[orientblue3]

Hey guys, I'm about to turn in my '05 325i back to the dealer when my 335i arrives in a week or two. As many of you know, BMW sends out a "wheel" that says if the scratch is within this wheel it is ok. Well I had someone key one of my passengers side doors. I know, it sucks. But the slightly good news is, it was right underneath the body line and is pretty tough to see.

My questions are: 1.) How thorough are BMW dealers on inspecting your car on lease returns? 2.) Would it be better for me to bring in my car dirty to try to hide the scratch? 3.) I might trade it in instead of turning it in early on the lease. If I do so, would it hurt the value if I brought it in really dirty. Do they wash the car before doing the inspection?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[pander5]

My last lease inspection was done by a third party company that BMW hired to do the inspection. the guy was cool and came to my place of work to do it. I had 2 dings that were within the template tolerance and a scratch I repaired on my bumper. He didn't mention any of the 3 nor did BMW when they notified me they got his report. I got hit for lack of rear tire tread wear on both rears - $200 apiece for $400. New rears would've cost me close to $600 anyway.

It doesn't matter if the car is clean for the inspection and if a little dirt might hide the scratch I'd leave it dirty.

[orientblue3]

Originally Posted by pander5

My last lease inspection was done by a third party company that BMW hired to do the inspection. the guy was cool and came to my place of work to do it. I had 2 dings that were within the template tolerance and a scratch I repaired on my bumper. He didn't mention any of the 3 nor did BMW when they notified me they got his report. I got hit for lack of rear tire tread wear on both rears - $200 apiece for $400. New rears would've cost me close to $600 anyway.

It doesn't matter if the car is clean for the inspection and if a little dirt might hide the scratch I'd leave it dirty.

Great input, thanks. I had to wash the car tonight to remove the 3M tape residue from my AC Schnitzer rear spoiler but I will definitely try to dirty it up before I turn it in. I have Pilot Sports with about 70% tread life so they better not try to hit me up for that! Thanks again. Keep it coming guys!

[335i_Danny]

Try and polish the area a little bit. Typically a machine polish will lessen the appearance of the scratch quite a bit. If the scratch goes deep into the clear coat, it won't eliminate it, but it certainly will minimize its visibility by rounding off the edges of the scratch (where light is refracted in an odd way). You could also have someone use touch up paint and wet sand it if it is a deeper scratch.

Either way, you'll be better off than handing in a dirty car. My lease end inspection went much more smoothly on my 350Z because it looked like you could eat off it and the inspector just assumed I took good care of it.

[335i_Danny]

Originally Posted by orientblue3

I have Pilot Sports with about 70% tread life so they better not try to hit me up for that! Thanks again. Keep it coming guys!

They may hit you for not having RFT's on it. The dealer can't CPO a car without them.

[orientblue3]

Originally Posted by 335i_Danny

They may hit you for not having RFT's on it. The dealer can't CPO a car without them.

My car didn't come with RFT's. Before they came equipped on the car (2005). Thanks for the advice though.