[dreamisle]

Turned in my 330xi and was surprised to see a bill for over $2,000 before disposition fee.

Had the oil changed in November and elected not to do the vehicle inspection the car was also telling me to get done (as I knew I was turning it in the next month). BMW finance is charging me $750 as they’re saying the “warning light” is on for this service. Surely they can’t honestly expect to gain 5x the cost of the inspection itself?

Was also told I needed new tires but that they were above minimum. The final lease inspection has me at between 3/32 and 4/32 but under 4/32 on all tires, so they’re charging $300/tire to the tune of $1200 as well.

I plan to call BMW finance tomorrow when they’re open but figured I’d solicit feedback here ahead of time - do I have any chance of getting either of these fees waived? Absolutely bummed that I was told my tires were passing (though close) and they’re showing me on the hook for them.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!

[Jax327]

Let me ask you this, are you planning on buying another BMW after the lease turn in? In my past experience, they usually wave all that BS if you get into another car through them. My wife has had several BMW's and Porsches and they never charged us anything when we turn the car back in, even when the tires were bad and over mileage. This is nitpicking at its finest.

[peelerec]

You should have negotiated all that before turning in the vehicle. Regardless if you are or are not acquiring another BMW, it should have been discussed with your initial salesperson and SA before turning it in.
The best you can do now is as you mentioned, talk to BMW financial but also to the sales person and SA to work out an arrangement.
I’ve leased over 10 cars in about 10 years and never paid for wear and tear, including when I would acquire another vehicle with the same dealer, or not.

[dreamisle]

Originally Posted by Jax327

Let me ask you this, are you planning on buying another BMW after the lease turn in? In my past experience, they usually wave all that BS if you get into another car through them. My wife has had several BMW's and Porsches and they never charged us anything when we turn the car back in, even when the tires were bad and over mileage. This is nitpicking at its finest.

Unfortunately not. I went back and forth with 3 or 4 BMW dealers on a new loaded 330xi but the $$$ they were asking for to get me into a car with less features than mine had (no gesture control, no laser headlights, etc.) was just not justifiable. I understand cost has gone up since I leased in 2020 but I could not justify paying $200 more per month for the same car with less features.

So all that said, I leased a new loaded Mercedes E350 with $0 due at signing with a monthly payment less than I was being quoted for a new 3 series. So unfortunately not helping my cause here…

I did call BMW finance and they waived the $750 warning light fee but I’m still on the hook for the tires it seems. They told me to call back in when I get the new adjusted bill to see if my account qualifies for a one-time settlement discount, but I have no clue what that amount would look like.

So disappointed I was told the tires were passing only to find out I’m on the hook for a full set a month later.

Originally Posted by peelerec

You should have negotiated all that before turning in the vehicle. Regardless if you are or are not acquiring another BMW, it should have been discussed with your initial salesperson and SA before turning it in.
The best you can do now is as you mentioned, talk to BMW financial but also to the sales person and SA to work out an arrangement.
I’ve leased over 10 cars in about 10 years and never paid for wear and tear, including when I would acquire another vehicle with the same dealer, or not.

I was told the tires were passing before I turned the vehicle in, so I wasn’t expecting them to not be. I did tell the sales person that the tires were close but we didn’t factor that in since they were believed to be passing. Shame on me for not verifying I guess. I am in touch with the sales person that leased me my new car though and he’s going to work with his GM to see if there’s anything that can be done but I’m not optimistic that they’re going to cut me a $1,000 check after the deal has been closed out of the goodness of their hearts.

[BMW in NE]

It doesn't hurt to call BMW. I had a windshield charge removed from my lease end charges without much effort.

[Throatpunch]

Did you get a inspection before turn in? All my lease cars give me the chance to get a free inspection and turn within 90 days and they take the word of the inspector.

Usually if tires are too low they can give you a fee estimate- i know on my volvo they only wanted $150 per tire which was cheaper than replacing.


Once you bring it in without inspection they have complete control of the situation