cj001f

In NZ I:
-Had 2 flat tires with rims that ended up being bashed back into shape
-Lost all 4 hubcaps
-Had keas remove weatherstripping, most of the rubber on the wiper blades, and make off with the antenna (recovered but damage and unusable)
When I reported it at the counter I was told to "fill out the accident form if you have time" and since I'd purchased the full coverage never saw a charge. A prior rental car had the rear bumper ductaped on (interior) and it went unnoticed by Avis in NZ

txl

When you rent a car from one of the bigger companies you often just drop it off on a designated spot/in front of their office or in a long line of returned vehicles where their agent will just hand you a slip - and that´s it. No one really "inspects" the car with you, in these cases. So, if the company decides to claim reimbursement for repair costs or something like that, is there any legal ground? I believe they´d have to tell you that upon return. Otherwise, the damage could have occured at any time after I returned the car and the company would hardly be able to prove who caused it.

Fraser

Things To Do Before You Die:
#74 - Crash A Rental Car

I tried my best in Jersey on an Avis hired Ford Focus and failed. If it was to happen anywhere it would be that island. Even by European standards the roads are on par with something out of the Borrowers!

RustyC

What about the rental car companies' own employees driving the things through the lot?

RustyC

I have been happy with Avis, Hertz and National not making a big deal of small things, at least in the U.S. Another reason to rent from them and not the likes of Enterprise or the second- and third-tier outfits (though I hope Alamo doesn't ruin National).

I once got the third-degree damage look-thru in Costa Rica early in my car-renting career, and was obsessively careful and they still tried to claim damage on return (though they backed off pretty easily as it was pretty obvious there wasn't any additional). Seemed like something at the time they'd do to everyone.

Would also guess there are a number of destinations in the western U.S. where you stand a better than average chance of getting a rock to the windshield if you take the scenic roads.

OnAMileHigh

Totaled a Dodge Status from Dollar Rent a Car in Portland, OR. Good thing I had used Diners Club as they paid every penny of the charges. ^

dd992emo

11/16/05 totalled a National Chevy Malibu in SRQ. National had a new vehicle delivered by the time I got back to the hotel. Less than an hour fifteen minutes from crash to police report to replacement vehicle... ^

the_nomad

Had a slight mishap with a Ford Falcon I rented from Hertz in Sydney, Australia a couple years back - wound up tearing off the front bumper. A mate's mate reattached it with just a 2 inch crack showing.

The Hertz folks never mentioned it.

dlnewbie

I've put a ding in a parking lot on a rental car before and they never really even check. I did almost have a certain flyertalker driving a Hertz Cadillac almost run into the back of my Hertz Murano.

pdx42

I had an interesting experience at Hertz/LAX a month ago. I returned a Taurus around 530pm - it was dark - and the lot was buzzing with multiple returns coming in one after another. I parked, noted the mileage was grabbing a bag out of the trunk waiting for the attendant to scan the car and print the bill. Then he said, we need to talk about this damage. I said, 'what?' He started doing paperwork and had me look at the front bumper - and sure enough there were some light scratches to the bib of the front-end bumper. I couldn't believe it - this is something that happens as a part of routine driving.

I didn't remember striking anything and I'm a good driver - never had a moving violation or speeding ticket - ever! I thought perhaps this is something that happened when the car was at the hotel - a valet perhaps? So, presented with a need to get on the bus to catch my homeward bound plane I signed the ax report and wrote that I had no idea how the scratches happened. I have yet to hear from Hertz and I haven't been charged for the damage. I also always take the LDW and am a Hertz Five Star Gold Member.

Here's what I take away from this experience: I will always do a very thorough walk around the car and make sure to note any 'damage' before leaving the lot.

I'll also no longer dismiss any problems I have with the car. Dirty windshield - note it. Worn out wiper blades - note it. Coffee spill sticky goo at the bottom of the cup holder - note it. Crumbs between the seats - note it. From my point of view - if I'm going to be harassed for normal wear and tear; they're going to be harassed and expect to compensate me for maintenance problems.

IrishRed

Ha! Did the same thing in the UK...popped off the front ground effects making a tight y-turn on a cul-de-sac. We managed to pop it back in, there were a few scratches we added but it wasn't an issue.

Most of my travel in international, and I usually opt for the excess waiver and don't worry about it. As FGBdavidson says...one of these days I'll probably crash the bugger, and not worry about it one bit!

grahamb

A friend at school did that. Going down a lane he had a choice of putting it in a ditch or the truck that was coming too fast towards him - it went in the ditch. The only problem was, the reason why he had a rental car was because his own car was totalled in an accident the week before and he'd got the rental from his insurance. They were not happy about it and forced him to take slowest rental car available when they replaced it!

govmarley

I always rent from Avis and Hertz and haven't had any problems with dings or scratches. We rented from Hertz in May and were driving around Memphis through a construction zone on the interstate and some kids playing around under the overpass through a HUGE chunk of dirt and it hit the roof of our car. I really thought it was a chunk of cement, with the horrible sound it made. It almost hit our windshield and it left a small dent and scrapes. Then, same trip, driving around Phoenix and hit a chunk of cement in the middle of the interstate. It dented the underside of the front bumper and crunched it pretty bad. We pried it somewhat straight and they didn't bat an eye when we returned it at PHX. We didn't point it out, and they didn't notice, or seem to care.

Jakebeth

If I'm understanding you correctly, your taking of the LDW is exactly why you never heard from them. They've essentially taken on all responsibility for the car's damage by selling you that LDW coverage.

Jakebeth

I'm pretty sure this is one of the reasons (though not the only one) that Amex doesn't provide CDW in Israel (and maybe Italy?). I've been pretty pleased with my treatment at Avis, but I used to use an Israeli company called Eldan. Much like some of the other posts, they once made a claim on my credit-card CDW coverage for the tiniest scratches that appear to have been made by driving next to some bushes.

I'm just hopeful MasterCard doesn't eventually pull out for the same reasons. I try to stick with Avis now when I go, given that they haven't tried this crap on me yet.