Why to fix damage before a lease inspection
When a leased car goes back, someone walks around it and notes the visible damage. What counts as acceptable wear, and what happens when something doesn't, depends on your lease. Those standards differ between lease companies, so check your own paperwork for the details.
Whatever your lease says, the inspector can only note what they can see. Small cosmetic damage like a scuffed bumper corner or a cluster of chips on the hood is easy to spot and often straightforward to repair beforehand. The same logic applies if you're trading the car in.
What a dealership does for its own customers
Lease-return touch-ups are part of Robert Crenshaw's work. One clue that pre-inspection repair is worth doing comes from the dealership side: a Volvo dealership Robert has worked with for years asks him to go around good customers' cars and hide blemishes before the lease inspection.
“If they have a good customer, they will ask me to go around the car and hide any blemishes before the inspector comes.”
What's usually worth fixing
These are the cosmetic items that tend to stand out on a walkaround and that Robert can handle in your driveway:
One honest note on scratches: a light scratch that buffs out is gone, while a deep scratch that's touched up is hidden rather than erased. From a normal distance it should be hard to find.
- Bumper scuffs, scrapes and corner damage (bumper repair)
- Small bumper cracks and small dents in a plastic bumper cover
- Rock chips on the hood and front bumper
- Light scratches that buff out, and deeper ones that can be hidden
- Cloudy or yellowed headlights (headlight restoration)
- Curb rash
What to leave alone or take elsewhere
Some damage is beyond a cosmetic fix, and it's better to know that early:
- Bumpers with big rips or missing chunks, which need a replacement cover from a body shop
- Key scratches across a panel, which need the whole panel painted
- Dents in metal panels
- Broken or faulty parking sensors, since Robert doesn't replace or recalibrate sensors
Do your own lease turn-in walkaround
Before you text anyone, do your own inspection in daylight with the car clean and dry. Go slowly and look where cosmetic damage tends to collect. Take photos as you go; they double as the photos you'll text Robert.
- All four bumper corners and the lower edge of each bumper
- The hood and the front of the roof for chips
- Headlights, for haze or yellowing
- Door edges and the area around door handles
- Any scratch: run a fingernail across it to see if it catches (fingernail test)
When to schedule repairs before turn-in
Don't leave it to the last day. Robert is usually out within 2–3 days of your call, but he doesn't work in rain or snow, and a wet week can push things back. Fresh paint also needs a couple of days before the car is washed, so build in a cushion before the inspection (aftercare). If anything turns out to need a body shop, you'll want that time to arrange it too.
Robert does the work at your home. A driveway is the best setup, and he usually needs a power outlet. Some townhomes work. Parking decks don't, because the truck, trailer and lighting don't fit, so if you live in an apartment with deck parking, mention it when you text and you can work out another spot together. More on that in how it works.
Most repairs take under three hours. If you have several small items, text photos of everything at once so he can quote the whole list together.
Common questions: How do I fix damage before a lease turn-in?
Does Robert do lease-return repairs?
Yes. He does lease-return touch-ups on scuffs, scratches, chips and bumper damage, at your home.
Will the repairs guarantee I pass the lease inspection?
No one can promise that, because the standards and the inspection belong to your lease company. What a repair does is remove the visible damage it fixes. Check your lease paperwork for its standards.
Can Robert come to my office instead?
Sometimes. Office complexes can work, but building security can be an issue. Home driveways are the most reliable spot. Parking decks don't work.
How far ahead should I book?
A week or two ahead of the inspection is comfortable. Robert is usually out within 2–3 days, but weather can delay painting and a fresh repair shouldn't be washed for at least two days.
Written from Robert Crenshaw's own explanations of how he works. Nearly 30 years repairing bumpers, and 25 years running his own business.