US Bank and Excess Wear and Tear Redux

[nlk10010]

I've been posting and doing research before returning my '07 E-class to US Bank because of reports of excessive end of lease wear-and-tear charges. I called them up today to ask about the end of lease inspection (can it be done early, can I be there) and the rep told me that in certain states, one of them being NY, US Bank does not impose any excess wear-and-tear charges. She said that I just return the car and that no I would not be billed anything (actually, the car is in excellent shape but that's beside the point). Supposedly the call was being recorded so I'm good there, but has anyone heard or experienced anything similar? This is, to say the least, very weird. I realize I got it "from the horse's mouth" and that's the only thing that matters, just curious if this jibes with the experience of others. Thanks for any info.

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[LeaseCompare]

Originally Posted by nlk10010

I've been posting and doing research before returning my '07 E-class to US Bank because of reports of excessive end of lease wear-and-tear charges. I called them up today to ask about the end of lease inspection (can it be done early, can I be there) and the rep told me that in certain states, one of them being NY, US Bank does not impose any excess wear-and-tear charges. She said that I just return the car and that no I would not be billed anything (actually, the car is in excellent shape but that's beside the point).

Supposedly the call was being recorded so I'm good there, but has anyone heard or experienced anything similar? This is, to say the least, very weird. I realize I got it "from the horse's mouth" and that's the only thing that matters, just curious if this jibes with the experience of others.

Thanks for any info.

As an independent leasing company we do a lot of leasing with US Bank. Each state has their own rules for wear and tear and they do change.

Let me know if you do have any issues and I can make a call on your behalf.

[nlk10010]

Tarry:

Well, thanks for the post.

This is quite inscrutable. New York State apparently has a very good arbitration process in place for excess wear-and-tear disputes on leases. I can't find anything similar for New Jersey. In fact, I'm not even sure whether I've technically leased the car in New York or in New Jersey. I have an inquiry in with the NYS Attorney General to see if I would be covered by their program.

I guess I have the choice to pay for an inspection prior to turning the car in, but the inspector needs to be approved by US Bank. My new car should be arriving in a few weeks so I'm going to start sending certified letters to US Bank requesting a list of their authorized inspectors. Either way, before I bring the car back I'm going to take pictures from every possible angle.

I will also see what my dealer offers on a trade-in, since this would obviate the need to go through inspection.

I usually overreact to these sorts of things but I'd rather be that way than treat it too casually.

Thanks again for the offer of assistance. I may need to take you up on it, especially if I'm told I've leased the car in New Jersey.

[LeaseCompare]

Originally Posted by nlk10010

Tarry:

Well, thanks for the post.

This is quite inscrutable. New York State apparently has a very good arbitration process in place for excess wear-and-tear disputes on leases. I can't find anything similar for New Jersey. In fact, I'm not even sure whether I've technically leased the car in New York or in New Jersey. I have an inquiry in with the NYS Attorney General to see if I would be covered by their program.

I guess I have the choice to pay for an inspection prior to turning the car in, but the inspector needs to be approved by US Bank. My new car should be arriving in a few weeks so I'm going to start sending certified letters to US Bank requesting a list of their authorized inspectors. Either way, before I bring the car back I'm going to take pictures from every possible angle.

I will also see what my dealer offers on a trade-in, since this would obviate the need to go through inspection.

I usually overreact to these sorts of things but I'd rather be that way than treat it too casually.

Thanks again for the offer of assistance. I may need to take you up on it, especially if I'm told I've leased the car in New Jersey.

The address on your lease agreement (which should be the garaging address) will determine which laws apply.

USB currently uses Datascan for their inspections. I think they have these inspections done regardless because if you don't buy the vehicle then it goes to auction.

What do you have on order and are you leasing?

[nlk10010]

Originally Posted by LeaseCompare

The address on your lease agreement (which should be the garaging address) will determine which laws apply.

USB currently uses Datascan for their inspections. I think they have these inspections done regardless because if you don't buy the vehicle then it goes to auction.

What do you have on order and are you leasing?

Well, that's good news! The address (where the car is registered and garaged) is in New York.

I read somewhere DataScan did their inspections so I called US Bank to find out if they would be doing it at my home or at least while I watched. That's when the rep said to just return the car to the dealer where I bought it (or she could give me a more local dealer return point) and that US Bank doesn't do inspections in NY (and some other NE states she mumbled) and that I wouldn't be receiving an invoice for excess wear-and-tear. Again, I don't trust her.

I'm buying a BMW 550i. It was ordered end of Oct/beginning of November and could be here by the end of this month. I'm not sure if I'm going to lease, I guess I'll wait until a little closer to delivery to make that decision and, if I decide to go that way, will try to get the dealer to give me the Holiday Cash incentive. I now realize (didn't know that before) that I could have locked in my leasing terms ahead of time and retain leverage with the dealer but, frankly, I simply wasn't (and still am not) sure.

Again, thanks for the info.