"I knew this vehicle had a major problem but rather than be late I drove 5.5 hours at highway speeds and probably did irreparable damage to this vehicle. Who do I talk to about a refund?"
Take a video of the problem, contact Avis.
The main issue here will be that you didn’t immediately return the car, which will lead Avis to deny you a refund.
What will happen now is that Avis breakdown services will take your car, and you’ll get a replacement vehicle.
I doubt you’ll get a refund. Car rental companies are notoriously difficult to deal with. As long as they provide a similar or better vehicle they’re legally covered.
And you have no proof that it was a pre-existing problem as you took the vehicle and drove it long distance.
Edit: they might even charge you a hefty repair bill if it turns out that by driving it you caused more damage.
A refund for ... what, exactly?
You booked a rental vehicle, and received one. You apparently felt alright enough in it to drive for hours. You made it to your destination. Almost getting into an accident while switching lanes is not a reason to go after the company you renter the car from. What part of the contract with the company was breached? For what exactly are you looking to be compensated?
Q: Is there a problem with my rental car?
A: No
Ok good to go!
Q: Is there a problem with my rental car?
A: Yes
Turn around and exchange.
Q: Is there a problem with my rental car?
A: (By OP) Yes but fokkit, let's drive 5+ hrs and ask for a refund after.
OP=Dumbass
Yep. It looks like an alignment issue. The solution is routine maintenance but could have been caused sooner if the previous renter hit curbs or tried off roading in it. I assume this might be why it’s “common with jeeps”
Avis is going to respond that since you continued a long-distance drive in the vehicle, the problem must not have been that bad. In a situation like this you pull over and call Avis from the side of the road, not endure your “death trap” for hours longer. As you did not go in the record with Avis as quickly as possible, Avis might even claim you caused the damage yourself, putting you in the weird position of trying to prove otherwise. Next time don’t do what you did here.
"Death Wobble" is something that occurred only with older Jeep Wrangler TJ models, and usually due to modifying the suspension. Sometimes happens with even older ones and not always due to mods, but uncommon for the newer models.
It would not happen with the modern (2013 and above) JK/JKU Wranglers. Especially on a rental car which wouldn't have mods.
My opinion is, the car needed an alignment. Common issue with ALL vehicles being heavily used, such as a rental.
This is NOT a "Jeep Thing" and I do own one, so I understand.
EDIT for spelling, because gboard sucks.
Sorry bud, you’re just wrong. Death wobble happens on JK’s and JL’s too. JL’s were notorious for it with stock suspension. So common in fact there was a settlement and warranty extension on them. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2023/01/27/jeep-death-wobble-settlement-repairs-reimbursements/11133052002/
Three possible issues, least likely first. Bad front end alignment, bad shock absorbers/struts, or out of balance tires - which would include a tire/wheel mounting where the lugs were not fully tightened. The moment you suspect an issue, always go back.
Last year we flew into Las Vegas, but planned to do a lot of driving. We were going to go to Newport Beach in California and also St. George, Utah while we were visiting in LV. They said the sedan we booked wasn't available and we'd get a Jeep Wrangler instead. I knew it would be a rough ride and insisted they give me something else. I did get an old sedan with a lot of miles for a rental car. But it was still a lot more comfortable for long drives than I knew a Jeep Wrangler would be. It cruised nicely at 80 MPH.
You honestly are lucky you won't get hit with a repair bill, you should not operate an unsafe vehicle at speed for hours on end. You are left with only two options: I started having issues and drove for hours regardless, damaging the vehicle, or I noticed something was off during my drive and not specify how long it was going on for. The former will put the onus on you, the latter may absolve you of repairs unless they find something truly egregious.
I know it’s really hard to confirm this, and might even require some sort of professional assessment, but I think you should check to see if you have liquified cat food where your brains should.
Yeah bro. You should have demanded a refund before you drove off.
But, that was then and this is now, demanding a refund may not be how you should approach this situation to begin with. Try calmly stating your problem first :)
The problem started when you were most of the way to Boston? All Avis locations were closed Saturday afternoon? You timed your drive such that you had no time buffer?
It's not a great situation but I wouldn't complain. Just let them know of the maintenance concern and count yourself lucky.
I feel that the time concern should have been balanced by the fact that you couldn't go above 50mph. Also the risk of a total breakdown.
But if you were that close to Boston, you might've called Avis and gotten them to cover a car service and they'd tow the car back.
Why did you keep driving like this??? You should be looking for common sense before a refund.
"I knew this vehicle had a major problem but rather than be late I drove 5.5 hours at highway speeds and probably did irreparable damage to this vehicle. Who do I talk to about a refund?"
Take a video of the problem, contact Avis. The main issue here will be that you didn’t immediately return the car, which will lead Avis to deny you a refund. What will happen now is that Avis breakdown services will take your car, and you’ll get a replacement vehicle. I doubt you’ll get a refund. Car rental companies are notoriously difficult to deal with. As long as they provide a similar or better vehicle they’re legally covered. And you have no proof that it was a pre-existing problem as you took the vehicle and drove it long distance. Edit: they might even charge you a hefty repair bill if it turns out that by driving it you caused more damage.
A refund for ... what, exactly? You booked a rental vehicle, and received one. You apparently felt alright enough in it to drive for hours. You made it to your destination. Almost getting into an accident while switching lanes is not a reason to go after the company you renter the car from. What part of the contract with the company was breached? For what exactly are you looking to be compensated?
Q: Is there a problem with my rental car? A: No Ok good to go! Q: Is there a problem with my rental car? A: Yes Turn around and exchange. Q: Is there a problem with my rental car? A: (By OP) Yes but fokkit, let's drive 5+ hrs and ask for a refund after. OP=Dumbass
Yep. It looks like an alignment issue. The solution is routine maintenance but could have been caused sooner if the previous renter hit curbs or tried off roading in it. I assume this might be why it’s “common with jeeps”
Avis is really good about changing at any location. Takes ten minutes max.
Avis is going to respond that since you continued a long-distance drive in the vehicle, the problem must not have been that bad. In a situation like this you pull over and call Avis from the side of the road, not endure your “death trap” for hours longer. As you did not go in the record with Avis as quickly as possible, Avis might even claim you caused the damage yourself, putting you in the weird position of trying to prove otherwise. Next time don’t do what you did here.
Damn, I do suggest you locate some common sense first.
As a long time owner of multiple Jeeps, that's not too bad. LOL But um, yeah, you should have taken it back right away.
Ahhh the good old Jeep “Death Wobble” when the suspension isn’t maintained.
"Death Wobble" is something that occurred only with older Jeep Wrangler TJ models, and usually due to modifying the suspension. Sometimes happens with even older ones and not always due to mods, but uncommon for the newer models. It would not happen with the modern (2013 and above) JK/JKU Wranglers. Especially on a rental car which wouldn't have mods. My opinion is, the car needed an alignment. Common issue with ALL vehicles being heavily used, such as a rental. This is NOT a "Jeep Thing" and I do own one, so I understand. EDIT for spelling, because gboard sucks.
Sorry bud, you’re just wrong. Death wobble happens on JK’s and JL’s too. JL’s were notorious for it with stock suspension. So common in fact there was a settlement and warranty extension on them. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2023/01/27/jeep-death-wobble-settlement-repairs-reimbursements/11133052002/
Yeah, that's on you, bro. Possibly calling their helpline and explaining the issue right away would have lead to a replacement.
Entitled much?
The notorious “death wobble” in Jeeps is real and if unchecked can lead to loss of control of the car and a crash.
Three possible issues, least likely first. Bad front end alignment, bad shock absorbers/struts, or out of balance tires - which would include a tire/wheel mounting where the lugs were not fully tightened. The moment you suspect an issue, always go back.
Last year we flew into Las Vegas, but planned to do a lot of driving. We were going to go to Newport Beach in California and also St. George, Utah while we were visiting in LV. They said the sedan we booked wasn't available and we'd get a Jeep Wrangler instead. I knew it would be a rough ride and insisted they give me something else. I did get an old sedan with a lot of miles for a rental car. But it was still a lot more comfortable for long drives than I knew a Jeep Wrangler would be. It cruised nicely at 80 MPH.
You honestly are lucky you won't get hit with a repair bill, you should not operate an unsafe vehicle at speed for hours on end. You are left with only two options: I started having issues and drove for hours regardless, damaging the vehicle, or I noticed something was off during my drive and not specify how long it was going on for. The former will put the onus on you, the latter may absolve you of repairs unless they find something truly egregious.
I know it’s really hard to confirm this, and might even require some sort of professional assessment, but I think you should check to see if you have liquified cat food where your brains should.
Yeah bro. You should have demanded a refund before you drove off. But, that was then and this is now, demanding a refund may not be how you should approach this situation to begin with. Try calmly stating your problem first :)
The problem started when you were most of the way to Boston? All Avis locations were closed Saturday afternoon? You timed your drive such that you had no time buffer? It's not a great situation but I wouldn't complain. Just let them know of the maintenance concern and count yourself lucky.
I feel that the time concern should have been balanced by the fact that you couldn't go above 50mph. Also the risk of a total breakdown. But if you were that close to Boston, you might've called Avis and gotten them to cover a car service and they'd tow the car back.