I just found a mark on a rental car that I have had for about a week and am unsure what to do.
Long story short my personal car got damaged and had to be repaired so in the meantime I have had a rental car. The other day I noticed some chipped paint on the back bumper that I had not noticed before. I honestly couldn’t say if it was there the whole time or not. I didn’t cause the mark but I am worried they will accuse me of damaging it and make a claim on my insurance (I have a $500 deductible). Should I just take it upon myself to have it fixed or just wait and see what happens?
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12 Answers
Unless it is Huge…just let it slide and take your chances as they may not even see it. If it is really noticeable you may want to file a police accident report as most insurance claims will require one.
As a very frequent renter of cars I would say that you are probably ok. Bumpers are the least of their worries and they are almost always a little beat up. As Cruiser said, if it is really bad, like you were in a fender bender, call your insurance company.
Helpful hint: Always walk around the car and check for damage before pulling out of the lot. If you note any scrapes or damage report it to the attendant when you leave the lot. Even minor stuff should be reported just to cover your ass.
I would point it out to the upon return. I have had the experience of having Car Rental companies tell me, “Oh , we don’t worry about these rubber/plastic bumpers, they damage too easily.”
If I were you I could call the company I rented the car from and explain what you found, usually if your up front they may cut you a break.
Just paint over it. No one will notice.
I’ve been told by the rental companies they look for dents the size of golf balls. Anything less, they overlook.
Let me see a picture. I have a feeling that it will be an “Oh, what a pretty pinstripe” scratch instead of a “Holy shitoli, what mutant bear came out of the nuclear reactor and mauled your car up?” scratch, but it would still be better if I knew for sure.
Did you buy the damage waiver when you picked up your rental??? If so, don’t fret.
I think if you tried to fix it you could possibly make it worse than it already is… unless your a really good painter. I bet if it’s not that big the rental company won’t even notice it
I had the same problem a few years back and I was never confronted with charges. I agree with everyone else…just be cool and don’t worry about it. You could take a picture of the bumper with a date/time stamp on it just for your own records in case they try to tack on some crazy bill. I’m sure you will be fine, though.
I had the same problem a few years ago, my husband hit a stump parking and some of the paint chipped off. I went to a store and got some touch-up paint, it’s in a little bottle the size of “white out” and dabbed it on. I got a couple of different colors of “white” to match it up as best as possible. Actually, if you give they VIN number to the car dealership, not the car rental shop, they will give you a little bottle of the exact paint color.
I had no problem when I dropped the car off.
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