One of my worries is bringing my car in for my A1 service. With all the recent dealership horror stories and my natural ability to attract bad luck. I'm very hesitant on going, even if it was for free. Is it required that my service be done through them, or can I just go elsewhere and save up all the receipts?

I also got into a bit of an accident and theres a huge gash on the driver door, will they recognize that and make note of it wihle making the service? I don't want some depreciative value bs thrown at my when my lease is at end. I was going to go in and bitch about the tech leaving off two lugnuts and the car still pulling to the left, but I just don't know if it's worth my time of sitting in the dealership.

 

There is NOTHING that requires the dealer do basic preventive or wear item maintenance. You can have it done anywhere you please or do it yourself. Keep reciepts and keep up to date. But at lease end it's about a 50/50 shot as to whether they will even check.

Regards the dent/gash. At this point, they don't care and the service techs have no idea whether you lease or own. The condition of the car only matters at the inspection prior to turn in (which, BTW, is done by a 3rd party hired by Acura).

 

Interesting topic. I was thinking of posting a new question, but piggy-backing on this one seems appropriate.

I was considering buying a used, lease-return car, but one of the biggest worries I have is that someone who leases a car has no long-term commitment to it, and thus, will only do the absolute minimum to satisfy maintenance requirements.

What's the opinion on lease returns?

 

If you had an alignment done and it pulls and found loose lug nuts
CALL or go in person to see the SERVICE MANAGER about the prob
That is a serious safety issue and defective maitenance
GO BACK- thats why they have loaner cars

steerpike- assume ANY car you buy had no maitenance
some leasees are type A about it and you get a great car
others beat it because company pays for everything
Always check the warranty and maitenance history of any car you want

 

I had no alignment done, the car pulled from day one. argument was tire pull, wear in new tires. 2nd time around they rotated the tires wit a few thousand miles on it, same thing. The 3rd time I will be bringing it in I wanted to bang out all underlying issues, rattles and all, so that I won't have to go back there.

I am not allowed to be issued a loaner given I am less than 25 years old. Currently 23, turn 24 in a few weeks. Is there a way around that by paying a surcharge like Enterprice rent-a-car?

 

Insurance rules vary by state- Enterprise is often the dealers back up plan when they need extra loaners- so no go there either

Tire wear!!- what a chump they believe you to be, and leaving lug nuts loose- that invites wear on many parts due to uneven torque- can even tweak the rotors and axle hubs!

 

Buy certified used... not all leasers are jackasses
I never mistreated my previous lease... and actually sold it on eBay... paid the balloon amount and walkd away with 4g's in my pocket since I don't drive alot at all 16k miles in 3 years...

 

Certified used/pre-owned doesn't mean it's a good car. All it means is that a dealer did an "inspection" and signed it off. You get some warranty, but that's about it. It doesn't mean that the car wasn't beat or taken care of. I had a certified Audi A4 and it was no better than anything else. The only benefit was the 2 year warranty. Acura is only 12 months or 12,000 miles, not really that great. An abused car could take more than that amount of time for the abuse to show up. Certified pre owned is not a be all end all when it comes to buying a used car. JMO based on experience with certified.
eric

 

Thanks. I've always bought used cars by private transaction - look the guy in the eye and talk to him about the car, get a feel for the attitude, look at service receipts, etc. Got my first two used honda's that way and both were raging successes. Then I bought new, and have kept that car for 14 years.

So now I'm faced with a replacement, and I'm leaning towards new again, simply because I no longer have the time to pursue used cars by private transaction, and I'm nervous about lease returns (or any form of used car where I don't see the previous owner!). I guess the rip-off nature of a new car purchase (depreciation, etc) is the premium I have to pay for being sure it's been well looked after!

 

get like 3k put it down on a lease for a tl w. navi with good credit you'd be paying way less than a finance... but you also have to focus on the miles but I would say lease it then because if you are planning to keep it you can just by out the lease later

 

You take a chance on that. The Leasee has an obligation to do scheduled maintenance at minimum and regular wear and tear items most likely are replaced before they return it or they get charged back. All drivers are different.

If I were you, I'd make sure the Certified Warranty gives you ample coverage. And do a pre-purchase inspection. I heard it's worth it.