What happens when you take back a leased car?

[ullyeus]

So,

I'm 90% sure I want to give back my 07 Nissan Versa next April when my 3 year lease is up but I got some questions about it...

I am just about to pass my 60,000km "total warranty" and will likely be just at my mileage limit when I return it.

The buyout amount is about $8800 or so but I am wondering what sort of "deductions" I could expect...I am worried they will find "$3000 worth of damage" or something stupid to the vehicle which will make it not worth it for me to return....

Right now it's got some slight damage underneath where I smacked into a parking thing...its just plastic but I got no idea the cost...and the windshield has some solid stone chips in it...and the weather stripping on one of the doors isn't really all there...and I just noticed a pretty big scratch in one of the doors...

How exactly is stuff like that calculated?

My current plan is to give the car back in April then coast through the summer (maybe with a motorcycle) and then perhaps buy another car come September...if at all..

Would love to hear about people returning their leased vehicles so I can understand what to expect.

[tdott]

You are better off fixing these issues before returning the car.

Otherwise they will definitely charge you an arm and a leg to have them fixed. Most companies will do an inspection a month or two in advance telling you what to expect. From that report you should get those issues fixed and hope there are not anymore when returning the car.

goodluck, I hate lease returns.

[Pete_Coach]

To be certain, ask your Nissan dealer for the lease return package but, as a rule, they have a damage tolerance list.
This list tells you how long and deep scratches can be, if window chips are allowed, tire tread depth limits, what normal wear and tear is, what you need to return (keys, manuals) etc.
You already know how much per kilometer you will pay if you are over (it is in your contract) so you can calculate that.
Here is a guide from Nissan USA, I could not find the Canadian one but, it should give you an idea of what is needed.
http://www.nissanusa.com/pdf/owning/Wear_and_Use_Guide.pdf

I had no trouble returning the car but I did take care of it.

[charliebrown]

For the 2nd lease return, we had an external consultant come about 1 month before lease end to inspect the vehicle (~40 mins). Pretty thorough in terms of photographing the exterior/interior & assessing any damage and wear & tear (i.e. tires) issues.

At the end, got a list of things and the estimated "cost" to repair, but all the items were within the allowable limits, so we didn't have any additional costs to return the vehicle.

There was no inspection for our first lease return (back in 2006); but i assume the dealership was more lenient since we were leasing another vehicle?

[koppertone]

I had a Dakota leased that I ultimately ended up buying out (cause the buyout was so low), but prior to taking it back they sent me a package in the mail telling me what I needed done prior to taking the lease back. They also included a small card about the size of a credit card that said any scratches had to fit within the card. Since I never returned the vehicle I'm not sure what they'd have said. One thing you can always do is trade the lease in for another vehicle and have the dealership assume your lease. However it doesn't sound like you're headed in that direction.