Does Your Rental Car Have a Spare?
Each Friday, we’re featuring a reader-submitted tip as our Travel Tip of the Day. This week’s tip comes from Frank and Sue of Brisbane, Australia, who say:
“When hiring a car, make sure you check it has a spare. Got a flat tire the other day, and was stunned, no spare. I had to leave my wife in the car, while I walked to a phone or somewhere I could ring the car company.”
A spare tire in a rental: Something you wouldn’t think about until you need it, as Frank and Sue learned the hard way. Thanks for sharing the lesson, guys!
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Wow! What a great tip! We were in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago and had a flat in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, there WAS a spare and a Good Samaritan helped us with the tire, but there was absolutely no cell signal where we were or for the next 30 kilometers or so. What was a minor glitch in our day could have turned into a major problem if we had not had the spare!
Some cars to save weight do not even have a spare these days! I was totally confused with a missing spare and then found it is not included with the car, they have a sealer and inflator kit, which may not work for some kinds of tire damage.
A few years ago I took the opportunity of looking in the trunk for a spare while the person at the $ car rental desk was checking my license and credit card. Almost as soon as I stuck my head in the trunk, the “manager” came running over and wanted to know what I was looking for. After a short discussion, they told me my license and credit card were OK. I told them that I would have to have the key to check the gas level, after that I told them I guess the car was OK. FGC