Lease is up next month, Inspection in days

[scgtam]

Hi All,

It is kind of funny that I just joined the group since I leased the Leaf for 3 year. Need some insight from you guys.

1. I have a OEM EVSE upgraded charger. Is it ok to return it?

2. Vehicle has some slight scrathes, should I try to detail the car and try to buff them out before the inspection?

3. Tires are bald, Is it ok to get some used tires as long as their tread are over the min?

Thanks!

Gary

 

[LeftieBiker]

If you will be buying or leasing another Nissan, the scratches should be covered under the $500 damage forgiveness. If not, see if the car fails, and use a body shop to touch them up if needed. As for the tires, used are fine, as long as they all have enough tread and are the right size and type. There is some uncertainty over whether or not all four have to match exactly, or just the two on each wheel, so I suggest you look for 4 matching tires. I got a *new* set of four decent tires from a reputable Ebay dealer for $280 shipped, IIRC.

 

[scgtam]

Thanks. I will be getting some used tires then. BTW, anyone up for a swap with a small credit to me for the EVSE upgrade charger?

Thanks.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Where are you located?

 

[scgtam]

Located in Bayarea SF

 

[davewill]

If I was going to turn in an upgrade unit, I'd replace the L6 plug with the standard 5-15 plug first. Being in a LEAF rich zone, you should be able to find someone to swap with. If nothing else, the EVSEUpgrade guys will swap with you, it's in their FAQ.

 

[scgtam]

Thanks. Anyone care to swap with me with a small credit?

 

[forestrider]

I'm interested, I sent you a PM.

 

[N952JL]

I never upgraded my 2012 charger and I purchased my Leaf from the lease last year. If yours is one of the original 110 chargers I would be happy to swap with you. [email protected].

 

[tethior]

Hi all,
My lease is up the end of this month (next 7 days I will turn in). I already had an inspection (owing $400 in damage above the $500 "grace"). My concern is on the upgraded EVSE unit. Has anyone turned in their leased vehicle with the upgraded EVSE or do the dealers only want "unmodified" EVSE? Anyone have any experience with this?

Else Id be happy to swap with anyone in the local area of post code 07054 - Parsippany NJ.

Just to share my Lease Turn in experience to date. I called Nissan to schedule for the inspection, which took place at my office (they came to me). Their charges/prices for minor damage was less than that of my body shop so it is well worth it for me to pay Nissan for the "damage".

I went to the dealer to ask about a buy out price modification. My lease specifies ~$18K as the buyout. Since the "off the lot price" is under ~$12 in my area I thought it was unrealistic. They offered me $14K to buy it, to which I said no as it doesn't make sense to pay more than street price for a vehicle.

If anyone is interested in the EVSE let me know soonest.

Thanks!
Dan

 

[LeftieBiker]

In the unlikely event you plan to be in Albany NY in that period, I'll swap with you.

 

[tethior]

Hi All,
I only received one PM and I have completed the trade with him.

I have turned in my 2012 Leaf. It is a shame that Nissan was unwilling to negotiate the residual value as I would have been happy to purchase the vehicle at its current market value.

I have to say that the End of Lease Turn In process has gone very smoothly so far. I called to arrange for an Inspection. The guy came out to my office and looked the car over and printed a report right then and there. The "Parking Lot Rash" was estimated by the inspector as costing $634 above normal "wear and tear" but considering I had my body shop estimate the repairs at over $1,500 I think the price was reasonable. One thing to know - your tires shouldn't have more than about 10K mile on them or they will charge you for them as well. Though they didn't care that I didn't get LRR tires.

So after getting the report I called the dealer and just dropped the car off. About 15 min to confirm the VIN #, Mileage and turn over the keys / sign a few forms and I was on my way home.

I am looking forward to my next electric vehicle. I will appreciate a little more range so perhaps the Chevy Bolt or Model 3 (if the prices remain reasonable). For those interested I did take the Nissan connect data and keep a spreadsheet to trend my usage, electric costs, etc. I have posted that on my Google drive and it is shared on this link https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13BqO_nYn3QKvXnJP_eVvQQYQM09-ADDEPEAFzZO07DE/edit?usp=sharing. I tracked monthly gas prices using Gas Buddy and assumed a comparison to a vehicle getting 30 MPG on average to determine my "fuel cost savings". A few artifacts to note were that my range and "efficiency" really suffered with the temperature, the decline in fuel prices has impacted the savings in dollars (but not in environmental impact CO2). My electric rate is higher because we buy 100% wind for 100% of our electric (an increase of $0.024 per KWH).

Thanks for listening!
Dan

 

[RonDawg]

One thing to know - your tires shouldn't have more than about 10K mile on them or they will charge you for them as well.

NMAC's official minimum acceptable tire depth is 4/32. That was about 23k or so miles on my Leaf's OEM Ecrapias, and considerably more for anything else. You can buy a cheap tire depth gauge for a few bucks at a local auto parts store to verify before the inspection.

NMAC has a published guideline on what they consider "acceptable" wear and tear: https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/techpub/EndOfLease/Wear_and_Use_Guide.pdf

 

[tethior]

One thing to know - your tires shouldn't have more than about 10K mile on them or they will charge you for them as well.

NMAC's official minimum acceptable tire depth is 4/32. That was about 23k or so miles on my Leaf's OEM Ecrapias, and considerably more for anything else. You can buy a cheap tire depth gauge for a few bucks at a local auto parts store to verify before the inspection.

NMAC has a published guideline on what they consider "acceptable" wear and tear: https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/techpub/EndOfLease/Wear_and_Use_Guide.pdf

I agree that is what is written but how it is applied may be different.

First I had to replace my tires at 29K miles - the OEMs didnt last for me. So my tires had only 4K miles on them - the inspector explained that they have a dollar amount of "acceptable" wear and tear across the whole vehicle. They document everything and if you have a lot of dings and dents (parking lot rash) those eat up your allowance. So he said that they start at 9/32 as the "zero" point (most new tires have 11/32 - 10/32 of tread) and depreciate the tire in cost for every 32nd of an inch below. Once you hit 4/32 you have zero value left in the tires. So they are actually charging you for each 32nd (according to what the inspector said to me).

Somewhere I read that an "average" tire wears at 1/32 of an inch per 3,000 miles and my new tires did show as 9/32 when he measured them which fits that wear rate (found one place that says that: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081028083127AAjxPZS)

The good side is that their charge per tire was $65. You really cannot buy and mount (and dispose) at that price. (my windshield had two "rock hits", one of them was not smooth to the touch and so a new windshield was $55).

He may have been blowing smoke or I may have an inaccurate understanding of what he said ... but that is how I understood him.

Dan

 

[RonDawg]

I agree that is what is written but how it is applied may be different.

First I had to replace my tires at 29K miles - the OEMs didnt last for me. So my tires had only 4K miles on them - the inspector explained that they have a dollar amount of "acceptable" wear and tear across the whole vehicle. They document everything and if you have a lot of dings and dents (parking lot rash) those eat up your allowance. So he said that they start at 9/32 as the "zero" point (most new tires have 11/32 - 10/32 of tread) and depreciate the tire in cost for every 32nd of an inch below. Once you hit 4/32 you have zero value left in the tires. So they are actually charging you for each 32nd (according to what the inspector said to me).

He's blowing smoke. That's not what the NMAC Wear and Tear Guide says, which only requires a matching set of 4 tires of a minimum of 4/32 tread as measured from the portion with the thinnest amount of tread. If I give him a car whose tires are all 5/32 and he decides to charge me for excessively worn tires, I would be filing a dispute with Nissan, and if necessary take them to small claims court.

Somewhere I read that an "average" tire wears at 1/32 of an inch per 3,000 miles and my new tires did show as 9/32 when he measured them which fits that wear rate (found one place that says that: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081028083127AAjxPZS)

The only tire that where a wear rate of 1/32 per 3,000 miles would be acceptable is a high performance tire with a soft compound for ultimate grip at the cost of tire life. Assuming the average new tire depth of 10-11/32, that would mean you would need new tires at just 30-33k miles. My Audi 3's original Continentals wore out at 25k, but the replacement Michelin Pilot Sports lasted 55k miles. And the Michelins had better grip.

Especially for non-OEM tires on a non-performance vehicle, 30k miles is way too short for tire life. The OEM Dunlops on my '98 Maxima lasted 40k miles, the replacement Bridgestones were still good 60k miles later when I traded the car in. Its replacement, a 2003 Altima, also went a bit further on its OEM Bridgestones, and the replacement Bridgestones still had plenty of life when that car was traded in (for the Audi) at around 100k miles.