I have an RX350 and will be returning it to the dealer on lease end. I also plan to lease another RX from the dealer.

How should I prepare the car for the lease return? Should I clean it up? Have it washed? Should I fix some scratches in the front? Does it make sense to fix the scratches - or will the Lexus Financial not care too much if I am leasing another vehicle?

 

Wrap it in plastic and tell the dealer, that it was never taken out of the garage and is like brand new. Get the new lease before the dealer removes the plastic wrapings. also put a big red bow on it.
Jusl kidding
Call another dealer and pretend you want to lease a new RX350 and what is the expectations when you return it for maximum refund.

 

I think they put it in detail on your lease agreement what is to be expected as far as damage. Washing is not going to matter but there are limits to scratches, dents or upholstery damages

 

I returned an ES330 a year ago in decent shape. It had quite a few scratches al around and even a dent or two in the bumpers. I was not getting any car from the dealer. However Lexus Financial did not charge me a penny. They are smart; because they did not alienate me, I gladly signed a lease with them for an RX two weeks ago.

 

Lalin --That is good news to hear. I have heard from other people that in most cases with the luxury brands you are better off letting them look at the damage instead of fixing it upfront. I know someone that had a Mercedes and he had a damaged alloy wheel and got a quote of $250 to fix it. Mercedes didn't charge him when he turned the car in.

 

Uconn:

I had the same experience as LDKelly with a leased Audi that I returned last January when I got my 2010 450h. I had the Audi dealer inspect the car a month in advance and got an estimate of $1,150 to bring the exterior into perfect shape by removing and repainting various minor dings and scratches. However, the dealer advised me to wait and see what Audi Canada would charge me. After an inspection, Audi Canada waived almost everything as "normal wear and tear" and charged me $89 for one small dent. Obviously, you are much better to wait, assuming that you only have minor items and not serious damage. Before I returned a leased Smart car last year, MB Canada sent me a small piece of plastic about 2 inches square and told me that they would waive up to 4 dents or scratches on any of the body panels that could be covered by the piece of plastic, to a maximum of 8. As a result, I was not charged anything by MB Canada.

 

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I have turned in 5 RX's and released. Because the trade in value is often higher than the residual (buyout amount) my dealer has always given me a little down payment on the next car to say nothing of the sales tax credit you get against the 7% Illinois sales tax.

 

We did a four year lease and the dealer said they will probably call us before that to switch out for a newer one because they do hold their value well.