2025 Integra A-Spec Tech New Leasee Questions

[BobbyDazzler6X]

A few days ago I traded in my 2011 Chevy Camaro LS (V6 MT) for a 2025 A-Spec Tech 6MT.
I was tired of looking at the thing after dumping a ton of money into it to get it up and running stemming from a blown head gasket.

I decided to lease for a variety of reasons, but I've never leased a car before so I'm hoping I can get some answers/advice.

I'm assuming that with a lease aftermarket mods are a no-go, but I'm also guessing that OEM parts installed by the dealer would be okay?

Things I'm curious about:
-Cargo Net
-Side/Rear diffusers
-Black Rear Badge
-Illuminated or Black Front Badge
-Logo Projector (idk about this one, could be kinda' meh)
-Shift Knob

Would I be an idiot for getting any of this stuff on a lease? Should I just keep it as is until my lease is up? Does anyone have any experience with these OEM parts/dealer install?

Also, in regards to the shift knob, I've seen some aftermarket stuff discussed here. Is installing a shift knob easily reversible? The stock one feels tiny to me after driving my Camaro for 13 years.

One final thing, does anyone have a hatch storage solution that doesn't require modification? I'm not keen on drilling holes myself for the OEM cargo net but I'd like to have something to keep things that I normally have in there from moving around, and that little pouch in the corner + the two compartments under the mat aren't really sufficient.

Sponsored

 

[Braun]

I always lease because of the flexibility. Any OEM/dealer accessories can be left on the vehicle at the end of the lease. Otherwise, as long as you return the vehicle to stock for everything else you modded you'll be fine.

Something else to keep in mind with a lease is that at the end of the lease term you could buy the vehicle outright rather than return it. This will allow you to keep the vehicle on your terms, avoid any over-mileage fees, and allow you to trade in or sell without the need to return your mods to stock.

 

[BobbyDazzler6X]

Thanks for the reply. I'm loving the car so far. I was a bit confused at some of its behavior at first because I've never driven a car with a turbo before, but I took it for a little drive tonight and got to play around on the highway a bit with no traffic and I found it way more fun than my Camaro was. (And that's with avoiding going over 4k RPM 'cause I'm still under 600 miles)

My main gripes with it are some UX decisions that feel like obvious misses, and the aforementioned need to drill into the back of the trunk to install the OEM net. I think I found a solution for trunk storage that does not require any changes to the vehicle, but I need to check some things first.

 

[TheRas900]

Congrats on the Integra, you will love it's 6MT and the Apex Blue. I get weekly compliments on the color.

The one thing to consider with mods on a lease is you will pay for the whole cost, where as in a lease you are only paying for the difference between cost and value at the end for the car. Therefore, accessories are more costly. If you can avoid the accessories, I would. However, if you think they will enhance your ownership to their full cost, let her rip. Acura will have no problem with OEM accessories on a lease.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

 

[AsianEd]

The top thing to remember with a lease: you don't own the car. It's yours in the sense that it is in your possession but none of the payments you make on it go towards you establishing ownership. At the end of the day, the car still belongs to Acura.

With that in mind, typically you can do anything you want to the car as long as you can reverse it at any time and it doesn't result in any mechanical damage. Anything deemed beyond "wear and tear" could result in a fee at lease turn-in (if you chose to do that). In addition to mileage, some lease terms may also dictate the leasee replace wear components like tires if they are below a certain threshold prior to turn in.

Dealer installed accessories should be fine, as the dealer can easily resell the vehicle with them installed.

Mechanical mods are probably OK, as long as you can remove them and they don't cause any excessive wear that will show up during a turn-in inspection, result in the motor blowing up, or cause you to love driving it so much that you blow through your mileage allocation.

Of course, if the intention is to buy out the car at the end, you can do anything you want...

 

[BobbyDazzler6X]

Thanks for the feedback. With all that mind I'll likely not do any mods.

In regards to the color though, I would like to make sure that it stays looking great for the 4 years of the lease. Any tips on that would be appreciated.

I was also curious about engine break in. The manual says 600 for the engine and 200 for the brakes. I've been doing my best to keep RPMs under 4000, but I have had a few instances where unfamiliarity with the car has led to me going over that very briefly. I'm assuming that's not a big deal, and the idea is to keep it under for the vast majority of the break in period?

Lastly, I think my storage solution works pretty well. I bought four small carabiners and used them to attach the net I bought for the Camaro to the right side hooks and a metal bit to the right of the rear seats. It's not perfect, but it keeps things in place. I carried some glass bottles in the net last night and had no issues.

Sponsored