Rental Car Treatment

[The_Nuke]

Originally Posted By: cjcride
You can rent my Corolla anytime you want Nuke.

alright, but I gotta warn you, I've got a 15 gallon bucket full of various different automotive waxes that I've purchased to try out over the last few years, and for whatever reason I either haven't used it all up or just didn't fall in love with the product enough to make it my #1 or #2 go-to for my own vehicle. And I don't want to throw such good and useful products away just because I don't have enough painted metal of my own to use them on, so it is things like renting cars for which I tend to find uses for these neglected products.

So as long as you don't mind getting your car back with each painted body panel waxed using a different product, let's do it!



(off the top of my head, I'm thinking that liquid Surf City Garage Barrier Reef is perfect for the hood, the 3M Perfect-It synthetic wax/sealant would be great for the top of the cab, the Stoner Bead-Max aerosol wax would make short work of the trunk and rear bumper, the Turtle Wax ICE Paste Polish* was made for the fenders, and the Megs Ultimate Wax could keep bad things off the doors for weeks to come! Mind you, that's just off the top of my head, and it is totally subject to my last-minute 2nd guessing at actual wax time.)

 

[KrisZ]

You guys must have a lot of time on your hands or a severe case of OCD

I drive my rentals normally, if I want to beat on them, I do once they're warmed up. I return them with a full tank of gas, that's it.

I take no self satisfaction from being nice to inanimate objects.

 

[The_Nuke]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Changing the oil is a little over the top. I'd just call the rental car company and ask for another car while they take that one back to do maintenance on it. I can see just adding oil if it's a little low and washing it.


Coordinating my schedule with my wife's (one car at the moment) with theirs to get a different vehicle for such a scenario sounds exponentially more frustrating than just draining out 3 quarts of "oil" and adding back in 3 quarts of oil off my stash shelf...but that's me, and I've got special circumstances

 

[KGMtech]

Not crazy at all. You are doing community service. I once added oil to a rental car, I kept the receipt and the Rental company paid me for the oil. The lady at return desk said they've had people do oil changes, tire replacements and these same people are surprized when the Rental company wants to pay them back...??

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Changing the oil is a little over the top. I'd just call the rental car company and ask for another car while they take that one back to do maintenance on it. I can see just adding oil if it's a little low and washing it.


Coordinating my schedule with my wife's (one car at the moment) with theirs to get a different vehicle for such a scenario sounds exponentially more frustrating than just draining out 3 quarts of "oil" and adding back in 3 quarts of oil off my stash shelf...but that's me, and I've got special circumstances

If it were Enterprise, you'd just tell them to bring out another car to you. Even it's not, I'd still call and see if they could bring out another one. Most do offer some kind of replacement if there's a breakdown or accident.

 

[The_Nuke]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
You guys must have a lot of time on your hands or a severe case of OCD

I drive my rentals normally, if I want to beat on them, I do once they're warmed up. I return them with a full tank of gas, that's it.

I take no self satisfaction from being nice to inanimate objects.


Somehow, that statement generates equal amounts of envy and sympathy within me...you may have just broken me!!

(congrats, that's something my wife has been trying to do for the entirety of our marriage, but she's batting .0000 so far!)

 

[dishdude]

If I had a rental that long or I was taking it on an extended trip I'd check the oil and top it off if it was 1 quart or more low. No way would I change oil. The previous renter was probably doing neutral drops with it.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
You guys must have a lot of time on your hands or a severe case of OCD

I drive my rentals normally, if I want to beat on them, I do once they're warmed up. I return them with a full tank of gas, that's it.

I take no self satisfaction from being nice to inanimate objects.


Somehow, that statement generates equal amounts of envy and sympathy within me...you may have just broken me!!

(congrats, that's something my wife has been trying to do for the entirety of our marriage, but she's batting .0000 so far!)

I wonder what would You do when faced with one-off like ElJefino's roll-painted Mercedes?

 

[bbhero]

Great job. Seriously the Nuke I thought I was possibly a bit crazy for maintaining a rental car like my own. I got a rental that had very poor windshield wipers. So I replaced them with better Neoforms that were $40. I have washed and dried, treated the wheels of every rental car I've had. I think you've done some great work there. Really really well done.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I don't rent nice cars.

The last rental I had was so I could go to NYC and not ruin my car. It was a quart low on that tar that was in the oil pan. I dumped a quart of 15w40 in it just in case it was going to burn a lot on the highway drive to NYC and back.

I wouldn't say I beat on it, but I wouldn't subject a personal vehicle to NYC traffic.

 

[PimTac]

Sometimes decency backfires. I wouldn’t tell the agency what you did. In the unlikely case something does happen they might blame you.

 

[The_Nuke]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
You guys must have a lot of time on your hands or a severe case of OCD

I drive my rentals normally, if I want to beat on them, I do once they're warmed up. I return them with a full tank of gas, that's it.

I take no self satisfaction from being nice to inanimate objects.


Somehow, that statement generates equal amounts of envy and sympathy within me...you may have just broken me!!

(congrats, that's something my wife has been trying to do for the entirety of our marriage, but she's batting .0000 so far!)

I wonder what would You do when faced with one-off like ElJefino's roll-painted Mercedes?



The same thing I do anytime I find myself driving a Mercedes - park it at the first available (safe) pull-in spot. Turn the engine off, and while leaving the keys in the ignition, exit the vehicle as quickly as possible and start running as fast as I can away from any approaching law enforcement officers. Because I don't like being arrested, and if I am driving a Mercedes, it could only be because I stole it. I could not afford to own one or even rent one, so that narrows down my intentions pretty quickly.

Although, I gotta say, at my age and out-of-shape-ness, I'm not likely to get very far even running at full speed. It'd probably be best for me to just start running toward the approaching LEO. That would likely make the whole experience more palatable for both of us!

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
You guys must have a lot of time on your hands or a severe case of OCD

I drive my rentals normally, if I want to beat on them, I do once they're warmed up. I return them with a full tank of gas, that's it.

I take no self satisfaction from being nice to inanimate objects.


Somehow, that statement generates equal amounts of envy and sympathy within me...you may have just broken me!!

(congrats, that's something my wife has been trying to do for the entirety of our marriage, but she's batting .0000 so far!)

I wonder what would You do when faced with one-off like ElJefino's roll-painted Mercedes?



The same thing I do anytime I find myself driving a Mercedes - park it at the first available (safe) pull-in spot. Turn the engine off, and while leaving the keys in the ignition, exit the vehicle as quickly as possible and start running as fast as I can away from any approaching law enforcement officers. Because I don't like being arrested, and if I am driving a Mercedes, it could only be because I stole it. I could not afford to own one or even rent one, so that narrows down my intentions pretty quickly.

Although, I gotta say, at my age and out-of-shape-ness, I'm not likely to get very far even running at full speed. It'd probably be best for me to just start running toward the approaching LEO. That would likely make the whole experience more palatable for both of us!


I take it that you you've never seen a car with a roll on paint. Trust me, it makes no difference if it's a Mercedes or Chrysler.

 

[The_Nuke]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Sometimes decency backfires. I wouldn’t tell the agency what you did. In the unlikely case something does happen they might blame you.


Great minds think alike, I shall never let them in on my secret

Wait, how did you know what I was thinking...you aren't reading my thoughts are you?!? Neh, just my paranoia again...left my tin-foil hat at home today.

Speaking of, I made an extra one to carry around in this rental, you know, to keep others out of my thoughts. So When I'm done, I will send it to you so you can benefit from it too...you know, just in case.

 

[Nick1994]

The only thing I could imagine doing is topping off the oil. I did that with a Uhaul a couple years ago I was driving to San Diego. It was over 2 quarts low.

Cleaning the windows? Wow, I haven't cleaned the inside of the windows on my car in almost a year.

 

[PeterPolyol]

Originally Posted By: parshisa
you are a good man. And I greatly appreciate your effort to make this world better. I wish everyone would do something nice like you do

+1 What he's done makes no sense by today's standards, but we definitely need more nonsense like that in this world. Whoever buys the vehicle once it's rental service is over will be most grateful if they were any the wiser.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
You guys must have a lot of time on your hands or a severe case of OCD

I drive my rentals normally, if I want to beat on them, I do once they're warmed up. I return them with a full tank of gas, that's it.

I take no self satisfaction from being nice to inanimate objects.


Somehow, that statement generates equal amounts of envy and sympathy within me...you may have just broken me!!

(congrats, that's something my wife has been trying to do for the entirety of our marriage, but she's batting .0000 so far!)

I wonder what would You do when faced with one-off like ElJefino's roll-painted Mercedes?



The same thing I do anytime I find myself driving a Mercedes - park it at the first available (safe) pull-in spot. Turn the engine off, and while leaving the keys in the ignition, exit the vehicle as quickly as possible and start running as fast as I can away from any approaching law enforcement officers. Because I don't like being arrested, and if I am driving a Mercedes, it could only be because I stole it. I could not afford to own one or even rent one, so that narrows down my intentions pretty quickly.

Although, I gotta say, at my age and out-of-shape-ness, I'm not likely to get very far even running at full speed. It'd probably be best for me to just start running toward the approaching LEO. That would likely make the whole experience more palatable for both of us!


The ones over 10+ years old are pretty cheap, some under 5k. You can rent a Mercedes from Enterprise actually. They have the CLA which is the cheapest Mercedes out there, they start at 32k.

I drive mine sometimes just wearing a T shirt, never gotten pulled over.

 

[mclasser]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
You guys must have a lot of time on your hands or a severe case of OCD

I drive my rentals normally, if I want to beat on them, I do once they're warmed up. I return them with a full tank of gas, that's it.

I take no self satisfaction from being nice to inanimate objects.

I know right. No way would I waste my time doing all that stuff. If I'm going on a long trip with the family, the most I do is check the oil and tire pressure in the rental lot while my wife takes care of the paperwork inside. Only once did I encounter a car with low oil and the rental company topped it off in the parking lot before I left.

 

[JTK]

Nuke, you are one of the good ones!

I know I've gone through, cleaned windows and gave them a good cleaning and go-through before a long trip with a rental. Made sure fluids were full. That's about it.

I'd be curious to know what, if any maintenance schedule the rental companies follow. I doubt during periods of prime money making any vehicles get oil changes.

Our 2016 Quest was a previous rental I purchased in April 2017 with 32K miles on it. Per it's carfax, it had one Valvoline instant oil change at 16700mi. That could have potentially been it's first, with the second being done by the dealer before I bought it @ 32K miles.

This doesn't really apply today, but a good 25yrs ago I worked for Budget Rental in the clean/service bay. We cleaned the vehicles and had the ability to top up fluids, but I don't recall OCs being done on cars back then either.

 

[Leo99]

It's the rental company's responsibility to maintain the vehicle. Not wasting my time or money on that. If the windows are dirty, get the rental company to clean them.