Hi folks,
I was just wondering what people have gotten for a rental car from an insurance company while your car was being fixed. Is it reasonable or acceptable practice to ask for another luxury car while the car is being repaired? They use Hertz at the body shop I'm going to and they rent Cadillacs there. I definitely don't want a sub-compact but I was wondering what the standard practice was.

I was rear ended very slightly at a red light, it made a mark in my bumper of my 2010 HS. Basically the driver behind me let go of their brakes, so it left marks from the screws of their license plate. They have Progressive and I decided to just go through the body shop that Progressive recommended because the couple of reviews on Yelp were decent and I don't know any body shops myself. The car is leased and I am returning it at the end of the lease.

So is it reasonable to demand a the Caddy or is a midsize sedan what I should be getting. I know it's all about how much you complain but I just wanted to know what other Lexus owners experienced.

Thanks

 

I think it's a fair thing to *ask* for, but you likely won't get a Caddy.

If you have a contact at their insurance company, politely explain your situation. Their insured damaged your car, and while you appreciate having a rental, a Dodge Neon doesn't cut it. They may upgrade you. You also may be able to sweet talk the Hertz shop into giving you something better. The car rental companies have deals with insurance companies, so what costs a customer $30/day, costs the insurance company much less. If they have a bunch of cars sitting around the lot, they may upgrade you, and it really won't cost them anything. When my IS250 was being repaired, the Enterprise had a Corolla, or they would give me a Ford F-150 king cab--no extra charge (I wimped out and took the Corolla).

 

I don't think it's a 'fair' thing to ask for as there is no question mark as to what's allowed. Insurance policies set certain limits for rentals to be used during a crash regardless of who they hit. They don't and should care what type of car you get in, unless it's a handicapped or other special needs vehicle (limo, etc).

You are not their customer so their intent isn't about satisying your needs or spending more on your than they should. They want to satisfy the claim for the least amount possible and move on. If you want to be fully taken care of, next time go through your insurance company and you'll know you're getting full service as they'll spend on you what they can recoup from the other drivers insurance later.

As Tex said below, you can always negotiate something with the rental company either with a free upgrade or you paying out of pocket for the additional charges to bring the car up to your standards.