My lease is up in three months. I only have
5000 miles on this car. Maintenance on the car is every twelve months, the second year
maintenance is due this month which is
three months before the lease is up. Maintenance on this car is over $200.00.
Would it be a serious problem to skip the maintenance.
Thank you,
Bob
$200 seems really cheap compared to how much they may charge you at the end of the lease for not being up to date on all maintenance. I’m sure they’ll look for any excuse they can to charge you.
Tardis is correct.
Wait until you see how much they charge you for each tiny scratch on the paint, or each tiny spot on the upholstery, or…
Those who lease have to be prepared for major unforeseen expenses when they turn in the car at the end of the lease.
I’m with Tardis on this. There is absolutely no way they’ll let you get away without paying for that maintenance, and your lease contract may even impose penalties for not keeping it up to schedule. You can pay $200 now or pay even more when you turn the car in.
Is this another good reason not to lease a car?
In my opinion there is no good reason to lease a car.
I negotiate the best possible purchase price, pay cash, and keep the car for at least 8 years. I believe that I get much more value for my money that way, as opposed to leasing a car for a few years and having no equity in the car at the end of the lease.
You’ve reminded me why many of us go through the inconvenience of buying and maintaining my own car. We look at it like a part time job that pays very well !
Doesn’t the fine print in your lease cover this? I’d be very surprised if they didn’t tell you that the car has to be properly maintained.
There you go again!
First you expect people to actually read their Owner’s Manual, and now you expect people to know the content of a very expensive contract that they sign!
Is this realistic?
Surely it is much easier and more accurate to take random suggestions from strangers who do not have access to the documents.
;-))
I negotiate the best possible purchase price, pay cash, and keep the car for at least 8 years
That is EXACTLY what I do. Been doing it that way for almost 30 years.
My sister and a friend of mine lease all of their cars. I was always surprised how lax the turn-in inspections were. My sister turned in her Escape two weeks ago and was worried about some interior staining and some good size door dings. Looking at the contract, exterior body panel dings, dents and scratches are acceptable provided there aren’t more that four on any panel, or a diameter greater than 4 inches. You’d be hard pressed to find a ding greater that 4 in. across. Stains were okay too as long as they weren’t permanent. If they were, one inch across was acceptable.
It called for the vehicle to be maintained, but was vague on what that entailed. Neither my sister or friend have ever been questioned about the maintenance performed on their leases or any accident repairs. The Escape had a passenger side collision a few years ago that required 7k to repair, and my friend Lexus was repaired after hitting a bear, believe it or not, 22k in damage. No one ever questioned anything.
All that being said, do the maintenance, it’s good karma. The next owner will be happy.
One guy at work tells of his buddy who leases his cars. Says he’ll go the whole 3 years without changing the oil, just topping it off. Then, when the lease is about he THEN he changes it, saying what happens is not his problem after he turns it in.
A good reason to avoid buying off-lease cars.
Some of the people I know who feel good about leasing, look at their car as an expendable commodity and money like out of style clothing they need to get rid of. They think they’re buying freedom from car ownership worries when in reality they give up freedom the savings of ownership could give them in other areas. Others are convinced it makes good business sense for the business they’re in. Either reason is beyond me.
At that mileage, what all does it need for $200? Go to a local mechanic, have the oil and filter changed and the tires rotated, then move on with life. (Keep your receipts)
Have you ever looked at a MB maintenance schedule?
The number of things that the schedule calls for at each service interval is VERY extensive.
Even at 5,000 miles? Wow. I had a wacky teacher in high school who would stand in front of the class and say “Mercedes Benz, engineered like NO other car.”