Lease Inspections for TDIs "Taken Away" from SGS?!?!?

[visortgw]

I'm turning mine in tomorrow. I'll see if they even bother with the inspection. My guess is they can resell the car later (with the fix or pop another engine, who knows)...
I would have kept the TDI if it were an automatic. My wife has been driving around with our 2500 and it's costing an arm in gas. She refuses to learn stick (case for divorce?) so we picked up a SportWagen SE automatic.

If it is a leased vehicle, there is no question -- they WILL perform an inspection.

 

[adimex]

If it is a leased vehicle, there is no question -- they WILL perform an inspection.

Agreed.

 

[Michel61]

Turning in my 2014 Passat SEL

Today is the turn in day. No reminder from VW. Not that they I need to be reminded. My appointment is 6pm. Will see how all of this goes down.

 

[visortgw]

Today is the turn in day. No reminder from VW. Not that they I need to be reminded. My appointment is 6pm. Will see how all of this goes down.

Seems to be par for the course -- no reminder e-mail or call for my appointment at 09:30 tomorrow morning either. Maybe they're hoping we'd forget... End-of-lease inspector (from SGS) just called, and he said that he'd be here in 5-10 minutes.

 

[d4rksabre]

Today is the turn in day. No reminder from VW. Not that they I need to be reminded. My appointment is 6pm. Will see how all of this goes down.

I started another thread for reports on Lease Terminations if we want to keep the discussion about the inspections separate. Looking forward to hearing how your appointment goes as mine is tomorrow.

 

[d4rksabre]

Seems to be par for the course -- no reminder e-mail or call for my appointment at 09:30 tomorrow morning either. Maybe they're hoping we'd forget... End-of-lease inspector (from SGS) just called, and he said that he'd be here in 5-10 minutes.

Mine's at 9:30 in Rochester. No phone call for me either. I'm going to call Dorschel today since the buyback person should be there for their appointments today. Hopefully we'll have no problems to report tomorrow.

 

[visortgw]

It appears to be a clean bill of health! The inspector took about 20-25 minutes to inspect the car (which, of course, had a thin layer of snow/ice over much of it), taking pictures inside and out. He was sitting in the vehicle for most of it -- the fact that it was 10°F outside (up from an overnight low of -10°) may have been a factor. The only charge listed was $350 for a "Turn-In Fee", which is apparently their generic term for Disposition Fee or Early Termination Charge -- I assume that this will be included in VWGoA's payoff per the terms of the settlement. BTW, the inspector has been doing 10-12 TDI inspections per day.

 

[Kawazar]

I just had mine done as well. This inspector said VW is telling SGS they have 24 hours to inspect the vehicle after it is turned in. He was surprised to see a TDI inspection as SGS is not doing them prior to turn in. Now I'll just take pics the day of turn in just in case theres an issue after. Mine listed the turn in fee as well on the document.

 

[blaupunked]

It appears to be a clean bill of health! The inspector took about 20-25 minutes to inspect the car (which, of course, had a thin layer of snow/ice over much of it), taking pictures inside and out. He was sitting in the vehicle for most of it -- the fact that it was 10°F outside (up from an overnight low of -10°) may have been a factor. The only charge listed was $350 for a "Turn-In Fee", which is apparently their generic term for Disposition Fee or Early Termination Charge -- I assume that this will be included in VWGoA's payoff per the terms of the settlement. BTW, the inspector has been doing 10-12 TDI inspections per day.

I find it really strange that all of you who have had TDI inspections so far note that the $350 turn in fee is specifically listed on the inspection. Our gas Passat was inspected 12/14 and that fee was not on there, it was all zeroes. I am going to have some serious questions for the lease-end rep today about inspection, I'm really bothered that I wasn't given the opportunity to schedule one.

 

[visortgw]

I find it really strange that all of you who have had TDI inspections so far note that the $350 turn in fee is specifically listed on the inspection. Our gas Passat was inspected 12/14 and that fee was not on there, it was all zeroes. I am going to have some serious questions for the lease-end rep today about inspection, I'm really bothered that I wasn't given the opportunity to schedule one.

I would think that would constitute a breach in terms of the lease as VW Credit and VWGoA appear to be making up the rules as they go...

 

[blaupunked]

Ok, I need some outside opinions, to make sure I'm not just hearing what I want to hear.

I just got off the phone with VW Credit, and the guy seemed to tell me in a VERY roundabout, vague, and odd sort of way that inspections don't matter for TDIs - it's just that dealers are having them done so that they don't get blamed for the damage.

I explained my situation, and that I was able to get our gas Passat scheduled with SGS with no problem, and that SGS pretty much refused to schedule one (claiming that they couldn't) for our TDI. I also told him about the SGS rep who told me the same in person. The VW Credit rep told me this would be the first that he's heard of them not being able to do inspections, but he did confirm that about a month ago, despite the fact that they strongly encourage customers to get an inspection before turning in a lease, they were told that inspections are not necessary for TDIs.

So what the heck? I told him "sorry if I sound thick, but I'm not following. You normally recommend that customers get inspections prior to turning in the lease, but for TDIs you've been told they're not required?"

He reiterated that for TDIs they are not requiring inspections. I tried to get him to spell this out for me, but I could tell that he couldn't/wasn't allowed to elaborate. I told him that I was catching his drift, and that I know the cars can't be resold right now anyway (I didn't bring this up, but forget Dieselgate, what about the Takata airbag recall?!?!?!), but that caused him to go in a different direction really quickly. His quick deferral from the direction I was going led me to think they are allowed to tell us inspections aren't necessary, but they aren't allowed to tell us that they don't matter.

He did tell me that some dealers aren't requiring inspections, and are simply sending the cars away without them being performed at all. He said that some dealers are requiring it after terminations, so that they don't get blamed for any damage. This might explain why when I scheduled my turn-in at the dealer for 12/16 late at night on 12/1, there was already an inspection appointment scheduled at that same dealer for 12/19, when I called in the morning on 12/2. My dealer probably got notice of the scheduled termination appointment when they opened on 12/2, and then they scheduled a lease inspection first thing.

What are your thoughts? Are the inspections you are getting done all just a song-and-dance routine? I know the settlement says that the cars are subject to a lease inspection, etc., etc., but will they actually charge anything? The only thing I've heard of so far is someone being charged for a broken windshield, which I get, because that's excessive. But I haven't heard of dings, scratches, tires, upholstery, etc. being an issue yet. Seems like you all are getting just the $350 turn-in fee on your reports.

Nonetheless, I've got the Canon T5i DSLR camera charged up, with a 64 GB memory card and I intend to go all paparazzi on this damn thing before my 1:30 appointment. HD video included! Can't be too careful.

 

[blaupunked]

My lease termination date is 12/16. That is the date that I surrender the car. They scheduled the lease inspection on 12/19 between the hours of 8-5, and made the contact someone I've never heard of, I assume a dealer employee or the TDI buyback rep. Either way, I don't have all day to wait at the dealer, I doubt I could convince them to call me, I won't have any entitlement to the vehicle, and I doubt they'd be willing to let me near it.

Update on this - the person who is the contact for the appointment, I actually met on Wednesday night when we turned in our gas Passat. She is the lease return rep at the dealer. She is very nice, and I am hoping I can work with her to be there for the inspection, and to get a copy of the report.

 

[Kawazar]

We just don't know what VW is thinking. We don't know if things matter or not. I guess time will tell. I scheduled my appointment for inspection prior to scheduling my turn in. VW credit told me to do it that way because the inspection is good for 90 days. Maybe I found a loop hole.

 

[adimex]

So I just returned my leased TDI.

I gave them the paper work from SGS, they made a copy for the file and appreciated that I came "prepared" with the required paper work. He assured me the $350 fee will not be invoiced.

Anyway, I was out of there in 13 minutes.

 

[visortgw]

Ok, I need some outside opinions, to make sure I'm not just hearing what I want to hear.

I just got off the phone with VW Credit, and the guy seemed to tell me in a VERY roundabout, vague, and odd sort of way that inspections don't matter for TDIs - it's just that dealers are having them done so that they don't get blamed for the damage.

I explained my situation, and that I was able to get our gas Passat scheduled with SGS with no problem, and that SGS pretty much refused to schedule one (claiming that they couldn't) for our TDI. I also told him about the SGS rep who told me the same in person. The VW Credit rep told me this would be the first that he's heard of them not being able to do inspections, but he did confirm that about a month ago, despite the fact that they strongly encourage customers to get an inspection before turning in a lease, they were told that inspections are not necessary for TDIs.

So what the heck? I told him "sorry if I sound thick, but I'm not following. You normally recommend that customers get inspections prior to turning in the lease, but for TDIs you've been told they're not required?"

He reiterated that for TDIs they are not requiring inspections. I tried to get him to spell this out for me, but I could tell that he couldn't/wasn't allowed to elaborate. I told him that I was catching his drift, and that I know the cars can't be resold right now anyway (I didn't bring this up, but forget Dieselgate, what about the Takata airbag recall?!?!?!), but that caused him to go in a different direction really quickly. His quick deferral from the direction I was going led me to think they are allowed to tell us inspections aren't necessary, but they aren't allowed to tell us that they don't matter.

He did tell me that some dealers aren't requiring inspections, and are simply sending the cars away without them being performed at all. He said that some dealers are requiring it after terminations, so that they don't get blamed for any damage. This might explain why when I scheduled my turn-in at the dealer for 12/16 late at night on 12/1, there was already an inspection appointment scheduled at that same dealer for 12/19, when I called in the morning on 12/2. My dealer probably got notice of the scheduled termination appointment when they opened on 12/2, and then they scheduled a lease inspection first thing.

What are your thoughts? Are the inspections you are getting done all just a song-and-dance routine? I know the settlement says that the cars are subject to a lease inspection, etc., etc., but will they actually charge anything? The only thing I've heard of so far is someone being charged for a broken windshield, which I get, because that's excessive. But I haven't heard of dings, scratches, tires, upholstery, etc. being an issue yet. Seems like you all are getting just the $350 turn-in fee on your reports.

Nonetheless, I've got the Canon T5i DSLR camera charged up, with a 64 GB memory card and I intend to go all paparazzi on this damn thing before my 1:30 appointment. HD video included! Can't be too careful.

1. The checklist on the portal clearly states that lessees are subject to an inspection.
2. If the dealer has a vehicle inspected after you leave, how can VW Credit hold you responsible, especially given the fact that they refused to schedule an inspection prior?
3. What is the dealer's real responsibility? They do not own the vehicle prior to or after the lease termination appointment. VWGoA is simply using the dealer facility for office space for their reputation and temporary storage space.

As you can see, this is clear as mud, which is why I had my car inspected this morning prior to turn-in tomorrow. The bottom line is that we'll all find out what they are going to do in 4-6 weeks when we start receiving our end-of-lease invoices. How they handle the $350 fee will definitely be interesting!

 

[blaupunked]

So I just returned my leased TDI.
I gave them the paper work from SGS, they made a copy for the file and appreciated that I came "prepared" with the required paper work. He assured me the $350 fee will not be invoiced.
Anyway, I was out of there in 13 minutes.

I just turned mine in as well. Very easy.

The Settlement Specialist told me that it was the cleanest TDI he has seen in the month or so that they've been doing buybacks/terminations. Ok, whatever that's worth.

I expressed my concerns to the Settlement Specialist about essentially being "denied" a lease inspection by SGS, and he looked at me like I was speaking Swahili. He didn't understand why you would need a lease inspection for the TDI terminations. I literally had to explain the process that we went through with my wife's gas Passat, and how I received a report showing the condition of the car, itemized charges for wear, etc. He told me that there is no need for inspections on TDIs - he literally told me I will not be charged for wear, tires, dings, scratches, etc. In his words: "They just want the cars back, and off the road." He said as long as they come in under their own power, and are street legal, that's all they care about.

Now... Do I believe him? Do I think he's really aware of what's going on, what's required, etc.? Not sure. But, I know the car was in pretty good shape, tires were getting close to needing replacement, but oh well. I'm going to try to not lose sleep while waiting for the settlement statement.
Thank you all for posting your experiences. Please let us know what the settlement specialists say about lease return condition.

 

[blaupunked]

Seems like if you do get an inspection, maybe it's a waste of time...?

I just called the end of Lease department about my car that was turned in on 12/16, and asked if the settlement statement and/or inspection report were available. The rep was confused, and asked if I purchased the vehicle.

Turns out, what she saw in the system was a straight payoff, meaning there will not be any inspection or wear and tear or damage assessment. She said I should receive a zero balance letter in 7-10 days.

Has anyone else called about their terminated lease? What have you been told?