[jzcrna]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

I still have a while left on my lease but was wondering, has anyone returned a car with curb rash on the edge of your wheels? if so, How much did you get dinged?

[CHCCubs]

I clipped a curb in my previous E90 and curbed one of the wheels. I had the additional wear and tear coverage on that car so it didn't cost me anything, but the final bill showed that it cost $125 to repair that wheel.

[bizzyqu]

They didn't take any off for me, I didn't properly curb the wheels or anything, just a little rash on one or two of them.

They did try to charge for scratches under front bumper but fought it because it was invisible unless you got on hands and knees and looked under bumper so they took it off.

They will probably find something to complain about but if its debatable bring it up with your CA for advice.

[ft1338]

I'm not sure why they expect people to return brand new mint cars after 3 years, what a scam those leases are. It's not like leases are free either.

[billiebob]

This is one of the main reasons driving leases into the "bad deal" category. This and mileage.

[chrisny]

Curbed 3 out of 4 20" wheels on an X5 pretty good a few years ago (turned in in 2010) and didn't get charged.

They don't expect perfect cars after a lease. There are allowable wear and tear guidelines and it's all very well defined and straight forward. If anything, they tend to be a little more flexible than the guidelines, especially if you're buying another car of the same brand.

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by billiebob

This is one of the main reasons driving leases into the "bad deal" category. This and mileage.

Simply not true.

Buying new, buying used, or leasing all have their advantages that vary by the buyer's needs and desires. Want a new car every 3 years and drive the amount the average American drives? Lease. Want to keep it longer or drive excessive miles, buy.

Plenty of other factors too, whether you get tax deductions for the car, how well the car holds its value (resale), etc. but that's the general rule of thumb and none of these options are bad unless they don't match your needs (ex. Buying brand new every year or leasing while driving 25,000 miles a year...)

[JoeyO]

Originally Posted by chrisny

....Want a new car every 3 years and drive the amount the average American drives? Lease. Want to keep it longer or drive excessive miles, buy....

I often find that published leases are not designed for the average American. I see many leases for 10,000 miles, while the average American 20-54 years old drives 15,000 miles per year (per US DOT). And asking your dealership for different special terms is equivalent to asking your dealership to rape you IMO.

[CHCCubs]

Whether they charge you for damage will also depend on the extent of the wheel damage. As I mentioned there was a charge for one wheel on my old E90, but there was also much more minor curb rash on two of the other wheels which were not charged for.

[raleedy]

Originally Posted by billiebob

This is one of the main reasons driving leases into the "bad deal" category. This and mileage.

This is just completely wrong, at least as far as BMW leases are concerned. They are quite generous on wear and tear, and as far as miles go, you can plan ahead by choosing a mileage limit, you can buy extra miles for a reasonable charge during the lease, or you can just buy the car out at the end of the lease term rather than pay for extra mileage. All of these issues -- mileage, damage, wear and tear -- also, by the way, affect trade-in or resale value on a car you have purchased rather than leasing.

[zenmaster]

Originally Posted by jzcrna

I still have a while left on my lease but was wondering, has anyone returned a car with curb rash on the edge of your wheels? if so, How much did you get dinged?

Had two wheels with curb rash and wasn't charged.

[jzcrna]

I got a high mileage lease and purchase more miles as I go along.

High mileage leases are great for me, because I don't want to end up owing money on a depreciating asset that is 30 months old with 54,000 miles on the ODO.

Had mine since 3/2012. Up to 25,100 miles

I can always buy for the residual if I decide and it makes sense at the time but I would rather get new.

[DesertSmokeBBQ]

Originally Posted by chrisny

Simply not true.

Buying new, buying used, or leasing all have their advantages that vary by the buyer's needs and desires. Want a new car every 3 years and drive the amount the average American drives? Lease. Want to keep it longer or drive excessive miles, buy.

Plenty of other factors too, whether you get tax deductions for the car, how well the car holds its value (resale), etc. but that's the general rule of thumb and none of these options are bad unless they don't match your needs (ex. Buying brand new every year or leasing while driving 25,000 miles a year...)

This...

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

I often find that published leases are not designed for the average American. I see many leases for 10,000 miles, while the average American 20-54 years old drives 15,000 miles per year (per US DOT). And asking your dealership for different special terms is equivalent to asking your dealership to rape you IMO.

Well your first mistake was thinking anyone does or should buy any car based on an ad. Those advertised lease deals are meaningless and always have huge down payments in the fine print.

As far as mileage goes, my case still stands and leasing can make sense as high as 15,000 a year, after that I think it stops making sense. I do question your statistics, though not enough to google it myself. But I've always heard more around 12k average.

As to asking for "different or special terms," there's nothing special about it, you've obviously never leased before. We're not talking about custom ordering alligator seats. There are different programs to begin with, and there's usually a sweet spot to suit your needs, again, assuming leasing even makes sense for you in the first place.

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by raleedy

- mileage, damage, wear and tear -- also, by the way, affect trade-in or resale value on a car you have purchased rather than leasing.

Exactly

[JoeyO]

Originally Posted by chrisny

Well your first mistake was thinking anyone does or should buy any car based on an ad. Those advertised lease deals are meaningless and always have huge down payments in the fine print.

As far as mileage goes, my case still stands.... blah blah blah.

Get off your high horse pal. What I stated was part opinion and part actual fact. I know lots of people that pay attention to those lease deals. Some of those deals are freaking incredible, even with their down payments considered. And Jesus Christ, I listed my source for that statistic. Egg meet face: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm. . And your assumption is wrong; I have leased before. But if it makes you feel better, in your mind pretend you're the only one who has leased a car on planet Earth.

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

Get off your high horse pal. What I stated was part opinion and part actual fact. I know lots of people that pay attention to those lease deals. Some of those deals are freaking incredible, even with their down payments considered. And Jesus Christ, I listed my source for that statistic. Egg meet face: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/onh00/bar8.htm. . And your assumption is wrong; I have leased before. But if it makes you feel better, in your mind pretend you're the only one who has leased a car on planet Earth.

Overreact much? Feel better?

[ArchJR]

I love these heated lease vs. buy discussions, especially when buyers claim that lessors only lease because they cannot afford to buy. There are several reasons I lease - easier accounting for my business, lower payments, less hassle, new cars more often - and one big one: if the car is involved in an accident during the lease (and properly repaired so as not to violate lease terms), then I will not suffer the additional depreciation. With the prevalence of CARFAX, even a car involved in a minor accident and expertly repaired will be worth less and harder to sell later.

[BavarianFanatic]

Originally Posted by JesseSRQ

I love these heated lease vs. buy discussions, especially when buyers claim that lessors only lease because they cannot afford to buy. There are several reasons I lease - easier accounting for my business, lower payments, less hassle, new cars more often - and one big one: if the car is involved in an accident during the lease (and properly repaired so as not to violate lease terms), then I will not suffer the additional depreciation. With the prevalence of CARFAX, even a car involved in a minor accident and expertly repaired will be worth less and harder to sell later.

Easy now. This forum is no place for logical thought.

[bizzyqu]

Originally Posted by JesseSRQ

I love these heated lease vs. buy discussions, especially when buyers claim that lessors only lease because they cannot afford to buy. There are several reasons I lease - easier accounting for my business, lower payments, less hassle, new cars more often - and one big one: if the car is involved in an accident during the lease (and properly repaired so as not to violate lease terms), then I will not suffer the additional depreciation. With the prevalence of CARFAX, even a car involved in a minor accident and expertly repaired will be worth less and harder to sell later.

mmm sweet sweet rational thought

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by ft1338

I'm not sure why they expect people to return brand new mint cars after 3 years, what a scam those leases are. It's not like leases are free either.

It's not nearly as bad as you make it appear.
BMW is quite generous with "normal wear and tear".
A curb rash is not really normal wear and tear, it is actual damage, and it devalues the value of the car. Depending on how severe the damage is there will be different values assessed.
If you have damage that you would find unacceptable, then it makes sense that it would be unacceptable during the lease turn in.
Just go and get it fixed before you return it, just like you would get it fixed for yourself so that you aren't driving around on gouged wheels.

Before you turn your lease in BMW will give you a kit that you can use to assess any damage and it you need to repair it or not.
BMW allows for a good bit of dings and small dents.
I was rather surprised at how many dings and little dents the car can have before being assessed damage charges.

Also, you can have your lease turn in assessed before your actual return date so that you can get things fixed if needed.
In some areas you can have an independent assessor come to your house and do the examination, or you can your BMW dealer do it.

BTW, BMW expects the lease turn in to have the same type and quality tires on the car for turn in, and the tread has to be at an acceptably safe limit, something like 3/32 or so. If the tires are worn beyond what is safe, then you will be charged for replacement tires. It's better to get those tires replaced on your own as the costs could be a good bit less, but check the costs with the dealer to be sure.
Since all new BMW's come with RFT's, your lease return must also have RFT's of the same capability, so if you have summer performance RFT's your return must also have summer perf RFT's.

Since I live in an area with 4 seasons I run high perf all season tires.
I also always the sport pkg which usually comes with summer perf tires.
I just swap the stock RFT's with the best quality and best performing all seasons and put the stock RFT's safely away.
On lease turn in I put the OEM's back on. That way I get full use of the new tires that I pay for and BMW gets a lease return with nearly new tires on the car. Win, win.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by billiebob

This is one of the main reasons driving leases into the "bad deal" category. This and mileage.

If you cash buy or loan purchase you still have to pay for any damage you cause. If insurance covers the damage, then it will cover it whether it's leased or not. There is no difference.

In this scenario that only benefit you get with not leasing is that you can choose to drive around with awful rashed wheels cause you don't want to pay to get them fixed.

In regards to damage leasing actually as the advantage in some instances.
Lease return allows for 2 dings/dents per body panel that are up to 1" in diameter. Let's say you got a couple right before your lease turn in, well then you don't have to get them fixed.
If you owned the car you'd likely want to get them fixed so it will cost you your deductible to get it fixed.

Whether leasing or buying taking care of your vehicle might cost you money.
So there is no difference in that regard, and it's far from being a main reason against leasing.
Leasing is nothing more than paying for vehicle ownership for the time/term of the lease. Those cost of that limited time ownership is pretty much the depreciation cost plus the money factor/interest on the money loaned for that term.

There are legit reasons for and against leasing and that's mainly due to mileage. If you tend to drive more than 15K miles per year, then buying via cash or loan is a better option.
If you like to drive a new car with full warranty and full maintenance during your ownership and you drive up to 15K miles per year, then leasing could actually be a better choice.
For my needs leasing is much better choice and that's why this is my 4th lease and 3rd BMW lease.