Lease Return: Preparing for the Bodywork Inspection
Start with your lessor’s wear guidelines and return deadline. A preparatory walk-around helps identify questions to raise; it does not replace the leasing company’s official inspection.
1. Collect the return documents
Keep the return guide, wear criteria, any pre-inspection invitation and instructions concerning repairs. Use the standards for your own agreement instead of assuming a universal scratch or dent allowance.
2. Photograph visible concerns
- Bumpers: deep scratches, cracks and poor fit.
- Doors, fenders and panels: dents, creases and damaged paint.
- Nearby trim, wheels or lamps: note concerns for the lessor; including them in a walk-around does not mean the shop offers every related service.
Take an overall view and a close-up in reasonably even light. Do not dismantle components to take pictures.
3. Arrange the lessor’s pre-return inspection
If offered, arrange it early enough to receive the report and understand potential charges. Ask how repair documents should be supplied and whether a further inspection is required.
4. Assess the relevant bodywork
The shop can discuss body-repair options, your deadline and the proposed scope. Once you have a report, use our guide to deciding which repairs to authorize.
Does a repair guarantee there will be no return charges?
No. The lessor applies its own standards and makes the final decision. Obtain its requirements before paying for work solely to avoid return charges.
See our lease-return bodywork service, dent repairs and paint correction information.
The featured photograph is a real 24K Auto bodywork example. It does not depict a lease-return inspection or an acceptable-wear standard.
For a bodywork estimate, book an in-person appointment online, then bring your vehicle and any available lease-return report to our workshop at 781 Avenue Halpern, Dorval, Québec H9P 1G5. Bring your return deadline and the lessor’s wear guidelines so the assessment reflects your situation.
The initial verbal estimate of visible bodywork damage is free when you bring the vehicle to our Dorval shop. We do not quote repair prices by phone, message, email or photographs. A written estimate or detailed inspection is a separate service; we explain the exact applicable fees and terms before you agree, while respecting any legally required written repair estimate before covered work. Hidden damage can affect the scope and timing.
Rental companies, car-sharing operators and fleet managers have different operational needs from individual lease-return customers. For company-owned or managed vehicles, see our short-term rental and fleet body repair service in Dorval for coordination and repair-scope details.
