I turned in my '15 NX lease 2 months ago. This was my third Lexus lease at the same dealer. My NX was mint, not a ding dent or scratch or any wear, it only had 10k miles on it. I probably should have bought it but I was bored with the NX. What bothered me at turn in was I was told they are now using a third party inspecting company and I had to sign an agreement for it. I was told I would hear the results in 2 weeks. I have never heard anything since. I also did not release another Lexus. I've moved on to another brand for various reasons. It seems there is no standard lease turn in, it varies by region and dealer.

 

Even over and above the inspection issue, you probably wouldn't have wanted another NX after a test-drive in an RX, which, on the road, is significantly more comfortable.

 

Use of third party is interesting. A third party to justify their fee would have an incentive to recover as much as possible (unless the dealer set parameters with the third party to let small items pass), which might make a current customer not want to be a future customer. If I were the dealer, I would want to control that decision. Even if the individual was not getting another vehicle from that dealer, there is the possibility for future business. A buddy of mine turned in a 535 that had a few items for which there could be a valid charge, yet the BMW dealer did not charge him. While he had previous BMW leases, he had decided to buy an ES350.

 

They've been doing the third party inspection for quite some time. Back when I leased my new 2011 Tacoma they were using a third party, at least for the Toyota leases in my area.

 

 

Not to go too far off-track, but having driven an NX recently I think I just might prefer it. It's comfy but not overly soft, and it is a better size for scooting around town. I will say the RX is on another level in terms of road isolation.

When I turned in my Camry a couple of years ago, I didn't hear a word about the inspection - however, I suspect this is because I traded it in early.

 

Your call, of course. Everyone has their preferences. The NX, of course, as you say, is more maneuverable, being somewhat smaller.

 

There's also a chance the dealer where you turned your NX in actually bought the car from Lexus after the fact. If they did that then Lexus wouldn't be concerned about any excess wear/mileage on the car.

 

I think you may be correct; a couple days after I turned it in, I kept getting text notifications it was having service at the dealer. They may have been spiffing him up to put him back on the lot.

 

so you can turn your car into the dealer and lease another Lexus from them but still get a call weeks later from Lexus financial requesting money for damage?

 

Yes, it's part of the lease agreement.

 

How do I know they didn't damage the vehicle at that point?

 

In my experience, the inspection is done at the time the car is turned in. You just don't get the results from LFS until later.

 

i figured once i gave them the car and leased a new one the deal is done?

 

Remember, LFS has a 3rd party do the inspection not the dealer. Any damage may still be billed to you by LFS. Be sure your agreement with the dealer covers any LFS payment that is still due at the time you turn it in. I got a bill from LFS 2 years later for part of the final payment that slipped thru the cracks. Fortunately the dealer covered it.