rental car WAY overfilled on oil...
- Thread starter tomcat27
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I don't care if I'm driving my own car, or a rental, or indeed a friend or family member's car. I always check under the hood. If something goes wrong, that could have been easily prevented, I'm not going to risk it or waste hours of my time on the side of the road waiting on a wrecker.
When I was back in CA last month, I had a rental '16 Passat 1.8 TSI that was ticking like crazy. A quick look under the hood - the oil was right on the full mark, but pitch dark and "watered down". So I called the rental company, and was told if I had the oil changed, I would be reimbursed. Picked up 6 quarts of German Castrol 0W-40 from Walmart for $38.93 and an OEM 06L-115-562 filter from the VW dealer for $10, changed it myself and presented both receipts when I returned the car. They refunded $48.93 back to my credit card.
Often times, I try and hand pick what I'm renting where possible. Although I've had no issues with companies like Avis or Budget, some of the smaller places like Fox or Firefly tend to have slightly older vehicles that appear to have been maintained on a very tight budget. Nothing like a fleet with no brand tires and squeaky brake pads!
When I was back in CA last month, I had a rental '16 Passat 1.8 TSI that was ticking like crazy. A quick look under the hood - the oil was right on the full mark, but pitch dark and "watered down". So I called the rental company, and was told if I had the oil changed, I would be reimbursed. Picked up 6 quarts of German Castrol 0W-40 from Walmart for $38.93 and an OEM 06L-115-562 filter from the VW dealer for $10, changed it myself and presented both receipts when I returned the car. They refunded $48.93 back to my credit card.
Often times, I try and hand pick what I'm renting where possible. Although I've had no issues with companies like Avis or Budget, some of the smaller places like Fox or Firefly tend to have slightly older vehicles that appear to have been maintained on a very tight budget. Nothing like a fleet with no brand tires and squeaky brake pads!
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Originally Posted By: CKN
This is BITOG nonsense. It's a rental car...it's their job to maintain it. I just rented an Equinox for a week. Put a thousand miles on it. A day after I got it-the OLM came on that is was time for an oil change.
I kept driving it.....who cares.
BTW- I liked the Equinox as a vehicle-will consider one the next time around.
Yep +1
My wife bought a new 2012 Equinox 4 cylinder 2LT a little over 5 years ago (special ordered it) and it's been almost flawless. It had to go in for oil life monitor reprogramming and it had a pinched wire from assembly that showed up in the second month she owned it by the backup camera not working. IMO the problems with the 2.4 engine are from people not doing the maintenance. It's a D.I. engine, so I change the oil every 3,500 miles. I also drained the transmission fluid (FWIW exactly 4 quarts came out) at 50,000 miles and it was pretty badly discolored but still performed well. My advice for buying a rental car is to get one w/low miles on it. I bought my 2015 Cruze 1LT auto with 2,500 miles on it and so far it's been great. I don't think I would buy a used rental with much over 10,000 miles on it because of the questionable maintenance the companies do on them.
Originally Posted By: CKN
This is BITOG nonsense. It's a rental car...it's their job to maintain it. I just rented an Equinox for a week. Put a thousand miles on it. A day after I got it-the OLM came on that is was time for an oil change.
I kept driving it.....who cares.
BTW- I liked the Equinox as a vehicle-will consider one the next time around.
Yep +1
My wife bought a new 2012 Equinox 4 cylinder 2LT a little over 5 years ago (special ordered it) and it's been almost flawless. It had to go in for oil life monitor reprogramming and it had a pinched wire from assembly that showed up in the second month she owned it by the backup camera not working. IMO the problems with the 2.4 engine are from people not doing the maintenance. It's a D.I. engine, so I change the oil every 3,500 miles. I also drained the transmission fluid (FWIW exactly 4 quarts came out) at 50,000 miles and it was pretty badly discolored but still performed well. My advice for buying a rental car is to get one w/low miles on it. I bought my 2015 Cruze 1LT auto with 2,500 miles on it and so far it's been great. I don't think I would buy a used rental with much over 10,000 miles on it because of the questionable maintenance the companies do on them.
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I applaud TOMCAT27 for checking the oil level. If low, it could have caused his family a real problem is remote mountains. However; a call to the rental company for their advice is appropriate to protect the vehicle AND himself. JMO. Ed
Don't worry about it. Maybe they overfilled it because it get low before the next oci and nobody checks it.
Btw back in the 60's it was common for a Hertz rent a racer to be returned with a tired 289 in it lol
Btw back in the 60's it was common for a Hertz rent a racer to be returned with a tired 289 in it lol
Originally Posted By: cmhj
Originally Posted By: expat
I wonder just how many renters lift the hood to check.
Likely less than 1%
Guess I'm a 1 percenter.
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Who cares.
Originally Posted By: Dyusik
Drive the car. Dilemma solved.
Originally Posted By: expat
I wonder just how many renters lift the hood to check.
Likely less than 1%
Guess I'm a 1 percenter.
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Who cares.
Originally Posted By: Dyusik
Drive the car. Dilemma solved.
I always check it, & the tire pressures too-I don't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere in extremely hot (or worse, COLD) weather with some rental company's beat down vehicle, waiting for them to come out & swap it. I hate getting rentals anyway, there's invariably something wrong with them.
I'm from the who cares camp. As long as it gets me from point A to point B nothing else matters. I worry about my own fleet. They probably overfill then thinking that most people renting cars don't care either.
Is the oil pressure normal? (you should be able to pull it up in the vehicle info screen- the Pentastar runs ~80 PSI cold, then the variable-displacement oil pump switches over to maintain 40 PSI below 4000 RPM when hot, but kicks it back up to 80 PSI over 4000 RPM.) If the pressure is normal, then the high oil level isn't causing foaming or any other problem, so forget it until you turn it in, then tell them so they can flag it for attention.
If the pressures aren't normal and you're worried about getting stranded, then call the rental car company and get a replacement car brought out to you, or stop by their nearest facility.
FWIW, check BOTH sides of the stick- I've noticed that our Pentastar sometimes reads higher on one side of the stick than the other, I assume from a bit of oil getting dragged up into the stick tube when you pull it out and clinging to the underside of the stick causing a false high reading. I always insert so that the markings are upward, and then wait a minute or two after pulling the stick before sticking it back in and then pull it slowly- that seems to help. If it persists, just read the "low" side of the stick since its the one that will be more nearly correct.
Oil level isn't an exact measurement anyway with all the variables (stick position, vehicle angle, dragging oil up the stick tube, etc.) People worry WAY too much about half-inch differences on the dipstick.
If the pressures aren't normal and you're worried about getting stranded, then call the rental car company and get a replacement car brought out to you, or stop by their nearest facility.
FWIW, check BOTH sides of the stick- I've noticed that our Pentastar sometimes reads higher on one side of the stick than the other, I assume from a bit of oil getting dragged up into the stick tube when you pull it out and clinging to the underside of the stick causing a false high reading. I always insert so that the markings are upward, and then wait a minute or two after pulling the stick before sticking it back in and then pull it slowly- that seems to help. If it persists, just read the "low" side of the stick since its the one that will be more nearly correct.
Oil level isn't an exact measurement anyway with all the variables (stick position, vehicle angle, dragging oil up the stick tube, etc.) People worry WAY too much about half-inch differences on the dipstick.
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Originally Posted By: expat
I wonder just how many renters lift the hood to check.
Likely less than 1%
The last rental car I opened the hood! I wanted to see the condition of the oil - should have taken pics. The window sticker said the car was overdue by at least 10K miles (pushing 15K on the oil change). The oil was super thick feeling and it was blacker than used diesel oil. The engine made a horrible racket until it was running for 30+ minutes.
It also had tires worn to the cords, heater stuck on full blast ...
I wonder just how many renters lift the hood to check.
Likely less than 1%
The last rental car I opened the hood! I wanted to see the condition of the oil - should have taken pics. The window sticker said the car was overdue by at least 10K miles (pushing 15K on the oil change). The oil was super thick feeling and it was blacker than used diesel oil. The engine made a horrible racket until it was running for 30+ minutes.
It also had tires worn to the cords, heater stuck on full blast ...
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: expat
I wonder just how many renters lift the hood to check.
Likely less than 1%
The last rental car I opened the hood! I wanted to see the condition of the oil - should have taken pics. The window sticker said the car was overdue by at least 10K miles (pushing 15K on the oil change). The oil was super thick feeling and it was blacker than used diesel oil. The engine made a horrible racket until it was running for 30+ minutes.
It also had tires worn to the cords, heater stuck on full blast ...
I was once given a Uhaul like that for a 3k one way trip. I think they wanted it off their lot.
Unfortunately I did not realise how sick it was until I had it loaded, and did not want to have to unload and re load to another truck in poor weather.
I put 5 liters of oil in that V10 over the course of the trip. They did re-emberse me, but it was a worry.
Originally Posted By: expat
I wonder just how many renters lift the hood to check.
Likely less than 1%
The last rental car I opened the hood! I wanted to see the condition of the oil - should have taken pics. The window sticker said the car was overdue by at least 10K miles (pushing 15K on the oil change). The oil was super thick feeling and it was blacker than used diesel oil. The engine made a horrible racket until it was running for 30+ minutes.
It also had tires worn to the cords, heater stuck on full blast ...
I was once given a Uhaul like that for a 3k one way trip. I think they wanted it off their lot.
Unfortunately I did not realise how sick it was until I had it loaded, and did not want to have to unload and re load to another truck in poor weather.
I put 5 liters of oil in that V10 over the course of the trip. They did re-emberse me, but it was a worry.
Originally Posted By: joegreen
If you bring it back with a problem its one less car we can rent until its fixed. So it actually does us a service to have it fixed while its being rented.
I don't think rental car places should be relying on their customers to help them get maintenance done on their vehicles. Same goes for truck rental companies (are you listening, Budget?).
I moved my sister from GA to AZ in 2011 in one of their biggest diesel trucks, and had to make two stops for repairs along the way. A failing oil pressure gauge which would gradually work its way down to 0 while on the interstate was our first stop....just hours after we embarked. As I didn't want the engine to sling pistons all over the highway, we stopped at a weigh station and called Budget. They told me to drive it to the next city and rendezvous with their technician. So, I cranked it up and the gauge read 40 lbs again. Turned out to be a faulty sending unit, and lord only knows how long it had been doing that to Budget customers.
Next stop was the following day to replace a worn-to-the-belts tire on the car carrier that was starting to get noisy. To avoid a blowout, I stopped & got a new tire put on.
I resent having to do Budget's maintenance for them on a hot summer drive from GA to AZ. Take care of the equipment you rent to the unsuspecting public, or close the doors.
If you bring it back with a problem its one less car we can rent until its fixed. So it actually does us a service to have it fixed while its being rented.
I don't think rental car places should be relying on their customers to help them get maintenance done on their vehicles. Same goes for truck rental companies (are you listening, Budget?).
I moved my sister from GA to AZ in 2011 in one of their biggest diesel trucks, and had to make two stops for repairs along the way. A failing oil pressure gauge which would gradually work its way down to 0 while on the interstate was our first stop....just hours after we embarked. As I didn't want the engine to sling pistons all over the highway, we stopped at a weigh station and called Budget. They told me to drive it to the next city and rendezvous with their technician. So, I cranked it up and the gauge read 40 lbs again. Turned out to be a faulty sending unit, and lord only knows how long it had been doing that to Budget customers.
Next stop was the following day to replace a worn-to-the-belts tire on the car carrier that was starting to get noisy. To avoid a blowout, I stopped & got a new tire put on.
I resent having to do Budget's maintenance for them on a hot summer drive from GA to AZ. Take care of the equipment you rent to the unsuspecting public, or close the doors.
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Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
I don't care if I'm driving my own car, or a rental, or indeed a friend or family member's car. I always check under the hood. If something goes wrong, that could have been easily prevented, I'm not going to risk it or waste hours of my time on the side of the road waiting on a wrecker.
When I was back in CA last month, I had a rental '16 Passat 1.8 TSI that was ticking like crazy. A quick look under the hood - the oil was right on the full mark, but pitch dark and "watered down". So I called the rental company, and was told if I had the oil changed, I would be reimbursed. Picked up 6 quarts of German Castrol 0W-40 from Walmart for $38.93 and an OEM 06L-115-562 filter from the VW dealer for $10, changed it myself and presented both receipts when I returned the car. They refunded $48.93 back to my credit card.
Often times, I try and hand pick what I'm renting where possible. Although I've had no issues with companies like Avis or Budget, some of the smaller places like Fox or Firefly tend to have slightly older vehicles that appear to have been maintained on a very tight budget. Nothing like a fleet with no brand tires and squeaky brake pads!
I question the logic of doing this yourself...you didnt get paid for labor..probably a better idea to have a dealer change it or not bother at all. The whole point of a rental is not having to maintain it. I get checking oil and air pressure..but as long as it aint empty I aint doing nothing with it.
I don't care if I'm driving my own car, or a rental, or indeed a friend or family member's car. I always check under the hood. If something goes wrong, that could have been easily prevented, I'm not going to risk it or waste hours of my time on the side of the road waiting on a wrecker.
When I was back in CA last month, I had a rental '16 Passat 1.8 TSI that was ticking like crazy. A quick look under the hood - the oil was right on the full mark, but pitch dark and "watered down". So I called the rental company, and was told if I had the oil changed, I would be reimbursed. Picked up 6 quarts of German Castrol 0W-40 from Walmart for $38.93 and an OEM 06L-115-562 filter from the VW dealer for $10, changed it myself and presented both receipts when I returned the car. They refunded $48.93 back to my credit card.
Often times, I try and hand pick what I'm renting where possible. Although I've had no issues with companies like Avis or Budget, some of the smaller places like Fox or Firefly tend to have slightly older vehicles that appear to have been maintained on a very tight budget. Nothing like a fleet with no brand tires and squeaky brake pads!
I question the logic of doing this yourself...you didnt get paid for labor..probably a better idea to have a dealer change it or not bother at all. The whole point of a rental is not having to maintain it. I get checking oil and air pressure..but as long as it aint empty I aint doing nothing with it.
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
I don't care if I'm driving my own car, or a rental, or indeed a friend or family member's car. I always check under the hood. If something goes wrong, that could have been easily prevented, I'm not going to risk it or waste hours of my time on the side of the road waiting on a wrecker.
When I was back in CA last month, I had a rental '16 Passat 1.8 TSI that was ticking like crazy. A quick look under the hood - the oil was right on the full mark, but pitch dark and "watered down". So I called the rental company, and was told if I had the oil changed, I would be reimbursed. Picked up 6 quarts of German Castrol 0W-40 from Walmart for $38.93 and an OEM 06L-115-562 filter from the VW dealer for $10, changed it myself and presented both receipts when I returned the car. They refunded $48.93 back to my credit card.
Often times, I try and hand pick what I'm renting where possible. Although I've had no issues with companies like Avis or Budget, some of the smaller places like Fox or Firefly tend to have slightly older vehicles that appear to have been maintained on a very tight budget. Nothing like a fleet with no brand tires and squeaky brake pads!
I question the logic of doing this yourself...you didnt get paid for labor..probably a better idea to have a dealer change it or not bother at all. The whole point of a rental is not having to maintain it. I get checking oil and air pressure..but as long as it aint empty I aint doing nothing with it.
Sounds right to me.
Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
I don't care if I'm driving my own car, or a rental, or indeed a friend or family member's car. I always check under the hood. If something goes wrong, that could have been easily prevented, I'm not going to risk it or waste hours of my time on the side of the road waiting on a wrecker.
When I was back in CA last month, I had a rental '16 Passat 1.8 TSI that was ticking like crazy. A quick look under the hood - the oil was right on the full mark, but pitch dark and "watered down". So I called the rental company, and was told if I had the oil changed, I would be reimbursed. Picked up 6 quarts of German Castrol 0W-40 from Walmart for $38.93 and an OEM 06L-115-562 filter from the VW dealer for $10, changed it myself and presented both receipts when I returned the car. They refunded $48.93 back to my credit card.
Often times, I try and hand pick what I'm renting where possible. Although I've had no issues with companies like Avis or Budget, some of the smaller places like Fox or Firefly tend to have slightly older vehicles that appear to have been maintained on a very tight budget. Nothing like a fleet with no brand tires and squeaky brake pads!
I question the logic of doing this yourself...you didnt get paid for labor..probably a better idea to have a dealer change it or not bother at all. The whole point of a rental is not having to maintain it. I get checking oil and air pressure..but as long as it aint empty I aint doing nothing with it.
Sounds right to me.
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
I don't care if I'm driving my own car, or a rental, or indeed a friend or family member's car. I always check under the hood. If something goes wrong, that could have been easily prevented, I'm not going to risk it or waste hours of my time on the side of the road waiting on a wrecker.
When I was back in CA last month, I had a rental '16 Passat 1.8 TSI that was ticking like crazy. A quick look under the hood - the oil was right on the full mark, but pitch dark and "watered down". So I called the rental company, and was told if I had the oil changed, I would be reimbursed. Picked up 6 quarts of German Castrol 0W-40 from Walmart for $38.93 and an OEM 06L-115-562 filter from the VW dealer for $10, changed it myself and presented both receipts when I returned the car. They refunded $48.93 back to my credit card.
Often times, I try and hand pick what I'm renting where possible. Although I've had no issues with companies like Avis or Budget, some of the smaller places like Fox or Firefly tend to have slightly older vehicles that appear to have been maintained on a very tight budget. Nothing like a fleet with no brand tires and squeaky brake pads!
I question the logic of doing this yourself...you didnt get paid for labor..probably a better idea to have a dealer change it or not bother at all. The whole point of a rental is not having to maintain it. I get checking oil and air pressure..but as long as it aint empty I aint doing nothing with it.
This is another case of BITOG non sense. Why would one assume liability for performing maintenance on a car you are renting? The poster said the "oil looked black". The poster must have a great set of fingers to rub some oil between them and come up with such a analysis. Since when is the color of oil an indication of the condition without performing tests? What is done on this board in the name of oil is astonishing....quite frankly!
Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
I don't care if I'm driving my own car, or a rental, or indeed a friend or family member's car. I always check under the hood. If something goes wrong, that could have been easily prevented, I'm not going to risk it or waste hours of my time on the side of the road waiting on a wrecker.
When I was back in CA last month, I had a rental '16 Passat 1.8 TSI that was ticking like crazy. A quick look under the hood - the oil was right on the full mark, but pitch dark and "watered down". So I called the rental company, and was told if I had the oil changed, I would be reimbursed. Picked up 6 quarts of German Castrol 0W-40 from Walmart for $38.93 and an OEM 06L-115-562 filter from the VW dealer for $10, changed it myself and presented both receipts when I returned the car. They refunded $48.93 back to my credit card.
Often times, I try and hand pick what I'm renting where possible. Although I've had no issues with companies like Avis or Budget, some of the smaller places like Fox or Firefly tend to have slightly older vehicles that appear to have been maintained on a very tight budget. Nothing like a fleet with no brand tires and squeaky brake pads!
I question the logic of doing this yourself...you didnt get paid for labor..probably a better idea to have a dealer change it or not bother at all. The whole point of a rental is not having to maintain it. I get checking oil and air pressure..but as long as it aint empty I aint doing nothing with it.
This is another case of BITOG non sense. Why would one assume liability for performing maintenance on a car you are renting? The poster said the "oil looked black". The poster must have a great set of fingers to rub some oil between them and come up with such a analysis. Since when is the color of oil an indication of the condition without performing tests? What is done on this board in the name of oil is astonishing....quite frankly!
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Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
Originally Posted By: joegreen
If you bring it back with a problem its one less car we can rent until its fixed. So it actually does us a service to have it fixed while its being rented.
I don't think rental car places should be relying on their customers to help them get maintenance done on their vehicles. Same goes for truck rental companies (are you listening, Budget?).
I moved my sister from GA to AZ in 2011 in one of their biggest diesel trucks, and had to make two stops for repairs along the way. A failing oil pressure gauge which would gradually work its way down to 0 while on the interstate was our first stop....just hours after we embarked. As I didn't want the engine to sling pistons all over the highway, we stopped at a weigh station and called Budget. They told me to drive it to the next city and rendezvous with their technician. So, I cranked it up and the gauge read 40 lbs again. Turned out to be a faulty sending unit, and lord only knows how long it had been doing that to Budget customers.
Next stop was the following day to replace a worn-to-the-belts tire on the car carrier that was starting to get noisy. To avoid a blowout, I stopped & got a new tire put on.
I resent having to do Budget's maintenance for them on a hot summer drive from GA to AZ. Take care of the equipment you rent to the unsuspecting public, or close the doors.
If you have a problem with the car you don't have to get it fixed. We can drop off another vehicle for you. I'm just being honest with how it works in the rental game. And as far as checking your oil that was just a suggestion to bitog members because I know how much you all love oil.
Originally Posted By: joegreen
If you bring it back with a problem its one less car we can rent until its fixed. So it actually does us a service to have it fixed while its being rented.
I don't think rental car places should be relying on their customers to help them get maintenance done on their vehicles. Same goes for truck rental companies (are you listening, Budget?).
I moved my sister from GA to AZ in 2011 in one of their biggest diesel trucks, and had to make two stops for repairs along the way. A failing oil pressure gauge which would gradually work its way down to 0 while on the interstate was our first stop....just hours after we embarked. As I didn't want the engine to sling pistons all over the highway, we stopped at a weigh station and called Budget. They told me to drive it to the next city and rendezvous with their technician. So, I cranked it up and the gauge read 40 lbs again. Turned out to be a faulty sending unit, and lord only knows how long it had been doing that to Budget customers.
Next stop was the following day to replace a worn-to-the-belts tire on the car carrier that was starting to get noisy. To avoid a blowout, I stopped & got a new tire put on.
I resent having to do Budget's maintenance for them on a hot summer drive from GA to AZ. Take care of the equipment you rent to the unsuspecting public, or close the doors.
If you have a problem with the car you don't have to get it fixed. We can drop off another vehicle for you. I'm just being honest with how it works in the rental game. And as far as checking your oil that was just a suggestion to bitog members because I know how much you all love oil.
I fly in at 10 AM, have a meeting at 11. Meetings all afternoon, dinner with coworkers. Back to the hotel to catch up on work, repeat the next day. You think I am going to bother opening the hood? I'm just happy if the car doesn't stink or is trashed inside.
Most rental outlets have probably learned the hard way that a quart overfill is a wise move having lost an engine or two due to their having been run out of oil.
When you rent a car, the rental company has no way of knowing how you'll actually use it or how many miles or hours you'll run it.
They're also well aware that many renters will run the vehicles pretty hard.
There have even been members in other threads boasting about how they abuse rented vehicles.
I've only checked fluid levels in rentals when we've had them long-term at someone else's insurers expense when we've had vehicles undergoing collision repair.
Many insurers seem so busy hounding body shops into finding cheap parts that they neglect to consider the twenty something a day they're spending for even a low-line rental car.
When you rent a car, the rental company has no way of knowing how you'll actually use it or how many miles or hours you'll run it.
They're also well aware that many renters will run the vehicles pretty hard.
There have even been members in other threads boasting about how they abuse rented vehicles.
I've only checked fluid levels in rentals when we've had them long-term at someone else's insurers expense when we've had vehicles undergoing collision repair.
Many insurers seem so busy hounding body shops into finding cheap parts that they neglect to consider the twenty something a day they're spending for even a low-line rental car.
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