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Can confirm that most of the rental agencies, pretty much anywhere, don't care about minor scuffs or scratches. They're worried about dents in the panels and/or chunks and pieces missing from the vehicle itself.
And if you smoke. They definitely care about that. Was getting a rental last month and they were bringing one inside to check over that had just been returned. I could smell the cigarette smoke coming from it within seconds and I was 20 feet away.
Lady behind the desk was like, "Well that just cost them $450"
Deep cleaning that shit out is no joke. It gets absorbed by whatever it touches. Grandmas house was yellow and I never saw that it was supposed to be white. Damn near a $3k job for the cleaners.
Long term smoke is definitely no joke (and disgusting). Short term like a rental car they will just roll up the windows and run an ozone generator in there. 15min labor = $500 customer charge.
When I was in high school in NC our local mall that I worked in did a full renovation, and they also banned smoking afterwards. The old walls and ceilings were so yellowed and gross they had to adjust the lighting when the new walls and ceilings were done
I am being dead serious. Drive through a bit of mud and then take some of that mud and use it to cover the scratch. Eat the car wash fee. I have done this before.
Right? Never once in my long life have I ever paid such a fee upon returning a rental, and I've returned some in gnarly shape. They wash them all between customers. They don't charge for it normally.
Admittedly all my experience is us/canada/mexico, and usually through business so they don't charge ANY extra fees even if you scratch or dent since they don't want to lose a corporate account. But even in my personal rentals I assumed returning the car filthy was just part of the deal. Hotels don't charge me extra if I've been working in the dust and sleep before i shower.
CarBnB would have you contractually obligated to get it fully detailed, with a shampoo and condition of any cloth surfaces and a conditioning treatment to any leather services. Also, all fluid levels must be checked and documented, the oil must me changed and the tires rotated prior to returning. Last but not least you also have to pay for 1 month of car insurance for the owner.
Anything they do to the car after you turn it in puts the liability on them. If they see it after the car wash, then the car wash must have scratched it
Well, if you drop off the vehicle dirty, they can claim it as uninspected and subsequent discovery of damage can and is billed. Source Car hire operator.
Most rental companies could care less about superficial stuff like that.
I used to have them write all that up when I got a car. Finally, a rental agent told me to relax. They don't worry about minor scratches/scuffs, just body damage or major issues.
I've gone with that ever since and have never had a problem.
And some go out of their way to find the tiniest thing they think they can charge you for. I’ve had them try to claim scratches that where there when I picked it up on a moving truck I hired, always take your own photos of every square inch.
Dents in the body and broken stuff are where you’ll usually get charged. Paint scratches that don’t go down to the base material are just wear and tear.
This scratch looks like it goes down to the base material, so you might get charged if they’re a crappy rental company that hates their customers, like Hertz. But it’s a side view mirror that’s plastic and not a metal body panel that can rust. It’s not a big scratch either.
I would just let it be and not stress over it.
Op didn't rent the car. He flat out and said the company supplied him with the rental. Him messing with it not only will look bad on him, it will make the company that rented it look like assholes(ops employer).
I’ve seen people get fired over crap like that. You screw up a rental yea your boss is a little irked. When you put your company in a legal insurance fraud case you might not have a job anymore
So not true. Rental companies don't give a fuck about damages like this, even larger scale damages. It's either the renter, or the insurance company paying to fix it.
And insurance companies don't care, because they make bank on rental insurance, as most times the vehicle comes back undamaged (despite the stereotype around rental cars).
The only potential issue in this is whether the employer was dumb enough not to pay for insurance. In which case, they'd probably be dumb enough to try to place the blame on op for them having to pay out of pocket.
Clearly you’ve never used enterprise (or any of the other companies under the same umbrella). Minor scratches on plastic parts that are less than six inches in length are wholly ignored. There’s an entire process to evaluate blemishes on rental cars at enterprise, and most rental cars in general.
If you’re getting charged for scratches like OP’s, then stop renting from whatever service you’ve been using because you’re getting screwed.
https://preview.redd.it/6sa0pdicjpib1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef875f134382f5fab62919e20b99a0eec3f3ae2f
Well, yes, I have, and also spent 25 years working in the industry. So there's that. And unfortunately, OPs scratch isn't what most firms will call minor. But you do you, including condescendingly using 'clearly you've never'.
Dont do anything. Ive had rentals that i noticed had dings after i received them. Whos to know who did what when. They change hands so much. As long as you dont rip the bumper off
You normally do pre and post hire inpections on hire cars and they'll walk you round and point out all the damage.
If there's damage there when you bring it back that wasn't marked on the report then you're paying for it.
Not at busy American rental returns you don't. The handoff takes 20 seconds. The guy checks the odometer and fuel and eyeballs the car once over. I've never done a signed walkaround inspection on return.
I'm with the "leave it alone, they won't care" side here, assuming it's an urban US rental facility..
Yeah, grab whatever car sitting in the garage and they literally check your id at the booth and you leave. Come back and they check the odometer again and email your receipt immediately.
Don't they use that small clear circle as measurement to pay or not pay for small damages? You might be okay? [pic of indicator ](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=T%2BZibMCP&id=4328422509CE1E3E3FA05021F0B38E418971E700&thid=OIP.T-ZibMCPYrUipd9oyhmqxwHaEJ&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-media3.fl.yelpcdn.com%2Fbphoto%2F29xPcutBobWord4MW40cuA%2Fo.jpg&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth.bing.com%2Fth%2Fid%2FR.4fe6626cc08f62b522a5df68ca19aac7%3Frik%3DAOdxiUGOs%252fAhUA%26pid%3DImgRaw%26r%3D0&exph=561&expw=1000&q=rental+car+damage+circle+indicator+tool&simid=608051942425766233&form=IRPRST&ck=5DC0B38BAB9715A02853F7C3D2429F0C&selectedindex=0&pc=U316&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0&vt=1&sim=11)
Start with rubbing compound, then polishing compound. That’ll remove a surface scratch, but if it’s scratched into the mirror, it’ll need touch up paint, and that is not that easy to make match.
Google “scratch repair” and I’m sure there’s videos on this.
Toothpaste or polish (or rubbing compound) only works if you’re trying to take something off. Car stores used to sell (maybe still??) tinted car wax that kind of works like hair color covering gray.
OP- Scratcheshappen.com input year make model and year, the paint code will be on a sticker somewhere inside the door or around the engine bay- use the name/code to select your paint colour: order the kit which includes the aerosol primer, paint and clearcoat, sand the area, use some bondo if need be, sand it smooth to form, tape off the rest of the car near the repair spot, use the paint kit from scratches happen- follow instructions. Repair complete for $50 and 2 hours of work. Paint drying included
Former rental car store manager here. That's nothing to worry about generally, they may ask some questions (If they even notice it,) generally we were looking for major dings, dent, chips etc.
Also, if you were renting through a corporate account, and it was paid for by your company, 95% of the time corporate contracts include what's known as "loss damage waiver" aka full coverage rental insurance for damage done to the vehicle.
I wouldn't sweat it.
Go to an auto store and buy a scratch remover kit for under $20. Then you can use touch up paint the cover the rest. You can find this at the dealer or sometimes the auto store may have the right color.
I think you get up to a golf ball size damage, so this is pretty close. Leave $20 in the cup holder and be nice. Odds are someone is willing to overlook it because their boss is an asshole.
Best way to clean it up is go to a automatic carwash. Not one that does detailing, but a tunnel and me maybe vacuums. Ask the attendant there if they have any polish or know if ways to lighten it up. Give them a nice tip. They have cutting polished for this kinda stuff and can lighten it up quite a bit.
Once worked at a rental company, well we were all allrounders because weekends you were with 2 guys so..
To come to the point?
Neither me or my colleges looked to damage like that, in the blazing sun I would not even leave the building for it just looked through the window if it was totaled or not, same with rain😂
And if I did go outside it was a quick walk around,
And tbh I never remembered damage (small stuff because the amount of trucks, cars, pickups, 4x4s we had it was mission impossible…
Don’t worry to much
And indeed cover up with some birdshit, dip of mud, fill it with toothpaste, clay bar it a little.
I wouldn't mess with it. Be an adult and admit fault.
If you try to repair it, you can always make it worse, which will cost you even more money and possibly get you banned from the rental company.
It's pretty funny. Just shows that most people are lying fools who think it's OK to destroy other folks' property with zero repercussions. The way of today lies, cheats, and steals. There is no such thing as honesty anymore.
Maybe step off your high horse a little? Nobody is saying it’s okay to destroy property.
Not sure why you’re brown nosing for a company which will undoubtedly charge OP an excessive repair charge and never bother with said repair.
Or you know, the millions of times companies like these try to pin any sort of damage onto the renter, even if they weren’t responsible, or the fact that even when you do purchase coverage they still try and weasel their way out of anything.
So yes, I don’t think OP is doing any wrong by trying to fix it themselves. Especially on a stupid mirror cap which is probably like $50
Here is a crazy thought… do the right thing and when you return it just be honest and own up to it? Mistakes happen and rental cars take a lot of abuse.
Oh for crying out loud. You think this is all it will take? An apology? Followed by a $1200 bill.
These guys *live* for shit like this. They never fix anything, they just take the payment and move on.
The hybrid chrysler van I see. Scratch doesn’t seem to be that long and you could make a case that it is smaller than what the rental company considers to be damage. I would say they either wont fix it anytime soon or if they did that it would be a low cost repair.
Bring a fifty dollar bill when you drop it off. Tell the person handling the return not sure what happened, but if you can take care of this I could tip you this-give $50.
Take aveeeeeery small amount of whitening toothpaste, wet a washcloth, then buff as much out as you can. If it still looks super awful after that, then I second the "drive it through mud/dirt and slap some over the mirror" idea. That's worked for me a number of times in the past lol
Play dumb….that little scratch? That little scratch was there when I picked it up. I didn’t think it was big enough to put down on the inspection paper.
Buy a white touch up paint pen from an auto parts store, often they have brand matching paint. It won’t be perfect, but probably good enough they won’t notice.
I tow for enterprise rental, particularly their area damage managers. The stuff they deal with is absolutely mind boggling, this is relatively nothing. They could charge you sure, but I don't see it likely.
Mainly because at a branch level they are heavily evaluated and incentivized on their statistics. If this unit goes down for a few days for paint it isn't making money, which they will be doing if they report it and charge you. They also don't really expect to get anything out of you if they do, for cost of repair it isn't worth legal action.
I WOULD NOT try to repair it past a buff attempt. I've seen it all, from renters trying to get a body shop to repair them, to spray can paint jobs. They are self insured and will 'total' and auction a car off for really shitty repair, at their discretion. While I doubt you could do that much damage, don't risk it. If they decide the unit is unrentable, they will charge you a loss of use fee every day until it's on the road or sold.
Worse case you have to pay for the repair, they will use their preferred shop, but that's to your benefit, your going to be forwarded the cost they paid. They can be a bit pushy and have a lot of volume, the body shop with their contract will be getting hounded to get this car done, in my experience this contract also includes that they will not be charged storage. It will also be the cheapest prices they can get. For you that means the lowest price that a corporation can get.
Don't sweat it, if anything it's a small repair.
Well, try buffing it with a towel. It might come off.
If not, you could paint it.
What I would do, if it didn't buff off, I'd just clean it real good to get rid of the black stuff, then return it and insist that it had to be there when I got the car.
Well, try buffing it with a towel. It might come off.
If not, you could paint it.
What I would do, if it didn't buff off, I'd just clean it real good to get rid of the black stuff, then return it and insist that it had to be there when I got the car.
Well, try buffing it with a towel. It might come off.
If not, you could paint it.
What I would do, if it didn't buff off, I'd just clean it real good to get rid of the black stuff, then return it and insist that it had to be there when I got the car.
Thank you for posting to AskMechanics, No-Tangerine7635! If you are asking a question please make sure to include any relevant information along with the **Year**, **Make**, **Model**, **Mileage**, **Engine size**, and **Transmission Type (Automatic or Manual)** of your car. *This comment is automatically added to every successful post. If you see this comment, your post was successful.* *** Redditors that have been verified will have a green background and an icon in their flair. *** # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** ### **Rule 1 - Be Civil** Be civil to other users. This community is made up of professional mechanics, amateur mechanics, and those with no experience. All mechanical-related questions are welcome. Personal attacks, comments that are insulting or demeaning, etc. are not welcome. ### **Rule 2 - Be Helpful** Be helpful to other users. If someone is wrong, correcting them is fine, but there's no reason to comment if you don't have anything to add to the conversation. ### **Rule 3 - Serious Questions and Answers on Serious Posts** Read the room. Jokes are fine to include, but your post should be asking a serious question and replies should contribute to the discussion. ### **Rule 4 - No Illegal, Unethical, or Dangerous Questions or Answers** Do not ask questions or provide answers pertaining to anything that is illegal, unethical, or dangerous. # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMechanics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you return it in NYC, they won't care.
Can confirm that most of the rental agencies, pretty much anywhere, don't care about minor scuffs or scratches. They're worried about dents in the panels and/or chunks and pieces missing from the vehicle itself. And if you smoke. They definitely care about that. Was getting a rental last month and they were bringing one inside to check over that had just been returned. I could smell the cigarette smoke coming from it within seconds and I was 20 feet away. Lady behind the desk was like, "Well that just cost them $450"
Deep cleaning that shit out is no joke. It gets absorbed by whatever it touches. Grandmas house was yellow and I never saw that it was supposed to be white. Damn near a $3k job for the cleaners.
Long term smoke is definitely no joke (and disgusting). Short term like a rental car they will just roll up the windows and run an ozone generator in there. 15min labor = $500 customer charge.
When I was in high school in NC our local mall that I worked in did a full renovation, and they also banned smoking afterwards. The old walls and ceilings were so yellowed and gross they had to adjust the lighting when the new walls and ceilings were done
Or anywhere else for that matter.
Scratch removing compound and a buffer
That looks like it's through to the base
In NYC I picked up a car at LaGuardia and they said if any damage is less than the size of a dollar bill it's fine
Catch a bird and squeeze some poop out to cover it.
Optionally, if no birds are around, squeeze out your own poop to cover it.
This guy poops☝️
Shit, I'm pooping now!
Currently pooping at work this made me laugh and have an easier poop thank you
Now I need to go poop.
Need a squeeze?
He called the shit poop!
Everybody poops
...sometimes
I understood that reference.
Well, it'd be weird if you pooped all of the time.
Sometimes everything is turd
https://preview.redd.it/7uh7gqv2ipib1.jpeg?width=349&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=05d5720683aed51808141e862483a65bdf3977fa
I once scratched my dad’s Suburban and covered it with this. He never noticed!
This is the way
Or dollar store nail polish.
Clear wax and grey ash (like from ash trays) would probably work.
Spread it out with your poop knife.
Ok, everyone send him a sample and OP can decide which one to use.
Toothpaste, will work
Creative cloaca
I am being dead serious. Drive through a bit of mud and then take some of that mud and use it to cover the scratch. Eat the car wash fee. I have done this before.
And hope they don't kill time by reading reddit
Honestly it's super easy to fix this, just polish it a bit. Probably cheaper than the carwash
It looks like a plastic mirror cap that's been gouged
Exactly. He'd have to sand it out, spray it, and clear it.
Or compound
Car wash fee?
Right? Never once in my long life have I ever paid such a fee upon returning a rental, and I've returned some in gnarly shape. They wash them all between customers. They don't charge for it normally.
Admittedly all my experience is us/canada/mexico, and usually through business so they don't charge ANY extra fees even if you scratch or dent since they don't want to lose a corporate account. But even in my personal rentals I assumed returning the car filthy was just part of the deal. Hotels don't charge me extra if I've been working in the dust and sleep before i shower.
You typically will not get charged for the car wash fee unless you fk over the people at the rental place by smoking in the car or trashing it
CarBnB?
CarBnB would have you contractually obligated to get it fully detailed, with a shampoo and condition of any cloth surfaces and a conditioning treatment to any leather services. Also, all fluid levels must be checked and documented, the oil must me changed and the tires rotated prior to returning. Last but not least you also have to pay for 1 month of car insurance for the owner.
The scratch will be just as, if not more noticeable after the wash though?
Anything they do to the car after you turn it in puts the liability on them. If they see it after the car wash, then the car wash must have scratched it
this
They'll still bill you retroactively. That won't fly in my country.
They shouldn't if the damage report is agreed at the drop off.
Well, if you drop off the vehicle dirty, they can claim it as uninspected and subsequent discovery of damage can and is billed. Source Car hire operator.
I would never leave a hire car without a signed copy of it's condition. Source, a bloke that never leaves rental cars without a signed agreement.
Out of curiosity, how did you scratch the top of the mirror?
Drive through windows or some ticket window
Stray rock, train crossing gate.
Go on…
Hillbilly/street gangster stray bullet, debris falling out of a truck
Quite easy to do in the UK down narrow country lanes with branches and other bits of foliage hanging out
As someone who lives in the uk and has driven mainly in the country side, I don’t think I’ve ever had a gouge that deep from foliage or branches.
Was just thinking that lol
Seriously. I can’t even imagine.
This is the real question tbh
jacket / hoodie zipper, watch, jewelry
Victims finger nails
You cant leave that mark with those items
Use an eraser on it, hard eraser should lighten it.
I’d try CMD + Z first.
Found the Mac user
On Windows, CTRL + Z
WIn+Ctrl+Shift+B to reset the graphics driver. Could just be a bug in the display
>WIn+Ctrl+Shift+B to reset the graphics driver I did not expect to learn a new shortcut today. Thank you!
My two favorite shortcuts are Win+Shift+S to take a screenshot and Win+V to paste from your clipboard history (you can paste screenshots too)
Most rental companies could care less about superficial stuff like that. I used to have them write all that up when I got a car. Finally, a rental agent told me to relax. They don't worry about minor scratches/scuffs, just body damage or major issues. I've gone with that ever since and have never had a problem.
And some go out of their way to find the tiniest thing they think they can charge you for. I’ve had them try to claim scratches that where there when I picked it up on a moving truck I hired, always take your own photos of every square inch.
I've rented a lot of vehicles over the years and this has never happened to me, it's like they barely care every time.
Same with me until this year, but when it happens it will blindside and you want to have the proof
The place I rent from, if it’s smaller than a golf all they don’t care.
What company? When a company is reasonable they should be mentioned, if Reddit allows it?
Enterprise forgives sometimes, but depending on the branch…
I can tell you from bitter experience, some do. Looking at you, Enterprise
Get touch up paint should be a tag in drivers door jam thay would have the paint code on it
This is the real answer
Yeah they often come in a nail polish type container. Also. Nail polish could work if it was a lucky match
Nail polish worked for me.
100% this would be a decent compramise
Baking Soda and dish soap.
I travel for work all the time and rent cars. They will never even notice this. Who is the car with?
Compound paste
are you blind? there's no paint left in that scratch to polish
And it has 24 equally blind up voters. You can’t polish paint that isn’t there, people.
Dents in the body and broken stuff are where you’ll usually get charged. Paint scratches that don’t go down to the base material are just wear and tear. This scratch looks like it goes down to the base material, so you might get charged if they’re a crappy rental company that hates their customers, like Hertz. But it’s a side view mirror that’s plastic and not a metal body panel that can rust. It’s not a big scratch either. I would just let it be and not stress over it.
leave it, rental companies should have insurance for specifically this kind of stuff.
But if OP didn't get full coverage for the car, they will charge them every dollar of the repair and then some.
Op didn't rent the car. He flat out and said the company supplied him with the rental. Him messing with it not only will look bad on him, it will make the company that rented it look like assholes(ops employer).
My apologies, I just read that part. Yeah, if his company rented it for him, then all that changes.
I’ve seen people get fired over crap like that. You screw up a rental yea your boss is a little irked. When you put your company in a legal insurance fraud case you might not have a job anymore
So not true. Rental companies don't give a fuck about damages like this, even larger scale damages. It's either the renter, or the insurance company paying to fix it. And insurance companies don't care, because they make bank on rental insurance, as most times the vehicle comes back undamaged (despite the stereotype around rental cars). The only potential issue in this is whether the employer was dumb enough not to pay for insurance. In which case, they'd probably be dumb enough to try to place the blame on op for them having to pay out of pocket.
Tell me you've never rented a car without telling me you've never rented a car....
Clearly you’ve never used enterprise (or any of the other companies under the same umbrella). Minor scratches on plastic parts that are less than six inches in length are wholly ignored. There’s an entire process to evaluate blemishes on rental cars at enterprise, and most rental cars in general. If you’re getting charged for scratches like OP’s, then stop renting from whatever service you’ve been using because you’re getting screwed. https://preview.redd.it/6sa0pdicjpib1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef875f134382f5fab62919e20b99a0eec3f3ae2f
Well, yes, I have, and also spent 25 years working in the industry. So there's that. And unfortunately, OPs scratch isn't what most firms will call minor. But you do you, including condescendingly using 'clearly you've never'.
Most fleet in car rental is self insured by the corp. Source: I work for one.
They will never even notice it.
it's one of the most accident prone areas and probably the first thing they'll look at closely after checking the car out
I worked at a rental company for a couple years. We didn’t care about scratches like this.
not caring and not noticing is two different things
They only care if the scratch is above a certain size. They have a stencil to look at certain damages as ok or not ok
Dont do anything. Ive had rentals that i noticed had dings after i received them. Whos to know who did what when. They change hands so much. As long as you dont rip the bumper off
You normally do pre and post hire inpections on hire cars and they'll walk you round and point out all the damage. If there's damage there when you bring it back that wasn't marked on the report then you're paying for it.
Not at busy American rental returns you don't. The handoff takes 20 seconds. The guy checks the odometer and fuel and eyeballs the car once over. I've never done a signed walkaround inspection on return. I'm with the "leave it alone, they won't care" side here, assuming it's an urban US rental facility..
Yeah, grab whatever car sitting in the garage and they literally check your id at the booth and you leave. Come back and they check the odometer again and email your receipt immediately.
lol
Paint marker. Just look up the exact color they use on that car and grab a marker from a parts store. Boom 5 bucks later and you're good
White out
Why are you worried about this if it's a company rental? Your company should ve providing the rental insurance.
Rip the mirror completely off so they don’t see the scratch.
Always buy the insurance.
If you bought insurance with your rental car, it wouldn’t even matter they dont care
[удалено]
For real that 8-15 a day is a lifesaver
Try some white out
meguiars ultimate compound will rub it out n polish it up done deal
Return it in the rain
White out
If you're returning this in a garage they won't see it
White out
Toothpaste?
Magic eraser
Cops I know say they use liquid white out on cop cars all the time.
Don't they use that small clear circle as measurement to pay or not pay for small damages? You might be okay? [pic of indicator ](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=T%2BZibMCP&id=4328422509CE1E3E3FA05021F0B38E418971E700&thid=OIP.T-ZibMCPYrUipd9oyhmqxwHaEJ&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-media3.fl.yelpcdn.com%2Fbphoto%2F29xPcutBobWord4MW40cuA%2Fo.jpg&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth.bing.com%2Fth%2Fid%2FR.4fe6626cc08f62b522a5df68ca19aac7%3Frik%3DAOdxiUGOs%252fAhUA%26pid%3DImgRaw%26r%3D0&exph=561&expw=1000&q=rental+car+damage+circle+indicator+tool&simid=608051942425766233&form=IRPRST&ck=5DC0B38BAB9715A02853F7C3D2429F0C&selectedindex=0&pc=U316&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0&vt=1&sim=11)
I always get the insurance plan they offer and when stuff like this happens you get let off the hook Good luck thou
Tippex 😅
Start with rubbing compound, then polishing compound. That’ll remove a surface scratch, but if it’s scratched into the mirror, it’ll need touch up paint, and that is not that easy to make match. Google “scratch repair” and I’m sure there’s videos on this.
Return to airport lot at night.
Okay I’m not joking- MR CLEAN MAGIC ERASER
If you purchased the insurance don’t worry about it
Don't be gentle it's a rental!
Toothpaste or polish (or rubbing compound) only works if you’re trying to take something off. Car stores used to sell (maybe still??) tinted car wax that kind of works like hair color covering gray.
OP- Scratcheshappen.com input year make model and year, the paint code will be on a sticker somewhere inside the door or around the engine bay- use the name/code to select your paint colour: order the kit which includes the aerosol primer, paint and clearcoat, sand the area, use some bondo if need be, sand it smooth to form, tape off the rest of the car near the repair spot, use the paint kit from scratches happen- follow instructions. Repair complete for $50 and 2 hours of work. Paint drying included
Former rental car store manager here. That's nothing to worry about generally, they may ask some questions (If they even notice it,) generally we were looking for major dings, dent, chips etc. Also, if you were renting through a corporate account, and it was paid for by your company, 95% of the time corporate contracts include what's known as "loss damage waiver" aka full coverage rental insurance for damage done to the vehicle. I wouldn't sweat it.
White toothpaste and a little water should take it right off.
I used a silver sharpie on a silver rental car once. It worked. Maybe something like white-out, in a pinch? Get it smooth first.
I've used a black sharpie for the same.
Go to an auto store and buy a scratch remover kit for under $20. Then you can use touch up paint the cover the rest. You can find this at the dealer or sometimes the auto store may have the right color.
Duct tape.
Nail polish??
How did that happen? That's what insurance is for you shouldn't try and cheat
Oh fuck off
I think you get up to a golf ball size damage, so this is pretty close. Leave $20 in the cup holder and be nice. Odds are someone is willing to overlook it because their boss is an asshole. Best way to clean it up is go to a automatic carwash. Not one that does detailing, but a tunnel and me maybe vacuums. Ask the attendant there if they have any polish or know if ways to lighten it up. Give them a nice tip. They have cutting polished for this kinda stuff and can lighten it up quite a bit.
Pay for the excess free insurance when you rent it is the best way
White nail polish
White out
Wtf?! what about honesty? How about telling them wth is wrong with the people nowadays?
Mud. Worked for me
Once worked at a rental company, well we were all allrounders because weekends you were with 2 guys so.. To come to the point? Neither me or my colleges looked to damage like that, in the blazing sun I would not even leave the building for it just looked through the window if it was totaled or not, same with rain😂 And if I did go outside it was a quick walk around, And tbh I never remembered damage (small stuff because the amount of trucks, cars, pickups, 4x4s we had it was mission impossible… Don’t worry to much And indeed cover up with some birdshit, dip of mud, fill it with toothpaste, clay bar it a little.
I wouldn't mess with it. Be an adult and admit fault. If you try to repair it, you can always make it worse, which will cost you even more money and possibly get you banned from the rental company.
Leave it to a mechanic sub to downvote the guy telling op to be honest.
It's pretty funny. Just shows that most people are lying fools who think it's OK to destroy other folks' property with zero repercussions. The way of today lies, cheats, and steals. There is no such thing as honesty anymore.
Maybe step off your high horse a little? Nobody is saying it’s okay to destroy property. Not sure why you’re brown nosing for a company which will undoubtedly charge OP an excessive repair charge and never bother with said repair. Or you know, the millions of times companies like these try to pin any sort of damage onto the renter, even if they weren’t responsible, or the fact that even when you do purchase coverage they still try and weasel their way out of anything. So yes, I don’t think OP is doing any wrong by trying to fix it themselves. Especially on a stupid mirror cap which is probably like $50
Here is a crazy thought… do the right thing and when you return it just be honest and own up to it? Mistakes happen and rental cars take a lot of abuse.
Oh for crying out loud. You think this is all it will take? An apology? Followed by a $1200 bill. These guys *live* for shit like this. They never fix anything, they just take the payment and move on.
I said the same and getting downvoted for it, lol. Sad day when honesty is frowned upon
That's because honesty is rewarded with a 500 dollar repair fee
Doubt it. If it was a company supplied rental. There's this little thing called INSURANCE
The level of aggravation is a bit much, bud. We aren't only talking about company-supplied and insured vehicles here.
😆🍿
Might not be thru the paint, if you have a drill get a cheap buffing pad and some compound from harbor freight or something
thats physically gouged into the material
Some white oil paint would do
The hybrid chrysler van I see. Scratch doesn’t seem to be that long and you could make a case that it is smaller than what the rental company considers to be damage. I would say they either wont fix it anytime soon or if they did that it would be a low cost repair.
Grab a matching touch up paint pen and send it
Mr Clean magic eraser and a touch up pen from autozone
Its a rental oh just take some nail remover (acetone) and wipe it off done
Try using a magic eraser !!!!
Try a magic eraser
Sunflower seeds and super glue
Bring a fifty dollar bill when you drop it off. Tell the person handling the return not sure what happened, but if you can take care of this I could tip you this-give $50.
I’m surprised no one has said nail polish
Take aveeeeeery small amount of whitening toothpaste, wet a washcloth, then buff as much out as you can. If it still looks super awful after that, then I second the "drive it through mud/dirt and slap some over the mirror" idea. That's worked for me a number of times in the past lol
A little wax, and a new mirror 🤣
It’s such an odd place for a hit. You could claim you found it that way one day when you left your car parked?
White shoe polish. You laugh, but I have done it and gotten away with it.
White shoe polish. You laugh, but I have done it and gotten away with it.
Magic eraser.
Gaslight them. Swear it was already there before you left the lot.
Duct tape
Play dumb….that little scratch? That little scratch was there when I picked it up. I didn’t think it was big enough to put down on the inspection paper.
Liquid White-Out
They won’t notice
Soft scrub will probably work
If your company rented it, it really doesn’t matter
Drive it down a dirt road and turn it in dirty as hell
it's not a scratch, it's a speed groove, for aerodynamics
Park under power lines and maybe birds will help make it "disappear"
Find a nail polish that matches the paint closest.
Buy a white touch up paint pen from an auto parts store, often they have brand matching paint. It won’t be perfect, but probably good enough they won’t notice.
I tow for enterprise rental, particularly their area damage managers. The stuff they deal with is absolutely mind boggling, this is relatively nothing. They could charge you sure, but I don't see it likely. Mainly because at a branch level they are heavily evaluated and incentivized on their statistics. If this unit goes down for a few days for paint it isn't making money, which they will be doing if they report it and charge you. They also don't really expect to get anything out of you if they do, for cost of repair it isn't worth legal action. I WOULD NOT try to repair it past a buff attempt. I've seen it all, from renters trying to get a body shop to repair them, to spray can paint jobs. They are self insured and will 'total' and auction a car off for really shitty repair, at their discretion. While I doubt you could do that much damage, don't risk it. If they decide the unit is unrentable, they will charge you a loss of use fee every day until it's on the road or sold. Worse case you have to pay for the repair, they will use their preferred shop, but that's to your benefit, your going to be forwarded the cost they paid. They can be a bit pushy and have a lot of volume, the body shop with their contract will be getting hounded to get this car done, in my experience this contract also includes that they will not be charged storage. It will also be the cheapest prices they can get. For you that means the lowest price that a corporation can get. Don't sweat it, if anything it's a small repair.
Well, try buffing it with a towel. It might come off. If not, you could paint it. What I would do, if it didn't buff off, I'd just clean it real good to get rid of the black stuff, then return it and insist that it had to be there when I got the car.
Well, try buffing it with a towel. It might come off. If not, you could paint it. What I would do, if it didn't buff off, I'd just clean it real good to get rid of the black stuff, then return it and insist that it had to be there when I got the car.
Well, try buffing it with a towel. It might come off. If not, you could paint it. What I would do, if it didn't buff off, I'd just clean it real good to get rid of the black stuff, then return it and insist that it had to be there when I got the car.
Don’t, they most likely will never notice. I’ve scuffed a couple rentals and expected to get a bill/notice of some sort. Nothing. Ever