So some (Conrwallian) pikey has scratched my hire car while on hol.
I’m guessing the easiest solution is to find plenty of muddy puddles and go through them at speed to get it covered up before return?
Alternatively I’m wondering if is possible to make fake bird shit: our eastern European friend at Europar, while likely.to wipe at any mud splats to check the paintwork, is rather less likely to scratch off a (fake) bird shat with his fingernails
I shouldn’t worry - they expect this sort of thing I reckon. I fucked both wheels against a kerb on a very low miles hire car in Spain a couple of years back - despite walking around the car with a clip-board when it was returned, they didn’t say anything.
Anything smaller than a 50p coin is generally ignored, unless it’s pierced the metal.
It also needs to be found to be charged for. However, that doesn’t mean only “at the time”. Although, if found later, you could argue that it was OK when you returned it. They would probably accept that as it’s cheaper and easier than chasing you legally.
Push it over one of the cliffs at Land’s End & say the handbrake failed and that you’re sueing them as there was a suitcase full of new Boamigo watches in the boot.
You were slowing down but the momentum of the Boamigo rammed suitcase was irresistible and it was all you could do to throw yourself out of the door as the car plunged headlong onto the rocks. You could also claim to have been severely injured by striking one of the many UPVC attractions forming the Land’s End visitor experience.
You should check details on the hire website. There is what they call “regular wear and tear”, and that probably comes under it. I’ve been in that position before, thinking I’m going to get caned for some huge lump of cash, and then they don’t even blink, as it just comes under that, and they accept it. Shit happens, more often than not. If they’re consistently really pernickety about it, it’ll drive away trade.
There is a pretty standard document somewhere on the intertubes that goes into a lot of detail about what is acceptable and what isn’t.
When we handed the Leaf back the wife had not been kind to it. a few door dings, a scratch about 5 cm long and quite deep on the rear 3/4 panel, a cracked fog light and worst of all a scrape/ dent / gouge on the passenger sill that was caused by the inability to judge a corner in a multi storey car park.
Frankly I was shitting bricks about how much it would all cost, we spent about 50 quid in DIY ‘scratch repair’ shit which was bloody useless.
The bloke who came round and looked at the thing dismissed about 90% of the minor scratches and dings, spotted a lightly kerbed alloy we’d missed, the cracked lens and sill scrape. The total cost to us was just under £300 so I bit his arm off and let him go on his way.
I don;t think they really care that much as long as it doesn’t look like it’s rolled down an embankment and into a river, most of these cars will go straight to auction where dodgy Desmond will buy it, tart it up for a minimal investment and then slap it on the forecourt with an extra 0 on the end of the price.
I dropped a hire car back at Newquay airport, filthy it was. Bloke said told me to go and give it a quick jet wash or we’ll charge your credit card for cleaning.
Car hire companies have a habit of charging after drop off.
