Benefits of including maintenance in your car lease contract

There are a number of important things to consider and remember while getting a car lease. The issue of maintenance of the car is one aspect which should be understood carefully before acquiring a car lease. You should remember that you are responsible of all maintenance and repairs on your leased car and not the leased company.

A person may opt to include a fully maintained lease offer in order for him to have peace of mind and financial security. The cost for the routine servicing and maintenance is incorporated in the monthly payments. It is important to know, in case you opt for maintaining the car yourself, that any replacements of parts in the car should only use manufacturers parts and not "aftermarket" parts. In case the repairs are not done properly, the lease company would charge you at the time the vehicle is returned to them.

In a maintained lease offer all the servicing, tires, brakes, and exhausts are covered with no additional cost. If ever you go beyond your mileage allowance the per mile penalty will also incorporate maintenance. In this way you would not have any unexpected cost over the duration of the lease. This type of package is very beneficial to users with a very high mileage usage, typically ranging from 20 - 30k per annum.

While low mileage users should also consider non-maintained contracts on their own financial merit. Due to the recent change in European Law about Block exemption, giving you the right to take your vehicle anywhere for servicing provided the servicing garages uses OEM parts and adheres to the manufacturers servicing schedules. This factor greatly affects the lower mileage user as dealership prices are higher compared to small or local garages.

Before deciding whether to include the maintenance in your lease offer, you should always evaluate the money saved if you opt to maintain the vehicle yourself, to the peace of mind you'll have on a fully maintained contract. Users with a high mileage would find the maintained contract more interesting due to convenience, while users with low mileage would notice the benefit more on maintaining the car themselves and save some money in the process.