Lease and Moding

Ive searched the forums for a little bit and couldnt find anything (first pass) that directly touches on this....

What, if any, mods are acceptable on a leased truck? I understand the dealer wants the truck back stock, but would that include like tailgate lock, some aftermarket lighting, and larger tires (on stock rims)?

I plan on buying it out at the end of the lease, but I just want to have all my bases covered in case 'life' plans change in a few years.

Thanks.

 

Mine is a lease and I have coilovers, wheels, tires, cut the hell out of fender liner, HIDs, and some scars from idiots hitting me and denting my truck.

 

That might depend on the dealer/lease.

The dealer has to sell the truck as a used vehicle after you turn it in.

If the dealer believes the modifications you did ADD VALUE to the selling price, then they probably won't care.

But if they think the modifications will lower the value, they might require you to take them off or they might charge you some fees (same type of fees you get for going over the mileage, dents, dings, etc).

If you decide to turn the truck in after the lease - I'd highly recommend removing EVERYTHING you've added. Because....you're not getting anything in return for those mods. You're better off removing them and selling them online and getting some $$ back.

 

Thanks Janster...

As long as they dont charge me extra for smaller things, Ill be fine. I wasnt sure if anyone here had an issue with returning the truck with some aftermarket stuff on, or with holes cut for wiring and what not.

If they look at it and frown, thats one thing. But if they charge me for replacing to make stock, thats another.

 

Don't quote me on all that - it was just a guess. You might want to read the fine print on your lease agreement. That might actually give you some info about modifications. I know they can be 'anal' about dents/dings & exceeding your mileae.

 

How long is your lease if you don't mind me asking? Doing mods on a leased vehicle IMO is a waste, especially if your not going to buy out at the end. But since you are planning on buying out, i would say save your money now, so that way when you buy out you can go crazy on mods. Dealers will always find a way to screw you in the end!

Oh yea like Janster said read your fine print on your contract.

 

I kind of agree with this-but I don't know jack shit about leaseing so I could be AFU.
You could bank that mod money now and know that you can afford to buy the truck out at the end and then mod till your heart is content. or use it to cover other bills/debts and then buy the truck at the end.

But dropping money into a truck that you might not keep doesn't make sense....Especially when you don't know what will happen if you do.

 

To clarify the wording "moding" for me, I am talking about a tailgate lock, maybe some bed lights, some extra D-handles and a grill guard.

To me the lock is something I need living in this city to prevent an expensive disaster. I guess its not hard to tear it out in 3 years, but I cant imagine them getting pissy about it, then again, you never know.

A few smaller things are just for pleasure, but I am more worried about the drilling part. Now if I am only drilling in those crappy side pockets, I dont think it will be too much of an issue.

Hard wiring to a battery with a stand-alone fuse does not do anything to the integrity of the truck so I think I should be OK there.

Lifting, painting, wheels, new dash, etc will have to wait til after the lease.

 

....speaking of tailgate locks....

 

Did you just start the lease?

Search around to some banks & loan places - you can get out of a lease at anytime. You don't have to wait.

You just need to find out what your pay-out is and get a loan to cover it.

 

The other thing to look at is that even if you do decide to turn the truck in at the end, these trucks hold their value, so you might get more by buying out the lease, then selling the truck privately. I haven't done the math yet, but it's something I'm considering when my lease runs out.

 

I don't have experiences with a leased vehicle but when i traded in my old car (98 accord V6 with 155k miles) it was decently modded. When they gave me my trade value for it I had it lowered, exhaust, wheels, big brake kit, stereo system, intake, headers etc... I asked if i could take some stuff off and they said i could do anything as long as it still drove. So basically i took it in with half-assed bled stock brakes, bald tires and beat up stock wheels, stock exhaust bearly hanging on.

All that and they never mentioned anything about decreasing the value from what they told me originally.

So I think the few small mods you're planning on doing won't upset them at all and will prob add value to the truck too... So go for it!

 

I wouldn't do anything that you can't return to stock if you are planning on giving it back at the end. It also depends on the contract. I know my mother leased a car once and it specifically said modifications to the vehicle were not allowed and would result in repair fees at the end of the lease.

Trading a car in is a different story. Its not directly comparable imo. You don't ever own a lease, you simply pay to borrow it. With that in mind you go and change the vehicle and don't have the original part...you've taken something off the truck that wasn't yours to begin with. At the end of the lease they go over it with a fine toothed comb, excessive wear = fees, too much milage = fees, and damage (even a little dent) = fees, etc. They make alot of money off of leases, its a poor deal for most consumers. It was designed for people with poor credit and/or no money for down payments but alot of people with good credit,etc. do it anyway because it 'seems' like a good deal.