If you return your leased car, you can ignore small scratches and dents – after all, signs of use are normal. Car dealers often see things differently. Car expert Rüdiger Etzold explains how to be on the safe side when returning your vehicle.
If you return your leased car, you have to expect unpleasant surprises. As a rule, expert opinions are the basis for whether the customer still gets a fat bill for signs of use. The leasing company prefers to expect the car back after the leasing years in the condition of a new car – and the customer, in turn, is amazed at the damage listed according to the expert’s report that he should pay for.
Of course, there are already many judgments in such cases, whereby it has emerged that a distinction must be made between “wear and tear” and “damage”. So: If you inevitably leave scraping marks in the door opening or scratch marks in the trunk when you get out of the car, then this is normal wear and tear that cannot be objected to. However, a scratch on the roof or on the door means that appraisers judge it very differently and, in case of doubt, it is decided in court. The problem: For some judges, scratches on the roof and trunk lid as well as slight dents on the doors and side panels are typical signs of wear, for others not.
dr After completing an apprenticeship as a motor vehicle mechanic, Rüdiger Etzold studied vehicle technology at the Wagenbauschule in Hamburg. In 1968 Etzold went to Stuttgart to work for the automobile magazine »Gute Reise«. There he was deputy editor-in-chief and played a key role in the development of the first German buggies, which were sold by Karmann (Osnabrück) under the model name Karmann-GF (GF = “Gute Reise”). After the 10th volume of his book series How it’s done appeared was, Etzold became self-employed in 1976. Since then he has been working as a freelance author. In 1991 he received his doctorate in Dresden at the University of Transport. In addition to the car repair book series and volumes on repair work on mopeds and light motorcycles, Etzold has written a four-volume VW Beetle chronicle, co-authored the book on the first VW Golf GTI and a multi-volume documentation on Auto Union/Audi AG entitled » In the Sign of the Four Rings«.
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In general, the age and mileage of the vehicle must be taken into account when calculating wear. In addition, it must also be noted that the leasing car is usually three years old and can therefore by no means be compared to a new car, which the leasing companies are happy to do.
This is why expert opinions come into play as the basis for assessing the condition. Testing organizations are primarily commissioned to do this. Because such reports should convey the feeling of being objective. However, this feeling should be countered with great distance and criticism, because expert opinions on the same object can turn out quite differently. And you don’t have to accept every report. In a judgment (AZ 14 C 305/12) of December 17, 2013, the district court of Herne-Wanne found that it should not be permissible for an expert to determine reduced values if the expert unilaterally takes sides for the leasing company and the The lessee should be bound by the result of the assessment.
For the testing organizations, the leasing report is a great source of revenue, because up to two million vehicles are leased each year, generating sales estimated at around 300 million euros. So it’s understandable that the appraisers fired up the “scratch machine” and discovered defects that the lessee sometimes didn’t even notice, such as an adhesive imprint on the shelf from the Winke-Queen, the stain from the seat upholstery that wasn’t completely removed, the missing safety vest, the partially emptied car pharmacy or the deformed slat in the ventilation grille. On the other hand, small stone chips on the bonnet are often not noted.
So it can be argued. As in the case that an annoyed BMW driver published on the Internet: “There is a minimal dent on the rear bumper that cannot be seen with the naked eye. After I had a coffee in the bistro, the seller wanted to show me the ‘damage’ and couldn’t find the scratch himself. He had to get the appraiser again so that he could show us this. In the photo, the ‘damage’ looks 100 times worse than in nature and can only really be recognized by the auxiliary lines. Amount of the ‘damage’: 1733.69 euros. Reason: Due to the assistance systems, you are not allowed to carry out smart repairs on the rear bumper. This must be completely replaced and painted. I don’t know how long this dent has been there. I never had a technical impairment and as I said, you can’t see it with the naked eye or only if you look directly at the spot from a distance of 5 cm. The statement that you have to completely replace the rear paneling is wrong. A good paint shop is able to repair the damage using Smart Repair.
Another example shows that even small scratches can cost money: for a mini-scratch in the bumper of an Audi A4 Avant, the appraiser calculated repair costs of 853.40 euros or a reduced value of the vehicle of 547.05 euros. After the first shock about the amount of the repair costs, the lessee contacted two paint shops with the expert photo and asked them to estimate the costs for the Smart repair. One company came up with 350 euros, the other painting company wanted a maximum of 500 euros. A similar example is a scratch in the exterior mirror, which was charged 275 euros to repair.
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What’s the lesson? If you have to hand in a leased car, you should do the following four weeks before handing it in:
Depending on the region and company, the painting trade charges between 100 and 160 euros for a painting hour. As a rule, the car dealerships, which usually no longer paint themselves, charge the highest rates. So it makes sense to clarify before handing over the car whether self-inflicted dents, scratches or other defects have to be paid for or whether the repair can be carried out in an inexpensive specialist company instead.
If the vehicle has already been returned, this option is no longer available. So, get three offers, two from smaller specialist companies and one from the car dealership. And then decide. It should be noted, however, that the leasing company can contractually stipulate to the lessee which workshop he must take the vehicle to for repair. In the case of minor paint damage, however, this should not be a controversial issue.
There is another aspect that should be considered before having damage repaired: If there is excessive wear, for which a scratch in the fender is sufficient, the repair costs that would be necessary to repair the damage should not be reimbursed, but only the amount by which the value of the vehicle is reduced. It becomes clear in our example of the Audi. The appraiser estimated the cost of painting the small scratch on the rear section at 853.40 euros. The reduction in value, which was determined by the small damage, amounts to only 547.05 euros. And the lessee only has to reimburse the leasing company for this amount. Now it becomes understandable why the repair costs are often estimated to be high, because these costs are included in the calculation of the reduction in value.
In principle, all leasing cars are fully comprehensive insured. This is usually reassuring in the event of self-inflicted damage. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 300 or 3000 euros, the insurance company will settle the claim. However, it is not always so easy, as the following case of damage shows. If the report is available and the damage is listed there, for example: dent in the front right fender, deep scratches on the left door and a dent and a scratch on the right rear door, damage amount 3600 euros. The comprehensive insurance does not cover the costs for this damage because, based on the report, it assumes that the damage is not due to a single accident.
In this case, you can only report damage to the insurance company. If the car insurance settles the repair damage, the insurance premium for the lessee will automatically increase for a few years in the new insurance year, by an average of around ten percent. For this reason, lessees should consider paying for minor damage up to around 1000 euros out of their own pocket.
