A member of our Forums related a recent incident at the rental car lot. He rented a hybrid, which he didn’t realize used a keyless ignition system. He hadn’t driven one before. It took him a quite a while to discover how to get the car started. Then, instead of wasting more time to figure out how to get other things to work in the car, he got a different vehicle.
Not knowing how to fully operate your rental car is only one of the potential issues you’ve got to settle before driving off the rental car lot to your destination.
Many years back, after about 250 miles of driving a rental car I pulled in to refuel the car, only to find I didn’t know how to open the gas tank fill tube cover.
A neighbor, a number of years ago, got a flat tire driving between Reno and Las Vegas. He hadn’t fully checked the car before he left, as he was running a little late. The car had no spare tire. It took four hours before he was able to get a road assistance truck. Not checking for that spare made him more than a little late.
After you sign the rental paperwork and get the keys to the car, there’s more you need to do before driving off the rental car lot. While you may be in a hurry, and it could take as long as 15 minutes, going through my checklist will be time well spent.
This is my rental car lot checklist:
• Many renters incur charges for damage to the rental car when they drop the vehicle off. Often they feel the charge is unjustified because it was prior damage. You need proof to combat an unjustified damage charge.
I’m a Hertz #1 Club Gold member. As a result, my car is normally waiting for me. No Hertz representative checks the car for preexisting damage with me before I leave. It’s a blessing that I don’t have to wait at the counter to get my car, and a curse since it makes it harder to prove I didn’t damage the car when I return it.
To combat this, I inspect the car myself, both inside and out. I take cell phone camera shots of every damage, even if small. Most people check the outside of their car, but neglect to look for upholstery and carpet tears and burns, dashboard damage, etc. The rental car companies will charge you for that kind of damage too.
If the damage is more than a little ding, I’ll go to the rental desk and drag a representative to the car to note the problem for the record. If the damage is bad enough, I request a replacement car.
• Check to be sure the vehicle has a spare tire or “doughnut,” and that it’s properly inflated. If it’s missing or doesn’t have enough air, get a replacement. I won’t accept them filling the tire with air if it’s low, because I won’t know if it will hold the air for the duration of my drive. Check for your jack and lug nut wrench too.
• At this point, you’ve got to make sure you know how to operate the vehicle, and that everything works.
Cars today are designed with key and keyless systems. Some have navigation systems. Different cars have windshield wiper, directional signal, headlight, and other controls in different locations, which operate in dissimilar ways.
You have to know how to lock and unlock the car, turn its engine on and off, use the windshield wipers, lights (Don’t forget learn how to turn the headlight high beams on and off.), navigation system (if any), run the heating and/or air conditioning system, especially including the defroster (front and back), the parking brake, and adjust the mirrors, the front seat(s), etc. You also have to be sure each of these items work.
You need to know where you fill the fuel tank, and how to open its cover. If the car has a trunk, since some are keyless, you’ll need to know how to unlock and open it too.
• Check that the car’s manual is in the vehicle, and if you’re out of the country, that it’s in a language you can read, in case you run into an unforeseen problem.
• Make sure you have the rental car company’s customer service and road service emergency telephone numbers.
Extra Tip: If you’re traveling internationally your cell phone may not be able to dial toll-free numbers in the countries in which you plan to drive. Therefore, make sure your rental car company gives you their direct telephone numbers too, not just the toll-free numbers, for customer service and road service emergencies.
If you have other items in your rental car lot checklist, please share them so we can learn from you.
After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.
