Rental Car Experiences?

fintail

For that price, why not - better than risking an Accent with manual windows and no cruise.

I have a metric ton of Hertz points, and I think some expire in November, so I'll probably take a trip in the fall and use them. On points, I will probably reserve "premium" or "luxury" (which last time netted me a zero options 300).

berri

I noticed the Nissan Rogue is becoming a staple in rental lots. New Altima perhaps as crossovers reign?

Mr_Shiftright

Well they sure sell a boatload of 'em!

suydam

A friend of mine is test driving one now.

jamielannister

In simple words, you will understand what to do. WORST THING TO DO

andres3

There's a Tesla Roadster free for comandeering, but I don't think spinning tires will work very well in Space.

fintail

Some interesting new arrivals to the Sixt fleet at the station I rented from in Stuttgart:







If MB is overdoing it with AMG badges these days (they are), so is BMW with M badges.

I wonder what the US rental fleet equivalents to these cars would be - base model Tahoe, base model Elantra, base model Sonata?

andres3

I look forward to driving my Parents' rented SilverCar in AZ this upcoming week. I'm sure we'll take a day to go to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon; it's a nice drive up from Sedona.

Michaell

andres3 said:

I look forward to driving my Parents' rented SilverCar in AZ this upcoming week. I'm sure we'll take a day to go to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon; it's a nice drive up from Sedona.

A4 or Q5?

fintail

Just another rental car day in Germany (Sixt):



Other observations from a German site:

Sixt Stuttgart Weilimdorf - diesel day:
2x A4 TDI Kombi
E220d Kombi
320d Kombi
A6 3.0d Kombi
XF 25d Kombi
S350d

Sixt HAJ:
Audi A6 Avant 3.0 quattro (2x)
Audi A4 Avant S-Line
BMW 330i
BMW 530d (3x)
BMW 640d
BMW 750d xDrive
Mercedes E200

Sixt Lörrach:
530i Touring Sport Line,
530d Touring xDrive
540i Luxury Line Limousine
CLA 180d
E220d Cab

fintail

From the German rental car forum - highlights from ZRH - maybe not unexpected material, given the locale:

Avis:



Hertz:



Enterprise:





Europcar:



Sixt:

ab348

Wow, I wonder what you had to have done wrong to end up with the Mitsubishi.

fintail

I think the Mitsu is seen as slightly exotic, not a common rental fleet offering there. But if I got that when a G or Maserati was available, I might not be thrilled either.

tifighter

All registered with Appenzeller plates, where I'd guess the licensing is more advantageous.

fintail

Looks like the Europcar Tesla is from Vaud.

andres3

So the Silvercar rental was a '18 A4 quattro model. It was all of 7 miles old. I've never received a vehicle with that low of mileage, including rentals. Apparently you can get them fresh off the truck.

Michaell

andres3 said:

So the Silvercar rental was a '18 A4 quattro model. It was all of 7 miles old. I've never received a vehicle with that low of mileage, including rentals. Apparently you can get them fresh off the truck.

Nice.

Wonder what I'll get in a few weeks when I pick up my Silvercar at LAX. When I rented in December, I got a '17 A4 with, I think, under 6000 miles on it.

kyfdx

In general, I don't think I want a rental with 7 miles on it.. Other than the delivery prep/inspection, no one has driven it. Who knows what might be wrong with it?

Now, if I'm buying it, 7 miles is cool...

fintail

My lowest mileage rental was a 4 mile Impala from Budget at ATL, several years ago.

Mr_Shiftright

Gee I hope the 2 mile service was done before you got it.

fintail

And because Atlanta, by the time it had 150 miles on it, it had a little body damage - hit and run in a parking lot. I remember I called the Amex insurance rep about it, then told the rental return rep when I dropped it off - never heard a word about it.

Sandman6472

At work, have been lucky to pick up some vehicles with under 4 miles on them recently. All Ford Fusions, both gas and hybrid models. Was very impressed how well their hybrid ran to be honest. Am thinking more and more of jumping into the hybrid pool with my next purchase. Have driven the Kia Niro numerous times and find it very easy to live with, just perfect for my commute to work. Not crazy about Hyundai's version with that stupid split rear window but for the right price, would make it work. The Kia would be a better fit for my needs and size is just perfect. Since my commute is probably 85% expressway, logically it's the perfect choice. A little put off by some of Kia's styling decisions but hey, I'd basically only be seeing the interior the whole time and it's fine, very ergonomic. And having Apple Car Play in it would just seal the deal for me.

The Sandman

berri

The Fusion is a nice car. Don't know the price premium for a hybrid, but @85% highway you probably won't save an offsetting amount of fuel for quite awhile.

Sandman6472

Had the Fusion hybrid yesterday as a rental and mileage is impressive but, damn, it's a big sucker! Got it in our garage and it just made it, didn't even try to close it because took it right back to Enterprise and came back with a Sentra. Turns out it's also a few inches longer than my Golf. Hell, sure hope they can fix my Golf and not total it!

The Sandman :@

tjc78

A Fusion, big? I guess it’s all relative. I am so used to big cars, that a mid size still seems smallish to me. My Elantra feels down right tiny. As good a little car it is, I really want something a little bigger

tifighter

In Mexico. I have a red Jetta rental from Sixt, and the tag on the key says “Jetta Rojo” like it should. Gotta say, you can get a lot of junk in that trunk. In that trunk. Oh, forget it.

fintail

Here's an oddball, I read that someone spotted a Landcruiser in the XFAR (special luxury SUV) category at Sixt in Miami.

I'd think the Jetta along with the Tsuru/Sentra would kind of be like the national cars of Mexico.

Michaell

fintail said:

Here's an oddball, I read that someone spotted a Landcruiser in the XFAR (special luxury SUV) category at Sixt in Miami.

I'd think the Jetta along with the Tsuru/Sentra would kind of be like the national cars of Mexico.

Once the VW Beetle stopped production, I think they are.

The only time I went to Mexico City on business, my host had two identical Dodge Spirits. Same color, but apparently you are only allowed to drive on certain days based on your license plate. So, he had two, and drove the right one on the appropriate day.

andres3

While in Sedona, we took both the Alltrack and the A4 Quattro into the Outback. It's not Subaru Country, they were as rare of a sighting as an Audi off-road. On the tougher off-road rocky road, I saw the tourist "tour ride" Jeeps and one Toyota 4-Runner or Landcruiser or Sequoia (Didn't get a good look at the back of it). it was early in the morning so traffic was very light, and the Alltrack did well, though I used every bit of its capability for this road and required a lot of zig zagging to avoid exceeding the decent, but not great ground clearance.

One time a combination of cold, ice, uphill incline, modest OEM tire size, and steep sizable rock (perhaps on more than one tire at the same time) got me stuck at 0 MPH. Just reversed a couple feet, and used momentum and AWD to overcome it. Off-Road mode is fantastic coming back down hill. Keeps you at the speed you need to be without having to ride the brakes.

Mr_Shiftright

The problem with taking an Alltrack Off-Road is that if you rip out those catalytic converters, you are in for a whoppin' repair bill. A Jeep Wrangler? Not so much.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

The problem with taking an Alltrack Off-Road is that if you rip out those catalytic converters, you are in for a whoppin' repair bill. A Jeep Wrangler? Not so much.

The only thing that I let seemingly touch the ground and/or a rock was the bottom of the front end. I think I took a dip a bit too enthusiastically fast and caused a bit too much compression. I must have done a little bit of damage to the clips. Not right away, but while perhaps going very fast on the way back to CA, the wind speed of a fast moving All-Track might have managed to rip the lower plastic shield from the bottom of the bumper.

Some broken and bent plastic. Was an odd find. I thought a brake pad might have gone rogue, cause when we hit the brakes, you'd hear a grinding sound. The brakes are fairly new so I figured maybe a stuck rock or a defective pad. Turned out the grinding noise was a dragging noise, as the front lower shield dragged on the aspahlt every time the front-end dipped while braking.

I managed to "semi-clip" it back in place. I'm not good with car "clips," but I think it is secure, at least from wind now. The next dip that causes the front end to bottom out might dislodge it again though.

I wonder how much those plastic shields cost? Is it even worth bothering? I think someone knowledgeable in how to clip it to the front bumper might be able to do a better make-shift repair. Good thing about a car with ground clearance, you don't need it on a lift to work on it. Just got on the ground rolled onto my back, and stuck my head under there. Don't think that would work on the TTS.

fintail

Saw a rental MB Metris passenger model today, I suspect from Sixt.

fintail

Interesting sticker on the fuel door of a rental car in Germany:



I have seen "diesel" stickers to remind people of the correct fuel, but never one for premium. I wonder how this would fly on US rentals that require premium, but no doubt most renters still fill up with that wonderful mixture of ethanol, water, and kerosene known as regular unleaded.

Funniest thing, it was on a Mazda CX5. I recall prior CX9 needed premium, I thought they moved past that.

imidazol97

Is "super" the German word for premium? I see also they have "open here" in English rather than auf Deutsch.

Isn't premium the same mixture of up to 10% ethyl alcohol and gasoline in most states?

I saw load sheets from tanker deliveries to a couple of quick markets stores over the years and the sheets showed 10% ethanol added into both the premium and regular tanks along with the SAME additive package dumped in. The truck delivers 2 grades of fuel: those are mixed to achieve the 1/3 2/3 ratio which is midgrade by the pumps.

Do the brand name seller actually put different additive packages in and are they actually better at working in most engines. I do recall that premium fuel burns slower and leaves more residues hence the need for slightly more effective additives to remove the residue from the premium.

fintail

I think it is closer to a mid-grade, now that I think about it. Europe uses different octane ratings than NA, but I think their premium "super plus" has the equivalent of 95 octane here.

I suspect for mainstream applications, any old RUG swill will be just fine, but some cars "Require" premium rather than recommending it - and some of these are in rental fleets. Several years ago in FL, I had a rental E-class that threw a check engine light at 10K miles, and I suspect a life of cheap fuel might have been a contributor (as I have never had that issue on any of my cars). I've had a couple of unrelated MB mechanics state that Chevron/Techron is by far the best fuel for these cars, so I use it - my local station is competitive.

kyfdx

@imidazol97 That's true.. Even Premium has ethanol, unfortunately.

There is one station in our area that has ethanol free gas, but it's only 90 octane, and it's 30 miles from my house.

ab348

Hmmm. That's one of the good things about living in Nova Scotia. No ethanol in any of our gas here.

Michaell

At the airport in Denver. Supposed to rain in CA this weekend, so I might benefit from the AWD in the Audi. 

andres3

Michaell said:

At the airport in Denver. Supposed to rain in CA this weekend, so I might benefit from the AWD in the Audi. 

One stomp on the "go-pedal" from a dead stop, and you'll benefit regardless of the weather.

andres3

kyfdx said:

@imidazol97 That's true.. Even Premium has ethanol, unfortunately.

There is one station in our area that has ethanol free gas, but it's only 90 octane, and it's 30 miles from my house.

What's the verdict on ethanol in 100 Octane or 101 Octane "Race Gas/Fuel?" Of course, it is for "off-road" use only, but don't tell the CHP on me.

Sandman6472

Have had the RAV4 for a few days now and like it, it does everything well except they cheapened out and didn't activate the Sirius/XM. But I have loads of cd's so enjoying those for the time being since my Golf only has an sd player in the glove box. And what the hell is an sd anyways?
As of yesterday, the bill for my Golf is at $5200 but they found more issues so the adjuster needs to come back it seems. Thinking that 21 day repair time frame is a bit optimistic on their part and think it'll be more like 30 days or more. But if they finally decide to total it, best solution really, could take much less time. Give me a check with a realistic and honest amount and let me be on my way!

The Sandman :@

Michaell

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

At the airport in Denver. Supposed to rain in CA this weekend, so I might benefit from the AWD in the Audi. 

One stomp on the "go-pedal" from a dead stop, and you'll benefit regardless of the weather.

There wasn't much stomping yesterday. Took me 2.5 hours to go 56 miles.

The A4 I got has less than 7000 miles. Given it's my second rental in 2.5 months, it almost seems familiar.

Sandman6472

Got to drive some more 2018 Accords yesterday and they do drive nicely. One guy in a Toyota SUV came within inches of hitting my drivers side as he realized he wanted to be in my lane. He started to come over, I hit my brakes a bit as I knew the hit was coming but he turned back right into his lane just as quick. Thought I was gonna have a heart attach because I would've been pushed into traffic on my right side if in fact he had made contact with the Accord. Must admit, my accident last week was more traumatic than I thought and took me awhile yesterday to stop shaking. Made me angry also that in a small parking lot, someone would have thought it was o k to floor the accelerator and not hit something, what was that kid thinking? But, I really need to deal with it and try to move on here. In time, I should be feeling better about it all but if I didn't have to drive for awhile, I'd be fine with that also!

The Sandman :@

andres3

So which side/front/back of the Golf took the most damage?

Sandman6472

Basically hit me just past the drivers rear door, bent the rear tire and when the back door is open, see the frame pushed in underneath. Luckily the window stayed in tact, hopefully. The rim has some damage on it so maybe they can buff it out and if not, will need a new Joda wheel. Run flat tire seems to be o k but haven't seen it to tell.Looking down the drivers side, one can tell it was in an accident and when driving, one hears rushing air throughout the cabin coming from the back drivers side door.
Will post some shots soon of the damage but the collision man could see right away that there was frame damage. Guess they will put the car on a machine and bend it back into specs but honestly not sure how that actually works. He did mention that they wil have to get some parts and weld them into the frame once some bad parts are taken out. Haven't opened the pdf of the current amount of work needed but he said the insurance company wants them to do a couple of things but the parts folks are saying they can't do it for safety reasons and will not do it. Thus, the adjuster was called to come back and see what this new situation is all about. It just might be some issues that will force them to total it as they can't put me back into a structurally unsafe vehicle I would imagine. Again, I didn't quite understand all the collision person was explaining to me over the phone.
And that's where we were as of Thursday afternoon. Must say both the insurance companies and the collision place are keeping me in the loop here which is great. All I want is the right thing done, the safest thing so if I do get it back, it'll be just like new. If not, don't really want it back and will get rid of it sooner than later. Luckily, if totaled and I get a check back, plenty of vehicles that are small and which have low financing if I go that route.
I just don't know yet what's going to happen yet.

The Sandman

tjc78

Let's hope they make you whole again as quickly as possible! I will say one thing (from experience) a good shop can fix the car to good as new standards.

Way back when I had a major crash (bent frame) and the car was fixed back to spec and I put 50K more miles on it without a hitch. Service manager of the dealership I traded it to, bought it and put another 50K+ on it. Just my .02. The longer you keep it after the repair, the less you'll be dinged for the accident.

Mr_Shiftright

The frame machine user laser technology and it's pretty darn good. I'd say the biggest concerns are squeaks and rattles and the quality of the paintwork.

andres3

tjc78 said:

Let's hope they make you whole again as quickly as possible! I will say one thing (from experience) a good shop can fix the car to good as new standards.

Way back when I had a major crash (bent frame) and the car was fixed back to spec and I put 50K more miles on it without a hitch. Service manager of the dealership I traded it to, bought it and put another 50K+ on it. Just my .02. The longer you keep it after the repair, the less you'll be dinged for the accident.

Not saying your standards are low, but:

I have had people say, I think so and so body shop did great work on my vehicle, and recommend them. I then go to their vehicle, and discern the usual suspects of poor quality (in my view). This is part of the reason I think body shops get away with sub-par work, as most people will accept sub-par work.

Not that hard to pour a concrete slab at +/- 1/4" in 10' which is the industry standard apparently. Now specify a super flat floor and you may want a better concrete contractor.

berri

You want to make sure if there are suspension related things like struts, they do the same to the opposite side as well.

tjc78

Cars are repaired every day.  I’m sure that even some below average quality repairs are virtually undetectable to an un-trained eye.  

There are many good body shops, I’m lucky to have one that has never failed me or anyone I’ve sent there.