Venom-AMG

I just leased a brand new Tundra maybe 5 days now and today when I left the mall some @ hole side swiped me and didn't leave a note. the rear door and trunk bed has a hugh indentation. my gas door was riped off and cap pushed in. My big question is whats going to happen when I return the lease? I am going to have my insurance fix it but will Toyota charge me anything extra when I return it? this is my first leased vehicle. Damn I hate stupid drivers!!!!!

NY C32

Get a police report and file a claim. A hit and run, if your car was parked at the time, falls under your comprehensive policy.

*edit* I realized that I didn't complete my post. After you claim it, take it to a Toyota dealer/bodyshop and have it done. It costs no more out of your pocket and you shouldn't have any problems.

jimmydagreek

You shouldn't have any problems as long as the repairs are not a hack job. I mean if the car has a bunch of Bondo on the side and painted over with cheap TJ special one coat paint then you'll get crap upon return. Just make sure it's repaired at a "dealer recommended" or "dealer authorized" repair shop and no worries whatsoever. That sucks man and sorry to hear about these types of stories. Makes me want to plant cameras all around my car...

NGS_E55

yea, get the best autobody shop you can.

Blacksport350

As long as it is fixed correctly, it doesn't matter if the car is in an accident. Frankly, they could rebuild half the car and as long as it was done to acceptable standards, the lease company could care less.

BTW, I have seen pretty trashed cars returned to lease companies with no penalties!

CWW

Ditto...

I have been amazed at some of the stuff they will put up with on lease-returns. I had a set of friends who always had two 24-month leases going about 12 months apart, so the net result was a new mercedes every year. I don't think they ever washed them let alone did anything else, and they always had dents, scrapes, etc, kids had crayoned inside...

The dealer would always get MBCC to waive the charges since they were good customers.

jrcart

As long as it's not an Audi you're fine. Audi charges top dollar for every little stone chip, door ding and imperfection. I had an S4 I leased a couple years back and I got hammered on return. They hit me up for over $2000. The car was in excellent condition for a 2 year old sub 30k mile driver. They must expect showroom new...or better upon return. DON'T EVER LEASE AN AUDI!

Venom-AMG

Thanks for all the help. Im going to have it fixed by authorized bodyshop of toyota. Hopefully I don't get any BS from toyota when I return it. Would hate to have to get charged another few grand casue they say it has been damaged before. Also is there anything else I should do with my insurance at this time to protect myself from later?

jimmydagreek

As long as the car is straight and the paint is in good condition without many dents/dings and/or scratches, you will not have any problems!

rkao

I had the completely opposite experience with Audi and AFS: I had an '04 A8L that was leased for 42 months and upon return, there were several imperfections that the inspector waived off and gave it a clean bill - I was worried about a dent on the hood and a long-ish scratch on the rear bumper cap, but the inspector said they were within tolerance so no charges.

I would've probably leased an S8 if it wasn't for the woeful lease MF and residuals that AFS uses.

nlk10010

I'm a lease newbie as well but my understanding is that one of the advantages of a lease is that as long as the car is taken to a body shop authorized by the leasing company they HAVE to take it back without penalty (well, OK, they don't HAVE to do anything but you know what I mean).

One of the reasons I leased is because of the fear of diminished value. This way, should I get smacked I only need to get my E63 repaired at an acceptable shop and I'm covered.

Scratches and chips are something else, which I suppose you COULD also get fixed at an authorized shop.

I mean, when my dealer put two scratches in my car this morning I felt better than if I had owned the car (but not much).

psk145

On the bright side....

Thank goodness it was a lease. At least you know in a few years that you can wipe your hands clean of it. If it was a purchase, it would be much harder to stomach, especially since its so new