Detailing a Leased Vehicle Before You Hand It Back
Lease return inspections assess condition against a wear-and-tear standard, and a fair amount of what gets charged for is cosmetic and correctable.
What inspectors look at
- Paint condition — scratches, scuffs and swirl marks, assessed against a size threshold.
- Wheels — kerb rash is one of the most commonly charged items.
- Glass — chips and cracks.
- Interior — stains, tears, burns, odour.
- Tyres — tread depth against a minimum.
- Missing items — the second key, the parcel shelf, the cargo cover, the tools and jack.
What a detail genuinely helps with
Paint. A great many light scratches and virtually all swirl marks are in the clear coat and come out with machine polishing. Something that would read as damage to an inspector disappears entirely.
Interior staining. Extraction removes a large proportion of what looks permanent, particularly if it has not been left for years.
Odour. Charged for, and frequently removable if the source is dealt with properly.
Wheels. Cleaning does not fix kerb rash, but it makes the difference between light marks being noticed and not.
What a detail does not fix
Dents, deep scratches through to primer, cracked glass, torn upholstery, cigarette burns, and bald tyres. Those need actual repair, and it is worth pricing that separately against the likely charge.
The arithmetic
Get the inspection standard from your leasing company — most publish one — and walk the car against it honestly. Then price a detail against the charges you would expect. In our experience it comes out favourably more often than not, and where it does not, we will say so.
Timing
Do it shortly before the inspection rather than months ahead, and photograph the car thoroughly on the day you hand it back.