How long does it take to get a lease return inspected?

[eisenb11]

Hi all, for those of you who went through the lease return process - how long did it take Tesla to get back to you to schedule an inspection appointment after you indicated in the app that you wanted to return the car? Also, is it possible to skip the inspection?

I thought return a Tesla lease would be like returning any other car's lease - optional inspection then drop the thing off at the dealer when you're done with the car.

Nope, the app makes you get an inspection first before you can get to the return step. Kicked it off on Sat, and it's now Tue and I haven't heard from anyone about scheduling the inspection appointment. Getting antsy, because I wanted to do it while my parents were over so I don't have to take time off work. Not being able to just drop it off just cost me another month in the lease (I'm on a month-by-month extension).

Tried contacting Tesla, but support is non-existent. Phone support says they can't help in this matter and there are only indirect contact methods: the app (already done), an email address and a voicemail box. I'm about to try the other two.

Anyway, would appreciate it someone could share their experience so I can know what to expect on this wait!

 

[beachsideev]

Last year my "inspection" consisted of taking lots of pictures and sending them to the lease returns team. They send you a checklist of the minimum number of pictures. I suggest you take care of any potential issues before you submit the pictures since it took considerable effort to get them to remove charges after the pictures were submitted.

It did take a while for them to get back to me, which I thought was odd. They didn't seem to be in much of a rush.

 

[eisenb11]

Last year my "inspection" consisted of taking lots of pictures and sending them to the lease returns team. They send you a checklist of the minimum number of pictures. I suggest you take care of any potential issues before you submit the pictures since it took considerable effort to get them to remove charges after the pictures were submitted.

It did take a while for them to get back to me, which I thought was odd. They didn't seem to be in much of a rush.

Thanks for sharing. I'm expecting them to ding me on 1-3 wheels for curb rash, but nothing else. It sounded like they charge about $100/wheel and my wheel repair guy wanted $95/wheel so I figured that I'd just let Tesla take care of it.

- EDIT -

Tesla just called me back and I was able to kick off the self-inspection process over the phone. They're going to send me an email with instructions. If anyone else find themselves in a similar position, I called the voicemail for Tesla Financial Services (844-837-5285).

 

[beachsideev]

They quoted me $85 per wheel for rash. If it is less than 3" ( I think) they won't charge you.

They initially charged me $85 but later refunded it to me. Maybe because it wasn't the bad (it was minor). I was happily surprised.

 

[eisenb11]

They quoted me $85 per wheel for rash. If it is less than 3" ( I think) they won't charge you.

They initially charged me $85 but later refunded it to me. Maybe because it wasn't the bad (it was minor). I was happily surprised.

Nice to know! I just sent in the lease return pics for the "inspection". It's hard to see in the pics, so I figure I'll find out after I turn the car in and if I get a bill. I think 2 of 3 may fit within the allowable definition. So, I figured it's worth the gamble of not getting it repaired since most likely 1 of 3 aren't allowable vs $300 for the wheel guy to do 3 wheels. Everything else is in immaculate condition, the mobile charger has never been used, and I'm 10k under my miles so maybe they'll give me a pass.

 

[beachsideev]

My car had two wheels with rash but was otherwise perfect. It had ~21k miles out of 36k but still needed at least 2 tires. I opted to replace all 4 for about $700 just to be safe. Tesla wanted ~$1400 for 4 oem michelins.

I repaired one wheel myself which I thought came out pretty well and apparently they agreed. There was only one spot that had touched a curb. The other wheel had scratches around most of the circumference and I didn't have enough touch up paint to fix them. I cleaned it up as best as I could with magic erasers which made it much less obvious. They must have also thought it looked ok since they refunded me the $85 I had paid when I returned it.

As with anything related to tesla, it is a big ymmv. Good luck!

 

[eisenb11]

My car had two wheels with rash but was otherwise perfect. It had ~21k miles out of 36k but still needed at least 2 tires. I opted to replace all 4 for about $700 just to be safe. Tesla wanted ~$1400 for 4 oem michelins.

I repaired one wheel myself which I thought came out pretty well and apparently they agreed. There was only one spot that had touched a curb. The other wheel had scratches around most of the circumference and I didn't have enough touch up paint to fix them. I cleaned it up as best as I could with magic erasers which made it much less obvious. They must have also thought it looked ok since they refunded me the $85 I had paid when I returned it.

As with anything related to tesla, it is a big ymmv. Good luck!

Good to know, thanks! I already replaced all 4 tires not too long ago for about $1200. The M3P came with some pretty good tires and I put equivalents on there because the tire place didn't have the exact same ones in stock.

Did you lease another Tesla? If you do, I think they forgive you for $500 or so in damages. I jumped ship to try something different for the next round, so I won't likely be getting that courtesy.

 

[beachsideev]

I wish I had replaced the tires about 6 months before the lease was up. They were much better than the oems. At least I could have enjoyed them some.

The lease returns department told they do not forgive any damage if you lease again. The only thing they waive is the $350? termination fee. Maybe things have changed. However if a sales person told you that when they called to get you to lease again they were lying. My sales person said that to me but would never put it in writing.

Ultimately I didn't have to pay anything anyway.

 

[eisenb11]

I wish I had replaced the tires about 6 months before the lease was up. They were much better than the oems. At least I could have enjoyed them some.

The lease returns department told they do not forgive any damage if you lease again. The only thing they waive is the $350? termination fee. Maybe things have changed. However if a sales person told you that when they called to get you to lease again they were lying. My sales person said that to me but would never put it in writing.

Ultimately I didn't have to pay anything anyway.

I just got my damage estimate and they charged me $85 for a wheel. Cheaper to let them fix it than my wheel guy who wanted $95 per wheel. They wave the disposition fee if you lease another car. I ignored the sales requests for a while then eventually got some email basically along the lines of "Why you want to lease another" and I believe that it mentioned the waived damage. My sales guy also mentioned it on the phone prior to sending the email.

---

To close the loop for anyone potentially reading this thread and wondering the same stuff that I was wondering, the lease return process was pretty easy. I was just in a hurry and worried since I didn't hear from anyone in a few days. Turns out they do both on-site and do-it-yourself inspections. For the on-site the inspector comes to your house. For the do-it-yourself one, they send you a list of a bunch of pictures they want, you take them, and email them in. I did the do-it-yourself because it was faster.

After you send the pictures in and they receive them, you can pretty much go ahead and book your return appointment. I did this without waiting for the inspection results because I pretty much knew what they were going to ding me for and was OK with it. Otherwise, you can wait to get the list of damages that you're going to get billed for, try to fix them, then schedule the return. For the return you pick a location, day, and a timeslot - they have 30 min increments. I haven't gotten to this part yet, but after the return you might receive a credit or get another bill if they find anything that was immediately apparent in the pictures.

In all, a pretty easy process.

 

[beachsideev]

Good to hear.

On site inspections are location specific. They don't do them everywhere.

 

[racerx2005]

Hi all, for those of you who went through the lease return process - how long did it take Tesla to get back to you to schedule an inspection appointment after you indicated in the app that you wanted to return the car? Also, is it possible to skip the inspection?

I thought return a Tesla lease would be like returning any other car's lease - optional inspection then drop the thing off at the dealer when you're done with the car.

Nope, the app makes you get an inspection first before you can get to the return step. Kicked it off on Sat, and it's now Tue and I haven't heard from anyone about scheduling the inspection appointment. Getting antsy, because I wanted to do it while my parents were over so I don't have to take time off work. Not being able to just drop it off just cost me another month in the lease (I'm on a month-by-month extension).

Tried contacting Tesla, but support is non-existent. Phone support says they can't help in this matter and there are only indirect contact methods: the app (already done), an email address and a voicemail box. I'm about to try the other two.

Anyway, would appreciate it someone could share their experience so I can know what to expect on this wait!

You can start your lease return from the Tesla app.

They will evaluate your excess wear and tear charges based on photos you submit. To ensure accurate evaluation, follow the instructions to prepare for your inspection.

Inspection process will take approximately 15-20 minutes

What you need

• Take clear photos in daylight
• Strong internet connection
• Penny to test tire tread depth
• Clean vehicle interior & exterior

What you need to submit

• Take 8 photos of full vehicle exterior
• Take 4 photos of tires
• Take 4 photos of tire tread depth (using the penny as guidance. See manual for minimal tire tread )
• Take 3 photos of interior
• Additional damages

Do you plan to buy a new Tesla? if so, I’d say return the car before the end of the lease as they will give you a “loyalty” discount on your remaining payments; you’d have to pay them anyway, so a discount isn’t a bad thing, if you plan to buy another one.

Evidently, no discounts if you’re just returning the car, hence in that case, return the car at the end of your contract.

If you have any further questions leave a voicemail at (844) 837-5285 option 1, option 1, option 5 (M-F 9AM-5PM PST) or by email at [email protected].

 

[wiltoking]

For those that have returned leases, did anyone notice if they stay at the SC they're turned in at? Or how quickly the vehicle will show up for sale in inventory? We can't buy at lease end but maybe we can stalk the SC to purchase the vehicle when it hits inventory (just a thought but no idea what's gonna be the norm in 3 years).

 

[Ekanas]

I have had a horrible experience with Tesla lease returns. They failed to check the car in after we dropped it off and leased a new vehicle. The car sat in the service center lot for three weeks. We finally had to go to the center and remind them the car had been sitting there. They failed to do the proper procedures on their end. Now three weeks later we get an access ware and tear bill of nearly five grand for things that were not wrong with the car. There was not one scratch or dent on the car when we turned it in. NEVER again with these people. Be warned. They are a**holes. They also claimed we didn’t turn the charging cables in when we physically handed them to the sales person…the level of incompetence is so frustrating. When we turned in the cars they didn’t do any inspections or take any photos. They just took the plates off our old car and put them on the new one.

 

[beachsideev]

That stinks. I took pictures of the exterior and interior when I dropped it off. Thankfully I didn't need them.

 

[Ekanas]

That stinks. I took pictures of the exterior and interior when I dropped it off. Thankfully I didn't need them.

I wish I did. Kicking myself. I had no idea what to do or what to expect. I was hoping the people at the sales center would have guided us better but nope.

 

[racerx2005]

I wish I did. Kicking myself. I had no idea what to do or what to expect. I was hoping the people at the sales center would have guided us better but nope.

I had one of those point-and-shoot cameras before cellphones became so common, and I always took pictures and videos when returning all my previous cars, i.e. had to use them once with BMW for the same reason you described … told the guy over phone back then “I have pictures of that same panel you said is dented in perfect condition” … next thing I know he hung up, called me 10 minutes later, saying it was a “misunderstanding on their part”; I still have the pictures …

 

[wiltoking]

I have had a horrible experience with Tesla lease returns. They failed to check the car in after we dropped it off and leased a new vehicle. The car sat in the service center lot for three weeks. We finally had to go to the center and remind them the car had been sitting there. They failed to do the proper procedures on their end. Now three weeks later we get an access ware and tear bill of nearly five grand for things that were not wrong with the car. There was not one scratch or dent on the car when we turned it in. NEVER again with these people. Be warned. They are a**holes. They also claimed we didn’t turn the charging cables in when we physically handed them to the sales person…the level of incompetence is so frustrating. When we turned in the cars they didn’t do any inspections or take any photos. They just took the plates off our old car and put them on the new one.

Sounds like there’s no hope then. Just gonna focus on covering all the bases in regards to wear and tear. Thanks for the input