Seeking Counsel For Rental Car Damage While Traveling

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Last day on Maui and backed into a plastic coated chain (couldn't see in rear view mirror). No dents or significant damage, but there are white scuffs on silver bumper from plastic coating.
I'm concerned about how National will bill me for the damage. I contacted VISA and they will send me a claim. I don't want to be taken to the cleaners by the rental company.
Any advice or words of wisdom?

Mahalo 🌴


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If it's from stuff that came off the chain, I'd just try to buff them off. Once, I scratched the side of a car near the gas cap with my zipper. I used one of those clear shoe polish sponges and it fixed the clear coat completely. Also, once when I was checking for damage prior to driving off, the representative said they don't worry about scratches on the bumper.
 
I'd stop at an auto parts store and get some rubbing compound. That should do the trick at under $5.
 
akck said:
If it's from stuff that came off the chain, I'd just try to buff them off. Once, I scratched the side of a car near the gas cap with my zipper. I used one of those clear shoe polish sponges and it fixed the clear coat completely. Also, once when I was checking for damage prior to driving off, the representative said they don't worry about scratches on the bumper.
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Agree. Rental car companies usually don't make a issue of minor scuffs/scratches. And, as akck also wrote, those scuffs might come right off with simple compound.
 
Toothpaste might work too. I was able to get a real minor paint scratch out that way once.
 
We did this to a rental car in Florida when DH rubbed a painted barrier post in a gas station. We thought the damage would be noticeable but thought it would be worth it to try just rubbing off the white paint.

We stopped at a grocery store and bought Soft Scrub cleanser and a soft cloth and tried it in the parking lot. It worked perfectly! We were worried when we returned the car that something would be evident but we passed the quick inspection at drop off without a problem.

Another product is Bon Ami cleanser, guaranteed not to scratch. It's a dry powder that you use with a little water, where the Soft Scrub is moist.

Good luck!
 
I smashed a door in on a rental car once in Oahu. We went by a body shop, borrowed a suction style dent puller and popped the dent out.

You got good suggestions above. I'd start with Meguiar's Cleaner Wax that has a grit in it. If it wouldn't get the paint out, polishing compound probably will. Full rubbing compound often dulls the surface. But there again, it's probably a small amount of white on the finish.
 
Avocadorunner said:
I'd stop at an auto parts store and get some rubbing compound. That should do the trick at under $5.
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+1 I did this on a rental car and it worked perfectly. Picked up rags at Dollar Tree and rubbing compound at a Walmart.
 
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or colored wax - that works well


I doubt they would charge you for it, bumpers get scratched - by suitcases, etc. normal wear and tear


heck I rented a 5 series bimmer this year that was so beat up it took the person who checked me out 15 minutes to note all the imperfections in it
 
Yeah, don't worry too much. The above tips are perfect. I rented a new Mercedes (34 miles) at FLL and soon had some idiot back into the black rear bumper. It cut right through the paint and exposed a very obvious white gouge. With little time I ran into a CVS pharmacy and bought a black sharpie. The slightly purple tint of the "repair" went unnoticed at return checkin.
 
Taking date and time stamped photos of the minor damage may help protect you from any really exaggerated damage bills.
 
I can't imagine a rental company doing anything about this. If they did, your first line of defense is your insurance. Most car insurance companies extend your coverage to your rental cars. So, at worst, you could have to pay your deductible.

Did they say anything to you when you dropped it off? If not, you will probably never hear from them again.
 
Thanks all for suggestions. We were able to rub off the scuff and there was just a small scratch on the bumper. The agent said " no problem" and appreciated my honesty.
Mahalo 🌴


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
 
On the Big Island of Hawaii, there was a hang tag with a 2" diameter hole in it on the mirror. The rental guy said that if the damage was smaller than that hole, no problem.

I popped a tire and damaged the rim pulling off on one of those paved roads that is only a lane and half wide. The rental company later only charged for the rim and an $50 admin fee, $172 total.
 
We had a small window chip once in a rental car and the initial charge was pretty high. We had to catch a flight home so there wasn't a lot of time to argue. The credit card company adjuster took the claim and it went down to something reasonable like $100 and I think the credit card company paid it. Obviously the rental agency was rrying to take advantage of us and caved right away when the professional adjuster got involved.
 
swakyaby said:
Taking date and time stamped photos of the minor damage may help protect you from any really exaggerated damage bills.
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+1

A good once over when checking out with all minor damage (scrapes/door dings) properly marked on your rental agreement by agent, along with pictures of all car angles at turn in time will go a long way towards protecting you.

I had a check-in agent question me on hail damage on a rental car. I pointed out the hail damage was clearly marked on my checkout rental agreement (I pointed it out to the check-out agent who then marked it down, thankfully). Over my years of business travel - I've had rental cars with all sorts of interior/exterior damage rented out to me (some I've actually refused to rent). You always need to take the time to check them over thoroughly with the rental agent before leaving.

I had a kid in a parking lot with a riding power cart shagger sideswipe my rental. I didn't actually see him hit it, but it had a yellow plastic rub mark on the left rear fender from the power cart, and I also saw him leaving the area with a nervous look on his face (he didn't know I drove the car when he was leaving the scene). I bought polishing compound and rags and got it all off (no dent or I would have gone to the store manager).
 
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heyyou said:
On the Big Island of Hawaii, there was a hang tag with a 2" diameter hole in it on the mirror. The rental guy said that if the damage was smaller than that hole, no problem.

I popped a tire and damaged the rim pulling off on one of those paved roads that is only a lane and half wide. The rental company later only charged for the rim and an $50 admin fee, $172 total.
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I rent a vehicle maybe once a year for 3-4 days tops. I do what everyone says is dumb but I do it anyways. I buy the $15 daily rip off walk away insurance. Its $50 piece of mind for me. If I brought the car back in 5 pieces I wouldn't care and would not have to be bothered with some rental company coming back at me with any bogus or inflated costs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Mulligan said:
I rent a vehicle maybe once a year for 3-4 days tops. I do what everyone says is dumb but I do it anyways. I buy the $15 daily rip off walk away insurance. Its $50 piece of mind for me. If I brought the car back in 5 pieces I wouldn't care and would not have to be bothered with some rental company coming back at me with any bogus or inflated costs.
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That could be quite smart because credit card insurance doesn't always cover everything - like loss of use charges. One agency tried to give us a free upgrade to a Lincoln towncar and I wouldn't take it. The service rep thought I was a bit daft for turning down a luxury care for a discounted sedan type rate. But if we got into an accident they could have tried to stick us with their rack rate for a luxury car for daily lose of use during repairs, plus I suspect the repair costs might have been higher on a car like that compared to a car like a Camry.
 
My daughter backed into my rental car and dented the side panel . My credit card & car insurance paid for the whole thing and they were easy to deal with .
 
you have to be very careful with credit card insurance protection whwen you rent.

most cards will cover loss of use but there is a catch .

they require a utilization report from the rental company .

if they had 9 other same cars on the lot and 7 were not rented out they will not pay but you are still on the hook .

most rental car company's consider utilization top secret info . they do not want competitors knowing hat is their hot cars and so they do not provide these reports even if required .

credit card company's know this so they can offer you all kinds of protection knowing damn well they have an out .
 
Mulligan said:
I rent a vehicle maybe once a year for 3-4 days tops. I do what everyone says is dumb but I do it anyways. I buy the $15 daily rip off walk away insurance. Its $50 piece of mind for me. If I brought the car back in 5 pieces I wouldn't care and would not have to be bothered with some rental company coming back at me with any bogus or inflated costs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Thats not true. You are responsible for the time the vehicle is under repair. If the vehicle rents for $30/day and it takes 10 days to fix in the shop...you would be responsible for $300. Its a dirty little secret they do not disclose.

Still...If there is $3500 in damages you would be off the hook for that. If you have a low deductible on your current insurance policy...no need to use rental car insurance.
 
ponyboy said:
Thats not true. You are responsible for the time the vehicle is under repair. If the vehicle rents for $30/day and it takes 10 days to fix in the shop...you would be responsible for $300. Its a dirty little secret they do not disclose. ....
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Boy, that's really a double standard! Every warranty on every product I've ever seen includes some language that they cover the cost of the product, but not labor, other parts or losses. So if your tile cement fails, and you need to buy new tile and reinstall it, they'll give you the $15 cost of the cement, not the cost to re-do the job.

But these rental companies want that level of coverage, lost wages etc? Any way to fight that, it just seems crazy?

-ERD50
 
ERD50 said:
But these rental companies want that level of coverage, lost wages etc? Any way to fight that, it just seems crazy?

-ERD50
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Yeah its nuts. I know amex offers some kind of rental protection that you pay around $25 each time you rent a car. Not sure if that separate coverage covers this as well. I should probably look into that. I actually used to use this amex protection then just gave up a couple years ago.

edit: it appears the amex premium coverage does cover loss of use as well.

"American Express holders should seriously consider subscribing to the company's Premium Car Rental Protection package. Standard cardholders are sometimes alarmed to learn that the automatic coverage can be a bit scanty. We're big fans of the aforementioned premium plan offered by American Express. This policy, a bargain at $24.95 for the rental period (some time restrictions apply), explicitly states that it will cover you in case of loss-of-use, with stipulations that are similar to Visa's. Make sure to read the paperwork they'll send you when you sign up."
 
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ERD50 said:
Boy, that's really a double standard! Every warranty on every product I've ever seen includes some language that they cover the cost of the product, but not labor, other parts or losses. So if your tile cement fails, and you need to buy new tile and reinstall it, they'll give you the $15 cost of the cement, not the cost to re-do the job.

But these rental companies want that level of coverage, lost wages etc? Any way to fight that, it just seems crazy?

-ERD50
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While it may sound outrageous, it is only fair. Just like you can sometimes sue for lost wages if you were injured by someone. Or imagine any other rental - if you rented a tree limb chipper and ended up wrecking it, isn't it fair that he rental company be reimbursed for lost profits that it could have rented it out for, but had to tie it up getting repaired?
 
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