Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 9:23:14 GMT -5
I rarely rent cars but I'm getting really sick of this. We rented a Ford Expedition to get to a family wedding in TX with DS, DDIL, our baby granddaughter and all our stuff (a disproportionate share of which was baby paraphernalia). DH did most of the driving and nearly wrecked the car before we got out of the driveway; no owner's manual and while trying to adjust the seat for his long legs, he moved it forward so far that his legs got scrunched in with his foot on the gas pedal and he could barely move it to the brake pedal as the car surged forward towards our closed garage door (with DS and DDIL's SUV beyond the door). He found the brakes just in time. Phew. There were other times on the trip we really needed a manual; it took us awhile to find the overhead light switches, to find that the gas cap opens with a push (no control inside the car), etc.
To me, it's a huge safety hazard to hand over the keys to a $50K vehicle with no instructions but I think this has happened to us before. I plan to mention it when I return the car. Has this happened to anyone else?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 9:31:44 GMT -5
why didn't you ask the person at the car rental place about anything you were unsure about before driving away? also, you shouldn't be adjusting your seat, mirrors, etc. while you're in drive.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 8, 2015 10:26:57 GMT -5
why didn't you ask the person at the car rental place about anything you were unsure about before driving away?& ... Hmmmmm. Just got a new car. After a stop on the way home with it, starting it there was a little blue image on the dash. Went out after about a minute. I figured that blue and on for a brief time on starting wasn't likely to lead to explosion so drove home. Checked the owner's manual once I got home. No big deal. Come on, absurd to think you could ask about everything that might come up. |
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Mar 8, 2015 10:34:41 GMT -5
They get stolen
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 10:35:56 GMT -5
why didn't you ask the person at the car rental place about anything you were unsure about before driving away?& ... Hmmmmm. Just got a new car. After a stop on the way home with it, starting it there was a little blue image on the dash. Went out after about a minute. I figured that blue and on for a brief time on starting wasn't likely to lead to explosion so drove home. Checked the owner's manual once I got home. No big deal. Come on, absurd to think you could ask about everything that might come up. huh? wouldn't you ask about wipers and lights and how to adjust things if you were unsure? the things you would need for normal operation? not every single bell and whistle. when we got my DD's car in January before she drove off with it the car salesman went over everything with her and asked if she had any questions. |
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Mar 8, 2015 10:47:38 GMT -5
I've not seen an owners manual in a rental car in years. In fact, last week I rented a Jetta with a whopping 400 miles on it. No manual.
However, I really don't understand why you would start a car and start driving without figuring out how to adjust everything that needs to be adjusted. Seat, mirrors, lights, heating, wipers should all be checked out before you put the gear shift into drive,
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 8, 2015 10:54:35 GMT -5
I don't know what I don't know until faced with a situation in which I need to know it. Another example from the car. I drove home with the fog lights on even though there was no fog. I had no clue how they got on nor how to turn them off. Granted the salesman might be considered negligent not instructing me on location of the fog light switch. I might have been negligent not asking about the fog light switch since I realized hours after leaving the lot I was "unsure" where the fog light switch was located. Once home and having proper lighting, I did locate it without referencing the owner's manual but I did have it if needed. |
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Mar 8, 2015 10:59:43 GMT -5
Paper copies of owner manuals cost anywhere from $25-40. If a rental agency isn't going to leave a $3 snow/ice brush in the car (I was handed one when I picked up my keys at the rental desk), it makes sense that they remove the manual.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 11:04:08 GMT -5
I don't know what I don't know until faced with a situation in which I need to know it. Another example from the car. I drove home with the fog lights on even though there was no fog. I had no clue how they got on nor how to turn them off. Granted the salesman might be considered negligent not instructing me on location of the fog light switch. I might have been negligent not asking about the fog light switch since I realized hours after leaving the lot I was "unsure" where the fog light switch was located. Once home and having proper lighting, I did locate it without referencing the owner's manual but I did have it if needed. and I didn't say you should ask or be instructed about everything, but knowing how lights, wipers, etc. work and making sure everything is adjusted correctly would be the prudent thing to do before driving away in a rental car. |
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 8, 2015 11:26:55 GMT -5
and I didn't say you should ask or be instructed about everything, ... What did you say? why didn't you ask the person at the car rental place about anything you were unsure about before driving away? ... My response was specifically to "anything ... unsure about" and questioned how do you know what you are unsure about until you encounter it. With my new car, I received an owner's manual because people in the industry know this reality and that it is not reasonable to expect the person at the delivery point to give nor the person taking delivery to retain all knowledge of the vehicle. I support having a owner's manual in rental vehicles instead of "sucks to be you, you didn't ask."YM(appears to)V |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 11:31:19 GMT -5
 It would be gone in a week if they did and they want to be able to have it in there when they resell the car.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Mar 8, 2015 11:43:50 GMT -5
Yes
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dogmom
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Post by dogmom on Mar 8, 2015 12:55:20 GMT -5
I don't recall ever looking for or needing an owner's manual in a rental car. Why would your husband move the seat forward? While using a vehicle, isn't it up to the driver to set the car up to seat, mirrors, etc. to ensure a safe ride? Thought that was taught in driver's ed? As for lights, wipers, etc. Sure, can be a struggle (I don't drive DH's truck very often) but, I do get reacquainted before I shift gears. As for owner's manuals, when we bought my car, the dealership actually locked them up  . Had to go back to pick it up when the parts room was open. I did have to question that thought process.... |
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msventoux
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Post by msventoux on Mar 8, 2015 13:33:58 GMT -5
I bought a rental car and it didn't come with an owners manual.  I've only needed to refer to it a couple of times and the manuals are easy enough to find online on my phone. Any vehicle I drive I make sure the seat and mirrors are adjusted to my liking before driving off. As well as knowing how to operate lights, turn signals, wipers, defrost/air conditioning, radio etc. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2015 14:03:10 GMT -5
Paper copies of owner manuals cost anywhere from $25-40. If a rental agency isn't going to leave a $3 snow/ice brush in the car (I was handed one when I picked up my keys at the rental desk), it makes sense that they remove the manual. The rental agency has a perfectly good way to recoup the cost of any loss or damage to the car - they ding your credit card. The Frequent Flyer bulletin boards are full of complaints about fights with car rental companies over charges for purported damages. Why can't they look for the manual when they inspect the car for any other damages, and charge people if it's gone? They could even turn it into a profit center by adding a "manual replacement service charge".
We didn't have an ice scraper and it sure would have come in handy when we left Oklahoma after an ice storm the night before. I did clean off the windshield but someone in a hurry might not; another safety hazard.
While I agree that DH could have done a better job of figuring out how to adjust the seat while the car was in Neutral, as others have mentioned, you can't anticipate every question. We rented a PT Cruiser once at SFO and as we drove out of the airport we realized there was something funny with the transmission; it wasn't shifting automatically as we accelerated. We nearly went back to get another car before we found there was some function that let you shift manually and that's how it was set. With the Expedition I was also confused about what fuel it took. It turns out it can take anything from 100% regular unleaded to 100% ethanol but 85% ethanol is optimal. (I found that halfway into the trip by looking it up on the Internet.) You really can't anticipate every possible question. Gimme the darn manual.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Mar 8, 2015 14:23:46 GMT -5
I have looked them up on the Internet before. I understand that is hard to do while driving but you might be able to answer questions before you go.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Mar 8, 2015 14:25:15 GMT -5
I'm the only person I know who even reads their owner's manual. I've picked up a lot of good info that way.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 8, 2015 14:48:19 GMT -5
I'm the only person I know who even reads their owner's manual. I've picked up a lot of good info that way. Hi lady, I am Bill. Now you know someone else.  |
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Mar 8, 2015 20:12:29 GMT -5
Don't think I've ever seen an owner's manual in a rental car. Yes, I've needed them. I do the mirrors, lights, etc. before leaving the lot. If I can't figure it out, and it's happened, I stop before leaving and make them show me what to do. They always act like it's a pain when I do that.
I usually travel to Colorado. In the winter, I usually find a snow brush in the back seat. I do look for that. If there isn't one, I go back inside and they give me one. If I totally space it, most of the hotels have them for guests because they know the rental cars often don't have them.
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bobosensei
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Post by bobosensei on Mar 9, 2015 0:13:26 GMT -5
We rent cars quite a bit. There has almost always been an owner's manual. Though what we normally do is sit in the parking lot a few minutes to get the hang of the lights, wipers, radio etc. For the most part things work the same.
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