Sam, a Car Guide reader, owns a Nissan Murano at the end of his lease. The dealer charged him $2,455 to replace the damaged tailgate. Is it overkill?
Our animators Antoine Joubert and Mathieu Roy explore the question.
“They rented a vehicle and damaged the vehicle. You have an obligation to restore it to an acceptable state,” explains Antoine.
Photo: Nissan
But the columnist has a suggestion. Although our experts don’t know the color of the bodywork, Antoine estimates that it should be either black, gray or white – the most common shades.
“Look at recycling centers that might have full tailgates,” the journalist suggests. In fact, the vehicles that end up there are often damaged from the front rather than the back, claims Antoine.
This is an economical choice to avoid paying full dealer price. Another solution would be to buy an aftermarket tailgate.
Check out the In the Studio capsule at the top of this article for all the details.