When applying for a rental car, clients need to take precautions not to go over budget, ensure insurance coverage is inline, and go over the chosen vehicle thoroughly. Hence, no claims come back without merit. 

 

Too often, people travel with minimal planning incorporated into the trip, ultimately getting off a plane, dropping by the rental facility, grabbing a car, and driving off without becoming familiar with the vehicle or determining any potential defects in case it might break down.

 

Not only will the driver be maneuvering unfamiliar streets with road rules they don’t understand, but – where’s the headlight knob or what if it starts raining, how do the windshield wipers work? 

 

Not only is there fiddling for these features, but depending on the temperature outside, the thermostat might need adjusting as you drive. Other drivers at this point are probably honking as a careless driver is swerving in the lane in front of them. 

 

Why? Because you didn’t take the time to become familiar with the leiebil – Goautos.no, which is one of the leading rental car facilities. These premier agencies have the hope, and give clients every opportunity, to make themselves familiar and inspect the cars before they take possession. 

 

If you don’t do so, you’re putting yourself and everyone around you at risk. Let’s look at some tips on what you should do before leaving the company’s lot.

 

What Should You Do Before Leaving The Lot With A Rental Car?

 

Suppose you’re an international traveler in a country unfamiliar to you. In that case, that means the road laws, signs, patterns will all be foreign, necessitating prime focus while you drive along the streets, possibly creating some tension among the local drivers. 

 

If you add to the fact that you’re distracted by attempting to feel around in the car to see how the features work, that’s the ideal setup for an accident. And likely these are probably things for which you, yourself, have been belligerent towards tourists to your own country, displaying no sense of tolerance or patience, meaning the reactions you’re receiving should come as little surprise. Some precautions to take when renting a car follow:

 

• This car is entirely different from your own.

 

Unless you rent a car precisely like your day-to-day car, the vehicle will be wholly unique from your daily rider. That means the features will be in unusual places, they’ll work differently, or some could be excluded unless you specifically request them.

 

Take the time to become familiar before committing to a car. Get in to adjust the mirrors and set the seats for your convenience. Find the hazards to ensure they operate adequately and check that the window controls work for each window. 

 

Locate the wiper controls to test those. Turn on all the lights, including the headlights, look at the brake lights, plus the turn signals. The temperature controls should operate at full capacity in each setting.

 

Once you feel comfortable with all the features, you can move on to the other components – the rental facility should give you a checklist for any damages you find in the vehicle. Have this handy when asking the rep when the car was last serviced. If that question receives no answer, request an automobile where you can receive a reply.

• You don’t want to be held responsible for old damages.

 

Damages already incurred need documenting on a sheet provided by the rental company, so you don’t face repercussions for these. Plus, you want to drive a well-maintained and safe car.

 

You’ll need photos of each panel of the vehicle’s exterior for documentation, plus the interior to show its condition. The tires need an inspection to ensure they have adequate inflation and the tread offers even wear. 

 

The odometer should register below 25,000. Anything over that references as a “senior automobile,” which is a red flag. Check for a spare tire in the trunk, inspect its condition and inflation, and locate a jack and lug wrench for safety if you have an emergency.

 

The fluid levels under the hood need checking specifically for antifreeze, oil, and washer fluid. Also, look at the fuel gauge inside to see if it reads “full.”

• Take a test drive before signing.

 

Before committing to a specific car, you must get a feel for how the car handles and whether you’re comfortable behind the wheel when driving. The agency should allow a test drive likely around the lot so you can see how it feels, listen for noises, see how it brakes, and if turning is smooth. It’s better to find these things out before you’re on unfamiliar roads.

 

If you don’t have a map app on your phone to download navigation for the local areas, opt for a GPS system plus see if the agency has paper maps available for backup. Ensure you understand the GPS functions and see if it’s loaded for the areas for which you’re destined.

 

Once you feel comfortable, you can then go ahead with the contract allowing there is substantial, comprehensive insurance either through the rental facility, your personal provider, or even a credit card primary plan. Accidents happen, especially in an unfamiliar area with different road rules in a car new to you.

 

Final Thought

 

It might seem like these steps are going a little over the top when signing out a car for your travels. Still, aside from having a mechanic inspect the vehicle for your peace of mind and security, these are merely basic guidelines to protect you and provide a sense of safety. 

 

You don’t want to face repercussions for pre-existing damages, nor do you want to be stuck with a car that could potentially have defects causing you to break down and leave you stranded in unfamiliar territory. 

 

Preventative measures can save a lot of time, effort, and money for weary travelers. These steps can mean the difference between having a big-time on your road trip or spending your entire time dealing with the car rental agency.