A few days ago I wrote about renting from Auto Europe, the wholesaler with low rates that rents cars from other companies' fleets.  One reader posted this enlightening feedback:

"I've been using Auto Europe for years. The problem is not with Auto Europe. If they give you an Avis car, all is well. If they give you a Europcar car, WATCH OUT!  On two occasions Europcar has sent me insurance forms, months later, claiming falsely that I had damaged a car. Always get a signature that the car is returned in good condition and the tank is full. And save that form for at least 6 months."

More evidence that part of the problem lies with Europcar: A coworker of mine, Conde Nast Traveler news editor Kevin Doyle, booked an Auto Europe rental in Ireland this summer.  Auto Europe gave him a car from Europcar. When Kevin returned the vehicle, the Europcar agent pointed out a teensy scratch on the rear bumper.  He asked Kevin to sign a form acknowledging the damage. Kevin refused to sign any such admission of guilt. He had heard too many stories about unfair and exorbitant rental-car repair bills in Europe.  Also, even though he had purchased the collision-damage waiver (CDW), he had not purchased the "excess waiver" (a daily fee that protects you from having to pay a deductible if the car gets damaged). This meant that, if he returned a damaged car, he would be liable for the CDW deductible, which was a whopping $1,645! (This little detail was in the fine print of his Auto Europe contract.)  Since he would have to pay the first $1,645 of damage, Kevin was worried that Europcar might assess an extortionate charge. So he took photos of the car and the scratch and instructed the supervisor in the Europcar office to fax him a repair bill.  Fortunately, the bill ended up being only $130.  Had it been outrageous, Kevin would have fought it.

The moral of the story: While U.S. rental car agencies rarely charge for minor scratches that could be considered normal wear and tear, Europcar certainly does, which is why renters should thoroughly examine--and photograph--the condition of their car before driving it off the lot.

Of all the items in the Wendy's InBox section of The Perrin Report, my column in Conde Nast Traveler, the one that has sparked the most reader feedback is the one about Auto Europe that ran in the February 2006 issue:

After this anecdote was published, several readers wrote to me that the same thing had happened to them. One, however, shared some good news:

"We just came back from a three-week driving trip through Central and Eastern Europe. I booked the rental car through a service that I've used twice now and would recommend to anyone renting in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland: gemut.com. Andy Bestor there promises the best price and the best service. I comparison-shopped among Web sites, and, sure enough, his price was the lowest. We even got a free upgrade. Bestor uses the big-name rental agencies, charges no cancellation or change fees, and will handle any unexpected post-trip charges."
— Linda Libertucci, Redondo Beach, California

Yesterday I received another interesting e-mail:

"I use Auto Europe 15 to 20 times per year. Since the refueling thing seems to be a regular issue, I always charge the gas and attach the gas receipt to my copy of the rental contract. If an erroneous gas charge shows up on my credit-card statement, I have easy access to the gas receipt that always has the date and time on it, proving that I refilled just before returning the car. To get the gas charge refunded, it also helps to have the rental agent to whom you return the car write "FULL" on the contract.

My biggest recent problem was a tiny 1/4-inch scratch on my rental-car hubcap. I thoroughly check every inch of a car when picking it up but, honestly, I had never checked the hubcaps. Now I do! That unscrupulous agency said I had to replace the whole tire for $700! Fortunately, I took photos of the scratch and contacted AmEx, which removed the $700 charge. So be sure to check your hubcaps when you pick up an Auto Europe car."
— Liz Duffy, St. Thomas

Anyone else have Auto Europe advice to share? Please click on "Comments" and post it here.

My GPS for Driving Abroad post yielded this comment:

"GPS for a foreign country is expensive. We own a Garmin Nuvi 350 and LOVE it. I checked garmin.com and the upgrade will cost $349 if we want to get one for use in Venice, Italy.  We decided we'll try to get by with the map the B&B gives us."

Better yet, use no map at all!  In my experience, the best way to explore Venice is to get lost.

In any case, does anyone out there know of a good, affordable GPS for use in foreign countries?  If so, please tell us by posting a comment here.

Condé Nast Traveler subscriber Loretta Moses emailed me this question:

"Several friends and I will be traveling in the south of France in October and will have a car that is not equipped with GPS. Was wondering if you could advise me how or where to obtain a GPS for use abroad. "

Garmin Quest, the Magellan RoadMate, and the TomTom GO 700 are all good portable GPS systems for cars and are widely available (from Amazon, Circuit City, et al).  For more information about driving with a GPS, see Condé Nast Traveler's TripTech: Road Show.


The Garmin Quest