What happens if you haven't paid for registration when returning the lease car?

Hi all,

I am just wondering what happens if you return the lease car, but the car registration hasn't been paid. I am not in that situation right now, but I just would like to know.

Originally Posted by bengwie

Hi all,

I am just wondering what happens if you return the lease car, but the car registration hasn't been paid. I am not in that situation right now, but I just would like to know.

Thats a state issue. In Alabama, we take the tag off the car when we turn it in anyway so the dealership doesnt care whether you registered it or not. Not their problem.

I have my car on 27 month lease, therefore I am thinking whether I should pay for the 3rd year registration later on...

Originally Posted by bengwie

I have my car on 27 month lease, therefore I am thinking whether I should pay for the 3rd year registration later on...

It is completely your responsibility to pay it. One of the downsides of a split-term lease...

If you don't pay it, the DMV will keep after you.

I did an ED (335d) with a 27 month lease. My lease started in June but my registration was not paid until I took re-delivery in August. I'm hoping to lease again on an ED trip in the summer of '13. I'm hoping the dealership will buy out a month (possibly two) when I do this and remove my need to pay the third year reg fee.

Options:

1. You can hand the car back in earlier.
2. You can pay the registration and hand the car back in later and extend the lease with a car on order.

It's not a big thing - zero sum game. If you don't pay the registration, someone else does. It's not as though it gets paid twice.

But DMV in California gives you like few months to pay for registration (of course with additional fees once beyond the car anniversary date), and 27 months is within the grace period.

When you don't pay for registration for a car, I don't think DMV will pursue you, but they pursue the car. But after 27 months, the car doesn't belong to you anymore. So we should be good if we don't pay for last year registration right?

It's my understanding that BMW FS requires that the registration be current when you turn in the car.

Plus are you going to drive the car around with expired registration?

Originally Posted by bengwie

When you don't pay for registration for a car, I don't think DMV will pursue you, but they pursue the car.

So by that logic, if there are 5 years of unpaid registration, then any new owner is responsible for that? I doubt that is how it works.

Originally Posted by roots

It's my understanding that BMW FS requires that the registration be current when you turn in the car.

Plus are you going to drive the car around with expired registration?

Exactly.

Originally Posted by chrischeung

So by that logic, if there are 5 years of unpaid registration, then any new owner is responsible for that? I doubt that is how it works.

Actually yes, that's the new owner's responsibility to pay for unpaid registration on the vehicle. It happened to me when I bought my m3, the previous owner hasn't paid for registration and I was responsible to pay for that and the late fee.

Originally Posted by roots

It's my understanding that BMW FS requires that the registration be current when you turn in the car.

Plus are you going to drive the car around with expired registration?

The answer is "maybe" if it is only for the last 2-3 months and as long as it is legal (grace period). But if there is such a rule from BMW FS, then I won't mess around...

Fair enough. So the onus is on the buyer/receiver to ensure that registration is current. What would you do if the dealer refused to accept the car with expired registration? I would also recommend reviewing your lease documents.

Originally Posted by chrischeung

Fair enough. So the onus is on the buyer/receiver to ensure that registration is current. What would you do if the dealer refused to accept the car with expired registration? I would also recommend reviewing your lease documents.

That's something I would like to find out from those who has experienced this in this forum. When you turn in the car, does the dealer ask for registration? After all, we are only talking about saving few hundreds dollar in here, but I just would like to know the answer.

This is from what I know from a friend, he always gets a lot of parking tickets, but he never pays them because every year he will trade in his car to the dealers and he never got to pay those tickets.

Originally Posted by bengwie

That's something I would like to find out from those who has experienced this in this forum. When you turn in the car, does the dealer ask for registration? After all, we are only talking about saving few hundreds dollar in here, but I just would like to know the answer.

This is from what I know from a friend, he always gets a lot of parking tickets, but he never pays them because every year he will trade in his car to the dealers and he never got to pay those tickets.

Yes, your registration is verified at turn-in.

I don't know about anybody else but my registration expires the same day that my lease contract is up.
cheers
vern

That is true unless you have a 27 or 39 month lease. Or have a car on order and keep it fit a couple of months until your car gets there.

Sent from my SGH-I997 using Bimmer

Originally Posted by ZoomVT

That is true unless you have a 27 or 39 month lease. Or have a car on order and keep it fit a couple of months until your car gets there.

Sent from my SGH-I997 using Bimmer

Then you have to pay for another registration, you don't ride for free.
cheers
vern