[E92Snow]

What are the boundaries on modding a lease? Like if I go into BMW for service and they see all the mods I've added. When I return the car, it has to all be back to stock, but in the mean time what am I able to do to the car to keep it under warranty?

[ndog14]

Don't. Simple as that.

[BMW_Belgier]

If you're sure you want to give the car back, don't mod!

I had a lease once i modded, but i bought it after my lease was up...

[cmyk]

Unless you're doing simple things like wheels, AEs, etc I'd say don't do it. Not only might you have issues with warranty work while you have the car, these issues could be passed on to the unsuspecting person who buys your car when you turn it in.

[drevil2k2]

Would stick to simple reversible cosmetics (grills, rims).

You don't need the hassle of something not being covered by the factory warranty.

[bumere90]

Originally Posted by ndog14

Don't. Simple as that.

Agree
Not worth it.

[Chris@codemybimmer]

Dont do it...i have a lease and i almost got a whole in my ass...

[cn555ic]

Just a tune and that's it.

[Thumperx]

Originally Posted by drevil2k2

Would stick to simple reversible cosmetics (grills, rims).

You don't need the hassle of something not being covered by the factory warranty.

X2 if you must. Otherwise, leave it alone.

[ndog14]

Let me edit my post with another post, nothing irreversible and powertrain related. Black kidney grills? Sure. Wheels? Go for it! Window tint? As long as it's not the rear windshield.

[techwhiz]

No performance mods, unless it's the BMW PPK.
Anything else is a bad idea. At least with the PPK it doesn't affect warranty and can be removed by the dealer.

[Slow_335i]

Or you can mod the shit out of it and remove mods as you go to the dealer!

[KWVT]

Correct me if I'm wrong but do they even know or care if its a lease when you are just bringing it in for routine maintenance? My friend leased an F-150 and did a small lift, wheels and tires, exhaust, intake, tint, and a few other quality mods. They never said anything to him when he brought it in for regular maintenance, and when the lease was up he put it back to stock and didn't have any fee's or issues. Also another friend has a lease VW CC that is extremely modded, he says he only takes the tune out for services and they have never said anything to him...

[NSFW 335i]

Originally Posted by KMEddy

Correct me if I'm wrong but do they even know or care if its a lease when you are just bringing it in for routine maintenance? My friend leased an F-150 and did a small lift, wheels and tires, exhaust, intake, tint, and a few other quality mods. They never said anything to him when he brought it in for regular maintenance, and when the lease was up he put it back to stock and didn't have any fee's or issues. Also another friend has a lease VW CC that is extremely modded, he says he only takes the tune out for services and they have never said anything to him...

I've done bolt on mods to leases, they never cared at my dealership. Something that is easy to reverse should be no problem. Just make sure you keep all the stock parts. I did front lip down pipes exhaust, Ae, chip, intake, etc.

[RedRaiderDavid]

There answer to the question is there are no real boundaries. There are actually 3 separate issues at play here.

The first is your warranty which is no different for a lease or a purchase. Your complete warranty can't be voided except maybe extreme circumstances like perhaps it was totaled by your insurance company but you fixed it anyway (not that this happens, just throwing it out). BMW can refuse to cover something under warranty but only if one of your mods could have led to the failure of the part that needs service. So if you put on an aftermarket exhaust they can't refuse to replace an electric seat motor unless maybe you drilled into the motor or shorted wires screwing a bracket in or something.

The second issue are the mods themselves. Many people who mod vehicles think this ads value, as in its worth is x, but I put on $1000 in accessories so its worth $1000 more. That's not the case, best case is it doesn't affect the value but in many it decreases it. No one wants a car that's been messed with, no matter how cool it is to them. Your always better off returning the car to stock as much as possible before getting rid of it. With a purchase this decreases the trade in or resale value, with a lease it results in penalties.

The 3rd issue is the lease itself. Many people think when you lease a car you are required to keep it in perfect shape and not modify it at all (like its more of a rental than their car). While that's true its no different than something you should do for a purchase if you want to get maximum value when you are ready for something else. The only difference between a lease and a purchase is that with a lease you are only paying for the depreciated value of the car instead of entire value. At the end of your lease term you have a residual value which is basically the payoff amount on a traditional loan. If you have taken care of the car, done everything right, not exceeded your mileage etc, this is the value you are guaranteed from a BMW dealer essentially zeroing out your obligation. If you have modded the car, missed maintenance, gone over mileage, etc they will penalize you and you will have to pay to end the lease. This is no different than the car having a lesser trade in or resale value. When you remove the BMW dealer from the equation you take all the penalties off the table and the residual value is essentially all you have to worry about, its your payoff amount. To everyone but BMW its just another used car. I have a friend that has always leased his cars, has always gone way over his mileage and has never been penalized like he would have been if he turned in. He either sells the car to a private seller or just trades it in for another make.

[Antipathy]

Originally Posted by cn555ic

Just a tune and that's it.

Just the tip...

[mashimarho]

If you're like me and wanting to buy the car afterwards, then yes... Otherwise, no.

[hemi to e90]

As long as you dont void the warranty out, you are fine modding a lease.

[Yeoman]

Modding a leased car.. I can't think of a better way to waste money.

[Tim M]

Originally Posted by Yeoman

Modding a leased car.. I can't think of a better way to waste money.

That's the smartest thing I've ever heard from a yeoman.

[bimmerfrk]

Originally Posted by e92snowhite

What are the boundaries on modding a lease? Like if I go into BMW for service and they see all the mods I've added. When I return the car, it has to all be back to stock, but in the mean time what am I able to do to the car to keep it under warranty?

Why the hell would you lease a car and do mods to it. Is it really necessary? I mean wtf is wrong with you people. "Uh i leased a car can i put a supercharger in it, derp derp." NNNNNOOOOO its not ur car you are borrowing it for a fixed amount in monthly payments aka a lease.

I swear even if you are a high school student, this is an aswer to a question that you could of come up with yourself, if not you could of at least asked your dad.

Its like on of my dead beat tenats once said to me. "I put in new hard wood floors and new carpets in two rooms becasue they stank." "Im not paying the rent till you pay me for the work i did." I said your an idiot casue the lease says no pets allowed and the aparmtnet was in excellent condition till you moved in with your animals. Guess who was evicted at the end of the moth for being a fucking dumbass.... And i got new floors and free carpet.

If your an idiot you shall be treated as one your entire life.

[Yeoman]

Originally Posted by bimmerfrk

If your an idiot you shall be treated as one your entire life.

Irony.