Can someone briefly describe the lease return protocol for a leased car. My Turbo comes off lease fairly soon and I want to know what to expect. Does it go back to the original dealership or is there a centralized process? Any idea about the consequences of very minor (eg:GT2 wheels and tires in place of stock) or not so minor (RS-Tuning ECU) mods? Thanks in advance.

 

I belive you return it to the bank that you are leasing the car from, if its Porsche, then you probobly would return it to the dealer, dut I am not sure. Call them up, and ask them about the tires... they probobly would allow it, especially since they look exact;y the same (unless you got the ;04 wheels) but I dont know about the tuning... I would just send it to the tuner and ask them to remove the program to be safe...

 

What they don't know and can't see won't hurt 'em......deny, deny, deny.....there is no B3 bomber....

Name that movie!

 

I believe you can return it to any dealer if you leased through Porsche. Why not replace the wheels and take out the chip and sell those separately?

 

Heck I think you can retrurn it to a non-porsche dealer for that matter

 

The leasing company will contact you with the name of an appraisal company, or possibly even a specific appraiser, who will come look at the car. This appraiser will be an independent person not affiliated with Porsche or any car dealer. The appraiser will call you to set up an appointment to look at the car and take pictures of it inside and out. They will note any significant blemishes to the vehicle. It's unlikely they will ask you to drive it with them, though they may ask you to start it. With a TT though, they may ask for a ride just for the fun of it!

The appraiser will turn the appraisal over to the leasing company, who will compare it to the residual value that was calculated at the beginning of the lease. If the two figures differ due to any damage to the car, the leasing company will ask you to pay that in cash when you turn in the car. Normally you can drop the car off at a dealer that the leasing company has an arrangement with. It doesn't have to be a Porsche dealer. They may also have you simply drop it off at a warehouse location where they stage cars before selling them at auction.

The appraiser won't care about engine mods or anything else that he can't see. As for exterior mods, if they're not something that he would immediately recognize as aftermarket, then he's never going to know they're not stock. The wheels won't even get any notice at all I'm sure. The tires will be checked though to make sure they have at least 50% tread depth, or else you'll have to pay for new ones. THe 50% figure varies by leasing company though, so read your contract. Some only require 30%, some quote tread depth (which can be killer when your car only has 3/8" depth to start!), others are stricter and require 75%.

 

be smart though - take out the RS tunning ECU and return it to stock......you can sell the RS tunning ECU for a few scheckles