I hope OP was indicating they “cancelled” the charge. Not the card.
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The first car with the failed clutch was nearly brand new. Unlikely to have had previous renters.
“I rented a car from Hertz at the Copenhagen Denmark airport. The car was a new Nissan with approx 15 miles.”
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Thank you so much Asterix. The rental contract says that I’m responsible for abuse and they have assumed that I abused the car and caused the damage.
I fully believe there was no abuse. It was Christmas day, 2016. The conditions were very good. No snow and sunny.
I rented the car at the airport and as I drove out of the lot I smelled a strange smell and thought it was just new car smells. Nothing really alarmed me. I drove onto the highway, right from the airport and the smell got much worse. As soon as I saw a safe place, I pulled over. The total distance I drove was no more than 5 kilometers.
Including stops and starts in the parking garage where I rented the car, and before I got on the hiway, I engaged the clutch no more than 8-10 times before I pulled over and the road was very much flat. No hills. Traffic was light.
They have sent me pictures of the clutch which shows a lot of damage. I believe there is no way I could have caused that much damage. I drive standard, so that is not an issue. Have a look at the pictures: http://bit.ly/2lcqwWy http://bit.ly/2l7VrH7
I have not accepted the charge from the car rental company and we are still discussing the matter.
It’s very reassuring that I have an option if they decide to force me to pay.
I can’t thank you enough for your help!
Warm Regards,
Lou
Still don’t understand why you cancelled your credit card…
Was the clutch slipping badly (high-revving engine) before it “froze” (presumably from high heat)? Anyway, your successful use of the replacement Hertz manual should be repeatedly pointed out as evidence of your competence.
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I cancelled my card because of the possibility they put through a charge without my consent.
That is a very real possibility and based on my correspondence so far, they have not taken anything I’ve said or any of the facts into account. They have steadfastly told me it was abuse, pointed to the contract which says abuse is not covered and I’m liable. It’s like they have a set formula and I’m very concerned that they would charge me without my consent.
Rather than have to contest a charge, I can prevent it. If I accept the charge, it’s quite simple. I can wire the money or pay via another credit card. Cancelling the card just protects me.
It would be nice to know what model Nissan and what engine (1.6?, gas/diesel) this was. You can just give me the licenseplate and I can get the needed details about the car. I have to ask - DID it only have app. 15 miles on the clock when You recieved it? That’s a heck of a lot of oil and dirt in the bellhousing for that amount of miles, besides that, it looks to me that the throwout bearing probably seized (it’s obvius that it has been hot as h??l) and caused the pressureplate to disintegrate. More than likely not a drivers fault and a fairly common clutchfailure on many cars nowadays - relatively. It’s too late now, but it’s probable that the car has been abused severely before You got it. That’s another reason why I ask for the mileage.
Feel free to ask furher questions if You need.
I would also do a calculation as to how many cars, how many years and how many miles You have driven M/T succesfully to throw in their face.
Same scenario:
This guy got the charge dropped.
Good luck.
Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance. His column runs twice a week at seattletimes.com. Contact him at chris@elliot.org
Question: In USA, is the ombudsman a kind of a private institution and not a government/federal/staterun thing?. In Denmark, it is under the state to eliminate any controversial interference and other possible problems.
My understanding is that the ombudsman in any organization is there to handle complaints.
No, Ombudsmen–where they actually exist in The US–are a governmental agency, but they exist in order to help citizens who are getting the run-around from another governmental entity.
When Christine Todd Whitman was elected Governor of NJ (many years ago), her very first official act on Day One was to eliminate the NJ Office of the Ombudsman–supposedly to save money. Given that the office was funded to the tune of only ~$100k per year, that claim was obviously ridiculous, and this action only served to insulate her administration from public pressure.
After she was appointed as head of The EPA by George W. Bush, she went on to further fame by telling the first responders and other personnel working at the 9/11 site that the air was perfectly safe to breathe. Thousands of deaths of first responders and construction workers later, it would appear that she was…dead wrong. 
We also have government agencies–usually referred to as Consumer Affairs–that will help residents with merchants or service providers who have cheated them.
But that could be a private organization?
I assume this is a private organization and not government funded.
So the term “ombudsman” can be either private or public.
Thank You.
Bad story. We have read about it over here w/regards to 9/11.
Thank You
The thing is rental companies don’t expect to pay anything for repairs to their cars since it would all be covered by the bumper to bumper warranties in effect. So these repairs cut into their profit margin considerably and they naturally try to make it someone else’s problem. So the tug of war goes on.
First, canceling the card doesn’t protect you from anything, that is a big mistake. All charges that stem from before the canceling are still applicable.
Looking at the pictures, it looks to me like the rear main seal was defective and that is what damaged the clutch. I don’t suppose you checked the oil level in the engine, but why would you without some probable cause which you did not have at the time.
But did you check the oil level before you left the lot. It was probably low at that time.
Edit: the front oil seal of the transmission could also be the source. I really think this is a warranty issue between Hertz and Nissan.
Edit #2: If it has the slave cylinder inside the bell housing, then if it leaked, it could cause that damage too.
Very true. And, almost all credit card charges are entered to your account within an hour, thanks to the internet, so the charges are there anyway. Dunno how that applies to this case however, it may take longer, but I doubt it.
AND, more important, I doubt it allows you to contest a charge.
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“Wear items” like clutch plates and brakes are rarely–if ever–covered by warranty.
To the best of my knowledge, Subaru is the only mfr that covers brake pad wear-out during the warranty period, and I don’t think that any mfr covers clutch plate damage.