So, my lease is coming to an end and i thought i'd share my end of lease inspection experience. The inspection itself was performed by a rep from a company called SGS Automotive. I don't know much about them, but I guess you can google them if you're really curious. As an FYI, it could take almost 3 weeks from the time you call to set up an appointment to the actual day of the appointment itself. They base it upon when a rep is available in your area. So procrastinators (myself included) beware, just realize you probably can't call today and get an inspection tomorrow.

Anyhow, SGS is mobile and thus convenient as they performed the inspection in the parking lot near my office building. The rep gave me a call about 15mins before hand to let me know he was on the way and then another call when he pulled into the parking lot. He estimated it would take about 30mins, depending on the condition of the car, so I decided to head back into the office while he was doing his inspection.

Let me tell you, I was pretty nervous because I had heard how strict these lease return inspections could be. I didn't have anything too major, but there were rock chips on the hood and bumper which I had attempted to cover up with touch up paint. In fact, going into this, I was way more worried about the condition of the tires since they are the OEM's with about 45k miles on them. Honda gives you a card basically says, if there's less then 1/8" tread left on the lowest portion, then you need to replace the tires. Before the inspection, I measured all around and was positive I'd need to replace them.

After 45mins (agonizing), he called me back out and gave me the report. He found all the rock chips that were touched up and because there were more than 4 on the rear bumper, it was considered excessive.

First ding (Rear bumper) = $279.00

Next was the hood. Same story.

2nd ding (hood) = $202.50

Next was the right fender. More rock chips. My fault for taking the RL up to Lake Tahoe 3 seasons in a row snowboarding Note to self, invest in a clearbra or at least the ugly leather bra for future winter escapades.

3rd ding (right fender) = $153.00

And....that's it. The tires, that I was soooo worried about, evidently had a tread depth of 5/32" (still within limits since 2/32 means replacement). So that's the good news, but, I'm not completely out of the woods yet. Total estimated cost of repairs is $634.50. The $1500 wear and tear allowance covers the estimate IF they determine multiple incidents ($500/incident up to 3). If not, then it's $634.50 or a deductible out of my pocket. I don't think rock chips in the bumper and hood can constitute a single incident, but how knows.

I'm supposed to call Honda Finance 48hrs later, after they receive the inspection report, to find out for sure. I've got my fingers crossed that they don't count it as a single incident

 

Great info, thanks. I can't imagine they will try to get you to pay for that. Sounds like normal wear and tear to me.

Your inspection report points up the pathetically inferior paint job on our otherwise fine automobile. At 27,000 miles I have gazillions of little dings--it looks as if my hood has been machine-gunned by tiny, angry creatures. No other car I've owned has fared as poorly.

Class-action lawsuit, anyone?

 

Personally, I think the paint job itself is excellent. Very even, smooth, no "orange peel." But, I think the paint they used is unbelievabley brittle so any lilttle thing casues a chip. Very annoying and very disappointing.

LL

 

Two words:

"Clear Bra".

Seriously, thank you for sharing your experience.

 

^^ I'm happy to share my experience. Going into this, I searched through Google to find anything I could about the inspection. There wasn't too much info about it, so I figured sharing mine would benefit others.

I'm actually quite surprised at the prices quoted for the repairs. I had similar chips on past cars and most body shops wanted $500+ to do similar repairs. So for those of you nearing lease end and are considering doing body repairs, I'd recommend getting the inspection done first. You'll probably save more money (if not covered by the $1500 wear & tear allowance) then by going to a body shop if the damage isn't too significant.

As for the paint, it is definitely too thin and Nighthawk Black Pearl is a pain in the ass to match.

 

I'm kind of surprised they were so picky. I've been through several of these (other brands), and they didn't show any big concern about rock chips. In fact, most of them ignore anything that's not over a certain size (usually like 2"). I guess if you had hundreds of chips, they'd have to take that into consideration.

But this again brings up the matter of getting your car paint detailed. They're not easy to find sometimes, but a good paint detailer will re-do a hood or bumper for a reasonable price (less than your examiner is talking about) and make it look like new.

Of course, if the $1,500 allowance (which BTW no one else in my experience offers) covers it, you're good to go!

.
.

 

That is absolutely rediculous. Rock chips are basic wear and tear!! You get them if you drive the vehicle!! I can understand dents and the like but I would have never thought they would try to charge for those. I see all kinds of CPO acuras on the showroom floor with rock chips. I also thought that the dealer did the inspection. Thanks for the info.

 

I agree, rock chips are typical wear and tear. If you drive on the FWY, you're going to get them. But here's Honda's definition of wear and tear (from the self-inspection card):

Scratches: Any scratches that can be caught by a fingernail.
Chargeable as follows:
• More than 2 scratches per panel
• Any scratch more than 3” in length

Dings: A small dent with the damaged area less than 1 1/2” in
diameter. Chargeable as follows:
• Four or more per panel
• Less than 4 dings per panel – first 3 panels are not subject to
charge
• Fourth and subsequent panels are chargeable regardless of
number of dings
• Any damage larger than 1 1/2” in diameter is considered a dent
and chargeable

Paint:
• Exterior paint that is etched, stained or damaged by tree sap
• Touch-up paint is considered unrepaired damaged and subject
to charge

Windshield: All windshield cracks, stars and bullseyes. Chargeable
as follows:
• Damage larger than a dime requires windshield replacement
• Damage smaller than a dime will be charged for repair (one
repair per windshield)
• Other broken or cracked glass
Tires: Chargeable as follows:
• Less than 4/32” of tread at lowest point
Safety Items: Chargeable as follows:
• Cracked or broken lenses, glass or mirrors

Interior: Make sure the following items are clean and in good
working condition*:
• Seat cushions, upholstery, carpets and floor mats
• Reclining/lounging seats
• Stereo (radio/cassette/CD player)
• Power driver seat
• Air bags
• Automatic restraint system
• Tilt steering wheel
• Climate control/air conditioning
• Sunroof

They also wanted documented proof of vehicle servicing within the last 6 months or 7,500 miles.

 

I would love to know if there is any conflict of interest when it comes to third party inspections. Are the inspectors compensated in any way based on the "excess" wear and tear they calculate?? Most rock chips don't cause dings or depressions in the sheet metal and therefore shouldn't even be counted. They are normal wear and tear in my opinion. If they were going to charge me for rock chips on a vehicle that I took care of and is undermileage I would let Acura Client Services know that it would be the last Honda/Acura product I would ever purchase.

 

Honda purports that using a 3rd party helps the customer to get an unbiased inspection. I tend to agree as I'd rather have someone who specializes doing inspections versus some floor salesman looking it over. And to do it well in advance as to not encounter any surprises on the day of the return. It's a bad feeling when you think everything is kosher only to have the salesman give you an invoice with hundreds of dollars in repairs. I've been on Edmunds reading through horror stories about lease returns that speak of the previous.

Anyhow, I'm glad for Hondas $1500 allowance and wish other would do the same. As an update, I received correspondence from Honda today stating that I owe $0. So my ass is covered, what a relief

 

My lease is up in Nov and this is a great heads up on what to expect.
Thanks for the helpful info.
This RL forum has been tremendous in the sharing of information and ideas.

 

I can confirm that it takes over three weeks to get an appointment date. I had to call on our MDX. SGS only offered me two dates in August. Not very convenient at all. They appear to be shorthanded and you can only get an appointment when their agent is in your area.

I called Honda Finance to express my dissatisfaction and they already knew the problem They told me they are looking for another inspection company so customers have more flexibility. I did not realize it would be such a hassle. I was expecting to return to the dealer and they would do the inspection.

I hope this turns out OK. I am not expecting to shell out any money. I have a few dings and scrapes and hope the $1500 will cover it all.

 

I just left mine at the dealership and awaited a response. I had one excessive wear (damage) incident of $189 for something - no idea what it was. Could have been scuffed bumper (f-cking valet), otherwise the dealer lost a key.

My tires were in great shape and car still looked new after $20k miles, so...

 

From what I understand, if you couldn't get SGS to inspect the car, then it becomes Honda Financial Services responsibility. The only issue with that, is the possibility of a bill from Honda months later when you think everything was already taken care of.

 

Moral of the story - buy, don't lease.

 

Yeah, I've seen some women that have them on. Ha!

 

Um...no. I'm actually very glad I didn't buy this RL. I don't know about other years, but this 2005 is not a vehicle I'd want to own out of warranty nor a vehicle I'd want to sell myself at a later time. I actually tried selling this car a couple times before the lease end and NOBODY wanted this thing. Get ready to be laughed at if you attempt to trade this in or are hoping to get anywhere near Honda's residual price. It's no where close. Thank God it was actually a lease.

 

I just had my lease inspection done and the verdict was no excessive wear and tear charges. It only took 15min!! This is what I expected as I take very good care of all my vehicles, bought or leased. Thanks again for the info!!

 

You're probably right the way the re-sale value of the RLs has dropped.