We did rent a car with Budget Car in Carvoeiro (end sept 2005). After 1 week all the 4 wheels have been stolen overnight from the car. The car was parked right in front of our villa at quinta do paraiso. We had to pay 750 Euro because Budget said the insurance does not cover this!!!

Does any of you have (heard of) any similar experience with Budget or any other rental company?

Perhaps your insurance wouldn't cover punctures; but theft should be covered.

In all my years of car hire I've had no problems with any of the companies I've used - even when I have had to make a claim.

Have you checked over the small print?

Michael

Car insurance for rental cars:

The car rental companies usually include collision damage waiver and theft coverage along with the cumpolsory third party insurance. These insurances have an excess (varies from group to group) the client has to pay in case of damage/theft. This excess can be removed by paying an extra €xx per day, this upgrades your insurance to Super CDW and leaves you with not a worry in the world.

If you do not upgrade to Super CDW, you will be liable for any damage caused to the vehicle up to the amount of your excess, this includes theft.

So if all four wheels were gone, then you are liable for the parts and the cost incurred in making the vehicle mobile again - all this probably exceeded your €750 excess, so the excess was fully retained.

The insurance conditions are not dreamed up by the car hire companies, these are conditions imposed by the insurance companies. I assure you the same would have happened with the company we work with (which is not Budget).

Thats what happened indeed. We did not go for the Super CDW (excess). and therefore I had to pay the 750 euro. The only thing is that we think it is all too occasional that this exactly happens to someone that did not pay for a super CDW and were the rental company knows the location were the car is parked overnight. Moreover the thiefs did a very neat job carefully taking care of not to harm the car any further. It was parked at a slope. The thiefs used bricks under the brake disks (not under the car itself) to avoud further scratches etc. To avoid the car sliding off the brick they used aditional small stones to lock the disks.

I have made some interessting photo's which I will post later today

By the tone of your last post you obviously think someone at Budget arranged to have the wheels removed from your car effectively losing you the 700 plus euros....purlease!

I don't agree, Sharen. How do you come to that conclusion?

Try www.insurance4carhire.com for around £50 you can cover the excess insurance on any hire car in Europe for more than one driver and it lasts 12 months. One weeks hire almost covers the cost if you take out the optional 7 Euro a day excess cover.

Bit late for that now, unless you can claim retrospectively

Mirella & Kees wrote: it is all too occasional that this exactly happens to someone that did not pay for a super CDW and were the rental company knows the location were the car is parked overnight.

Michael the above comment is where I got the impression.

OK

Peter UK - thanks for the web site address. Have always paid the excess waiver premium since it started being available. On four or five visits a year this can get expensive. Avis charged 12 euros a day back in July on a group 3. Do they just dream up these premiums?

As promissed here are the pictures:



and



and



Enjoy!