repair-and-repaint of a panel is in the ballpark of what a bodyshop would charge, and some items like wheel refurbishment are often cheaper. So you may be better off just paying the recharges than spending days running around getting your car repaired, you'll save money and time. This isn't always the case, that's why you should consider coming to us so we can advise you.