Lease return and end-of-contract preparation

Leasing companies and finance providers assess returned vehicles against an industry fair wear and tear standard. In practice the recurring items are kerbed and corroded alloy wheels, scuffed bumper corners, scratches that have gone through the paint, dents beyond a certain size or on a swage line, and chipped panels beyond normal use.

Charges are applied per item, so a car with one wheel and two bumper corners can pick up several separate recharges. Repairing beforehand is usually the cheaper route, which is the whole reason this service exists.

Do it in daylight on a clean, dry car — dirt hides scratches and so does a wet panel. Walk each side at an angle so the light rakes across the paint, check all four wheel faces and rims including the inner edge, look along bumper corners and door edges, and check the areas most people miss: the roof, the sill below the door and the rear bumper top where luggage is loaded.

Photograph everything you find. Then read your provider's fair wear and tear guide and check your own contract, because thresholds vary between funders. Give yourself a few weeks before the collection date so there is room to book a repair.

Alloy wheel refurbishment for kerb damage, scuffs and corrosion, including diamond-cut effect and painted finishes. SMART repair for bumper scuffs, scratches, stone chips and shallow dents, colour matched to the vehicle's paint code and blended into the panel.

We will also tell you when something is inside fair wear and tear and does not need doing. Repairing damage that would never have been charged for is money wasted, and we would rather keep the customer than the job.

Send photos of each item and the vehicle registration. We confirm what is worth repairing and what is not, agree a date, and come to your home or workplace. Work is cured on site, so the car can be driven the same day, and you get before and after photos with digital sign-off — useful evidence of condition if a charge is raised later anyway.

For companies de-fleeting several vehicles at once, we do the same job as a scheduled batch visit with a per-registration record. See dealerships, fleets and rental for how batch visits and reporting are handled.