Last November with Firefly ex Alicante it should have been a ‘Focus or similar’. I got a CMax which was perfectly acceptable. A very nice drive. My pal had a Citroen C3. Disliked by everyone in our accommodation.
Yesterday, after a horrendous journey lasting 16 hours door to door via Murcia with my 92yo mum in a wheelchair, at a closed and almost deserted Alicante airport I was given, instead of a ‘Focus or similar’ a spanking new Citroen C3 Aircross. I’ve never had a brand new rental car. This one had 5 Kms on the clock. Petrol, 6 speed box. No idea of power output. Why are there no dust cap covers on rental cars ? Surely being brand new they haven’t been nicked already ?
So...onto the autopista for the drive north. Lashing torrential rain, standing water, thundering HGVs and an unfamiliar car. Oh to be a driving God like some people.
Orange warning signs and beeps about lane deviation. Worked when going from Lane 1 to lane 2 overtaking HGVs. And again when returning to lane1. Sometimes only when going from lane 1. And vice versa. Sometimes not at all. Probably the weather conditions. Some orange light that came up on the offside mirror. Maybe its when cars are overtaking in my blind spot. I was too busy trying to avoid swaying HGVs to notice.
In the 100kms I drove it I couldn’t get a comfortable driving position. The boot has to be slammed hard, very hard, to get it to close, otherwise there are more warning signs on the dash. Today when conditions are still wet, but much improved, it crashes over pot holes and is a bit roly poly. I dont like it’s external looks. It’s pig ugly. Internally not to my taste but at least the touch screen heating controls are easy to operate, although I’d prefer dials and switches.
No idea of music quality yet. Glad I only have it until 1st February when i fly home with the old dear. At least the wheelchair just fits in the boot, which was the important thing.
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And it sure as heck isn’t a ‘Focus or similar’. As for the burnt orange colour, it’s easy enough to spot in Lidl car park.
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>> Why are there no dust cap covers on rental cars ?
We've got no pool cars at work now because it's apparently cheaper to hire a vehicle than have 2 or 3 lease vehicles sat around in the car park not being used.
Anyway, I have to hire a car once a month, which I've been doing for well over a year now, and observed exactly the same thing. Rarely do any of them have dust caps.
I asked one of the guys who drop off the cars why, and basically he said "they either get lost when we check the tyre pressures, or we can't be assed to put them back on afterwards"
The fact they actually check the tyre pressures amazed me, especially as all cars now have TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitor Systems).
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How can you lose them checking tyre pressures? Don’t they have hands or pockets? If they are so lackadaisical it makes you wonder what else they can’t be assed with.
I take dust caps on holiday with me. And a pressure gauge to check the tyres (and I look at the tread) before hoofing up the motorway at speed. And a small headtorch to keep in the car.
I was in the Boy Sprouts. Be prepared and all that.
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My very first VW, a MK2 Golf, had dust caps that had a sort of one way valve built in, you just put the air-hose on and filled then pulled it off, the valve cap never had to be unscrewed.
Once I had new tyres they weren't put back on but just replaced with cheap ones.
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The orange flashing lights on changing lanes (lane departure warning) should only come on when you change lanes without indicating (which I'm sure wasn't the case...?)
Blind spot indicators can get confused by heavy rain, maybe the same was happening here?
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Selective indicating. Rightly or wrongly, I only indicate if I consider it necessary.
It was absolutely lashing down Monday evening on the motorway. Storm Gloria and all that
Thanks for the info Boxsterbloke
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Friends came out to this part of the world mid December. Like me they change their rental every 2 weeks. Today they’ve collected a factory fresh Focus estate. Lucky people. Their previous 2 week rental, same company, was a Fiat 500L. Same Popstar spec as the one i had last year. We both disliked it. Intensely.
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>> Selective indicating. Rightly or wrongly, I only indicate if I consider it necessary.
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Same here, which is why these systems are so annoying and are turned off as soon as I get in a car with them. Once I’ve worked out how...
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After 3 weeks with my Wiber rented Fiesta, I had to change it last Sunday. Going for a few three weekly rental periods, Wiber were the most competitive on price, and I considered myself very fortunate to be upgraded from an i10 ( or similar) to the STLine Fiesta.
What a cracking little car it was.....cornered on rails, comfortable cruising up and down the autopista at 140kph with very little intrusive noise. Thrashed up and down mountain roads, yet still returned 44.5 mpg over a thousand kilometres.
Friends have a Focus Estate on rental, slightly fewer horses, 125 vs my 140, but they rate it very highly.
Sunday’s rental replacement was a KA. Oh dear. Fine as a city car, less so for my travel needs....I’m too tight to pay extra for a ‘better’ car, so can’t complain. An antiquated, low powered 4cyl lump, awful stereo, no Apple CarPlay, and I suspect not as frugal as the 1.0 3cyl Ford engines. I’ve got it for 3 weeks so will have to grin and bear it. Very basic inside, horrid plastic steering wheel, and I keep thinking I need to change from 3rd to 4th and it’s already in 5th. 6th gear seems to be reverse so reaching for 6th at motorway speeds probably isn’t a good thing !
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Are you not able to extend the rental on the existing car? Or is it you get a better deal by renewing each time?
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Unfortunately not. I do my rentals through the online broker ‘DoYouSpain’. 95% of the time I use rental companies who offer free cancellation, then if the price reduces significantly, i rebook then cancel the original booking. Payments are made in € using my preloaded Revolut card. Online cancellations are simplicity itself, with refunds within 72 hours.
Pricing between companies is very odd.....For instance I often use OKCars and Firefly. 2 weeks rental might cost ( for the sake of argument) €20. 3 weeks €90. Where’s the logic in that ?
Wiber though, at least recently, offer decent pro rates over 2 & 3 week rental periods.
My first 3 week rental period with Wiber, for an i10 or similar, cost €19. For my second 3 week period, €28. For the final 2 weeks I’ve returned to Firefly. €9 for a Fiesta or similar.
A single rental period of 8 weeks, with any rental company, would literally have cost Several hundred Euros.
Go figure.
I have my own £40 annual CDW policy so never take out the rental companies insurance, although they block €700 against my credit card (Fiesta/208/i10) just in case of damage. This increases to €1250 for a Focus or similar.
Hope that helps !
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>> Hope that helps !
I was just curious.
You certainly know how to play the system btw.
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Yesterday I returned the KA+ to Wiber ( off site at ALC) and picked up a Fiesta ( or similar) from Firefly ( on site). The Fiesta turned out to be a metallic blue Skoda Fabia 1.0. Probably the 60 bhp version as it has arthritic performance with a 5 speed box. Returning up the AP7, with convoys of Italian and French motorhomes dashing for home, at the 120kph speed limit it was turning over at 4,000 rpm. So not a motorway cruise! Not a patch on a previous Fiesta ST Line rental of last month.
In theory I have it for 13 days, but fingers are crossed for an earlier flight home.
Whilst in the very quiet airport multi storey I had a quick look around other rental companies stock. Small fleets, literally, of high end Audi’s, M Benz, BMWs just sat there when normally they would be out on holiday rentals. Quite amazed at the extensive choice of rental stuff...a 5 series or E class rental for 2 weeks wouldn’t be cheap.
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Just back from 5 days in Iceland. Thought it sensible to hire a 4x4 at this time of year (which in the end was not needed). The cheapest was a Dacia Duster 1.5 diesel. The country is awash with them, mostly hire cars, 99% in white NATO spec. Ours had the luxury of metallic blue paint. Basic but perfectly serviceable inside (nicer door cards/handles wouldn't go amiss), decent enough to drive, enough room for 4 and bags, and economical with it.
The fuel gauge was on full when we got it, but the tank can't have been full because we did 656 miles and only put 39 litres in it (= 75 mpg!).
To those who haven't been, Iceland is recommended. Our first hotel boasted of views of the geothermal power plant! And having seen it, you can see the attraction. Well insulated from economic consequences of Putin's antics with plentiful hot water and geothermal produced electricity. Despite their harsh climate and occasional earthquakes the roads were very good - they seemed to be made of compacted crushed lava rock with a thin layer of asphalt on top. A country for hermits - 375,000 people in a country 42% the size of UK makes empty countryside plentiful.
Saw the Northern Lights on 2 nights which was a nice distraction from the £10 pints of beer!
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>>....... a nice distraction from the £10 pints of beer!
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...coming to a pub near you, soon.... ;-)
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I like Dusters.
There, I’ve said it.
Might just one day.
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And this weeks rental is.... - legacylad
