buy the insurance???

I would like advice on the added insurance that the rental agents try to pawn off on you when you rent a car.

When we went to Vegas last October I had been pressured into additional insurance at the desk when I went to get the car, in fact it was frightening to hear what I would be "responsible for" if I had any damages to the car, including 90 days of rental payment if the car needed to have any repairs done.

I did not buy the extra insurance at the time, but I spent a very miserable week in Vegas worrying about the rental car each time I parked it. My auto insurance covers the collision cost if I should have an accident with a rental car, but I am sure it would not cover 90 days of rental fee.

Has anyone else had this experience? Would you advise buying additional insurance?? I am heading back to Vegas in April and am on the cusp of "is it really worth the worry to rent a car again"........

I never get any of that pressure at Dollar. I tell them that my card covers it and that is the end of it.
Lots of car rental companies to chose from without putting up with that.

I never buy the insurance because my CC covers my rental. Now, if you tell that to the agent, they will tell you "not all CC companies cover all the possible expenses." A couple of years ago, I rented my car and then had my son in law rent a car as we had eight people in our family gathering. I completely forgot about the insurance aspect until I got my bill for $140 more than I thought it would be. The agent had given my son in law the "big sell." Check with you CC company or read the fine print if you still have your CC agreement.

Ted in Chico

It completely depends on whether you already have insurance. Should you buy it? Maybe yes, maybe no.

This article from progressive.com sums up the factors to consider pretty well.

Thanks for the replys. I am going to call my credit card company and see what they cover, and then my auto insurance agent to ensure that the collision and comprehensive coverage will cover the rental also.

Thanks for the link to the article, Chilcoot. It was very helpful.

It all depends on the amount of time you want to spend vs the cost of the Rental Car Collision Damage Waiver.

Let's say you are driving your rental down I-15 and a rock breaks the windshield. This is not normal wear and tear you will be required to pay for it. Of course your American Express, Platinum Visa ect likely will pay for your deductible if you didn't buy the Rental Company CDW, but then it reverts to your insurance for additional costs, loss of use ect.. Yes you have to pay the Rental Car Company loss of use while it's being repaired. I also found that Visa argueably doesn't pay for vandalism under their coverage.

Also there will be multiple forms to fill out for both the Car Rental Company and your Credit card company. Personally I hate paying the CDW/LDW but I pay it as I just don't want to fool with it. I also don't want a possible ding on my insurance rates.

I would really like to hear from someone who has actually had a vehicle damaged while renting and didn't have the Car Rental CDW. It would be interesting to hear how the process turned out for them.

Check with you car insurance company. Mine covers insurance on a rental.

I'd be willing to spend a fair amount of time arguing that the rental car company pays to repair a windshield chipped through no fault of mine. I think that's just normal wear and tear. What could I possibly do to avoid a rock thrown by another car, other than not drive?

If a windshield catches a rock on an interstate and cracks, I expect the rental car company to pay. Now, if the windshield, headlights, and foglights are all busted out because I drive the car in an off-road race where it gets pelted with rocks for a couple hours, I'll expect to pay (or possibly my insurer, depending on my policy (fat chance)).

Now, that's not to say that a slick rental car company may try to shirk paying having to pay when I return the car. The company may try to take advantage of a renter's uncertainty, particularly if the renter didn't buy coverage from the company. But they'll spend a lot of time getting me to pay.

I do know that, unless a renter does something unusual to cause the flat (peel out, drive crazy fast, use railroad tracks as a shortcut), a flat is considered ordinary wear and tear and attributable to the rental company. I think the same thing general rule should apply for windshield damage.

Well I can personally attest to the fact that Thrifty Rent A Car charges for a broken windshield and in fact immediately charges your Visa card upon return of the vehicle.

While in line I observed the Police being called on a customer who returned the car with a broken windshield from a rock. The guy claimed wear and tear but the Thrifty employee said no it wasn't. The guy had a $400 extra charge for the windshield placed onto his Visa card at that time and he was hot.

He complained and Police arrived. The Police told him there was nothing they could do and told him to dispute the $400 charge down the road with his credit card company.

Very well. It's definitely not a matter for the police, and if the customer caused such a ruckus bad on him.

But I really think that a motivated customer would be successful in challenging a charge for windshield damage which occurred through no fault of his own beyond driving the car on a paved road and having another car kick up a rock. There's nothing a renter can do to avoid that. The cost should be folded into the rate and spread among all customers, not just the one unlucky sap who had the car when the rock flew.