Four Things to Know About Maintaining a Leased Vehicle

For many people, leasing a vehicle has lots of benefits that make it a more attractive option than purchasing. However, there is one aspect of leasing that makes many people nervous: maintenance. After all, leasing means that you don't own the vehicle, and you don't want to be on the hook for extra maintenance and repair costs. Here are four things you should know about maintaining a vehicle you're leasing.

What services need to maintained during a lease for your Subaru

4. Read the Lease Agreement Carefully

The lease agreement is a contract, so it makes sense that you'd need to read it carefully before signing. The agreement will have important conditions; for example, it may tell you how often you need to have preventive maintenance performed, and it may also define exactly what constitutes excessive wear and tear. This way, you can know exactly how to keep your vehicle maintained to the proper standards.

3. Stay On Top of Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is important for any vehicle. When you lease a Subaru, it can be even easier; many lease agreements let you add the cost of routine preventive maintenance into the monthly payments. However, failing to have this maintenance performed means that you could be stuck with the cost of repairs that come from improperly maintaining the vehicle.

Schedule service for your leased Subaru in Beaverton, OR

2. Keep Up Appearances

This is part of maintenance often overlooked, but it's still important. Sure, washing and waxing your leased vehicle makes it look nice, but there are practical reasons to do this, as well. Regular washing and waxing means that you won't have to work as hard to clean your vehicle up when the lease term is over. Furthermore, mud, water, and road grime can actually damage the vehicle's finish, leaving you with fees at the end of the lease.

1. Treat It Like a Rental

When it comes down to it, this is a good rule of thumb: treat your leased vehicle like it's a rental vehicle, or perhaps a car you're borrowing from a friend. Since leases are longer, it can be easy to start thinking of it as "your" vehicle. Of course, this brings up another benefit of a lease: if you decide you love the vehicle when the lease is up, you can choose to purchase it!