Got screwed with lease return

Well I returned my C2 Cab as the lease expired. The car was always garaged and only saw rain for the first time this month. Incredibly the inspector found rock chips in the windshield and handed me a bill for $900! I was literally stunned. I was shown the rock chips and still didn't see them. I thought for sure it was dirt. Any way...considering that I babied the car, have a TT on order and returned it with 15K miles on the Odometer I would have expected far better treatment. I intend to fight it but was curious if others had similar experiences. I have returned other leased vehicles with actual damage and was not charged...this is infuriating.

That sucks. It shows that some dealers are jerks, despite how much money we toss their way. Get PCNA involved, and maybe PCA's editorial staff, too (bad press will curdle the dealer's coffee) You should have offered the car to a rennlister - they could've paid the residual, gotten a great car, and you would have avoided all this. My nieghbor did that withhis Boxster - he now has a freind for life, at least.

You are right...I should have offered it to a Rennlister. I was under the gun with a business trip so I just didn't have the time and honestly didn't think of it. That's a shame. It wasn't the dealer though...it was company hired by the leasing company. I asked the dealer for assistance and they basically didn't want to get invovled...nice huh?

Cancel your TT order with this dealership and go to another one.

How many miles were on your lease? If you gave them back a car with only 15K miles then certainly that increases the value. Try calling a manager at the leasing company and trying to negotiate something out. The biggest question I have for you is why in the world you only put 15K on a leased car in 3 years?

I agree. Threaten to cancel the TT with the dealer unless they get involved and help.

Yeah I know about the low miles...it's a long story but basically I intend to drive the TT far more often. It was actually a 39 month lease so it's even worse...a total travesty...I know! The dealer said basically it's between me and the leasing company...certainly pissed me off.

Ray Catena? If so, cancal and move on, they'll not do you any favors.

i returned a boxster s with bald tires and an oil leak..coolant issue..no warranty...NO CHARGE..i would call the dealer also..can you get the car back..is it worth more or less than the buy out?

I assume you didn't go with Porsche Leasing? Hate to say it but the non-Porsche leasing company has ZERO relationship with the dealer and the dealer has no influence on that. It all comes down to the "Joe" the leasing company hires to "inspect" the car. If all that it was (as reported by them) is a rock chipped windshield I would do 2 things. First, go through your lease and see what is allowed over the course of the lease b/c this should fall within NORMAL wear and tear. Second, I would go to a glass replacement shop (or even your dealer) and ask if they can see the chips and if they would rec'd replacement. Then based on that you can use that as justification to NOT pay that $900 bill. My Cayenne is leased through PCNA and I know that at the end I will have to pay a $300 lease return fee which I can live with but if they pull any other crap I will fight like hell and not purchase the Cayenne's replacment from them.

ABSOLUTELY!

BMW hit me with a bill years ago for various items. I called them up and argued each one over the phone. Basically I got a $1500 bill down to $300 bucks.

Thanks all...it is Porsche leasing! I'll call them next week and fight the good fight. The inspector said he does lots of different brands and only Porsche would charge for this damage...can you believe that! I don't have the car anymore so I can't take it anywhere for independent review. I am still completely shocked. I asked the dealer if they could grind it out but like I said...they were not really working too hard to help me out.

In that case, I would cancel my order with that dealer since they are doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to earn your business. There are MANY cars to be had out there from other dealers that are willing to go to bat for you or at the very least earn your business. Long story short. (1) Pay the $900 and cancel your order for the TT and move on to another dealer. (2) Negotiate an additional $900 off the final price of the TT. Those are the 2 options I would give them.

Dell...I like you style! We are quite similar.

well tell them that they will loose (insert amount of money you will be paying for TT here) if they dont help you out with the windshield bill and see if that goes trough, if not then jsut cancel it

Thanks raclaims! I can't wait to see what kind of crap they try to pull on me when my lease comes up. They will unleash a fury they wish they hadn't if they cross me and throw this kind of B.S. on me like they are trying to do to you. What part of "normal and reasonable wear and tear" don't they understand?

I'm not big on leases to start with, this just reinforces my opinion. Leases are great for short term possession of a car, but it's cheaper to own a car and keep it longer.

Most lease companies did away with letting the dealers do final inspections in last 5 years or so because the dealer would overlook things especially if they were purchasing another vehicle. I have fought with lease companies before on the side of the customer and they will not help much. The best thing that you can do is take time dated pics of the vehicle the day that it is turned if the inpsector is not there when you turn the car in so that you can fight wrongful charges later. I would also say that rock chips especially in the windshield are a common charge they like however some lease companys require them to be cracked to charge for it.

Totally agree. The only reason we leased the Cayenne was to "test-drive" it for 3 years. If we like it, we BUY another one. If we don't we give it back, pay the fees and walk away.

One more thing. If you are purchasing a car from the dealer you CAN trade in the leased car. As long as you get the dealer to give you what the "buy out" is then you don't even have to mess with the lease company.

Makes sense. So will you end up buying the Cayenne? I'm trying to find ways to convince my wife that she might want a Porsche. I've suggested the Cayenne, or a used Boxster. Much as the Cayenne might be good for her long commute, I think that the gas milage might drive her nuts. I think that she might go for the Boxster if she didn't need it to be a year-round car. We saw a nice Seal Grey Turbo yesterday in Hamilton, NJ and she was drooling over it. Pretty funny considering that she's afraid to drive my car.... well, her reasoning is that I really don't want her to drive my car, even though I say I do. Talk about female logic. Now that I didn't know. Handy. A guy who works at our facility was until recently driving a Boxster S on a lease. His lease ended in October and I now see him in a Mercedes conv. I guess he didn't get the deal he wanted on another Porsche.

Buying the Cayenne is not an option for us since the car is a V6 and we really would prefer the V8 (S or TT) as well as Air Suspension. If we didn't tow then I would keep the V6 but we tow the car to the track. Don't get me wrong the V6 is VERY capable as a tow vehicle and has done us proud with not problems whatsoever and we tow a 20' enclosed trailer taking our 996 to the track.

Ahh, I see. That's a real surprise.

Surprised that the base model Pepper can tow 7500lbs ?

Well, more surprised that you would prefer to have more than it's giving. I know it shouldn't surprise me that you would want more power.

I tried to work a deal to buy the car and drive it until the TT arrives and then turn it in for a down payment...however the dealer would not lock into an amount they would pay me for it. I kept getting the run around and ran out of time. The more I think about it the more I am pissed off at the dealership to be honest. Lanny-the windshield is not cracked...like I said I could barely tell there was anything there at all.

Yup, I'd walk away from those guys. There are plenty of car dealers out there wanting to sell cars to people... and buyers of the TT are especially prized by sales people. They probably didn't want the hassle of the trade-in and the deal would have eaten into their profit.

Sounds like you have one arrogant dealer! .....and so the saga continues, keep us posted.

You never did say who the dealer was.

Call your insurance company. My brother turned in a 99 BMW and the lease company inspected and said great no problem looks good. 3 weeks he later gets a bill for somthing like $3k for hail damage from the dealership. It had a couple of small dings in it from hail that he fully disclosed at the time the car was inspected by the lease company. He mentioned this to his insurance agent and they said don't worry about it. His insurance called the dealer handeled the whole thing. No out of pocket from my bro. Not sure if they just pointed out the "issue" with the dealers practices, or threatened legal action, but they took care of it. Good luck.

I agree with the guys here and unless you're getting a killer deal, I'd walk out on the TT...but keep pushing for the dealership to help you first...any smart sales manager wouldn't want to lose a customer over $900...

Not to be a contrarian, but take a step back and look at the big picture. I wouldn't jeapardize the TT over a windshield, turbos are in demand so it wouldn't take long to find another buyer. I know it sucks but that's part of the deal with leasing a car. Try and fight it and perhaps you can get it less than $900, I know you can do better because I replaced a windshield for $500 plus labor (Porsche parts).

DJ-as annoying as it is I agree with you...I got a good deal on the TT and it's being built in a couple of weeks. I will take out my rage on the leasing company with a little side dish of grief for the dealer...

$900 pffft....I paid $540(with tax) at safelite in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. A Rennlister in Conn. paid barely $400 with Safelite as well They used factory oem Sekurit glass, did the job in 2 hours. Make sure they cover your dash while they are working on it. you had slim no chance of getting a fast sale for your open lease car with barely any mileage. $36K in the bag on your lease and now they sell a like-new car for a big chunk of change.These guys love leasing these type of cars, its a win win for them. p.s. I too would cancel the TT order. The bottom line is you are a Porsche customer period. Buyer or leaser it doesn't matter they have to ensure your satisfaction. They can afford to eat $500 after they made $36K from your lease.

In my experiene the end of the lease inspection usually happens several weeks in advance to allow you to repair any items. How far in advance was your inspection before you turned the car in?

Then why are you complaining? I don't understand.

I had this issue with my Boxster S when the lease expired. Porsche Financial hired a third party adjuster to look over my car and report the facts to Porsche. The surveyor was a nice guy and told me what to do if I had any complaints (I did). i called Porsche Financial, told them that i disagreed with some of the items on the list (scratches on bumper, etc) and especially the end of lease charge. Since I was getting a new car (well, used 996 cab that I bought outright) through an authorized Porsche dealer, they waived almost all the fees except for the virtually totally worn rear tires (seems fair since they were definitely in need of replacement and it's in the lease that tire wear is excluded). Frankly, I found the experience was pretty civil and hassle-free. Dropped the car off at a Porsche leaseback center in northern NJ (that's where they said to take it) and was done with it. So, not all lease returns are total hassles; indeed, my BMW lease was cake too. But, I am never leasing again. There are some fantastic used cars out there that represent very reasonable discounts to new. Frankly, I'd even buy new. I just feel that leasing (unless you can deduct from a business) is kind of like renting and you never build up any capital in your car with which to fund your next purchase. Indeed, a used car depreciates less so it might only cost you 10-15% of the purchase value over the next 3 years as opposed to the 40-50% of a new car. Then again, some people love new cars. To each their own.

I returned a leased BMW once and it was fairly scrappy though nothing major. Plenty of chips and scuffs, and even a bunch of cone marks in front of the rear fender from autocrossing it and never even washing it afterwards. A scratched wheel (18" expensive optional wheel) and a completely missing piece of plastic from the front fascia. All I got was a bill for the completly bald rear tires. I was actually shocked that I did not get clobbered on it. And I did not even look at buying another car there. I guess they knew I may buy again one day. Too bad for them I'm utterly bored to death with their product line.

Ah yes, well i got a reality check from the lease buy out company about ten years ago after turning in a mint Jeep Grand Cherokee and getting wacked for bogus repair items. Ever since, i have turned in my leased car at the same time as picking up the new one, with the caveat that i walk if there is any extra costs. Of course, if you are after a car that is in high demand, your bargaining options plummet....

Not to beat a dead horse here but most lease companies have a guide to normal wear and tear- If this is still bugging you ask for there guide and see what it states on there- Some even have little cardboard cutouts that show you what size of scratches, dings ect they do allow. I have never leased a Porsche but to the best of my knowledge all have a reference that you and the inspector have access too- I have had leases thru - acura(american honda) gmac and ge capital and this was always provided. As far as the buyout goes you should have a closed end lease with the purchase clearly stated on the contract- I have not seen an open ended lease in years but I have never had experience with Porsche. As a dealer I can tell you that I would not let lease charges get in the way of doing business and that is if I am on either side of this coin. I would love too be looking forward to a new turbo so you suck anyway

Nice!