Questions to ask when RENTING a CAR?
 

Other than, "when was the last time the car was service." what other questions should be asked about the vehicle before one rents a car, please? Thank you.

If you have young kids, ask whether there is an airbag in the front passenger position. Also ask about anti-lock brakes, because their operation startles some people and you'd want to be aware of whether you have them. <BR> <BR>Ask if they've already charged you for the full tank of gas in the car. Decide if that is OK with you, or whether you'd prefer to fill it up yourself. Alamo in particular tries to slip this one by you. <BR> <BR>If buying the supplemental insurance, ask what it covers. I have heard ( but have not experienced) that the collision damage insurance only covers the damage to the rented car, so I'm not sure what coverage you have for injuries you might cause to someone else's person or property.

Hi Annabelle: <BR>If the size of car you reserved is not available and they offer to upgrade, be sure they are not charging you extra for the upgrade. Again Alamo is guilty of this. Have a safe trip!!

Unless you really don't like pumping gas, always refuse the "fuel option" mentioned above (buying a full tank of gas). No matter what the agent tells you, this almost always works in their favor. Return the car full instead. <BR> <BR>Any car you rent from a major company will have driver and passenger air-bags, so no need to ask about that. <BR> <BR>And honestly, if you ask an agent when the last time the car was serviced, you're likely to get a perplexed look.

Oops! Brian is right. Cars have had passenger side airbags as standard equipment since the mid-1990s, yet it seems like just yesterday that passenger side airbags were still expensive optional equipment. <BR> <BR>Man, I feel old.

Most rental cars are brand new or virtually so; they tend to have very low mileage (lots of year-old cars you see in used car lots are used rental cars), so I never ask about when the car was serviced. <BR>I am sensitive to cigarette smoke and some agencies offer nonsmoking cars, which I prefer, so I will ask about that if it's an option (although sometimes even the "nonsmoking cars" smell like smoke). <BR>I think the more relevant questions are not so much about the car as they are optional charges, such as fees to have an additional authorized driver included on the contract. <BR>Also make sure you give your frequent flier airline and number to the agent so you can get FF miles for the rental. <BR>

Annabelle, we drove to DC from NY recently and on the way had a flat tire. Had all kinds of problems as the tire in the trunk was flat (and small) too. <BR> <BR>One thing I will always ask now is about service if anything goes wrong, and I am alone, who do I call? We waited for 3 hours in the rain for service and then had to have the car towed and oh don't ask, lol. <BR> <BR>Just make sure you know the number to call for help if you need it. <BR> <BR>tweedy

Thanks so much. Those are questions and comments that had never occurred to me, no matter how long I thought about it. ;-)

Here's another tip -- if you made the reservation to rent over the phone, have them fax (or snail mail if you have time) the rental agreement with the price they quoted. The last time I rented I had the price written down, but they had no record of it in their computer and charged me double. I eventually got it straightened out, but I fumed the whole vacation about it.

Will someone explain this business about having authorized drivers placed on your rental contract? I always thought you have to identify other people who will drive the vehicle solely for the purpose of the optional insurance. I never buy the optional insurance because I have insurance. So is there any good reason to tell them if others (like my husband) will be driving the car? Don't they charge for additional authorized drivers?

Good reason for telling the rental car company if someone other than you will be driving THEIR car -- if that other person is driving when you get a wreck (even if it's 100% the other driver's fault), you've violated the terms of the contract. The rental company could then, completely legally, void the contract and take back their car with no compensation to you. Or hold you 100% liable for damages to their car -- and, since you were using the car in an unauthorized manner, your credit card or insurance company may not compensate you. <BR> <BR>If two people are driving, just tell the company upfront -- usually if it's your spouse, there's no extra charge. If there is, just decide if the extra charge is worth the peace of mind of knowing you won't get caught violating the contract terms.

I'm still not getting it. I understand right up until the part about my own insurance company (or the unauthorized driver's insurance company) not paying for the wrecked car. I thought they had to pay for any car I wrecked unless I stole it. Can anyone clarify this? <BR> <BR> <BR>I've asked rental car agencies before, and I always just get confused explanations of optional insurance, and the counter people never understand the real issue. <BR> <BR>I don't mean to be a pain, but this comes up a lot for me. My husband often will join me in the middle of a trip after I already rented the car. To be an authorized driver at that point, he has to go back to the rental agency and show his driver's license, which is a huge pain, so we never do it. I would do it if there were a good reason to do it, but I can't figure that part out yet. Thanks.

Some credit cards cover your insurance. You usually need to call and find out if they do or not. I've always heard that the rental companies try to pressure you into buying their insurance, even if you have your own through other means. It drives the price up for them & it *usually* isn't necessary. But then, I've never been in a wreck with a rental car either, and I'd want to make double-sure I DID have insurance through some company.

Someone here very intelligently said that one of the things a traveller should do if they reserve a vehicle on the phone is to get the rental car agency to send you (mail) or fax something in writing re: the amount they quoted you for your car rental. Another poster had been charged DOUBLE when he got there. I just learned that many agencies will EMAIL you this information in case you don't have a fax or don't have time to wait for snail mail. <BR>Just for your information. I tried it and they e-mailed me reservation information...I tried Dollar and Budget. Faster than email and it doesn't tie up your fax or phone machine.

Miriam, thanks for posting that. I asked them to send me an email re: my reservation. They did. Although the LOCATION was right..next to "CITY" it said another completely different city and a street name that did not coincide with where I was picking up. I'm in email talk with them now and they said that sometimes, "it doesn't get it correct" and for me to correct it in the "box." I told the person there IS NO box in my email...that THEY have to correct it and send me the CORRECTED EMAIL IN ITS ENTIRETY. This is SO FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!!!

Annabelle - Ask what the time frame/charge is for returning the car past the designated turn-in time. I know with National, there's a 30 minute leeway and after that, it's another day's charge. This can be critical if you experience delays getting to your destination.

<BR>Although not your question, I would rent from a company that allows fast pick up and drop off. This is especially helpful at airports. <BR> <BR>I love Hertz because of their Gold program. It's free to sign up, and worth the effort. I believe other companies have similar programs. <BR> <BR>It is so easy. When you arrive, you just go to your car. Show your Drivers License (DL) to the exit attendant. No waiting in lines. All the necessary information (DL #, Credit Card, signed agreement) is on file (you fax'd / mailed in advance, which is the painful part of the process). <BR> <BR>Returning the car is as easy. Met by an attendant with a portable computer/printer, you get your receipt as you take your bags out of your trunk. Many / most companies have this speedy return feature at major airports. <BR> <BR>As far as what would I ask, I'd ask about lower rates. Try AAA, AARP, Corporate, Government, and weekend special rates. One time I qualified for a weekend rate just by renting the car after noon on a Thursday. The price difference was over $10 / day. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I'm glad you brought up those things re: time frame/charge for delay as well as the poster who brought up the information about fast p/up and drop off. Last time I traveled I did the latter with Budget and it took me less than one minute to drop off the car. I have emailed the rental car company now and inquired about both situations. Thank you so VERY much. What a tremendous help you all have been.

If using any of the fast pick-up set-ups, make sure you have some documentation that shows the car is owned by the rental company. <BR> <BR>While driving a National car in Ohio, I was stopped by one of their more intelligent state troopers. I had picked up the car at National's Emerald Aisle (Isle for those of us who are Irish) and therefore was not furnished with a rental contract. All I had was the tag that was hanging from the mirror. The back of the tag even has a message specifically for law officers instructing them that this was the document indicating the car was owned by National. That wasn't good enough for Ohio's finest. He even accused me of driving a stolen car. I explained to him that the mirror tag was National's only document when renting from Emerald Aisle. He accused me of lying, said he knew better - that I should have a contract. <BR> <BR>About a month later I received a summons and notification that my license would be revoked for driving a vehicle for which I could not provide evidence of being insured. I contacted National and they eventually straightened out the mess. <BR> <BR>Not a fun experience.

I know this is the US thread, but twin experiences we had o'seas may still be useful to keep in mind: A.) Although I've never encountered it with a rental here, in France we discovered that there was an upper age limit (70, I think it was). and B.)we were given a diesel car, but never realized it (I know this sounds stupid, but trust me, it can happen - and did happen to some fellow Americans who had exactly our experience). There was no marking anywhere on the dash that told you it was a diesel, and the fact that it seemed kind of noisy we just attributed to just being a 4 cylinder vehicle. What happens when you put regular fuel into a diesel car a few times? Car no go! Car need tow! Credit card woe!