So how are we supposed to protect ourselves from this ridiculous situation without getting a car inspection before you leave the garage? There really isn't a good answer and saying "rent from XYZ Company" is not an option. Time is precious so being able to leave your plane and get into a vehicle within minutes of entering the rental agency area is vital. I switched from Hertz to National when they let you just pick a vehicle from a certain lane ot area and had cheaper rates. Now National is just as high or higher than Avis or Hertz. I did rent from Sixt in LAX a few months ago and it was a good experience but they "nice" upscale vehicles were pretty best up. I dint like the set up of how you get your car or how the damage is notated bit I had to track down a supervisor, per an employee, if I wanted to document damages that weren't on their form. And their form is confusing. Luckily they put down all my comments and when I returned it they looked it over and sent me on my way and I didn't get any mysterious damage charges. So I don't know what the answer is. A credit card company needs to step up and just cover its users 100% with little hassle. Esp drivers with perfext driving records and zero rental claims.

The only reason I've rented from Hertz, National and Avis over the years is because the other rental companies have had a policy lnickel and dining it's customers over lame stuff that is either small or they try and charge you after you return the vehicle. I abandoned places like Enterprise decades ago because they will tell you scratches are fine but when you return it they come at you for everything they were ok with. Hertz and the other bigger companies didn't play these games, esp if you were a Gold or premium customer. They also used to have very low mileage new vehicles in excellent condition. That Honda should have never been placed in service with those issues and certainly not for elite renters.