End of Lease Repairs and Inspection

This Kia had done 18,000 miles over a four-year lease. The owner had looked after it well -- servicing included in the contract, locking wheel nuts in the boot, tools all present. Gary inspected it to BVRLA standards in the rain while the customer was there, went through everything on camera, and then she went into town while Harrison carried out the repairs. This is what those repairs looked like.

What the Inspection Found

Starting at the driver's side front bumper: a cosmetic scuff and some marks -- nothing broken, nothing twisted, just surface damage. Under the bumper, a skirt with marks along it. The bonnet had some bird etch marks where droppings had been left on too long and damaged the paint. A scratch on one door edge just over the 25mm threshold. Small dent at the bottom of a door aperture. Interior stains on the seats and carpet wear area -- nothing serious, most improvable with a damp cloth. Rear was in good condition.

The video record is important. It is not just about knowing what to fix -- it is about having evidence of the condition when the car left the owner's possession. Lease companies occasionally charge for damage they cannot prove happened during the lease period; a timestamped video makes that much harder.

The 25mm Rule and What It Costs

A scratch under 25mm (one inch) is generally acceptable under fair wear and tear guidelines. Slightly over, and the lease company goes down their assessment flow chart -- and depending on where the damage is, "repair and repaint" of a panel could mean a recharge of £150 to £275. That is not an unreasonable recharge; it is roughly what a body shop would charge. But for a scratch that is borderline, a buff and touch-in at £30 to £38 can make it acceptably below that line.

The bonnet bird etch was the bigger concern. Bird droppings that sit on paint long enough etch through the lacquer into the base coat, and the recharge for that -- a small panel repair and repaint -- could be £250 to £350. Harrison's buff and touch-in addressed it for £38. The natural tax on top came to £33 because they were already doing the other work, making it cheaper than it would have been as a standalone job.

What We Did Not Recommend

The wheels had a small mark. The recharge for a minor wheel scuff is not a lot -- and wheel refurbishment done properly costs more than what the lease company would likely charge. Gary's advice to the owner: leave the wheels. This is the kind of judgement call that people miss when they assess their own cars. They see a scuffed wheel, get it refurbished for £100, and the lease company would have charged £40 at trade rate. The maths does not work.

Similarly, the stains and carpet marks did not need a professional detail. A damp cloth and the coin-operated vacuum in the car park would handle it. Some companies would have sold her an end-of-lease valet; this one told her she could do it herself and save the money.

The Threshold

Most lease companies have a threshold -- a minimum total value below which they will not issue a bill at all. They want you to lease another car, not to fight over £60. So the aim of our inspection is not perfection; it is to make sure the remaining damage comes in under that number. If it does, the customer pays nothing beyond what they have paid us. If it does not, the remaining recharges should be lower than they would have been without the work.

The door edge that had been scuffed repeatedly had a tiny bit of rust starting. Harrison dealt with it -- buffed and touched in. That kept the door off a "repair and repaint" recharge, which is what the lease company would have been right to charge for a rusted door edge. Gary's comment: "to be fair to the lease company, I think that would have been the right solution."

See our end-of-lease car inspection service.