Audi lease turn in...anyone?

Haven't done Audi, but with Mercedes they used a 'credit card test' -- which opens them up to some obvious jokes, but basically if there's something small like a door ding they don't care. If there's a longer scratch that can't be covered by a credit card, they do care. Ditto for wheel rash, seat bolster wear, etc.

You can almost certainly have it pre-inspected before the end of the lease if you have questions. I would ask if Audi uses the 'credit card test' as well.

 

I have been leasing cars for years, although never an Audi. Every time that I leased a car they would send out a lease turn in packet that would contain information about what is expected when you turn the car in. Obvious damage, broken windshields, and tire tread are probably the biggest things to worry about. My last vehicle that I turned in was with GMAC and they sent out a paper card about the size of a credit card that had two circles cut out of the middle and a tire tread depth gauge on one side. They said that scratches could not be bigger than the card was long, stone chips in the windshield had to be repaired and be no bigger than the larger cut out circle, burns in the upholstery could be no bigger than the smaller circle cutout and that tire tread had to be more than 3/32ths of an inch.

Probably best to call the dealer that sold you the car and ask what Audi's policies are in regards to lease turn-ins.

 

My friend had a leased A4 3.0 which had been hit lightly and been fixed by the Audi dealer. Trading it on a new RS4 they initially dinged him $6k for reduced value because of the damage (which they had repaired) AND marked up the RS4 some 12k over sticker (he ordered and specced the car, they didn't say markup until he walked in to get it). After four hours of hard bargaining, leaving the dealership and two phone calls from them to him, they relented and gave him the RS4 at sticker and no $6k penalty on the A4.

 

It depends on who you get as an inspector. The people that do it for a living, either working for one car store or the ones that travel. If you have dings call a "Dent Wizard" type of business, for a couple of hundred dollars they can fix a lot of dents. If your car is scratches up badly, or just in a lot of areas, take it to get it waxed by someone who knows what they're doing, it can help hide a lot.

 

That reduced value is ridiculous. The car's either repaired or totaled -- unless your friend took some red cellophane and packaging tape and tried to simulate a tail light...

My last Jeep was leased and got rear-ended up in LA (by an illegal in a rental car...) I had it fixed at the Jeep dealership's approved body shop and it wasn't even mentioned when I turned the car in.

 

The only leased car I ever entered into was a company car and I was broad sided and the car was totaled. I got all of my payments back that I had made up to that point.

Totaling leases are good for the pocket book but a little hard on the insurance.

 

My wife had a Passat lease, basically an A4. I met the traveling inspector at her workplace because it had some minor curb rash and some minor marks that wouldn't rub out. Nice guy. Talked him up about cars and his job. No problems. Individual or policy? I don't know.

 

Each inspector will have a budget. If the car needs a few hundred bucks of dent or scratches taken out, you should be fine but if there are gouges or creases be prepared to pay up because those can be a lengthy job.