so i just had my car inspected and was charged for my grill because its painted and chipping off bad and few other things. i told the guy i have the original he told me when u replace to the original there going to come back and take the fee off. now here's the thing i have my headlights painted and few other scratches that he didn't charge me for which came to my surprise what i wanna know is when i have them inspect it again do they come in to just check what was replaced and deduct or are they going to reinspect the car and charge for whatever the other guy didn't notice?

 

I think that depends on your luck. Try to ask for the same guy maybe. But why would you mod a leased vehicle if you will need to return it in xx months?

 

You never know who is going to come. They arrange it at the HQ and depending on the agents' schedules. Ask for the same guy if you know his name. It wouldn't hurt to try. Good luck.

 

Another thing you might consider is go to Carmax and get them to quote you how much they will give you for the car, and get them to call the lease company to get your payoff (so have your account number with you). They get a cheaper payoff than you do, so you may come out ahead and not have to deal with the other issues. I have done that twice and they have always been good to work with.

 

Wait what? So if your buy out is 30K would Carmax give you like 32K? Does that happen?

 

Why would you even mod a LEASE VEHICLE ... thats my QUESTION for you buddy ?

 

We bought a used 2008 last year that was a one year lease. The prior owners had the windows tinted and it obviously was darker than legal as it was removed (several places of left over glue residue). The windshield tint was still on so that must have been legal. Big expense for owning the car for a year.

Not sure I would throw MOD money into a lease

 

I disagree, I dont know about you but I never keep a car more than 3 years (usually lenght of lease) anyway. When you MOD a car you own you have to take stuff off before you sell it anyway. Same deal as returning it to the dealer after a lease.

 

Im curious to know how Carmax works too. I have a lease and I was told by my dealer that you can mod the car just not to change any OEM paint and keep stock parts to put back on before returning car.

 

Occasionally, it all depends on the market for the vehicle and the condition yours is in.

 

i couldnt justify modding a leased car but hey...its ur money!

 

Yes, it all depends on the shape of the car, mileage, etc. Carmax will treat your car just as if they are purchasing it to sell. The better shape it is in and lower miles, the higher price they can charge for the car and the higher price they can give you for the car.

I just got out of my 2 year 2009 Maxima lease, still had three months left on it. They appraised the car and said they would give me $27K for it. Then I asked them to call the lease company and find out what THEIR payoff is (carmax has a lower payoff amount than I would have if I were turning it in early), and it was about $26,500. So, they paid off the lease company and cut me a check for $500 (mailing it to me).

That being said, if they feel the modifications you made will hurt the resale of the car, they may give you a lower value. Or if your mileage is high, or whatever. But the quote is free and good for 7 days for you to think about. So I would recommend going to them first just to have an idea of whether it is worth it.

 

some mods you can easily remove and sell or use on other cars.

stuff like headlights, sway bars, rims...even interior panels can easily be swapped out + cash with someone else.

 

CarMax is a rip-off. If you sell it private you'll get thousands more fro your car. CarMax tries it best to give you the lowest price. If they see a MOD thats not stock/oem you lose money right of bat. But some MODS they dont see because they dont overlook every single thing. Also if you have an insurance record that shows the vehicle was in an accident you get 1,000-2,000 less of bat! Its a quick way to sell your car if you can live with the bluebook value purchase. I lost over $4,000 on my car selling to CarMax, but the tranny was breaking (haha they dint see that, bastards!!!!) and that would of cost me about $7,200 to replace. So I guess i came out ok.

 

They're in a business to make money. It's like trading in a car. You're getting hosed.