Tires when returning a lease

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gotkwah

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
29
Location
Atlanta, GA
My lease says i need to return with tires which are a "matching set of tires of comparable type and quality to the tires furnished with this vehicle upon commencement of this Lease"

Who determines comparable type & quality? i have 8 months left, one irreparable flat tire and 2 almost bald tires so will definitely need new tires before I return. I figure i should just replace all 4 now. I was just going to go with the cheapest tires i could find (which happen to be the Velozza ZXV) but am worried nissan will try and get me for not being "comparable" to the shitty Ecopias they gave me.

any help is appreciated.
 
Are those Velozza tires similar in spec to the Ecopias? Are they low rolling-resistance tires? Is the treadwear rating similar (400)? If the answer is yes to all of those, then you have a similar spec tire.
 
My guess is any "normal" passenger tires would pass. At least in my case the inspector did not seem LEAF-specific, and was concerned with overall condition of the car, dings scratches, interior damage... As for the tires I think they're probably concerned that they have enough tread and look "normal". I.e., no snow tires, overly-aggressive tread or obviously oversized/undersized or tires with a goofy profile. I would be extremely surprised if LRR was anywhere in their review.
 
aarond12 said:
Are those Velozza tires similar in spec to the Ecopias? Are they low rolling-resistance tires? Is the treadwear rating similar (400)? If the answer is yes to all of those, then you have a similar spec tire.

no, they are 360 treadware. I can get something similarly priced with 400+ treadware, but not low rolling resistance. think that is something that they will check?
 
I may be returning my 2013 Leaf early, as I may be buying a 2015. Can you return a leased car with four snow tires on it in December or January? I'd hate to have to swap on the wheels with brand new all-seasons from the new car, or pay $100 to have my mediocre (but not worn) snows swapped to the new rims...

Only slightly OT: how long does it take to schedule an end of lease inspection? I'd have to sign the papers for the new car this week, and don't want to risk getting charged for things I could easily fix myself, like small scratches in the paint. Since I'd be buying a new Nissan I should be "forgiven" up to $500 in "excess wear or damage" but I've read horror stories about trusting lessees returning pristine cars to dealers and then getting dinged for either imaginary damage or damage incurred after return... Has anyone gone through this specific situation with NMAC?
 
NMAC's Wear and Use Guide makes no mention of snow tires but does mention that the tires match "the type, quality, size, and rating" of the OEM tires. So a picky inspector might use "type" to mandate that you put the all-seasons back on. If you have the time to do so, I would leave the snow tires on and see what the inspector says.

Re the inspection, I could have scheduled it the next day, but I was busy then so I had it done later in the week. They do lease inspections for other lessors as well so they may be busy or not in your area when you call. The inspection took about 20 minutes and he emailed the report to me on the spot from his laptop.

When I finally returned my car at the dealer, I was surprised that we didn't do any walk around of the car. All I did was sign a paper saying I turned in the car and agreed on the odometer reading.
 
Thanks. So NMAC uses independent inspectors who operate locally and generally work quickly? I actually have a set of 'turn in tires' that should work fine, but they aren't on the car, and every tire swap costs $100, so just getting the right tires on the right wheels would cost $200. Can anyone confirm that the 2015 SV comes with Ecrapias? If so, I might as well swap on the new wheels to turn in my 2013 and keep my Pirelli snows on the old wheels for the new Leaf. I have a set of 17" Juke rims for next Summer, although no tires for them yet. I just hate to swap new alloy wheels for 3 year old ones. Will Leaf Spy Pro register the TPM sensors with the new cars?
 
LeftieBiker said:
Thanks. So NMAC uses independent inspectors who operate locally and generally work quickly? I actually have a set of 'turn in tires' that should work fine, but they aren't on the car, and every tire swap costs $100, so just getting the right tires on the right wheels would cost $200. Can anyone confirm that the 2015 SV comes with Ecrapias? If so, I might as well swap on the new wheels to turn in my 2013 and keep my Pirelli snows on the old wheels for the new Leaf. I have a set of 17" Juke rims for next Summer, although no tires for them yet. I just hate to swap new alloy wheels for 3 year old ones. Will Leaf Spy Pro register the TPM sensors with the new cars?

Yes. In my area, the inspector works for a company called Alliance Inspection Management. I called them up (got the number from my NMAC account) and set up the appointment. Like the cable company they give you a 4 hour window but my inspector showed up within the first hour.

I do recall that mid-year, Nissan started including the 17 inch wheel/tire combo from the 2013+ SL trim on some 2015 SV's. However if you get one that still has the 16 inch alloy wheel/tire setup I don't think it matters what brand is on them (though I think Nissan is still using the Ecopias for the 16 inch versions) as long as all four are a matching set.

I don't know about LeafSpy or about registering the TPMS sensors.
 
Thanks. I was using the Ecopias as a reason to not try to save the new wheels.

It turns out the Black 2015 SV has lot damage. There is a silver SV with Premium floating around out here, for which I'm awaiting specific info, like build date.
 
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