Originally Posted by
IAHtraveler
Have a look at
this thread for the new details on them tracking renters. Also, it's not just OnStar vehicles. I've had other brands show the exact fuel out and level in the vehicle at any point on my rental. I forget what the brand was, but it wasn't GM. Note that when you have a car assigned in the app that has the advanced fuel gauge, the app will show the exact volume of gas in the vehicle. You can use this info to know if you want that car or not. What I want to know is: What is the delta that Avis is willing to accept without any charge? I've gone back with a delta of 0.2 gallons without any excess charges (this was not my goal. I filled up across the street from SNA and topped off the car as much as I could until the gas slopped out the overflow valve. The car still showed I had 0.2 gallons less than pickup, despite my best efforts to top up).
Thanks for the info. I will look out for cars that have 8/8 tank, instead of a specific gallon amount, in the app from now on.
It has been a while since I've rented from Avis. The last time I did (last summer), you could keep swapping into different cars until you decided on one and drove to the gate. This time, I was assigned an SUV, swapped to the Malibu, and I was "locked in"/the reservation became active- the app told me to drive to the gate, and the rental was moved to the "current rentals" tab. I was no longer given the option to swap or upgrade.
I'm also curious on the fuel amount discrepancy and at what point they begin charging. It also begs the question at what legal leg they have to stand on. These devices are not certified by the state weights and measures department, so how can they say you are 0.2 gallons low, when in your case the tank was overflowing...
In my case they said I was 2 gallons low. If the advanced fuel gauges become more common in rental fleets, I can see this becoming more of an issue.
Oh, avis refunded the charge to me without any pushback. I guess that there is no incentive for them to fix this issue, simply collect the refueling charge from unsuspecting renters (or those on an expense account/don't care), and refund the ones that complain.