flyerfmaz

Gah! Yet again I'm on my way back to Hertz this morning to trade out a car. Yesterday picked up a 2015 Altima -- 23k miles. The car is beat up with hail damage but took it anyway. Reason for exchange: yet another car with residual cigarette smoke smell that wasn't evident until after I drove it away and the interior had time to heat up in the sun and the AC vents had more time to run. Yuck!

Really, Hertz?

Schweden

The quality of the cleaning can really fluctuate tremendously. I had a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 5k miles a couple of months ago where the backseats were absolutely stained with some sticky substance and there was residue on the back of the front seats from children kicking them. In addition, there were several pieces of paper belonging to the previous renter left in the glovebox.

After complaining to Hertz, I was either given the option of trading it in at the closest airport location or having it cleaned and being reimbursed for up to $50 of cleaning. As I didn't want to trade my Grand Cherokee for what was likely to be a Dodge Journey, I chose the latter option. In the end, I was given a $15 Hertz certificate for a $13 cleaning claim. On the other hand, I've never experienced an unpleasant odor during any of my rentals.

CrazyOne

Had the same thing recently, luckily still within a few miles of the HLE and it was still open, but it was a couple hours after I picked it up. It's not the worst smelling car I've ever had (that was years ago) but it was bad enough to go back.

The funniest part in hindsight (after figuring out that the car stank) was that the agent who gave me the keys had mentioned the cleaning fee for smoking! (Never had anyone actually state it out loud to me I don't think.) And, the car had been sitting in the lot with windows open. Hmmm...methinks they already knew that it stank but tried to get away with it. It also was a 2013 Sentra with nearly 50k miles. Someone dumped this on them. But, after arriving back I was out of there in just a few minutes with a much better and newer car (2015 Jetta).

I don't rent much anymore so it hardly matters where I go. If it repeats even with my really sparse renting I might start looking elsewhere, although I have few choices that are truly convenient (just Avis/Budget, because Enterprise is not a choice).

exerda

I hope Hertz socks it to renters who smoked in their cars (like they're socking it to short-mileage renters who don't refill). It's tough to get rid of lingering cigarette stink inside a vehicle.

I suppose it could be worse: the Enterprise rental my wife had while her car was in the shop smelled like a Phish concert. Someone had been smoking pot in it, anyway.

flyerfmaz

Part of the problem is that the Hertz employees who work the line and would be in the best position to notice that someone had smoked in a car, probably aren't paid enough to care a whole lot.

The car I picked up yesterday in trade is another Maxima, but this time with only 9k on it. It's a better looking car but still has the slight funk of an ashtray inside, especially after sitting in the Arizona sun for a little bit. I found traces of cigarette ash on the dashboard as well, after I drove away.

To fix the problem (at least for me), I've micro-vacuumed the inside (something detailers do -- it's using a vacuum with a small nozzle, going over small sections of fabric and carpet at a time, and using a brush), pulling cigarette ash where I can out of the carpet and upholstery, fumigated the car with Ozium, and have been running a small ion generator in the car overnight. I feel like sending Hertz a bill for detailing the inside of their car for them.

People who rent cars and smoke in them leave behind a gross mess that's almost impossible to get out. The car rental companies should consider it permanent damage and sock them with a heck of a lot more than a "cleaning fee". They should put smoke detectors in the cars that are checked after each rental for evidence of smoking, and charge violators with not only a cleaning fee, but a devaluation fee for damaging their company's asset.

randidliyo

I'm glad I'm not the only person who travels with a personal micro-vacuum, can of Ozium, and of course an ion generator. I actually carry two ion generators, just in case one breaks. It's powered by my pocket flux capacitor. And yes, please install smoke and fart detectors, and don't forget to jack up the price of the rental to cover this.

cestmoi123

Make sure that's not in your front pocket - you know what powers those things...

randidliyo

Yep.

flyerfmaz

Actually, I don't travel with those things but cleaned the car in my garage at home. I use a rental car to drive to work in Phoenix on a weekly basis, because my client reimburses me for the cost. It just so happens that the closest Hertz rental location to me is at the TUS airport. Wise guy.

I always rent a FS car and occasionally Hertz hands me a decent pick. The best so far (and needed NO cleaning), was a Dodge Charger with 4k on it. Man, that was a nice ride. Over half the time, however, I'm offered crap cars that have been rode hard and put up wet. I rent a car every week, for the entire week (exchanging cars on Saturdays).

Don't think that cigarette smoke smell is such a big deal, eh? Stick a previously smoked-in car in the hot Arizona sun for a couple of hours and all that crap starts baking and stinking.

I think that car rental companies get away with this crap because most people who rent cars are pretty much a captive audience. They're either out-of-towners with few options, standing in line at the airport, or picking up a rental in town somewhere while their personal car is in the shop. I rent locally, each and every week with some occasional variation, for an entire week. My client, which is over 125 miles from where I live, reimburses me for a rental car, gas, hotel, and food each week. The rental car reimbursement is cheaper for them than paying the standard mileage rate if I drove my own car (or close to a wash). Anyway, I'm not a captive audience and have no reason to put up with a rent-a-wreck.

randidliyo

Oh, you are too kind. Yes, I am wise. And you are not captive, so move along and find another car company more amenable with your delicate disposition.

Good luck,
R

flyerfmaz

Oh -- that I do, without hesitation. Despite what some people think, there's almost no value in being "loyal" to a car rental company. It takes way too long to get a free rental day, and points are often best shifted or earned elsewhere.

And to answer your snarky comment about my "delicate disposition", I am allergic to cigarette smoke as are many other people. I'm not going to wheeze around for a week and pay for the privilege of doing so. There is no justification other than pure laziness and greed for Hertz to put up with people smoking in their cars, which are ALL non-smoking. Hertz is obviously not enforcing its own policy, and not properly cleaning their cars when someone does smoke in them.

NYkiwi

I rented from Delray HLE, usually good service. Arrive to pick up car - notice all windows are down on a hot June day. Get rental paper work, notice car has an unusual smell but dont think too much of it. Drive off, put up windows and turn on A/C, smell gets worse and worse. Pull into Publix parking lot and open the trunk. Trunk is wet and basically smells like someone stored their bait in there and left in the sun!
Return to HLE and explain that I wont be taking that car - they didnt even question me on it so obviously knew it was that bad when they gave me the car.

After a long wait as they had no other cars than a small Fiat which wasnt going to fit 3 adults and luggage, a guy returned a 2013 Ford Escape which they quickly prepared for me. Was unusual as was out of NC and had heated seats? At least the smell in that car (a little smoke?) disapeared quickly and wasnt making me retch like the over heated fish.

flyerfmaz

Hertz rental locations are supposed to be treating each vehicle before rental with a product called "Freshwave IAQ". I have a bottle of that stuff for my own use and it works extremely well. It appears they've either stopped the treatment program or that many of their employees just ignore it. In fact, there's a Hertz training video on the product: