Avis - Avis Preferred - Given Cars w/out Full Tank of Gas

H All,

I recently started traveling again for work. For the last 4 weeks I have rented Avis cars from ORD and MKE. Each time, I am given a car without a full tank of gas.

The tank reads an 1/8 or so of gas has already been used in most cases. I pick the self-service option so I have to fill up the tank before I return it.

My company is paying for the gas and rental so it has no personal impact on my money, but it still irks me as inappropriate.

Does this happen to anyone else? Do you look the other way or ask for a new car with a full take?

My guess is Avis is dinging customers with the EZ Fuel charge of ~$15 for driving less than 75 miles, not tipping off the tank with more gas, and allowing someone like me to bring the tank back to them full.

As an aside - how does one check whether they are eligible for Avis First? Can I be Avis First and Preferred? Is there a difference?

On occasion it has happened to me. I try and remember to check the gas level when I get in the car. If it is below full I tell them so they can note it on the invoice. The problem is when they say, "Just bring it back with 7/8s of a tank". Yeah, right! How do I know when to stop filling the tank?!?

Last time it happened they gave me a $25 coupon for the inconvenience.

how does one check whether they are eligible for Avis First? Can I be Avis First and Preferred? Is there a difference?

You will automatically be contacted (by email / snail mail) when you reach enough rentals or rental days (12 rentals or 35 days, per calendar year, iirc)

Avis first is an upgrade to avis preferred, you gain more benefits, and loose none (almost none, to get avis first free rental days, you have to give up FF points on your rentals).

As Avis first you get a free 2 day rental every 4th rental (of 2 days or more). This is stackable with free weekend plans, or other free day/weekend plans that avis has going. I rent a lot in my own city, since I don't own a car, and every 4th home / weekend rental I get bot a free weekend AND 2 free avis_first days.

Hope this helps

:sg

Does this happen to anyone else? Do you look the other way or ask for a new car with a full take?


Yup, happens to most frequent travelers at some point or another. The best options are:

1. If you notice before leaving the lot
-Go in and have them re-print a contract with the correct fuel gauge indication listed. You can then bring the car back at that level without penalty.
-Swap cars
2. If you don't notice 'til after you leave the lot
-Call and have them note the contract (won't always work and you have no proof)
-Go back to the station and have it noted (annoying)
-Stop at a gas station immediately and fill it up/top it off. Get a receipt with a time-stamp close to your pickup time. When you take the car back, they can deduct the $$ you paid for gas but it might take a manager.


As an aside - how does one check whether they are eligible for Avis First? Can I be Avis First and Preferred? Is there a difference?

I haven't checked lately, but you could go to avisfirst.com and try to register. If you're not eligible, it will tell you. As noted before: yes, you can be both AF and AP. AP is free for everyone and just keeps info on file. AF gets you free upgrades (based upon availability :rolleyes: ) and free weekend coupons if you don't earn airline/hotel/other points or miles.

Yup, happens to most frequent travelers at some point or another. The best options are:

<snip>
-Stop at a gas station immediately and fill it up/top it off. Get a receipt with a time-stamp close to your pickup time. When you take the car back, they can deduct the $$ you paid for gas but it might take a manager.


Ooh, great suggestion!
Problem is, the gauge is often not sensitive enough to show the true gas level. The one time this really annoyed me was when I drove only 40 miles and still had to put in 3 or 4 gallons of gas ...the needle had been on F when I took the car out. I grumbled off-handedly to the guy checking me in who looked at my mileage and said they'd take off the cost of the extra gas...when I got my receipt by email, it had a $7 deduction. They did not ask for a gas receipt from me. YMMV of course.

Ooh, great suggestion!
Problem is, the gauge is often not sensitive enough to show the true gas level. The one time this really annoyed me was when I drove only 40 miles and still had to put in 3 or 4 gallons of gas ...the needle had been on F when I took the car out. I grumbled off-handedly to the guy checking me in who looked at my mileage and said they'd take off the cost of the extra gas...when I got my receipt by email, it had a $7 deduction. They did not ask for a gas receipt from me. YMMV of course.

I *ALWAYS* reset the odometer before pulling off the lot, and reset the MPG setting if the car has it. If I'm using less than half a tank of gas, I'll watch the MPG and the miles driven and then only put that much gas into the car (and a bit extra to compensate the miles back to the airport). I've never been questioned, but that works well.

On a side note: recently, I had a Lincoln MKX (rebadged Ford Edge) and filled the gas. It was a long-range drive so I wanted as much gas as possible before the next stop, so I topped it off as much as feasibly possible (I know, I know, it can effect the CEL and also isn't the most Earth friendly thing to do, depending on who you believe). I put 4.2 gallons in it after the first time it clicked off (and the gauge showed full) :confused:. No gas leaked out of the car, and it was 4.0 gallons the next time I did it!

Alternatively, I've returned a car 7/8 full and not been charged for gas.

I rented at HSV recently and got a Chevy Cruze which was incapable of reading true Full! At first I thought I'd gotten a car with a tank not quite full, but the reading I got when I picked up the car matched the reading I got when I topped off the tank! I mentioned, when I returned the car, that I had filled up and topped off but couldn't get it to read Full, showed my fill-up receipt (a few freeway exits before the airport, but I don't even think they looked that closely), and they said I was ok. (At this time, HSV did not have people greeting you at the return line. You had to park you car, go inside the terminal, then turn in the paperwork and key there. So the agent wasn't able to look at the gas gauge as I was explaining this.)

I've only gotten a Cruze twice (and don't remember this problem the first time), but I wonder how common this problem (of miscalibrated gas guage reading on the low side) is with it?

I had this happen with National. Car was close to "E". Didn't realize it before a LONG drive and thankfully I didn't run out of gas and noticed it when I stopped for lunch. I try and always check when I get the car to tell the attendant before leaving.
Also, on some of the cars that have the "push-button" keys; I have to make extra certain the cars turn off when I leave. Multiple times I've found them still running after stopping for lunch. Oops.

My guess is Avis is dinging customers with the EZ Fuel charge of ~$15 for driving less than 75 miles, not tipping off the tank with more gas, and allowing someone like me to bring the tank back to them full.

This has happened to me about 3-4 times in the last few months. I believe this is EXACTLY what is happening. a couple of times the trip odometer set by the prior customer showed 40-60 miles and 40-60 miles worth of gas is exactly how much was missing. I have never had a problem getting it dealt with equitably when I raise the issue but it enrages me that this somewhat time wasting extra step has been introduced into my check-in/check-out process.