I rented a car and bought insurance, but even if I had zero-deductible, it would not apply at all to the "undercarriage".
What is the undercarriage? The chassis and all the suspension parts? The exhaust sysem? Dents from below in the floor panels.
What sort of damage can one do to the undercarriage? Other than busting a ball joint, they seem pretty reliable.
What does one have to do to do that damage to the undercarriage?
And how hard do rental companies check whether there is undercarriage damage? If it's not creaking when you drive in and not crawling sideways, are you okay, or do they actually look underneath?
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hubops
If you happen to damage the undercarriage - just activate the collision or comprehensive clause of your insurance - by hitting a tree or rolling it in the ditch .. or whatever - - then you'd be fully covered ! No worries ! You're welcome. John T.
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gfretwell
I have never heard them say that. When I buy the insurance they always tell me, no matter what happens I am covered. You should be since it is such a rip off.
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micky
The insurance definitely doesn't cover the undercarriage. They are specific and very clear. And there is no limit to how much one can be charged for damage, though I don't think I did any damage.
One is also not permitted to drive on iirc an unpaved road, and there are a lot of them here. Today the road started off unpaved but quite flat, then there were a few ruts caused by water run-off. Then when I left the park area, it was much worse, where the rain had eventually washed away all the dirt and only rocks were left. A real challenge to figure out which side of the road to drive on. I ended up driving 5 miles and almost a mile was just on rocks. It's a amazing the tires hold up**.
Somehow I didn't know all these rules 2 years ago. Life was better then. Ignorance is bliss.
It was dark by the time I parked so I haven't looked at even the side of the car, but I think it's okay.
**I did have a flat last year, but on a very quiet, totally smooth road. I couldn't figure out how to assemble the lug wrench so it took a longer time to unbolt and bolt the nuts and after 40 minutes a guy came by when I was almost done and finished up for me. And I was so tired I let him.
Last year I also hit a short post, scraped the plastic panel (lower corner of the front) and I think they only charged me $16***. But I know from others that they are not always that nice.
***There were 3 charges around $20, and one could have been filling the gas tank, another could have been my driving on a toll road (the toll plus the rental company's fee for figuring out who was driving their car that day.) They didnt' say what any of the charges were for, but the previous year, another company didn't even send a final invoice until I asked for one 9 months later. I had forgotten to note how many miles I'd driven.
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micky
That's an idea, all right, but I don't think it will work. The insurance will pay for the damage that's not undercarriage (except for the $500 deductible) but I'll still have to pay for the damage to the undercarriage. Like I say, it's not covered by insurance.
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Meanie
Generally, you auto insurance will cover a rental. You can call them to confirm. I would never pay a rental extra insurance.
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hubops
But you will be in hospital, and your lawyers will be suing the rental company for renting you an unsafe car - that had undercarriage damage that caused the accident ! No worries ! You're welcome. As an added bonus - you will have so much more time - while in hospital - to post all your ideas here in Home Repair - ... why the little tubes are different colours ; or why they use left-handed clipboards in Denmark, etc etc John T.
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Clare Snyder
"off road use not permitted" is a common rental condition. Some even say "no off pavement opperation" Off pavement or off road damage is not covered.
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gfretwell
If I bought the CDW and I really believed that, if I did roll over a boulder that tumbled off a mountain in front of me and I thought they had undercarriage damage I would have to pay for. I would test the air bags. Within that "total", I doubt the undercarriage damage would be listed. I beat the crap out of rental cars so I usually buy the insurance. In South Dakota I put about 1300 miles on a 4wd Suburban on Forest Service roads. (Every road on the Rapid City "green map") They rented me a 4wd. Did they think I needed that to get from the airport to Mt. Rushmore?
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Clare Snyder
My Ontario autoinsurance covers me anywherre in the USA and CanadaJF I decline the CDW. One of my credit cards does too IF I pay the ENTIRE cost with that card AND decline the CDW from the rental company. If you don't drcline the CDW neither one can cover a cent. When I was in Austria and in the Canary Islands my insurance covered the CDW. I DO have "non owned vehicle cpverage"
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gfretwell
I had to buy the insurance in New Zealand too. I think it is just that they don't want to screw with foreign companies even if you were covered ... and you probably aren't. When we are on vacation I usually buy the insurance. It seems like a lot of money but what is a few hundred bucks on a $10,000 vacation just so you have one less thing to worry about.
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Dave Garrett
I believe that's what the English refer to as "twig and berries".
You don't want to know. Trust me on this.
Be on the receiving end of a well-placed kick, lose one's footing at an inopportune moment when climbing over a fence, suffer a bicycle-riding mishap, piss off a spouse who's fond of knives...
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hubops
In Ireland - if you refuse their <expensive> insurance - they demand a credit card swipe for ~ the value of the car ..
John T.
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micky
There might be some of that here too. I think I remember hearing that, but it's certainly not on the webpage where you make the original reservation.
Wow.
My credit card would cover CDW, but only if I rented for less than 31 days. Even then, only for the first month. Even if I changed rental car companies after a month, they keep track of that, and even if I changed charge cards, they exclude that (and might keep track of it). Plus if I went below a month, like the last partial month of rental, I'd lose my monthly rate.
Plus even if you can do it, the rental company won't accept a printout of the credit card webpage that says your covered, probably because there are so many credit card plans (and webpages, and even more so printouts of webpages, can stay the same while actual plans change). All the rental companies insist on a letter addressed to the customer saying he is covered for CDW. I think this has to be a postal letter, so one has to remember to do this enough days before leaving home, but I know the credit card companies know what the rental companies want from them.
It certainly gets complicated.
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devnull
You're a foreign tourist. They're supposed to f*ck you. Enjoy your vacation.
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