So I have a 2017 XE that I leased in starting in August of 2017. It was a 33 month lease, so I will be turning the car in May of 2020. I love the car, just don't think I plan to buy it at the end of the lease term. Maybe I'd swap it for a new lease on a 2020 XE when the time comes, or just walk away, who knows.

Anyway, I have some questions and concerns about what happens at the end of the lease, particularly if you plan to just turn it in and walk away, not purchase it.So please chime in if you've recently turned in a leased Jaguar vehicle.

My main concern, is that I had an allowance of 30k miles. I just exceeded that this week, so now I'm at 30,250 and at this rate I'm sure I will put on another 5 or 6k by May. I'm trying to drive other vehicles when I can, so as to not put too many more miles on the XE. So what happens when you exceed the mileage? My contract states that I will owe .15 per every mile over 30k, but is it that simple? Any other fees or gotchas with excess mileage?

Secondly, overall condition. I do have a couple of small scratches and nicks here and there, but no real damage. How picky are they when it comes to that? I understand there is an inspection that takes place before you turn the car in. What's been your experience with this?

Lastly, tires. They keep telling me I need tires whenever I'm at the dealership for oil changes or whatever. Seriously these tires are in damn good shape, I think they're just getting me ready for when they try to get me to pony up for new tires upon lease return, whether the car needs them or not. If this is the case, can I get some cheapies mounted right before I return the car? Do they care what brand?

Anyway, the excess mileage thing prompted all of this fear and dread of the lease return process and now I'm thinking about all of the hidden fees and charges that I might get hit up with, and I'm really starting to regret leasing in the first place.

So please share your experiences. Thanks!

 

I turned in a Mercedes CLA250 at the end of lease last year and like you, my XE lease will be ending in March 2020. From the Mercedes experience - I was at the allowed mileage so no overages but on past leases, it was just the stated value per mile over.

If you drop off and walk away, you will pay a turn-in fee - anywhere from 300-500 depending on your contract. This is before any excess wear/tear is considered. If you purchase another vehicle of the same brand - they will waive this fee.

When they did the inspection on the Mercedes, he came to my house and spent almost 2 hours going over the car - ton of pics, documenting dings, scratches, tire condition - you name it. When he was done, he went over the report he would be submitting to the finance company and recommendations for the excessive wear/tear. You will get a copy of the report.

Small scratches/nicks are ok - they say anything under the length of a credit card is allowable (this also applies to curb rash on the rims).

If there are chips on the windshield - they will not take it back in that condition!!! Get it repaired/replaced - luckily in SC, insurance covers all safety glass free of charge - so I had to get it done just before turn in or pay $1200

Tires - YES they will hit you and DON'T skimp as they will still hit you. On the Mercedes, I was on a weekend road trip and had a sidewall puncture, so purchased a matched set of Goodyear tires for the rear. These tires only had 4000 miles on them but because they were not the recommended installed run flats, if I were to turn in as is, they were going to charge me $1400 to replace 2 tires. I went to the dealership and had them replace for $500 a week prior to turn in. I had them give me back the Goodyears they removed and sold them for $350.

Once I turned in the car, I received a letter from Mercedes Financial for the exact amount from the inspection with 30 days to pay. I contacted them and provided proof of repair on the windshield and replacement of the tires and the sent an amended notice for just the $350 turn in fee.

When I get ready for the inspection on the XE, I plan to have detailed prior to try and correct as much as possible. The dealership has already reached out to me about turn in and sent me a letter offering a deal good through 30 Sept on a new 2020 XE for $60 more per month than my current payment but a good deal today will still be a good deal tomorrow - and I did not consider this to be a very good deal

 

I turned in my XE in April. If you are buyin/leasing another Jag, you can turn it in a few months early and miles won't or shouldn't count. The lease allows for some small scratches and they send someone to inspect the car before it can be returned. Once the condition statement is available, you'll know if there is any out of pocket expenses. JLR really does nothing to entice a customer to buy or lease another JLR product. I was quite disappointed on that and went with a different marque.

If just dropping the car off at the end of the lease, you'll get a bill from the leasing company with what you owe for mileage and release fee, etc... Comes like a month or so after the car has been returned. My local JLR dealer gave me a lot of hassles returning the car. It was constantly "we don't have room for it" or "the lease return guy is not around". I had to work with dealership's owners son (George Chambers) to get the car returned. He nearly fell off his chair when I told him the run around I was getting from the dealership. It all left a bad taste...

 

I have leased several cars over the years, but have never turned one in. I'm assuming your lease is the same. You should have the option of trading the car in and all that's due is the lease buyout which you can get from your lease company. So if you can get someone to give you as a trade in enough to cover the lease buyout you are free and clear without worrying about any inspections, fees etc. If a used car manager wants the car, they will see what they want in terms of wear and tire, proper tires etc. Considering you'll be in for close to $1000 for the mileage plus any other fees, you may be better off going this route. Now if the trade in values on these is in the dumpster as compared to the lease buyout, better to pay whatever you have to and walk away.

Food for thought.

 

i abandoned Sudbury a few years ago after repeated bad experiences.

 

There was a Velar on the showroom floor I wanted and they wouldn't mark the car down $50 and said I had to eat 2-3 month of my XE's remaining lease payments to trade in a little early. Volvo paid my lease off and discounted the XC60 we ended up with. Not doing business the Sudbury JLR if I can help it. Seems like a theme with Herb Chamber dealerships...

 

If you go into another lease, make sure sales guy throws in no-hassle lease return on your old car.