Aero137

I rented a vehicle from Sixt about a month ago. During the rental, one of the front tires blew (not a just a flat, but a hole in the sidewall). I called Sixt and they sent a tow truck to pick the vehicle up, and return it to the agency for exchange (and driver allowed me to ride as well). They quickly exchanged the vehicle on the lot and I was off. I completed the rental a few days later, and was billed what I was expecting for the rental, plus a refuel fee for the first vehicle.

Since I did not accept any coverages for roadside assistance, the agent on the phone said I would be responsible for towing fees. I have yet to be contacted or billed for these fees, or for any damages.

Should I consider this closed? Or could they still bill me at this point?

I did open a claim with Chase (well the benefit provider for the Sapphire Reserve), but I also want to close this card in the next two weeks. So I guess another question would be, if I am billed later, is my claim still covered if I close my card?

AutoSlash

Generally, if it's a blowout and you didn't damage the sidewall of the tire by slamming into a curb or something, the rental company will usually chalk that up to a tire defect and not ding you for it.

All of that said, it's hard to know how Sixt will handle it. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that they would take longer than two weeks to process the paperwork to charge you.

No idea if Chase would honor the claim if you closed the card. If you have the Sapphire Preferred card, it may by worth paying the $95 annual fee just as insurance (no pun intended). If you're closing the Sapphire Reserve to avoid the annual fee, that may be a bit of a tougher call.

Aero137

It was actually a result of hitting a curb. (It was a narrow, sharp corner and I hit the start of the curb mid-corner). You can see some marking on the wheels at the same spot of the hole on the tire. If someone was paying attention, they could probably figure it out. However, I was never asked how it happened by anyone at Sixt.

I’m almost tempted just to call them. I realize it may result in them looking into it and as a result opening a claim, but it might just be better to know.

Auto Enthusiast

How could Sixt charge a refueling fee for a car you couldn't drive? Why did the tow truck hitch the car, instead of attaching a spare tire?

AutoSlash

It's pretty standard for the rental company to charge you to replace the fuel you used in a situation where the renter was found to be at fault. If it was a mechanical breakdown, it would be a different story,

As for hitching the car, keep in mind that many vehicles today do not have spare tires. Regardless, if you call for a tow from the rental company, you are at their mercy. A better option would probably have been to call a local tow truck and get the tire replaced on your own. Then you don't have to deal with the uncertainty of whether and how much the rental company will charge you.

Aero137

I thought about that, but the tire was a runflat that would have probably cost me $300 by the time I was done. And I don’t know if it would have been covered by the Chase CDW.

AutoSlash

Yeah, that's the problem with runflats -- they don't usually give a spare when the vehicles are equipped with them, and they tend to be much more sensitive to damage to the sidewall. I doubt I'll ever buy a car with runflats again.