courtesy9711

So I rented a car from Hertz on Nov 18.
I enrolled in AMEX premium coverage for $17.95

On the night of Nov 18, (so technically it was Nov 19 3AM ish)
I fell asleep and drove off to the grass area and lost control of the car on a freeway. Luckily, I somehow caught myself on time so nothing major happened.

Funny thing is, there happened to be a cop driving right behind me.
He said he was going to Mcdonalds then saw me lose control and thought I was a drunk driver.
But I was completely sober he didn't even test me.

Upon inspecting my car after that incident, there's a huge dent on my front right bumper.
I'd say it looks something like this but I had Chevy Sonic and bumpers still in place just dented not out of place like that picture.
http://autobodysandyutah.com/bmw-325...amage-arrival/

The cop told me if I was injured he should write a report but since I am not, he is only gonna take down the plate #.
He didn't ask for my license or anything.
He told me I should report to the highway patrol and say I hit something like pole on the freeway
(where the damage is from)

I still have two weeks left on my rental term.

So now I am home, wide awake, weighing my options. I think my options are:
(1) Don't call anyone. Just return to Hertz and see what happens (I highly doubt it, but my location sometimes even forgets to check gas tank)
(2) Call my location and say the damage was already there? (it hasn't even been 12 hours since I picked up the car...)
(3) Call California Highway Patrol, Call AMEX, do everything.
(4) Try to repair at my local auto shop (it'd be a waste of money since AMEX covers everything right?)

Another question is, do I have to drive this car like this (damaged) until my rental term is over or
can I change it at another location?

Thanks for reading.

Rut Dog

AMEX premium coverage? There is nothing more you need to know.

You paid for a good insurance product (at a good price, I might add -- well done) so you wouldn't have to worry when something like this happened. So stop worrying. .

Turn in the car and get a new one. When you turn it in you will fill out a damage form. Then you will fill out claim forms with Amex and be done with it.

Oh, and be happy, very happy: you are fine and almost more importantly nobody else got hurt or even killed. If there is anything worth spending time on it making sure you never put yourself in such a fatigued driving situation again!

Often1

Why on earth would you commit fraud when you are more than adequately covered if things are as you say they are?

Hertz will give you a replacement vehicle and Amex will work out the damage with Hertz and all you will likely ever see is a communication from Amex showing what they paid on your behalf.

courtesy9711

I am currently 300 miles away.
There is a location nearby but I am not sure if there will be surcharge.
Would they charge extra if I return it to a different location and get a replacement?

nd2010

Would Amex pay the Loss Of Use fee too?

You should be able to turn it in at any Hertz location and get a replacement. Just like if their car broke down when you were far away from the pickup location.

Just call Amex and don't worry about it. Don't file a claim against your own insurance. Don't pay a deductible.

MojaveFlyer

Most important, let this be a wakeup call (pun not intended). Happened to me once - and I was only 2 miles from the place I was going to pull into and get a coffee. I got away with no damage but needed a AAA tow to get out of the ditch (and got a $100 ticket for "driving off road" which was sort of dumb but what to do ?) That was years ago. Whenever I feel those little microsleeps coming on now while I drive, I pull over. I can just remember that feeling of waking up to roadside vegetation smacking into the window, and my daughter in the back seat saying "Dad, what are you doing?" and I don't take the chance.

You're lucky you got away easy too. Be happy and thankful!

Oh and yes, report it, and you should be able to change the car at the nearest location.

courtesy9711

Thanks everyone.
I know I got really lucky this time. Things could have been a lot worse.

So I have questions for my next step.
Do I just go into any Hertz and say I'm here to change a vehicle? Or say I caused a damage to a rental vehicle and now I want to change it?
If anyone has experience with it, please walk me through.

Also what cars would you recommend?
So far I've driven Corolla, Chevy Spark, Chevy Sonic and I would never drive spark again. The other two were average.
I rented a compact car this time. I really wanna try VW golf but can't seem to find it anywhere...

Should I go to local hertz or airport?
I feel like airport location would have more choice and I am a gold member so there should be no wait right?

CTNYC

1. Ouch - Similar thing happened to me when I was up for 70+ hours straight for work/commitments... Hit a road sign going ~40mph (tired me was using cruise) and caused about $4000 in damage to my personal car... The irony is that the sign was directly in front of my insurance agent's office and across the street from Enterprise... Thankfully no one was hurt & only my car & the sign was damaged

2. Definitely just use the insurance, that is why you pay for it. I would say to go to the airport location over an HLE if it isn't too far out of your way - there is a chance the HLE might not even have cars... I would personally go for a Hyundai Accent or Hyundai Elantra... Cars are very personal, but I find that Hyundai's are very good cars and I personally find them more comfortable with more features versus its competition in comparable trim (i.e. base Elantra vs base Civic or base Corolla)

blsnk

^Rut Dog already told you your next step. If you want higher mileage older cars, go to HLE, otherwise go to the airport. For some reason I'd think the airport would be more accommodating but of course that depends on the airport sometimes. You should probably call up amex first to report it and have them guide you on what to do before swapping so the process goes smoothly.

Often1

OP's next step is to follow through on his AA coverage and to call Hertz. Nobody here can tell him whether there are cars locally available, what they might be and who might charge what.

dwcatty

Tagging onto this thread with a similar question. Step son was involved in a fender bender on the way here today for Thanksgiving in a Hertz rental. He's not here yet, phoned his mother so details are sketchy at this point. What I know:

He was side swiped by another driver. Minor damage to his vehicle. Other driver admitted fault. No police report. Car drive-able and he is on his way here. Return date is Saturday a week. Declined all additional insurance coverage. Have other driver's name, policy no., etc.

From ten minutes worth of reading it would appear we should fill out the accident report form for when he returns the car. Will Hertz go after the other driver's insurance? How much of the repair cost are we likely to pay? Ugh.

manneca

When my rental car was damaged, I called the rental company and they had me return the car the next day and pick up another. I then called my insurance company (I thought I had coverage with my credit card, but it was limited to rentals of 15 days and my rental was 16--that's since changed.) After talking to an agent, and then having to talk to another agent the next day and tell her the same things I'd told the first and then having to go through the same song and dance when I got home. The police were called by the hotel (where the car was vandalized) and I had a police report.

I think in general police reports are required if the damage is over a certain amount or there is injury. You have a certain amount of time to fill out a police report (usually) if a policeman wasn't present. Your son should go back to wherever the accident happened and complete an accident form.

I would guess that Hertz will go after you and your insurance and let your insurance sort it out with the other driver.

courtesy9711

I'm about to return my car to hertz. Do I need to fill up the tank as how it was ?? Even when it is a damage claim?

Dave Noble

I would expect Hertz will charge the renter for the costs and then he can then pursue the 3rd party to try and recover them. I would doubt that Hertz will go after the other driver

Reddcandy30

I recently had a similar incident and unsure of what to do. It was raining and was driving down hill. I must have ran over a piece of a tree covered by leaves. I almost lost control. It managed to get back on track. I didn't realize it to the next morning (because it had been raining so hard previously) it had broken a large part of the air Dow off (an accessory added on to a bumper). I've been weighing my options. There was no other car near by. I have had the car for almost a month while my car is in the shop. I have auto insurance but don't know if I should try to fix it myself or let my insurance company deal with it. I really don't know how it works with road debris. I'm afraid I'll be stuck with footing the bill or a $500 deductible that I don't have.