Repair before returning a lease car.

MassUk

Hi,

I am returning my lease car soon and wanted some advice on whether or not my alloys needed refurbishment to avoid charges. It's an Audi and the fair wear and tear guide only says heavy scuffing is not allowed but not quite sure what they define as heavy.

Here are some pictures;






Any advice would be massively appreciated. In my mind all 4 wheels would need repairing and I was going to get this work done myself. Does the tyre in the 3rd pick potentially need replacing too?

Thanks in advance!

Goudy

This will help
https://www.pikeandbambridge.co.uk/uploads/tinymce/Fair%20Wear%20Tear%20Guide.pdf

This bit you are looking for states
"Wheels and wheel trims
Dents and holes on wheel rims and wheel trims
are not acceptable.
Scuffs totalling up to 50mm on the total
circumference of the wheel trim and on alloy wheels are acceptable.
Any damage to the wheel spokes and the hub of the alloy wheel is not
acceptable.
The spare wheel (including ‘spacesaver’), jack and other tools must be
intact, stowed properly and in good working order.
The emergency tyre inflation canister, if supplied when new, should be in
full working order, serviceable and ready for use. A canister that has been
partially or fully discharged should be replaced".

DoaM

Have you sought any quotes for wheel refurbs or tidy up? What sort of prices are you seeing?

I'd imagine the lease company would seek to charge for refurbing those wheels, and getting it done in advance would likely be cheaper. But without knowing who the lease company is it may be hard to advise.

Have you checked the BVRLA guidance on fair wear and tear? (Which may be different to what the lease company says).

natlol

In the first picture, bottom left of the rim has the wheel rim been distorted? If you zoom in to that area is that line a crack coming from the damage or just dirt?

MassUk

natlol wrote: »

In the first picture, bottom left of the rim has the wheel rim been distorted? If you zoom in to that area is that line a crack coming from the damage or just dirt?

Didn't spot that before, looks like a crack! its vert superficial mind.

MassUk

DoaM wrote: »

Have you sought any quotes for wheel refurbs or tidy up? What sort of prices are you seeing?

I'd imagine the lease company would seek to charge for refurbing those wheels, and getting it done in advance would likely be cheaper. But without knowing who the lease company is it may be hard to advise.

Have you checked the BVRLA guidance on fair wear and tear? (Which may be different to what the lease company says).

The inspection and collection is all administered by BVRLA. I just had a look at audi's charge list which can be found here; https://www.audifinance.co.uk/en/private_customers/how_your_agreement_works/contract_hire/what_to_do_at_the_end_of_your_agreement.html

At £36 per alloy it seems very reasonable so I may not bother repairing myself.

It does look like I'll get charged for one of the tyres as they don't accept any damage to the sidewall.

parking_question_chap

MassUk wrote: »

Didn't spot that before, looks like a crack! its vert superficial mind.

Not sure you can say a crack is superficial from a visual inspection.
Granted its small, but might not be superficial. Especially if the rim is distorted.

MassUk

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Not sure you can say a crack is superficial from a visual inspection.
Granted its small, but might not be superficial. Especially if the rim is distorted.

Ive looked at it quite closely and the rim doesn't really look distorted.

Anyways, after reading some pretty decent reviews of the Audi (VW) returns, I'm not going to bother getting any work done myself. I did get a quote from local refurb garage that came in at £90+ VAT per corner. Audi's price list suggest £36 total per wheel.

MassUk

An update just to close this off.

So the inspection happened and as expected I got billed for all 4 wheels, a scratch at the front and a cut in the tyre wall. £530 odd inc VAT.

I e-mailed VWFS acknowledging the charges but highlighted the fact that the car came in at well under the mileage stipulated (50% less!), car was always serviced on time at the main dealer and 3 out of the 4 tyres were replaced by original Pirelli's for the model. After a couple of e-mail exchanges, I just got a call from VWFS who have agreed to waive all the charges.

So I guess the moral of the story is if you keep under your mileage and don't fanny about with maintenance, there is a very good chance you won't be stung at the end.

I must say that over the last 3 years, Audi and VWFS have been really easy to deal with. The gesture at the end was a really good one considering they were not obliged to waive anything.