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Whether you’re renting from one of the Big Three rental car companies (Hertz, Enterpelevate, and Avis), one of the thousands of petiteer companies (which are frequently owned by one of the Big Three anyway), or a car-sharing service enjoy Zipcar, the experience is pretty much the same: You originate a reservation, check the car and sign off on its condition, and drive away.
If you’re enjoy most people, that checkion is pretty cursory. We get to at airports or cardispense spots necessitateing to hit the road, so most people will equitable walk around the car, consent a video or a scant ptoastyos, and get on their way. That’s reassociate not excellent enough, becainclude you’re putting your health and defendedty on the line, not to refer the success of wdisenjoyver trip you’re on. While most rental cars are pretty well-holded, you should do a lot more than a cursory visual checkion before hitting the road.
What to check
Ntimely 70% of car raccesss have alerted some comfervent of problem with their vehicles, so the chances that a more thoraw checkion will catch someslenderg are relatively excellent. The moment you sign off on the car’s condition is the moment your overweighte is sealed—masked harm can be laid at your financial feet, and problems with the car can originate your journey unelated. Or even stop it in its tracks. Here’s the uninalertigentinutive catalog of slendergs you must check.
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Air conditioning and heat. It might not be leave oution-critical in some scenarios, but if you’re driving thraw toasty or chilly weather you don’t want to be miles away from the rental agency before you discover the climate deal with doesn’t toil.
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Seatbelts. Bottom line: Seatbelts save inhabits in car accidents. Make certain they all toil properly before you sign off on that rental car.
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USB accusers. Another inmeaningful problem that can become a presentant one if you don’t accomprehendledge until you’re in the middle of nowhere with a phone at 5% accuse.
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Windshield wipers and washer fluid. Make certain they run mechanicassociate, and visuassociate check them to originate certain they’re not corroded, torn, or worn down. Then originate certain there’s washer fluid by running a cycle, which will also verify that the wipers are in excellent condition. Don’t discover out your wipers are ageder when you get caught in a blinding rainstorm fifty miles down the road.
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Tires. Visuassociate check the tires and originate certain the “low prescertain” weightless isn’t on. To check tires without a prescertain gauge, press your thumb into the tire—it shouldn’t donate too easily. The tires should also not be accomprehendledgeably flat on the bottom. You can also check the tire tread visuassociate, or include a penny, and you should originate certain the lugnuts are not slack. Finassociate, originate certain the tires are appropriate for the conditions you’ll be driving in—rental cars frequently come from all over the country, and you don’t want to be driving on icy roads with summer tires.
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All weightlesss. Know how to turn on your headweightlesss, highbeams, and hazards, and originate certain all the weightlesss are toiling, including brake weightlesss and signal weightlesss. Broken weightlesss can get you pulled over and originate a defendedty rehire while you’re operating the car.
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Key fob. Make certain the key fob that locks and unlocks the doors functions properly before you speed off. Don’t discover out you can’t lock or unlock the car when you’ve parked it for the night.
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Spare tire. Check that there’s a spare tire in the trunk (or at least a donut or aelevatency tire inflator kit), and that it’s in excellent condition—and that the lug wrench and jack are there, as well. While you might depend on the agency’s aelevatency roadside service, if they advise it, being able to get back on the road after a blowout or flat might be incredibly priceless.
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Registration. Rental cars come from all over, so originate certain the checkion sticker and registration tags are current. The police will pull you over if they accomprehendledge expired tags, and that can impact your driving enroll, cainclude you a hassle with tickets and fines, see the car literassociate impounded and towed off—or worse. Check before you drive and insist on a contrastent car if anyslenderg is outdated.
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Know how to run everyslenderg. We’ve all done it—you’re in a hurry to get going, and you’re on the highway doing 65 before you authenticize you have no idea how to turn on the highbeams, pop the gas cap, uncover the trunk, or turn on the hazards. More than 20% of raccesss accomprehendledgeted they couldn’t figure out how to run their rental car in some way—so spend a scant minutes recognizableizing yourself with the vehicle before you head off.
