Hey all,
I’m driving a rental 09 Mazda 6.
I am a tinkerer of sorts so today I decided to open the hood and check this beast out.
I found the oil to be down 1 qt.
Do you think that rental car company XYZ would be willing to reimburse me for the expense if I top the oil off and keep the receipt?
This will be my daily driver for the next 2 weeks or so, thus I would feel better about having a crankcase full of oil,
or is it even worth worrying about?
Had this happen to me several years ago in Alaska. I dropped by the rental car garage and got topped off. If this is not possible, purchase a quart, put it in and keep the receipt. Most likely you will get reimbursed. If not, the cost of oil is not all that expensive.
call them + ask what weight oil to put in and let them know it down 1 qt.
Years ago (like 40)U-Haul reimbursed me for the oil I put in a rental truck with no questions asked. I made a move of 120 miles and to save costs, I rented the truck on a return basis. When I put gasoline in at the destination, I checked the oil. It was 2 quarts low. I got a receipt, but figured that if they didn’t reimburse me it wasn’t worth the risk of getting stranded on the way back. When I returned the truck, I was reimbursed with no questions asked. The U-Haul dealer added another 2 quarts of oil.
The truck had a painted on the front bumper “For Local Use Only”. I guess that since I was returning the truck the same day, it was considered local use. In addition to the oil consumption, I had to double clutch to keep the gears from grinding and the muffler was gone so the truck was terribly noisy.
I don’t like to see something damaged. If I were in your position, I would add the quart of oil. I think that the rental company will be glad you did.
If the car needs oil, you should add oil.
Nothing personal, but are you so frugal that you don’t care about the next guy?
I’m not sure why you need to ask the question.
If you were to buy a used car from a rental company, would you hope that everyone who drove that vehicle took care of it or would you not care?
I would add 1 qt of oil and forget about it. Most people never even bother to check under the hood. After all it ain’t their car or truck. A guy I know drove a rental car 1500 miles each way and didn’t even know what kind of car it was!!. I decided not to ask if it was a 4 or a 6 ?
I’d throw a quart of cheap oil in it for sure. Turning in a receipt for reimbursement or forgetting the cost entirely is up to you.
It’s possible this car could be an oil consumer and if ignored it could get low enough to cause engine damage.
On many rental contracts they often specify that it’s the car user’s responsibility to maintain the fluid levels.
If I didn’t care about the next guy, I wouldn’t have made this thread, don’t you think ?
I would probably add the oil and forget about it. Not worth mentioning it, they might be paranoid and think you did something to the car. The headache of proving otherwise is worse. You can get a qt for ~$1.99 at most auto shops or walmart from their sale de jour.
I use a “rent a wreck” outfit if I need to put one of the front line vehicles in for multi-day service. I add the oil and tell the guy. He doesn’t even ask for a receipt. He’s just happy that someone takes care of the car. For the big name outfits, add it, keep the receipt …tell them …they may credit the rental …if not .feel good about being a responsible person.
Great, thanks for all the input. jmw
Hi Jeff! Take it back and have them top it off, if close by. If no, top it off yourself and give them the receipt. If they credit you . . . fine, if not, so what. Betcha they’ll want to rent to you again though and will consider it good policy to pay you for the oil. Good Karma . . . even if they don’t, good Karma. I once was tailgating at a football game and watched a bunch of college kids open the trunk of their rental, pull out several cases of beer, fill the trunk with ice, then put the beer back in. I asked them about it and they told me it didn’t matter because it was a rental. Did it matter? Rocketman
The first post in this thread is amazing enough, but the fact that it pulled 11 replies is even MORE amazing…
Good point, Jeff. I do understand your concern, I also would hesitate to do anything to a rental car, so you have one vote here for asking an opinion before doing it.
Find a “garage” quart and throw it in. 1 qt low is not bad for the car, just needs it soon.
A vehicle rental place would be foolish to refuse your refund for oil. Enough of that and nobody will care and rental places will get what they earned; ruined engines.
TROLL ALERT
If the car needs oil, you should add oil.
Nothing personal, but are you so frugal that you don’t care about the next guy?
I’m not sure why you need to ask the question.
Call me a cynic but when I rent a car, I have a contract with a rental company that they will provide me a clean, safe, and appropriately maintained vehicle. I will drive the vehicle like it was my own and return it in the identical condition that it was in when I signed it out; however, I will not spend money on it for non-reimbursable items or things not mentioned in the contract. If there is a deficiency, I will discuss it prior to rental or if it is found during the rental period, I will call the agency to discuss their policy.
If you were to buy a used car from a rental company, would you hope that everyone who drove that vehicle took care of it or would you not care?
If I were to buy a fleet vehicle, I would hope that they had an appropriate and well documented maintenance plan and PMCS schedule, and did not rely solely on users for maintenance. Fluid levels should be checked prior to the vehicle being loaned out.
My contract is with the rental agency, not “the next guy”. If a rental car company is so shortsighted as to not reimburse for fluid top offs, then the onus for any negative repercussions is on them and not by renters who followed their policy.
A vehicle rental place would be foolish to refuse your refund for oil. Enough of that and nobody will care and rental places will get what they earned; ruined engines.
I suspect their entire business model is to minimize maintenance to the absolute bare minimal and to only rectify egregious deficiencies. Most rental cars are sold off prior to 30,000 miles – It’s enough time that damage can occur but wont be readily noticeable by a potential buyer until a few years down the line.
If the car gets low on fuel, won’t you put more in?