Might have been scammed at a car dealership

September 12, 2013 9:14 PM

What are the ramifications for unknowingly leasing a new car that has minor damage?

After a month of consideration between buying a car versus leasing a car I decided that I didn't even want to buy a car. Two weeks later my car is junked and I ended up leasing a car so I could throw more money down on my school loans for the time being.

I did all the paperwork and drove the car off to somewhere I had to be. After leaving that place I noticed there was blemishes/scratches that looked like they were touched up on one of the bumpers. I immediately called the salesman and then proceeded to take the car back.

Of course they claim they had no knowledge of the damage but were more than happy to have the bumper repainted and give me a loaner for the time being.

I made them type up a document that said I wouldn't be liable for the paint job, or for any damages when returning the lease.

And this is where I'm kind of stuck...should I even take this car back? Will the document I had three of them sign hold any weight if it was not witnessed by a notary? How will this affect the residual value, the depreciation, and my overall lease (especially when I bring it back)? Upon turning the car in am I going to have to pay out the nose when they see the bumper was repainted? Should I try to renegotiate the lease (they said they can't turn the lease in until I give them a couple of documents --> I'm a new graduate and they had to put me in through some special program to get the lease approved).

Another thing that crossed my mind --> Can I lemon law this?

posted by jiblets to Travel & Transportation (2 answers total)

I can almost guarantee that nobody will care. They're fixing it, nobody will notice, and it won't matter. This is not the kind of problem that affects the resale value unless we are talking major damage

You are only liable for things outside of normal wear and tear. Minor scuffs, scrapes and dings don't count - bumpers get scuffed, that's why they are there - And trust me, you'll scuff that bumper more.

Don't freak out - after all, they want you to buy/lease another car from them.

Something to remember, though. You signed a contract for the car. You were able to inspect the car before signing the contract. The fact that you were in a hurry is your problem not theirs. In the future, you should make sure that the condition of the car is what you think it is.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:27 PM on September 12, 2013 [3 favorites]

They have hundreds of cars to keep track of, of course they didn't know about it. You brought up the issue and they are taking care of it. You have documentation that the car was like that on delivery, you're totally fine.

RE: Lemon laws, no. The scratches on the bumper is a normal thing that happens to cars, not a defect. Even then, you'd typically need a lot more things to go wrong and they don't always apply to used or leased cars.

You'll be fine.

I used to sell new cars for living but I never dealt with taking in returning leases so I can't answer with 100% certainty. But I'm nearly certain that you're not being scammed.
posted by VTX at 6:31 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]