[GM EV2]

The lease on my 2014 Volt is coming to an end. This is my first time leasing and last time if this is how it goes. My lease was with US Bank and part of the process was to have a termination inspection report for the vehicle condition. That makes sense. They sent out a third-party (AutoVin) to look over the car, take pictures and said they would email the report in a few days.
I just got the report back and it's a stunning $1,700 in parts and labor for a car that I was fastidious in keeping up with! Never in a wreck, scheduled maintenance, always-garaged, etc. They want to charge me for everything from scuffs on the tire, little door dings, hairline scratches etc.
How is it possible to drive a car for three years (30,000 miles) and have it end up showroom condition?
Am I totally at their mercy? Do I have any recourse?

 

[Charge]

The lease on my 2014 Volt is coming to an end. This is my first time leasing and last time if this is how it goes. My lease was with US Bank and part of the process was to have a termination inspection report for the vehicle condition. That makes sense. They sent out a third-party (AutoVin) to look over the car, take pictures and said they would email the report in a few days.
I just got the report back and it's a stunning $1,700 in parts and labor for a car that I was fastidious in keeping up with! Never in a wreck, scheduled maintenance, always-garaged, etc. They want to charge me for everything from scuffs on the tire, little door dings, hairline scratches etc.
How is it possible to drive a car for three years (30,000 miles) and have it end up showroom condition?
Am I totally at their mercy? Do I have any recourse?

I think you are also on the hook for the Disposition fee - $395 (?) so that totals almost $2K? If you run out of options to get the inspection fees changed, buy out the car.

I would buy out the car and resell it. Offer US Bank $11K and stick with your number - do not offer any more. From recent reports they will start around $14-$15K and lower their price until THE VERY LAST DAY of you lease. They do not want the car back, trust me. You will have to pay the tax but the wholesale price on the car, even after taxes should be at least $13K. It's a bit of a gamble but check local prices and also head over to Carmax - you might save yourself a couple $$ rather than going the return lease route.

Keep us posted.

 

[RoRo]

First off, my ELR lease was through GM Financial, so this is an apples to oranges comparison.

Three months before my lease end I received a packet from GM Financial. In that packet contained a key/legend to document defects on the car. It clearly stated that any scratches longer that 3 inches would be counted. Any dings larger than 3/4 of an inch counted. Any leather rips longer than 1 inch would count. Etc, Etc. The plastic key/legend contained a ruler for measuring scratches and a hole cutout measuring dings. It was also clear so that you could hold it up to the car to determine the size/shape of the imperfections. They also gave you the chance to have the car pre-inspected before turn-in, so there would be no surprises. I chose not to have a pre-inspection because the car was pristine, I mean, not even a light scratch anywhere. Upon lease turn-in the salesman said that I may receive a letter for any wear and tear charges, but he doubts that would happen based on the condition. I never received any letter other than to confirm receipt of the vehicle.

Did US Bank send anything similar to you?

 

[Tim S FL]

Hello......... Ally gives the kit a time of begining the lease and again just before lease ends. wear and tear should be clearly defined not arbitrary.
I did contact the fed consumer protection service over disagreements about wear and tear. HOLD back your final lease payments and they will likely give in or compromise. That is what i did. But only 600$$ was involved.
Scuffs on the tire is insane.
They should not get away with this. Unless you got alot of $ and its no big deal

 

[BAZINGA]

What's the buy out? FYI I was given $14,500 this past Aug as a trade on a 17 for my 2013 loaded Volt.

 

[Dakster]

Assuming you are describing the condition of the car correct, this is insane. There are gauges to tell you what is considered normal wear and tear and what isn't. I had an Ally lease and I currently have a GM Financial Lease. As stated both have a "kit" to tell you what is and isn't normal wear and tear.

Take lots of photos before turn in as at one point you will have to turn the car in, even if you have to take the final payment to court. When the dealer does a pre-inspection, get a copy of their report too. Even if all you can do is take a picture of it. Now with my Ally lease I had bought rim, tire, and excess wear and tear protection so I wasn't too worried. The cap was $5k. They paid to fix the front bumper where there was a line in the paint completely through. a new windshield, and not 100% sure - but the back of the car had luggage scratches on it. We took care of the car, but 3 years and driving from Florida to Alaska puts a toll on the vehicle. I also made sure they noted the EVSE, air pump, and owners manual were in the car.

Next, get a trade in appraisal towards your next vehicle. I know our current car is in demand up here, so there is a chance I could just trade it in and not even bother with the official turn in process.

I don't like this option, but if there is all that damage, perhaps your insurance company would cover it under the comp. part of the policy.

The other options provided are worth looking into as well.

 

[KenC]

Check all your documentation from them, in terms of getting a re inspection. I'd photograph everything they noted, and compare it to the info on their website. I had my Lexus inspected by AutoVIN when I gave it back, after buying my Volt, and I had no extras whatsoever.

Typically, there's an acceptable size for dings, scratches, seat cuts, tires, that they spell out. You should basically do an inspection yourself using their standards, and then contact them with your info.

 

[tripowergto 2010]

I guess I was fortunate US Bank only tried to extort $138 out of me for a few tiny paint chips in my front bumper cover from anti-skid abrasion. It was a bogus claim.

 

[GM EV2]

I'm at work today, so sorry for the delay in my responses. This is where I'm at so far. I called the dealer and he said without a doubt U.S. Bank is the worst about this. He said they (US BanK) know they have me on the hook to get the car perfect so they can then sell it at auction for premium. He said that is why they no longer deal with US Bank and their Volts are now again through GM financing.

I called US Bank and they offered me a buyout of $15,221. They said I can bid lower. I followed Charge’s advice and told them 11,000. They said they have 10 days to accept or refuse the bid and to call back in 10 days to find out. My lease runs out on the 17th.

My next call is to AutoVin to see if I can have it re-inspected if I take care of some of it myself.

Here’s a line item example of this nightmare:

FRONT BUMPER
BMPR CVR W/O FRONT OBJECT
SENSORS 1X19.0 SCRATCHED, 1X0.3
SCRATCHED, 3X6.0 SCRATCHED -REPAIR
labor $135.00
parts $150.00
total $285.00

 

[Charge]

From another Forum - I suggest lease return people follow this script and report back....

"In Nov US Bank called and offered to sell me the car outright for $16,XXX. Too soon, but at least I know they will sell for less than residual.

Dec 1: I call, they offer to sell for $15,486
Dec 28: They offer to sell for $14,236
Jan 4: They offer to sell for $13,651, I counter with $11k. Offer has to be before taxes. Their # is all in.
Jan 10: They offer to sell for $13,663. It went up slightly after my offer which was "yet to be reviewed"
Jan 18: They offer to sell for $13,619. Offer remains "yet to be reviewed"

I called every other business day with my offer remaining "yet to be reviewed" until, today(day before turn-in), they FINALLY accept my offer of $11,000, $12,060 with all taxes and fees added for a 36k miles Volt that I leased brand new."

 

[16513]

Another leasing horror story. DON'T LEASE. It ruins an otherwise nice relationship with your car. In my case I bought my Gen 2 from the same dealer and was able to turn the car in there. I asked my sales rep to go over the car in detail with me, which he did. He also verified the presence of charge unit, air pump kit (never used) owner's manual, rear cover & rear armrest. Ally tried other tactics, but my dealer said to just ignore their insane requests. They went away quietly, thank goodness.

 

[Steve_P]

Do folks have these issues when trading in the lease for another car instead of just turning in?

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[AtomicPowered]

Was not my experience with US Bank or Autovin. Looks like you got someone who didn't like their job. Our Autovin guy showed up in a Prius spent the most time checking the heater in our 2013 (that tells me he knew what he was doing!).
Overlooked the stuff US Bank said in their return booklet they would accept in a 3 year old car. Inspector emailed the report to me right after he finished. No problems with Autovin or US Bank.
I'd challenge Autovin on the inspection.

 

[pdller2]

Turned in my Ally leased 2014 in December. I expected tire and a few ding/scrape penalties. Either my salesman smoothed the inspection or I got lucky, the tire measurements were twice my last check. The dings totaled $525 which is a little excessive, but less than what I would have paid for tires.

 

[Off Oil]

I had no issues with my Ally return, and as others have noted the conditions are typically spelled out in the package one receives, so there shouldn't be any gotchas. If I had US Bank I would have bought my car, and if I were in your situation I would go this route. My buyout was $21,700 and they wouldn't negotiate.

 

[pdller2]

My buy-out was 24k. If I had a US Bank lease it would have been a no-brainer purchase.

 

[Bacardi]

First with the Volt there are far more horror stories of people who purchase and try to sell three years vs leasing...In the grand scheme of things $2K isn't all that bad, compared to selling odds are you'd lose far more...

Go to a Chevy dealer; since the Bolt isn't available in the OPs state of OH, say your interested in a new Volt if the numbers for your lease turn in work out...Test drive the Gen2 while the dealer evaluates your Gen1...If you have zero interest in the Gen2 get the turn-in amount in writing and just say the overall Gen1 turn in and Gen2 purchase deal isn't attractive enough...If the turn in is attractive see if the dealer will accept just the turn in without a Gen2 purchase (you have it in writing)...If not, email your lender with the dealers attractive turn in offer and see if they change their tune...

Unfortunately there are so many variables in the fine print of your lease agreement which can change at any time meaning only your lease agreement can list your recourse options...

Lastly to add, there are many factors here...The person evaluating your vehicle could have just have had a bad day (wife found out about his mistress, he raced his Hellcat and lost to a Tesla) in which there's nothing you could have done...However just make sure you do everything you can to increase your odds...Greet them with solid eye contact, a smile and a firm handshake along with some small talk...

 

[Umbrella]

I also suffered from what I can only assume was a borderline scam when returning my 2013 Volt to US Bank. About three months before my lease ended I was involved in a minor rear end collision. The other driver's insurance company accepted blame and the estimate from my body shop. About the same time I received an "offer" from US Bank to do a pre-return inspection so that I would have time to resolve any repair items which might be necessary. I explained my situation to the Autovin inspector. He compared my insurance repair estimate with his inspection and advised me that the upcoming insurance repair work would cover all the items on his list except for a minor wheel scratch.

I completed the insurance repair and a few weeks later turned in the now pristine car to US Bank. About a month later I got a $1600 bill from the bank based dollar for dollar on their three month old pre-inspection with no acknowledgement that the work had already been done. When I called to complain US Bank admitted that they didn't actually inspect the car when it was returned, and that it was now too late, as it had already been sold at auction. It took several threatening letters and a lot of persistence before they backed off their bogus claim. The bank personnel left me with a sense that this non-inspection inspection was pretty much business a usual.

I am a long time customer of US Bank, both for my business and personal accounts, and I am frankly appalled that they tried to cheat me on this matter.

 

[Just_Jon]

...I am a long time customer of US Bank, both for my business and personal accounts, and I am frankly appalled that they tried to cheat me on this matter.

You mean a large corporation treated you like just a number and not as a "valued customer"? Color me shocked

 

[Loiter]

So I tried calling Ally to negotiate the end of lease buyout on my Gen I fully loaded Volt.

No dice. Said they can't budge on the 22k or so amount (which is far more expensive then what I see on carmax or local dealerships.

Only thing the lady said was that I could try turning it into the local dealership and they can do something about the price.