CarDealership #Leasing #CarPurchase #SafetyInspection
Introduction: Can a Car Dealership Really Do This?
Leasing a car can provide many benefits, but the transition from lease to ownership often comes with its own set of rules and requirements. One common question arises: Can a car dealership mandate where you get a safety inspection? Let’s explore this topic thoroughly.
Leasing to Ownership: The Safety Inspection Requirement
When your car lease is coming to an end and you decide to purchase the vehicle, a safety inspection is usually a necessary step. However, it can be frustrating when the dealership insists that this inspection be conducted exclusively through their own services, especially if you have more affordable options available.
🚗 Dealership Policies: What’s the Deal?
Dealerships often cite "policy reasons" for requiring that safety inspections be done in-house. Here are a few reasons why they might enforce this rule:
- Quality Control: Ensuring the inspection meets their standards.
- Revenue: Generating additional income through service fees.
- Avoiding Risk: Minimizing potential issues from inspections done elsewhere.
While these reasons may be valid from a dealership’s perspective, they can feel like a burden to the customer.
Legal Grounds: Can They Legally Enforce It?
The legality of a dealership enforcing this policy can vary by region. However, most states typically do not regulate the specifics of who must perform a safety inspection, as long as it’s conducted by a licensed facility. Here’s how you can navigate this situation:
- Check Your Lease Agreement: Review any clauses related to end-of-lease inspections.
- State Regulations: Research state laws regarding safety inspections.
- Consult Legal Advice: In ambiguous cases, seeking legal advice may be beneficial.
🚀 Options for the Customer
Feeling cornered by the dealership’s "mandatory" inspection policy? Here are some steps you can take:
- Negotiate: Politely explain your situation and see if they can make an exception.
- Get Documentation: Request written policies or clauses from the dealership.
- File a Complaint: If you believe practices are unfair, consider lodging a formal complaint with consumer protection agencies.
Conclusion: Making the Best Decision
Understanding your rights and the dealership’s policies is vital when moving from lease to ownership. While safety inspections are standard, you have options if you feel a dealership is being unreasonable.
Navigating these waters can seem challenging, but with the right approach, you can make informed decisions and avoid unnecessary expense.
Final Thoughts
Has this policy affected your decision to continue leasing or purchase your vehicle? Share your experiences and any tips you’ve found useful. Your feedback helps others in similar situations! 🚙🔧
Engage, explore, and empower yourself with the right information for a smooth, hassle-free car ownership transition. Happy driving! 🚗🌟
Yup, they’re going to try to squeeze as much as possible from you, especially if the agreed upon residual value of the car is lower than what they could possibly sell/lease it for.
Stealership just trying to steal more
I think I paid like 160 for a safety
I’m not familiar, tbh.. but something to consider:
Is your lease through that dealership or through Hyundai Motor Finance? if through Hyundai Motor Finance, any Hyundai dealership should be able to help you out.
If it’s free or near free from your aunt just bring it in with a safety and leave it at that, it’s valid regardless
Many manufacturers allow you to deal directly with the finance arm of the company (assuming that is who did this lease) instead of the dealership. May be worth contacting them and doing the buy out through them to avoid all the dealership shenanigans.
Their policy may not be Kia’s policy. Call Kia to confirm.
Paid $230 and that included a belt change.
>But today when I went in to discuss the purchase, they said it’s their policy that the safety inspection has to be done through their own dealership for $250.
Return with a copy of the contract and a pen and ask them to circle the part where it says that. Or the part where it says you need a safety inspection at all. If you are buying out the car why on earth would you need that?
You do have to get the vehicle transferred to your name. It is registered to the leasing company usually. It is an issue for sure, they want to get you for as much as they can. My friend bought out their vehicle at the end of the lease and the stealership found around 5000 of repairs that needed to be done before they would certify it and transfer the ownership. Definitely look at the contract to see if you can go elsewhere!!!!
Do it at your aunt’s dealer. They (Finance manager) should be able to help you with the lease buyout process as well.
If it’s written into your contact then you’ll have e to eat the $250, if its not, you can tell them to f off.
Aren’t they charing you dealership fee and documentation fee too?
Toyota wanted almost 600$ to transfer after lease.
I pointed at the part of the lease that said no more than 300$ and told them to have sex with themselves.
Still highway robery but …
The safety is required as title is being transferred and it’s been viewed as a used car sale now. But it doesn’t need to be from that dealer. My ex went through this when buying out her BMW lease. Her dealer said they had to do it and it was going to cost $1000. She called another bmw dealer and they did it for $300. The dealer just wants to make some money. Lol
“We’ve had problems with that in the past” directly translates to “we have a problem not receiving your money for this”
Go in with a copy of the agreement and tell them bluntly to go fuck themselves. Not nicely, bluntly.
It’s annoying but it’s the only way to accomplish anything these days.
Buy it out directly and save the admin fees the dealership will charge which is generally $400-1000. A safety from any licensed garage will work, including your hookup. You use that when you transfer ownership, the finance company doesn’t even see it.
Ask them to show you where you agreed to this “policy”. Otherwise tell them your “policy” is to get it done elsewhere.
It’s been about 20 years, but the last time I bought out a lease it was through Honda Canada and I remember taking a cheque to their head office and getting it taken care of there.
Yes it’s legit. You don’t own the car, Hyundai does. So when you return the lease, the dealership ‘grounds’ the car in their system and ‘buys’ the vehicle from Hyundai and resells it to you. The last part is why they need to inspect the vehicle. If they didn’t, and you bought the vehicle from them and something happened…say the brakes failed because they needed to be replaced..and you got into an accident and killed someone. The dealership could be liable because they just sold you the car.
It’s no different than if you bought a used car from a dealership that wasn’t inspected. The dealership could be responsible for issues after the sale.
People saying the ‘dealership’ is just trying to squeeze $ out of you have no idea what they’re talking about.
They’re bullying you. Walk in with a cheque for the amount on your lease agreement and a safety certificate issued from whoever. You will still have to pay the licensing fee to have the ownership changed with the ministry, but that’s less than 60 bucks.
If they try to pull anything, raise hell. You can also try another hyundai dealer. The lease buyout does not have to be done at the same dealer you originally leased from. Your lease agreement is between you and Hyundai Canada, not any dealer in particular.
They cannot. Kia tried to charge me a lease transfer fee.
It was not on our contract so I refused.
Just go get the safety from your aunt and deal with the leasing company directly (not your dealership)
You need to read your lease documents. You should be able to ‘return’ it to any dealer with a valid safety or pay for theirs. Then buy it for the agreed price. Just like when you buy new they’re gonna try to add fees, and closing costs at this point. When I did it they eventually relented on the made up fees and sold me the car with just a safety.
I’m in quebec and when I bought my lease back, I didn’t have to go through a safety check. Why would you have to? It’s already ‘your’ car
I did, however, had difficulties to bought my car back. The dealer where I took my lease at were just toying with me. Giving me an appointment and when I show up in time, the person responsible to make me buy my car was super rude, not helpful at all and when I said I was not buying a new car, he suddenly had no time for me lol. Went to another hyundai dealer a bit further and the transaction was super smooth with them.
Wait till they add on addmin fee
Unfortunately from what I’ve seen and read on here, it seems that dealerships can really do what they want. Sad that there isn’t any kind of oversight. Makes me worried about my next vehicle purchase.
You don’t have to go to your original dealer to process the lease buyback. Just call around and find another dealer. **Look into the paperwork and it should have all amounts, including lease buyout amount and admin fees.** Stick to that, and make sure you carry a copy of that paperwork to avoid nasty surprises. Personally, I would suggest call around and get a draft made for the specific amount as per your original paperwork.
As per safety inspection — ‘no’ you don’t need to get this done at the specific dealer. Seems like this particular dealer is a d’bag.
No, a certified FTR journeyman can inspect any car brand as long as they have the SGI certification and training. I work in a dealership and see FTR inspection done on all make and models of vehicles. Safety issues is what they look out for. They are just trying to con you. Be careful, they are called stealerships for a reason.
I was a finance manager at Honda and used to regularly do lease buyouts for customers. You need the safety certification for sure. And it can be from anywhere. Safety standards are the same across Ontario.
Additionally, at Honda, the lease buyout fee INCLUDES the safety inspection. Go through your contract and see what’s included in the buyout price.
I bought out my 2019 BMW a few years ago and got my safety done at a local shop. No requirement to get it done at a dealership- just a requirement to get it done. They offered of course, but you have the option to do it wherever.