Nissan Note Lease Return

We are well aware that we are not showing exactly how each issue should be repaired, how much it will cost, or whether it is worth doing. There is good reason for that.

Armed with all the information from a walk-round, we can take a view on the whole car and draw up a plan. One of the most important things to understand is that lease companies have a threshold below which they will not charge for damage. They want a car back in good condition and will overlook minor blemishes if the car overall is presentable and will achieve a decent price. When there is a pattern of multiple small damages, each one devalues the car a little and the total loss justifies raising a recharge. That is the calculation they are making.

This leaves room to work intelligently. If we carry out the cost-effective repairs and the obvious items, the remaining minor damage often falls below their threshold, and no recharge follows. Getting everything done is a common mistake -- the bill for comprehensive repairs can be as large as simply accepting the lease company's recharges.

Lease company recharge rates for dents and wheel refurbishment are often quite reasonable, and sometimes cheaper than retail repair prices. But for other damage types -- a scratched wing, worn carpet, or a missing item -- they tend to charge the cost of parts plus full body-shop labour. A front wing scratch that we can flat-and-polish to an acceptable standard at a fraction of that cost is a good example. The same applies to carpet: if they decide the wear is beyond fair wear and tear, they bill for a replacement plus fitting, which can run to hundreds of pounds; a carpet repair costs a fraction of that and is often undetectable.

The spare key, locking wheel nuts, spare wheel kit, and service history are items that often catch people out. Lease companies charge for these at dealer replacement rates, and the charges are not negotiable because they are straightforward to verify. One of the benefits of an end-of-lease inspection is that we document all of these items in a report. If you later receive a charge you want to dispute, that report is your evidence.