Cardiff & South Wales

    End of Lease & PCP Return Car Repairs in Cardiff

    Sort kerbed alloys, bumper scuffs and dents before your lease car goes back — usually for far less than the recharge from the leasing company.

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    When a lease or PCP vehicle goes back, it gets inspected against the BVRLA Fair Wear and Tear standard. Anything the inspector judges to be beyond fair wear and tear is recharged to you, and those recharges are typically well above what an independent body shop would charge to put the same damage right. CJVS is a Cardiff body repair centre, and a big part of what we do is getting cars looking right before they're collected — honestly, properly, and at body shop prices rather than end-of-contract prices.

    Yes — you're allowed to repair it before it goes back

    This is the thing drivers worry about most, so let's deal with it first. The BVRLA's own consumer guidance states that customers may arrange to repair damage before returning the vehicle, provided the repairs are carried out to a professional standard by a reputable repairer who can provide a fully transferable warranty on the work. That is exactly what CJVS provides: manufacturer-standard repairs, spectrophotometer colour matching, low-bake oven curing, and a guarantee on our workmanship that transfers with the vehicle.

    We can't speak for another company's inspector and we won't pretend otherwise — no repairer can guarantee how a leasing company will assess a vehicle. What we can do is carry out the repair to the standard the guidance asks for, and give you the paperwork to show it. In practice, a properly repaired panel that's been colour matched and cured is very difficult to distinguish from the original finish.

    Start early — around 10 to 12 weeks before collection

    The BVRLA recommends appraising the vehicle roughly 10 to 12 weeks before it's due back. That window exists for a good reason: it gives you time to see what's there, get a couple of prices, and book the work in without rushing. Paint needs time to be prepped, applied and cured properly, and alloy refurbishment usually means the wheels are off the car for a day or two.

    The week before collection is the worst possible time to start ringing round. If your return date is on the horizon, come and see us early — even if the answer turns out to be that you don't need us.

    What usually gets recharged

    Genuine fair wear and tear is a different matter. Light, age-related wear that you'd expect on a car of that mileage — small stone chips, faint marks that polish out, normal interior wear — is not chargeable, and you shouldn't be paying to correct it.

    • Kerbed, scraped or corroded alloy wheels
    • Scuffed, cracked or split bumpers
    • Dents in doors, wings, bonnets and tailgates
    • Scratches that go through the paint to primer or bare metal
    • Impact damage to panels, including creases and misalignment
    • Missing trim, badges, caps and covers

    About those measurements

    You'll often see figures quoted online: light scratches up to around 25mm being acceptable, small dents up to around 10mm being acceptable, and so on. Treat those as typical guidance, not as rules. Funders can have their own documentation, thresholds vary by contract, and the Fair Wear and Tear guide is updated periodically.

    Before you spend anything, request the Fair Wear and Tear guide directly from your own leasing company or funder and check what your agreement actually says. Bring it with you if you like — we'll go round the car with you against it.

    What CJVS does

    We start with a pre-return inspection. We walk the car with you, point out what an inspector is likely to pick up, and tell you honestly what's worth repairing. If something looks like fair wear and tear to us, we'll say so rather than sell you a repair you don't need — we'd rather you came back to us for the next car than felt stitched up on this one.

    • Free pre-return appraisal and honest advice
    • Alloy wheel refurbishment, including diamond-cut and painted finishes
    • Bumper scuff and crack repair, including plastic welding
    • Dent removal and panel work
    • Colour-matched panel and localised repairs
    • Transferable guarantee on our workmanship

    Personal leases, PCP and company vehicles

    This applies whether you're handing back a personal contract hire car, reaching the end of a PCP and choosing not to buy it, or returning a company or fleet vehicle. Fleet returns often get inspected more closely than anything, and the recharges land on the business. If you run a handful of vehicles coming back at similar times, talk to us — it's usually cheaper and easier to batch the work.

    We look after drivers across Cardiff, Penarth, Barry, Newport, Bridgend and the wider South Wales area, from the workshop on Dyfrig Road Industrial Estate, Cardiff CF5 5AD.

    Is it actually cheaper?

    Usually, yes — and often by a wide margin. End-of-contract recharges are calculated by the leasing company to cover their own remedial costs plus administration, and a single kerbed alloy or a scuffed bumper can come back at a figure that surprises people. The same repair carried out by an independent body shop is priced as a job, not as a penalty.

    The honest caveat: if the car has very little damage, or the damage sits comfortably within fair wear and tear, repairing it may cost you money you'd never have been charged. That's why the inspection comes first. Send photos on WhatsApp or use the Estimatic estimator for an indicative guide figure, then come in and we'll look at it properly.

    How to handle a lease return

    1. 1

      Check your return date

      Aim to look at the car around 10 to 12 weeks before it's due back so there's no rush.

    2. 2

      Get your funder's Fair Wear and Tear guide

      Request it from the leasing company so you're working to the standard your contract actually uses.

    3. 3

      Send photos or book an appraisal

      WhatsApp a few pictures to Chris, or bring the car in and we'll walk round it with you.

    4. 4

      Get honest advice

      We'll tell you what's likely to be recharged, what looks like fair wear and tear, and what we'd leave alone.

    5. 5

      Book the work in

      Alloys, bumpers, dents and paint — repaired to a professional standard with proper colour matching.

    6. 6

      Hand the car back

      You keep our transferable guarantee on the workmanship in case anyone asks about the repair.

    Frequently asked questions

    You can arrange repairs before handing the vehicle back. The BVRLA's consumer guidance states that customers may repair damage before return, provided the work is done to a professional standard by a reputable repairer who can provide a fully transferable warranty. What you should avoid is DIY touch-in, cheap filler work or a poor colour match, because a substandard repair can itself be treated as damage. Check your own agreement and your funder's Fair Wear and Tear guide before booking anything.

    No repairer can guarantee how another company's inspector will assess a vehicle, and we won't tell you otherwise. What we can say is that the BVRLA guidance is about the standard of the repair rather than who carried it out — professional workmanship, a proper colour match and a transferable warranty. We repair to that standard and give you the documentation for the work, which is the strongest position you can be in.

    The BVRLA recommends appraising the vehicle around 10 to 12 weeks before it's due back. That gives you time to check the damage against your funder's guide, get prices and book the work without rushing. Paint and alloy refurbishment both need the car or wheels with us for a short period, so leaving it to the final week limits your options.

    In most cases it is, and often significantly. End-of-contract recharges cover the funder's remedial costs plus administration, whereas an independent body shop prices the job itself. The exception is minor damage that would have fallen within fair wear and tear anyway — which is why we inspect and advise before you commit to anything.

    Broadly, wear you would expect from normal use for the age and mileage of the vehicle: light marks, small stone chips, minor age-related deterioration. Damage tends to mean kerbed alloys, scuffed or cracked bumpers, dents, scratches through to primer or bare metal, and impact damage. Figures such as light scratches up to around 25mm or dents up to around 10mm are commonly cited as typical guidance, but they are not absolute rules — thresholds vary by funder and the guide is updated periodically, so request the Fair Wear and Tear guide from your own leasing company.

    Yes. We handle personal contract hire returns, PCP vehicles being handed back rather than purchased, and company or fleet vehicles. Fleet returns are often inspected closely and the recharges land on the business, so if you have several vehicles coming back around the same time it's usually worth talking to us about doing them together.

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    Lease car due back soon?

    Send photos on WhatsApp or call Chris on 07968 978939. Prefer to see a figure first? Use the Estimatic estimator.

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