The first 10 or 15 seconds of your car rental

The first 10 or 15 seconds of your car rental If most auto accidents occur within one mile of the departure or destination site, then most car rental auto accidents must occur within a few hundred feet of the car rental parking lot.
We've all done it -- hopped into the rental vehicle, started it up, headed out into the streets, then, in the midst of airport traffic with busses bearing down on you, taxis nearly swiping you, and trying to read utterly illogical signage, you start groping for knobs, posts, and buttons for directional signals, headlights, windshield wipers, window controls, defroster/heat/AC controls, the radio seek button.
As you get your bearings, you find yourself making every error of every bad driver you've ever hated. To help you find your way into the big bad world in your next gutless rental car, we present our guide to The First 10 (and 15) Seconds of Your Car Rental.
00:00:01Check for scratches, dings, tears. If the car rental agent is circling your car with a pad making notes of scratches and blemishes, make sure you do the same. I've rarely failed to find a scratch or two that the agent missed, and if they're going to hold you to this process, you should do the same in return.
00:01:01Start the car. Although it wastes gas and pollutes, you might find that allowing the car to warm up is a good call. It also affords you the opportunity to make sure the car is running fairly well, with no strange noises. Everyone takes a good look for scratches and dings so they won't be charged upon return, but rarely check how the car is running.
00:01:15Find and turn on heat/AC. This will allow the interior heat up or cool down depending on the season while you get your bearings. A dark blue Neon is going to be blistering hot in the summer; turn on the AC and let the car cool down while you continue your orientation program.
This way, when you're consulting your map, fixing your mirrors, adjusting the radio, fishing for window controls, hitting the wrong directionals, trying to find the windshield wiper lever, driving at night without lights, driving with your high beams on, opening the trunk instead of the fuel latch when buying gas, and driving with the emergency brake on, at least you’ll be comfortable.
00:01:45Consult your map. Car rental lots are often inconveniently located in the outer reaches of the airport loop road organism; if you take a wrong turn out of the lot, you may find yourself back at the baggage claim before you know it. Most car rental agencies will give you a map of the area that pinpoints the location of the rental lot. Before you do anything else, take out and consult this map, and formulate your intended route out of the car rental void and into the world. Do this yourself - as the driver, you need to know the lay of the land. Next, hand the map to a copilot if you have one, who can conceive any enhancements to the plan.
This way, when you're fixing your mirrors, adjusting the radio, fishing for window controls, hitting the wrong directionals, trying to find the windshield wiper lever, driving at night without lights, driving with your high beams on, opening the trunk instead of the fuel latch when buying gas, and driving with the emergency brake on, at least you'll know where you're going.
00:04:15Fix your mirrors. A quick adjust to the rear view won't do it; you gotta deal with the side mirrors. If you’re traveling with someone, they can help. This will save you some heartbeats when you first have to merge into heavy traffic.
This way, when adjusting the radio, fishing for window controls, hitting the wrong directionals, trying to find the windshield wiper lever, driving at night without lights, driving with your high beams on, opening the trunk instead of the fuel latch when buying gas, and driving with the emergency brake on, at least you'll be able to see. 00:05:15Figure out the radio. Despite the nonessential nature of the radio, this may be the most important step. In fact, advocates of cell phone usage note that more accidents are caused by drivers tinkering with radio dials than when using cell phones. (In my case, the only accident I've ever caused occurred when I rear-ended a police car while rooting around for a cassette tape.)
For the quickest approach, turn on the radio, figure out how to program stations into memory, find the seek button, and move on.
I encourage you to take your time with this -- although the corporatization and franchising of radio has rendered the public airwaves almost vanilla and samey from coast to coast, some vestige of regional character remains at both ends of the dial and on both bands. And while Howard Stern can still be found in the FM power strip in every city, so can some local oddball with a huge record collection.
And we all know you gotta get your groove on in a new city.
This way, when you're fishing for window controls, hitting the wrong directionals, trying to find the windshield wiper lever, driving at night without lights, driving with your high beams on, opening the trunk instead of the fuel latch when buying gas, and driving with the emergency brake on, at least you'll be jamming.
00:07:15Window controls. When you arrive at the first tollbooth and you're fishing around for the controls, and doors are clicking open, windshield wipers going on and off, rear windows going up and down, you'll thank me for saving you the embarrassment.
This way, when you're hitting the wrong directionals, trying to find the windshield wiper lever, driving at night without lights, driving with your high beams on, opening the trunk instead of the fuel latch when buying gas, and driving with the emergency brake on, at least you'll have some fresh air.
00:07:30Directionals. This one is usually pretty straightforward, and will be exactly where you expect it to be. With all the ergonomic "improvements" to auto interior spaces that have forced me to write this article, the location of the directionals has changed very little since I was learning to drive.
This way, when you're trying to find the windshield wiper lever, driving at night without lights, driving with your high beams on, opening the trunk instead of the fuel latch when buying gas, and driving with the emergency brake on, at least you'll be able to change lanes without getting smacked.
00:07:45Windshield wipers. Do this before you figure out the lights - as the sun sets, you'll have plenty of time to figure out how to turn the lights on and off. If it starts raining suddenly, you'll be opening and closing windows (unless you followed directions above for window controls), turning lights on and off, hitting the blinkers, opening the fuel latch.
This way, when you're driving at night without lights, driving with your high beams on, opening the trunk instead of the fuel latch when buying gas, and driving with the emergency brake on, at least you'll be able to see through the windshield.
00:08:00Lights. This is a two-step task. 1) Find the on-off switch. Then, when an approaching police car starts flashing their lights at you to turn on your own lights, you can do so before they're past you, and they won't turn around and pull you over.
2) Figure out the high beams. This one so that, when you turn on your lights and the high beams are on, you can turn them down. Also to give a "thanks!" or "go ahead, I'm lost" flash to the guy who cut you a break when you were trying to figure out how to drive this high-tech Neon.
This way, when you're opening the trunk instead of the fuel latch when buying gas, and driving with the emergency brake on, at least you'll be able to see a car length in front of you.
00:08:30Fuel latch. Save yourself embarrassment at your first fill up at the pump by figuring out where the fuel cover latch is right now.
This way, when you're driving with the emergency brake on, at least you won't be driving with your trunk open.
00:08:45Emergency Brake. Is it on? You don't want the car rental employees to pick up the smell of burning brakes even before you leave the lot. Find it and release it.
This way, you might actually appear to know what you're doing.
00:09:00Put the car in gear and head for the exits.
00:10:00Head out the driveway, and into the world.
00:10:15Say, "Darn it, which way do we go again? Where's that map?!?! How do you put this window down? Could you fix that mirror?" Repeat.

Car rental tips , to rent car in Thailand and pattaya

Car rental tips , to rent car in Thailand and pattaya

Here is a good tip ,to rent car in pattaya with many car rental service
Car Rental Tips Before You Rent How long will you be renting? If it's for less than a week, you'll probably do best with a major rental company, such as Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National or Thrifty. For rentals of a week or longer, you may get better rates from local companies, particularly auto dealers. Remember, however, to be wary of local companies if you plan to drive a lot; if you break down or get into an accident, they usually lack the support services of the majors.
Internet ResourcesAlways shop around, even on the Web. Major companies often offer Web-only discounts -- take advantage of them whenever possible. Check the individual car rental Web sites. If you're booking online, read the restrictions carefully. If you're booking on the phone, make sure to ask the agent about restrictions. Always be sure to check out our selection of bargains before making any reservations.
Renting TipsAsk about discounts for major national organizations, frequent-flier programs and credit card programs you may belong to. They'll frequently offer deals on car rentals. Those offered through AAA can be very good. If you're employed by a company that frequently rents cars, they may have a negotiated rate. Make sure to check.
Be sure you understand the conditions of your reservation. Is there a penalty for no-shows? How long will the car be held if you're stuck in traffic on the way to the pickup station? Is there a fee for additional drivers and must their names be listed in the contract? Is your 20-year-old daughter old enough to drive the car? (For liability reasons, this is important.)
If pertinent, ask about any restrictions on interstate travel. For your own protection in case of breakdown, be sure the company has offices in all the states on your itinerary.
For one-way rentals, ask about drop-off charges. They can be exorbitant.
Always get a confirmation number. For airport rentals, be sure to give the customer service representative your flight number and scheduled arrival time. This will usually protect your reservation if the flight is delayed.
The Basic RateThe rate you see advertised in big print may become so inflated with state and local taxes, airport surcharges, additional driver fees, insurance and gasoline bills and drop-off charges that you end up paying more than double what you expected. Also, the advertised rate may be valid only in off-season Florida or California, when many cars are idle there, but not where you want to rent. Finally, it may be only for a car size that you would find unsuitable.
Travelocity is taking away some of the mystery surrounding car rental rates: they're the first on the Internet to offer "total pricing" for cars. Your total rental cost (including all taxes, surcharges, and fees) will be calculated prior to making the reservation, guaranteed to be within one percent of the actual rate. We recommend utilizing this service when booking any car rental so that you're not shocked by all the additional fees.
Like the airlines, the major auto rental companies have adopted "yield management." That means that their computers can quickly readjust prices according to changes in the supply of cars available. This means the rental rate you are quoted is valid only at that moment. Unless you reserve immediately, the rate is likely to change.
At Pickup TimeIf your first drive will be from an airport to a hotel for the night, why not take a shuttle van to the hotel instead? Doing this may save you the price of day's rental. In major cities, you could also probably pick up the car downtown. Even if you must drive the same day your flight lands, you don't have to necessarily get the car at the airport. By picking it up downtown, you can often avoid hefty airport surcharges.
If you have personal auto insurance or charge the rental to a major credit card, you will probably be covered at least for collision damage. If in doubt, ask your insurance agent or whoever issued your card.
Be wary of prepaid gasoline plans. Always fill the tank before returning the vehicle, as rental car companies can charge up to several dollars a gallon to refuel.
Before you drive away from the pickup station, inspect the car carefully for body damage. Be sure the lights and turn signals are working properly. Check the mileage odometer. Report any defects to rental personnel at once.
Upon ReturnBe wary of returning the car early. It could be expensive because your rate structure may change. Also be sure the check-in attendant inspects the car's body in your presence and that you agree about any damage. Examine your rental agreement carefully for all charges and make sure they credit any deposit to your account while you wait.