Leasing and Modifications

[Crazypontiac03]

Hi all! I just picked o a 21’ Sierra BabyD. With never owning a diesel before and the insane pricing i decided to lease this one. Not to mention I tend to only last three-fours years in a truck. Question is how much “modding” have you guys gotten away without being charged any sort of penalty on the back end? I’m not looking into lifts or any type of deletes etc.

[blckblt]

The one truck that I leased I didn't do anything to do it.  Never felt like the truck was mine.  I kept it after the lease ran out and instantly tinted the front windows.  After I traded the truck I didn't lease the next one.

 

Whatever you do I would recommend only doing things that can be put back to stock (removing of said upgrade) or keep stock items to put back.

 

For example if you put running boards that are not part of lease just take them off.  You won't get anything for leaving them on.

 

 

With that said I would read the fine print details of your lease agreement.

[Brian Jones]

I have tinted the windows in leased vehicles with no penalty. However blckblt is correct, you won't get anything for things added onto your vehicle at turn in and as long as you return it to the state that you picked it up in.

 

[It's Tim]

1 hour ago, blckblt said:

Never felt like the truck was mine. 

Exactly, LOL.

[Crazypontiac03]

Thanks! I re-read the Lease agreement pretty much it’s their decision if they want to charge you “wear and tear”.

 My only plans are Tint,Bed Cover and maybe a leveling kit as those aren’t hard to remove. I’m not dealing with the exhaust or lift kits or performance especially dealing with the Dmax. 

[fsuboy75]

I am on my 5th leased Silverado.  I have the luck of living close to a great dealership.  They lead the area in sales.  For truck month they had to meet their sales so my 2nd lease from them was only for a little over a year.  They got me out and into my 3rd new one.   

 

My 4th was my 2018.  The most I did to it was put wheel skins over the chrome wheels to make them black.  

 

On turn in's I've been very lucky.  I take pretty good care of my trucks.  There are always dings and scratches, but my interiors are always spotless on turn in.  You get a list of acceptable damage as to how many dings or scratches you get.   A few times I got dinged in a parking lot, but I carry $100 deductibles on that stuff.  One, I knew was more tgan the allowed but under the amount so I took to a local shop that specializes in dings and dents and they buffed one out for $65.00

 

I'm on my 2020 now.  My trucks have always been pretty plain, but I lucked out enough to get an upgrade exterior blackout logos, side assist steps, etc....

 

I hated the stock z71's so I matched the rest of the black and put black z71's on the fenders.  Now that im blacking out everything, I'm using the new hyper dip (from plastidip) to black out my wheels.  I hate with a passion the auto stop button so put in the auto start stop disabler bypass behind the center stack.  That was well worth the $88.  I'm blacking out my grille and bow tie.  I may put rally stripes on it.

 

HERE'S MY POINT:  I know that these are things I can take off.  These are things that make me happy to do.  I may buy out this lease this time as I really like this truck.  This has been my favorite Silverado yet.

 

As to the things that can't be removed, like stripes or badging, either the dealership will buy my my lease to put on their lot, which won't matter.   Or the leasing company will accept them as equity.   I'm not putting anything on the truck that isn't something that detracts from the value.  

 

Now as to some other mods I've seen like muffler deletes, console upgrades, etc....I dunno.  I was told that if it comes with a jump seat console, and I put in a full center console, I would have to swap them back at turn in.  

 

I dunno why?????

 

 

 

[Crazypontiac03]

5 hours ago, fsuboy75 said:

I am on my 5th leased Silverado.  I have the luck of living close to a great dealership.  They lead the area in sales.  For truck month they had to meet their sales so my 2nd lease from them was only for a little over a year.  They got me out and into my 3rd new one.   

 

My 4th was my 2018.  The most I did to it was put wheel skins over the chrome wheels to make them black.  

 

On turn in's I've been very lucky.  I take pretty good care of my trucks.  There are always dings and scratches, but my interiors are always spotless on turn in.  You get a list of acceptable damage as to how many dings or scratches you get.   A few times I got dinged in a parking lot, but I carry $100 deductibles on that stuff.  One, I knew was more tgan the allowed but under the amount so I took to a local shop that specializes in dings and dents and they buffed one out for $65.00

 

I'm on my 2020 now.  My trucks have always been pretty plain, but I lucked out enough to get an upgrade exterior blackout logos, side assist steps, etc....

 

I hated the stock z71's so I matched the rest of the black and put black z71's on the fenders.  Now that im blacking out everything, I'm using the new hyper dip (from plastidip) to black out my wheels.  I hate with a passion the auto stop button so put in the auto start stop disabler bypass behind the center stack.  That was well worth the $88.  I'm blacking out my grille and bow tie.  I may put rally stripes on it.

 

HERE'S MY POINT:  I know that these are things I can take off.  These are things that make me happy to do.  I may buy out this lease this time as I really like this truck.  This has been my favorite Silverado yet.

 

As to the things that can't be removed, like stripes or badging, either the dealership will buy my my lease to put on their lot, which won't matter.   Or the leasing company will accept them as equity.   I'm not putting anything on the truck that isn't something that detracts from the value.  

 

Now as to some other mods I've seen like muffler deletes, console upgrades, etc....I dunno.  I was told that if it comes with a jump seat console, and I put in a full center console, I would have to swap them back at turn in.  

 

I dunno why?????

 

 

 

Thanks for the insight!!

[Imcrazy]

Nerf bars and a bed cover should be fine I wouldn’t do the level though. I quite leasing a few years ago, was nice but, once you pay the first buy off you can get back into a cheap payment and trade every 3-5 years.


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[204Denali]

On 10/19/2020 at 1:47 PM, Crazypontiac03 said:

Thanks! I re-read the Lease agreement pretty much it’s their decision if they want to charge you “wear and tear”.

 My only plans are Tint,Bed Cover and maybe a leveling kit as those aren’t hard to remove. I’m not dealing with the exhaust or lift kits or performance especially dealing with the Dmax. 

Tint and Bed Cover both come off easy enough, the leveling kit would depend on the individual dealership.  Many here wouldn't even care about a leveling kit, but I cannot say where you are they would feel the same.

 

Basically boils down to things you can easily remove or purchases you are okay with knowing your not getting your money back on it, because no dealership is paying you for the mods you do on a lease.  If you plan on keeping it, go to town then with whatever you want to do

[ullose272]

In 2005 i leased a Ford Ranger, i did all kinds of things that truck, lift, wheels , tire, tail lights, headlights, stereo, tint. I turned it in at the end and wasnt charged anything. My 2020 is a lease, ive tinted the windows, put a small lift on. And will probably do wheels and tires, but if this ends up being a good truck i will buy it at the end. I wanted an out if the 3.0 turned out to be trash.

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[Crazypontiac03]

Yep, That’s the same reason I leased this time around. I know the 3.0 has been out for alittle while but I don’t want to be hung with it if it turns out to be junk. 

[stacyschrist]

Congrats on your new 21' Sierra BabyD – sounds like an awesome choice! Leasing can be a smart move, especially with the crazy pricing these days. As for mods, you're in luck! Many have had success without facing penalties. Simple add-ons like bed liners, tonneau covers, or even cosmetic changes like decals usually don't cause issues.

[Bidlexey]

Congrats on snagging that 21' Sierra BabyD - sounds like a real gem! Leasing can be a smart move, especially with those crazy diesel prices nowadays. As for modifications, it's awesome that you're looking to customize your ride without running into penalties. But I would like to warn those who have not yet leased a car. It is a fairly simple procedure, but at the same time it has a number of nuances. For starters, try consulting with Mortgage Broker in Tamworth. I think it will help you not to make a mistake. I've heard from some experienced folks here that mild mods like aesthetic changes, non-performance enhancing upgrades, or even adding some practical accessories are usually tolerated by leasing companies.

Edited August 7, 2023 by Bidlexey

[foghorn23]

Lots of leasing experience here both with GM trucks and my wife's cars as well.  We take extremely good care of our vehicles and there's a first time for everything, BUT I haven't done a lease turn in since 2001.  It seems that at the end of our lease that our vehicles always have equity over the lease buyout price and therefore we trade them in and use the equity on the next one.  If you trade the lease, it won't matter what mods have been done.  It's just like trading in any other vehicle.  The one downside is if and when the trade in value is below the lease end purchase price you would have to turn it in or eat the negative equity.  So far, knock on wood, I've never had that happen.  The best example for us was during covid and the craziness of the used car market in 2021 when my wife sold her 2020 leased car 19 months into the lease for $5400 more than the payoff.  She pocketed the equity and leased a new 2022 model of the same car.  I highly doubt that the market of 2021 will exist in the future, but even if you have $500 equity, trade that sucker in at the end of the lease if you want a new vehicle.

[The Raven]

On 8/6/2023 at 7:29 AM, foghorn23 said:

...BUT I haven't done a lease turn in since 2001.  It seems that at the end of our lease that our vehicles always have equity over the lease buyout price and therefore we trade them in and use the equity on the next one.  If you trade the lease, it won't matter what mods have been done.  It's just like trading in any other vehicle.

 

This is important enough to repeat.  The days of leases being huge wins for banks is over (at least until they figure out how to re-slant the playing field).  Especially with full-size trucks, you should pretty much never just "turn in" your lease.  Buy or trade out of it, you'll make money.

 

Also, general advice on modifications - no bank is going to give you a hard time about mods that increase the value of the vehicle.  Problem is, too many people have the wrong idea about what increases the value of a vehicle.  Adding factory options or adding aftermarket items that are comparable to factory options is the safest path.  Otherwise, stuff you can remove.  Nobody wants your 22 inch -40 offset 12" wide color-matched rims on chinese tires, or your grumper, or your above-the-windshield mounted 50" light bar.  So don't waste the money.