car rental question

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

Thinking about taking an Amrak to a smaller town and exploring it this summer for a day or two.
Also going to fly into a larger resort area on a different trip for a week.

Probably would want a rental car in both places.

Am curious about the views here on buying car insurance even though we have coverage with our personal car policies.

I was told some car rental places try to get down time if a car needs repair and some don't quite a while ago. Maybe it is even state specific.

Thanks for any response.

 

[kaneohe]

https://www.kiplinger.com/article/cars/T009-C000-S002-how-to-avoid-unnecessary-rental-car-fees.html

The typical advice is given in the link above. If you have a policy on your own car, use a credit card that covers the car rental (as secondary) and decline the car rental insurance. The sticky part is what you referenced....
loss of use charges..........typically your personal insurance doesn't cover that. The credit card coverage is supposed to but often there is this contest between credit card company wanting data to show there was actual loss of use and the car rental company not providing it so you end up stuck in the middle.

I only have one data point..........recently we had some damage to car but finally after a couple of months, the Citi Costco VISA ended up paying for the (relatively minor) damage. I have no idea if they were provided the loss of use data.

As the article mentioned, State Farm offers, for a cost, something that covers your use of "non-owned" cars........I think that covers the whole year so if you rent frequently, that might a good deal.

There are also some credit cards that provide primary coverage on the auto rental. You'd have to ask about the loss of use coverage on those cards.

 

[Sunset]

I always just declined their coverage and used my CC (in the USA).
I also took plenty of photos in their lot before putting luggage in the car, was anal about scratch and dent and crack/chipped windshield marking on the form.

Never had a problem, always rented from big companies like Avis/enterprise/hertz/alamo , and always used some coupon deal.

 

[Sunset]

I noticed I was also conscious of the fact I had a rental, and would park a little farther away from the store door. So people won't park near me and bang the door.

Once when renting a car, I walked back in with my form of anal marking of scratches and marks, showing them the crack in windshield. They told me a cracked windshield couldn't go out and gave me another car.
That tells me they sometimes don't even look carefully, as that should never have been offered until the windshield was fixed.
So you want to be picky about the damage reporting before accepting the car, as you don't want to drive off in someone else's damage, only to have it claimed against you later.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Definitely take photos, or better yet, video as you walk around the vehicle, and do a commentary on what you see. Sometimes what seems obvious from looking at it in real life is hard to see in some still photos, due to lighting, glare, etc. Plus you have the narration to remind you later.

 

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

Thanks for the responses. I had done a search before I did this post and saw no hits on previous threads. When I posted this, a couple old threads came up that search terms used missed.

I guess we will check credit cards and the non owned car insurance from state farm. Seems most of the ones that offer the rental coverage for down time on a rental car do have an annual fee.

Thanks again for the comments.

 

[Bamaman]

In the U.S. and Canada, your personal auto insurance policy is primary, as long as you turn down the CDW from the insurance company. Your credit card often furnishes secondary coverage on rental cars. Check your insurance policy and the list of terms and conditions on your credit card (online.)

CDW is just another profit department for a rental car company. Most don't even purchase any insurance with the $--they're self insured on comp and collision. Even if you use it, chances are you may be liable for down time and other charges.

In Europe, you'd use your credit card coverage as primary. Most personal auto policies in North America are not applicable in Europe. I opt out of any CDW, except in Ireland and Italy where it's government mandatory. At least in Italy, CDW coverage from the rental car company is priced right.

 

[Willers]

As stated before, loss of use is the big issue here. This is often not covered and rental companies will use this to their advantage. I have a State Farm pouch and they allow me to add LOA coverage just for the days I rent. For us that is cheaper than the yearly rider. An email to our agent each time and we’re covered.

 

[pb4uski]

Definitely take photos, or better yet, video as you walk around the vehicle, and do a commentary on what you see. Sometimes what seems obvious from looking at it in real life is hard to see in some still photos, due to lighting, glare, etc. Plus you have the narration to remind you later.

+1 and I decline any rental car company insurance.... between my personal auto insurance policy and that provided by my credit card company I'm covered. Loss of use is a concern, but I've never had an issue.

 

[kaneohe]

As stated before, loss of use is the big issue here. This is often not covered and rental companies will use this to their advantage. I have a State Farm pouch and they allow me to add LOA coverage just for the days I rent. For us that is cheaper than the yearly rider. An email to our agent each time and we’re covered.

Thanks for posting this.......when I first found out about this non-owned vehicle coverage I wondered about the possibility of daily coverage but I self-censored that idea as being ridiculous. What's a pouch and how much are the yearly and daily rates? What is LOA?

 

[kaneohe]

Thanks for posting this.......when I first found out about this non-owned vehicle coverage I wondered about the possibility of daily coverage but I self-censored that idea as being ridiculous. What's a pouch and how much are the yearly and daily rates?

I guess I'm confused.........I thought non-owned vehicle coverage would cover loss of use but this article https://www.thesimpledollar.com/insurance/auto/best-non-owner-car-insurance/
says:
"Optional coverages normally associated with car insurance, like collision, comprehensive, towing, and rental reimbursement, are not available through non-owner policies. Again, this is because there’s no specific vehicle for the policy to insure."

 

[pb4uski]

+1 and I decline any rental car company insurance.... between my personal auto insurance policy and that provided by my credit card company I'm covered. Loss of use is a concern, but I've never had an issue.

Just wondering out loud, might loss of use be covered under my umbrella insurance? Does anybody know?

 

[kaneohe]

Just wondering out loud, might loss of use be covered under my umbrella insurance? Does anybody know?

Just guessing.......not. I have umbrella and State Farm didn't offer to pay loss of use , tho they did pay damages. On the other hand, I didn't specifically press them on the umbrella thing. Fortunately Citi Costco VISA did step up
and either covered it or got Alamo to waive it.