I rented from Hertz at IAH this week. They have a common rental facility for all companies. On the way back to the airport, I was sitting beside two gentlemen who had rented from Avis or National. As best I could figure out the story, the "oil" light came on in their rental car less than an hour before they returned it to the rental car company. They told the guy about the problem; the company decided that they couldn't close out the contract until they determined if damage was done to the engine. They explained the story to people on the bus; it just dawned on them that they may have to pay to replace the engine. One more point: they rented that car at about 8 in the morning; we were on the bus back to the airport at about 4 p.m.

What do people here think about this? I would never think to check my oil when I rent a car, but I spent a while reading the fine print today. I guess it depends on how you read the contract, but I could see that if Hertz wanted to, they could hold a customer liable for if the engine seized up. I am not going to worry about it . . . unless someone has had a bad experience.