You can't expect a vehicle to come back in new condition if it's 3-4 years old! I would expect it to come back in 3-4 year old condition. So that means if they normally rust from chips on the front, so be it. If Nissan wanted to change that, they would ship them with the plastic on there, just as they have with the rear doors.
So I considered it to be normal wear and tear on the vehicle. I didn't have huge marks, just some chips from normal usage. Now I think about it, there were some big marks...
Now if you are ending the lease and they aren't getting your business on the next vehicle, they're more likely to try to nail you on every little thing. At that point, I would expect them to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was not normal wear and tear, otherwise I would suggest to them that our lawyers discuss it instead of us.
But the result was, it wasn't an issue for me.
Of course, I was also 3 months away from the end of the lease, so I could have walked from that dealer if I wanted. He wanted my business. Especially in January, as he was hurting for business in that month. I got $500 back from him as well, when I told him I had just made a payment on my existing lease and didn't want to take delivery of the Murano for another 3 weeks.
So you could be right.
Hmmm... Lesson learned, negotiate the next one, a few months before this one is up, so you're not desparate!
