After reading the original post, I wondered if it had happened in YVR. I almost got stuck with a "damage" charge there. I rented at Budget and the nice agent at checkout noted three 1 cm marks on the top of the rear bumper, probably from previous renters loading things into the trunk. She marked them on the damage sheet and I drove off. It rained (in YVR, no surpise) and one of the marks turned from black to blue. On return, the rapid return guy sent me off, but then called me back and said there would be a charge for the small mark for repainting. I argued that it was on the damage sheet, but had to go inside to fight it. After 10 minutes, the counter agent told me that the original agent would have marked it with a different squiggle had the mark been coloured, so it couldn't have been there to start. She only had the bottom copy of the sheet and accused me of changing my copy. I asked for the original (it was a 2 day rental) - not available, it was sent to "auditing". After another 10 minutes of me refusing to pay for it, a manager went out with some weak solvent and a rag, and it wiped right off. No apology, but at least no charge.

I was close to missing the check in window for my flight. What do we have to do - take digital photos and register them with the check out agent?

No more Budget YVR for me.