Steering through rental car repairs

Rental car breakdowns are a relatively rare occurrence, at least in the United States. Though the average age and mileage of rental vehicles has risen somewhat, the major companies strive to operate well-maintained fleets and correct mechanical problems before they affect the car's performance.

The rental car business is highly competitive, and success on a national or international scale means maintaining minimum standards and practices.

But since breakdowns and accidents happen, here are a few suggestions any automobile renter should keep in mind.

First, before you take the car off the lot, always make a point to visually check it inside and out for obvious damage. If you notice something significant, such as a scratch or dent, point it out to the rental agent, even if you're running late. Too often, renters race into their vehicles and don't spot a ding or cracked light until the next day, making it more difficult to make a case that the damage wasn't their fault.

It's also wise to pull over to a corner of the lot and familiarize yourself with the vehicle's basic operation and controls, as well as spend a moment with a map. This is doubly important if you're overseas and dealing with an unfamiliar vehicle or language. Misguided motorists are a major cause of accidents involving rental cars.

Once you've hit the highway and are stalled by a minor breakdown or any other untoward incident, the rental agency's first goal should be to get you safely back on your way ASAP.

Most major companies maintain emergency road service and a telephone hot line 24 hours a day. That number can usually be found on the rental agreement, key chain or on a sticker on the windshield. It should connect you to someone who can advise you on how to proceed. Of course, this assumes you'll be able to get to a telephone to make the call if you haven't brought or rented a cell phone. Other issues present themselves if you're in a foreign country.

If you happen to be anywhere near one of the rental company's offices, you should be able to get a replacement for your disabled vehicle relatively quickly, as in within a few hours. If you're on your way to an important appointment and can't wait that long, ask them to authorize a cab to get you where you're going and give them a location where they can deliver another car to you later.

If you're not near one of their locations, getting another car will be a more complicated process and may take a day or even longer. That can present a whole new category of problems and potential expenses.

As a general rule, whenever you're stranded by an accident or breakdown and have to make arrangements to have a rental car towed, you will have to get telephone authorization to do so. You also will need to find out where and by whom the service is to be performed.

If there are no accidents or breakdowns but you discover that any of the car's vital fluids are low, rental companies generally reimburse drivers for basics, such as oil, coolant, brake fluid and unauthorized minor repairs of less than $50, provided, of course, the claim is backed by appropriate receipts.

But be aware that no rental company will accept liability for any personal expenses, losses or inconveniences incurred as a result of a breakdown of one of their vehicles. And although they will try to help renters out of predicaments, they're not quick to excuse drivers from responsibility for the incident.

Especially not for cases of driver stupidity. Consider the case of the missing key.

Several winters ago at Mount St. Anne ski area in eastern Quebec, I came off the slopes at the end of a very snowy day to discover the keys were missing to the car I had rented in Montreal, several hundred miles away. Standing with my then 10-year-old son in the ski area's huge and darkening parking lot, rifling through my ski parka's many pockets, I knew instinctively this problem would not easily be solved. While waiting for the shuttle bus back to the lodge, I had plenty of time to consider my options.

The chances of finding the keys, which could have slipped out of an unzipped pocket on any of the spills I'd taken that day, seemed to be perfectly nil. In addition to it being Saturday night in a land where my language skills were deficient, I couldn't even get into the car to find the emergency phone number. Heck, I wasn't even sure what company I'd rented it from. About then, I realized that I'd also stashed my wallet in the car's trunk for safe keeping.

To make matters worse, we were already late getting back to the small cottage where my wife awaited our return for dinner. The capper was that although I knew how to drive to the cottage, I couldn't remember the name of the place to try to call and let her know what had happened.

In an instant, my blissful vacation had become a nightmare, all for want of a car key.

Fortunately, however, my ski resort parking lot/missing rental car key trauma came to a relatively quick and painless resolution.

A frantic check at the ski rental counter produced a lead from one of the employees. When she'd started her shift early that afternoon, she vaguely remembered hearing about a set of car keys being found. Her supervisor directed me to the security office and then to the night desk guard, who, to my great relief, opened his drawer and pulled out my keys.

We were only two hours late for our dinner reservation. I swore my family to silence regarding that particular dumb move of mine. And my secret has been safe.

Until now.