I am looking at renting a vehicle in Santiago to drive to the Norte Chico in early 2018, and would be very much interested in first hand recent experience/feedback from anyone if I may.

I have been looking at various traveler reports on the web and it has been causing me some confusion. From what I gather, there are a few to avoid it seems (such as Alamo, Chile rent a car, possibly Hertz, etc.) as there seems to be a number of reported glitches/problems with these. I am certainly aware that people may be more inclined to publicly report issues and that we may not necessarily hear from those who have had good experiences.

In particular, has anyone heard of (or even better recently used) Lys rentals by any chance?
Gracias de antemano.

Lys has a good reputation. Alamo/National is the one to avoid. They have an unusual number of online complaints. Most car rental businesses are small (regional) or a franchise. I think you might find a complaint against most at some point but that is probably not the norm.

Thank you Huentetu. Your advice is always very much appreciated, and also reassuring. It is comforting to know that Lys has a good reputation as I just received a quote from them. (awaiting others)

Incidentally, I found it more difficult than usual to plan this trip as I have few, if any, reference/known points as I have never been. But this is where forums like this one are invaluable!