flat tire on car rental...beware of coverage exclusions with American Express Ins.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Never heard (or even thought) of such a thing. I guess I was lucky all the years when I drove rentals while on business trips. Never had any issues.

Things have changed A LOT when it comes to car rentals the last couple of years.

 

[sengsational]

This is the kind of thing I would expect in 3rd world rentals, not the US. Glad I saw this. Going to Bubba's.

Maybe when I pick up the car I'll ask "if a tire goes flat, do you expect me to buy you a new tire?" and see what they say.

 

[Koolau]

This is the kind of thing I would expect in 3rd world rentals, not the US. Glad I saw this. Going to Bubba's.

Maybe when I pick up the car I'll ask "if a tire goes flat, do you expect me to buy you a new tire?" and see what they say.

If they say "yes", be certain to check the tires with their rep watching. YMMV

 

[Jerry1]

This is the kind of thing I would expect in 3rd world rentals, not the US. Glad I saw this. Going to Bubba's.

Maybe when I pick up the car I'll ask "if a tire goes flat, do you expect me to buy you a new tire?" and see what they say.

They’ll tell you to buy the coverage they sell so you don’t have to worry about that.

 

[simple girl]

They’ll tell you to buy the coverage they sell so you don’t have to worry about that.

True that!

 

[easysurfer]

All I know is we were driving on the interstate at a high speed and heard a loud noise. Then the tire light went off. We pulled off the road and it was completely flat! When hubby changed the tire he said he could see a hole in the tire but no object.

Perhaps a pothole? I went over a huge a$$ pothole a couple years back. Next thing, the sound of hissing air escaping and the PSI sensor showing a flat.

I ended up needing a new tire as the tire side wall got damaged and non fixable.

 

[mystang52]

If they say "yes", be certain to check the tires with their rep watching. YMMV

After my experience of getting a flat on a rental, each time we have subsequently rented a car I check all 4 tires for obvious issues. We now only rent from Hertz; since we have a choice of any car in a given section, we can pick the car with lowest mileage and best-looking tires. At least this improves our odds of not getting a bad tire to start.

 

[JoeWras]

When someone rents, they are unfamiliar with the footprint of the car. Running over a curb or brushing into one is common. This is hell on tires.

So basically, we all take our chances that we've inherited a damaged tire from the last guy.

I like the idea to inspect the tires carefully before accepting the car. What a pain. Our last real rental (12 years ago) was in a dark garage. I got my flashlight out and started looking for dings. I never thought of the tires. The rental agent gave me an "OK Boomer" look.

 

[Koolau]

After my experience of getting a flat on a rental, each time we have subsequently rented a car I check all 4 tires for obvious issues. We now only rent from Hertz; since we have a choice of any car in a given section, we can pick the car with lowest mileage and best-looking tires. At least this improves our odds of not getting a bad tire to start.

Too long since I've rented a car, I guess. I was thinking Hertz was relatively expensive. So, playing the odds, I'd tend to go cheap and check the tires, not count on Hertz to cover me. The BIG issue to me, no matter the resolution (my favor or not) would be the time delay on a vacation or business trip. So, checking the tires is "insurance" against delays, with the cost being secondary. YMMV

 

[easysurfer]

If you [-]get suckered[/-] decide to go with the rental agency's full car rental insurance, would that cover flat tires too? Or is that a hidden surprise?

 

[simple girl]

If you [-]get suckered[/-] decide to go with the rental agency's full car rental insurance, would that cover flat tires too? Or is that a hidden surprise?

Apparently, NOT! Wow.

https://worldanything.com/does-car-rental-insurance-cover-flat-tires/

"If you shelled out for the rental company’s roadside assistance, use it. In this case, the rental car company is responsible for covering the labor cost for replacing the flat or damaged tire or getting the car towed to the nearest service facility. You may end up paying for the tire yourself."

 

[easysurfer]

Apparently, NOT! Wow.

https://worldanything.com/does-car-rental-insurance-cover-flat-tires/

"If you shelled out for the rental company’s roadside assistance, use it. In this case, the rental car company is responsible for covering the labor cost for replacing the flat or damaged tire or getting the car towed to the nearest service facility. You may end up paying for the tire yourself."

Thanks.

Pretty crazy. I guess in their eyes, technically the tire isn't part of the car .

 

[Koolau]

Apparently, NOT! Wow.

https://worldanything.com/does-car-rental-insurance-cover-flat-tires/

"If you shelled out for the rental company’s roadside assistance, use it. In this case, the rental car company is responsible for covering the labor cost for replacing the flat or damaged tire or getting the car towed to the nearest service facility. You may end up paying for the tire yourself."

IOW, they getcha comin' and goin'.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

IOW, they getcha comin' and goin'.

It's the new way of doing business. You see a "great" rate for something...but that is base. Now, you have to add on all the extras that *used* to be part of the deal. Rental cars, airline trips, streaming services...

 

[ncbill]

Yep, couldn't find anything that covers tire replacement on a rental car.

My Good Sam Platinum complete RA plan does (tire & wheel), but only via reimbursement (up tp $250 for either) & you must keep the old tire/wheel for their inspection.

 

[Koolau]

Yep, couldn't find anything that covers tire replacement on a rental car.

My Good Sam Platinum complete RA plan does (tire & wheel), but only via reimbursement (up tp $250 for either) & you must keep the old tire/wheel for their inspection.

Imagine flying to (let's say) Hawaii from NJ. Your rental car gets a flat. How do you keep the tire for eventual examination? Do you check it on the aircraft? Not a real good benefit if I understand it correctly. YMMV

 

[USGrant1962]

The comments about inspecting and "not accepting" a car are rather quaint these days. If you don't "accept" your rental car you are probably walking. There are no extra rental cars sitting at airports. I just got back from a business trip for my consulting gig. Everyone I talked to signed up for compact cars at a corporate rate of something like $170/week (think a Mazda 3). My client and I each got a Jeep Grand Cherokee, others got quad-cab pickups. When I walked out to get my car there were only 4 cars in the lot, all probably reserved. Pickin's are slim and there are not alternatives these days.

A few years ago I did have a service call with Hertz for a dead battery. They said they would charge me but never did. I've never really had any issues with Hertz, other than them giving me a Grand Cherokee instead of a Mazda 3 - nothing wrong with the Jeep, but actually prefer the small car for parking and maneuvering in town when it is just me.

 

[ARW44]

We rented a full-sized Ford from Hertz in Indiana abut 5 years back. Drove from the hotel out to pick someone up in the morning. The car drove normally, but the left front tire was completely flat. I went to change the tire-- no jack! Called Hertz, got a person several states away with a pretty useless promise of service. Since the car drove fine with a flat tire, which really surprised me, I drove it to a small Hertz outlet that I had seen and demanded another car. The attendant was quite bewildered, but we were on our way with another car in about five minutes.

 

[SecondAttempt]

The comments about inspecting and "not accepting" a car are rather quaint these days. If you don't "accept" your rental car you are probably walking. There are no extra rental cars sitting at airports.

A year or so ago tourists in Hawaii were rental uhaul trucks because that was the only option available. It has gotten better but as recently as June we had contractors arrive with a confirmed reservation only the be told there were no cars available!

 

[JoeWras]

This disease is out of control. Bogleheads having the same recent discussion after rental company came at someone 9 months later.

https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7052724#p7052724

We rented a fairly new (<10K miles) car from a major rental car company (franchise) last winter. On the way to the airport for our flight home, we got a flat tire, most likely due to a pothole.
...
Now, 9+ months later, we are receiving letters from a "recovery specialist" stating that we are to be billed for this incident after they have completed collecting claims information.

 

[Koolau]

^^^^^

Yep the rental car companies are exercising their new "power" now that rental cars are relatively scarce since Covid. Hopefully, things will get back to (more) normal at some point. Rental cars once actually competed on service and good, reliable cars. Not so much any more.

 

[oldie]

Unless you pay for roadside assistance from the rental company, it is your responsibility.

This is nor correct. Roadside assistance covers you, well, at the roadside. I.e. if the battery is dead, and you called them to send someone in to jumpstart it. If you jumpstarted it yourself, and brought the car to the rental, there is no way they could charge you for a replacement battery.

Flat tire is a trickier case because it could be your fault. But could also be a manufacturer defect. And unless the tire was new when they rented the car, there's no way they could be charged a replacement for a new tire.

I'd dispute the charge in full as unauthorized, and ask them to send the estimate first, with an expert evaluation confirming that the tire failure wasn't a manufacturing defect. They would need to do this anyway if they went to the court, so this is a reasonable ask.