How Much Can You Modify a Leased Mustang?

[Mustang Convert]

I'm leasing my Mustang for 36 months and was curious how much it can be modified. Obviously, as a lease, I don't want to spend much money modifying it, but curious about doing inexpensive things like painting the chrome emblems black, tinting the windows (legally), or getting a Ford Racing approved tune. Do these have to be undone when I turn it in?

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[JimmyTwoTimes]

Window tinting would be fine, since that's easily removed, although you'd have to remove it before returning the car at the end of your lease. Nothing else you mentioned would be allowed -- check your lease agreement.

 

[fionic]

Not 100% sure, but I think you definitely cannot modify things you won't be able to revert back to stock.

 

[FiveLiterDreamer]

You can't put anything on the car that isn't offered by the factory if you do your dealer doesn't want to know about it and you have to turn the car back to 100% stock. I would suggest plastidip on the emblems or buy a black set of emblems and tint should be fine. Service will be able to tell how many times your ecu has been flashed FYI.

 

[Mustang Convert]

You can't put anything on the car that isn't offered by the factory if you do your dealer doesn't want to know about it and you have to turn the car back to 100% stock. I would suggest plastidip on the emblems or buy a black set of emblems and tint should be fine. Service will be able to tell how many times your ecu has been flashed FYI.

Thanks for the responses. Can you have Ford service do a Ford Racing flash and then return it to normal when I turn it in?

 

[foghat]

I have leased a number of vehicles over the years and have ever only returned 2. Every other time I've either sold it just before the lease ended or traded it in. And then pay the residual out. I've always come out ahead doing that.

If you go that route, mod away.

Either way, I'd be surprised if they said anything about tinted windows - as long as it isn't too extreme. Probably varies from dealer to dealer in terms of what they will let slide.

 

[foghat]

Thanks for the responses. Can you have Ford service do a Ford Racing flash and then return it to normal when I turn it in?

If you use something like a Cobb Accessport, you can flash back to stock map and then sell your accessport to recoup some of the initial cost. They usually hold their value quite well.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Thanks for the responses. Can you have Ford service do a Ford Racing flash and then return it to normal when I turn it in?

I HIGHLY doubt that Ford would put a Ford Racing tune on a leased vehicle. Keep in mind that when you're leasing a vehicle the vehicle is not yours -- belongs to Ford, and you're just paying them for the privilege of using it. What you're talking about is the functional equivalent of trying to install a hot tub in a hotel room you're renting out.

 

[Tweezy7]

I had a leased Civic and the only thing I modified was window tint.
However the dealer did not say anything when I returned it and I left the tint on

 

[C.Fair23]

Only problem with this is they can tell that the ECU has been flashed and see how many times. This could cause an issue, but I haven't tried it with a lease so I can't say for sure.

If you use something like a Cobb Accessport, you can flash back to stock map and then sell your accessport to recoup some of the initial cost. They usually hold their value quite well.

 

[ramairgt1]

I put a whipple on my leased '07 and sold it before I turned it

 

[foghat]

Only problem with this is they can tell that the ECU has been flashed and see how many times. This could cause an issue, but I haven't tried it with a lease so I can't say for sure.

Even if it is a certainty they could tell, I'd be shocked if they checked something like that on a lease return. But who knows, I guess.

Usually (at least in the BMW world), they don't go checking for tunes unless they are performing warranty work where the issue at hand could be directly attributed to a tune.

Like I said above, depending on the by out, quite possibly you are probably better off selling or trading in instead of giving it back anyways.

 

[souprmage]

Technically speaking, you can do whatever you want to the car. It's just a matter of how much it'll cost you.

If you're not wanting to pay for the car when the lease is up, you probably want to stick with only mods that can be undone and show no trace they were there. ie. don't put a custom tune on it, it keeps track of how many times the tune has been changed, even if you put it back to a stock tune.

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