Lease Turn In Damage Questions

[davenlei]

So today in a parking lot there was a family getting into their car next to ours and their kid flung his door open and hit my Model Y at the back door. There is a small ding and the paint was scraped off to the primer/metal. There was a person there that saw what happened and told them their kid damaged the vehicle and they need to find the owner. The father found me and gave me his info (license and insurance). I told him I will find out if the lease company will charge me for the damage or not and if not, I don't want to make a claim to his insurance but if they do then they will have to cover repairs. Has anyone had experience with what the Tesla lease company considers needing repair or normal wear and tear? I know some allow certain size dings, etc. at turn in without charge but this one is a ding and paint scraped off.

 

[Simans82]

The Excess Wear and Use Guide from Tesla lives in the gray area. Having said that, as long as you don't exceed the number of dents per panel and the scratch created by the ding isn't longer than 4", you're probably okay. This is purely a guess after glancing at the Normal and Excessive columns in the Exterior category.

 

[davenlei]

Thank you for the reply. I will also reach out to the lease company if I am able to. I know it is a gray area which is such a pain since I don't want to burden these people with a bill if it does not make a difference. Sh*t happens and I understand it was an accident by a kid but I also don't want to have to pay for someone else's mistake.

 

[EatsShoots]

In my experience leasing a half dozen cars you may be surprised how little they care. I have no experience with tesla, but lots of road rash, dings, scrapes, I am never charged for them.

 

[EVer Hopeful]

I know rental cars are different from leased vehicles, but I asked them once what they considered to be "damage" and they said "Any dent bigger than a golfball or scratch longer than a dollar bill [1]". In fact they even have a handy pocket sized template thingy to hold up against the damage





[1] unless we're getting ready for the office Christmas party in which case it's any damage at all, but we'll over look it for a donation of say a pie or a box plastic knives and forks

 

[svandive]

I just turned my leased 2020 Model Y LR, I had damage to all four rims, and the tires absolutely needed replacing. The first estimates just from my pictures came back at about $3,000. However when I dropped it off and pickled up my new Model Y, they adjusted the payment down to just $950.00. No explanation was given, but it was certainly welcomed. I felt what they were going to charge me for the Rim refinishing and three new tires (one was basically brand new as I had to replace it due to a leak) was pretty darn fair actually so I was willing to pay it without haggle, but then they reduced it I paid it and asked no questions. I also kept my portable charging cable that came with my 2020 Lease. That they didn’t seem to care about one way or the other either. So another $225 savings….

 

[racerx2005]

In my experience leasing a half dozen cars you may be surprised how little they care. I have no experience with tesla, but lots of road rash, dings, scrapes, I am never charged for them.

Had an issue when returning a Bimmer years ago, when they told me the paint thickness wasn’t up to their standards, for whatever is worth, for a car that was temperature controlled garaged.

The car was spotless; ultimately they “waived” the additional charge out of customer loyalty, just to watch me take my business elsewhere ;-)

 

[Pianewman]

Had an issue when returning a Bimmer years ago, when they told me the paint thickness wasn’t up to their standards, for whatever is worth, for a car that was temperature controlled garaged.

The car was spotless; ultimately they “waived” the additional charge out of customer loyalty, just to watch me take my business elsewhere ;-)

Huh? You didn't say, so this was the OEM paint? Did they think you wore down the paint somehow?

 

[racerx2005]

Huh? You didn't say, so this was the OEM paint? Did they think you wore down the paint somehow?

Yup, the OEM paint indeed … they said the car probably had some bodywork done because “it looked too nice after 3 year lease”, which it didn’t and it makes no sense; if one customer is fooled by their attempts they make money, easy money … not with me.

 

[brkaus]

Can’t tell from the photo if the panel is dented or just paint scratched off.

I’d probably find a detailer (not body shop) and see how much it would cost to patch it.