truck question: flat tires, breakdowns, etc.

[Lorenzoid]

If a truck has a flat tire, is it generally the rental company's obligation to help you get going again? I say "get going again" rather than "change the tire" in order to leave the question wide open. Last trip to Bonaire, as we were returning from dinner, we had a flat. It was completely dark, in what to us seemed like an isolated part of town, and we had no light. We were dressed for dinner. The spare is located under the rear of the truck. We looked briefly for the jack and lugnut wrench and couldn't find them initially. After a call to the rental company led us to their location, we discovered a filthy, rusted jack and wrench--this is what happens to rentals exposed to salt air and unpaved roads. The rental truck's tires had looked pretty bald when we picked up the truck, but we didn't say anything because that seems to be par for the course on Bonaire. I recall thinking at the time we picked up the truck that if we ever got into trouble, the rental company would help us out. But maybe that is an incorrect assumption. They sent a service guy out to help us--eventually bringing us a replacement truck when the service guy had difficulty trying to change the tire--but then wanted to charge us for a "service call." Some email negotiation after we returned home resulted in them withdrawing the charge, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. There is another wrinkle to the story that further contributed to the bad taste left in my mouth, but I'll omit that bit for now, so as not to invite bias against the rental company.

Is it normal to charge for a service call on Bonaire? Is the expectation that a flat tire is to be dealt with by the renter? I realize that in the US, a flat that occurs due to a typical road hazard generally is to be dealt with by the renter. If that is also the case on Bonaire, is it the renter's obligation to inspect the truck to assure himself the truck is equipped with a working spare, non-rusted jack, wrench, etc., and to bring lights, a change of clothes, and whatever else might be needed to change a tire out in the wilds of Bonaire? Should the renter inspect the tires in the first place and refuse a truck that has tires that look excessively worn? I suspect the rental company is going to respond to an objection to the tires by saying they are within the normal range of wear to be rentable, and we can take it or leave it.

What about other types of breakdowns? If the vehicle becomes undrivable for some reason other than a flat tire, are we going to be expected to pay for a "service call"?

I would consider paying for some kind of roadside assistance insurance, but I don't recall a vehicle rental company ever offering that to me. In the US, I would either call AAA or change the tire myself, since most US rentals have spares and tools in good condition, and I'm not driving over dirt roads at night.

I used to do a little off-roading, and it's not like I don't know what it takes to change a truck tire out in the desert. It just didn't occur to me until this incident that I might be called upon to do something similar in Bonaire, coming back from dinner in my Tommy Bahamas.

 

[gbf]

I don't know - never happened, but I've often had the same "I wonders".

I sorta assumed that if I couldn't or wouldn't change it I'd be on the hook for a "service call".

The part I've really always wondered about is how it would be if it happened at, say, Nukove and I coiuldn't get the rusty lug nuts loose with a rusty crappy lug wrench - just how long it would take, and how much it would cost for that service call...

 

[Lorenzoid]

I don't know - never happened, but I've often had the same "I wonders".

I sorta assumed that if I couldn't or wouldn't change it I'd be on the hook for a "service call".

The part I've really always wondered about is how it would be if it happened at, say, Nukove and I coiuldn't get the rusty lug nuts loose with a rusty crappy lug wrench - just how long it would take, and how much it would cost for that service call...

Exactly. My group and I are in the early stages of organizing our next trip, and the question arose whether to use this same company, which has good rates but not the newest (or best maintained?) trucks, and if we do choose to use them, how best to protect/prepare ourselves. I searched through my old emails today to see if I could find how much that service charge was, but I could not find it. I think it might have been $50.

 

[morecowbells]

Many rental car/truck companies have fine print which nullifies any coverage if used in certain specified off road areas. However if you are well within the coverage area(which obviously you were), I feel it is wrong to charge you for a service fee. I cannot blame you for the soured impression this company left you with. It is obvious you were not negligent or reckless.

 

[redacted]

I have had 2 bad tires in Bonaire, both in the hotel parking lot and still drivable. One op tried to tell me it was my responsibility but they changed their tune when they realized I was a regular visitor and I was ready to give them their POS tuck back immediately. The rental agencies will do what they can get away with. Always use a good CC company.

 

[RJP]

I recall thinking at the time we picked up the truck that if we ever got into trouble, the rental company would help us out. But maybe that is an incorrect assumption.

Yeah... maybe.



In most places around the world if a man calls roadside service to come out and change a flat tire they should expect to be charged $50 for having someone come out to change the tire and another $50 for that guy promising to not tell anyone that you - as a man - actually called roadside service in order to have another man come out and change a flat tire for you.

:cool2:


But seriously, my experience renting cars on nearly any Caribbean island you can name is that getting a flat tire is only slightly further afield than having a dead bug plaster itself to your windshield in terms of expected incidents. (Montserrat roads make Bonaire - even in the park - look like the Autobahn.)

1.) It's probably going to happen
2.) It's not that big a deal
3.) You're not going to call anyone to help you
4.) Make sure you have what you need to fix the problem yourself

On most islands, the rental car contracts specifically state that you're responsible for taking care of flat tires. Not just paying for them... but actually taking care of them.

Whenever renting a car on vacation I always make sure to check that the spare isn't flat and that all the jack parts are present and functional. Takes 30 seconds.

If you get a flat you change it yourself, take flat tire to a gas station, pay them $3 to plug it and put it back on, and let the rental car company know about it when you return it.

I also suggest anyone renting a truck on Bonaire keep one of these in their "Save a Drive" kit:

Other than in the case of a blow-out you can fill the flat from a scuba tank and limp to a gas station.

PS - how many divers were in the truck and not one had a light with them? Tsk, tsk, tsk...



---------- Post added March 13th, 2015 at 01:43 AM ----------

The part I've really always wondered if it happened at, say, Nukove and I coiuldn't get the rusty lug nuts loose with a rusty crappy lug wrench - just how long it would take, and how much it would cost for that service call...

Considering you won't get a cell-phone signal to MAKE that call... it will take quite some time.

:shocked2:

Consider SDI "Solo Driver" or PADI "Self-reliant Driver."

 

[gbf]

Considering you won't get a cell-phone signal to MAKE that call... it will take quite some time.

:shocked2:

Consider SDI "Solo Driver" or PADI "Self-reliant Driver."

Since I don't do electronics on Bonaire, have never even touched a cell phone while there and only last trip took some video with a gopro, I guess I better take extra tanks and plan to be there a while.

I do have one of the little inflator attachments. I bought it immediately after our first trip as I was planning our second.

The problem is not one of ability or willingness to change a flat. I've done it lots of times, and taught my girls how to do it (I don't think either have ever changed one, they call dad/boyfriend). A couple of weeks ago I went out to get in my truck in the morning and discovered a flat. I got out my manly, non-standard 4-way lug wrench and set to work - and couldn't break the lug nuts loose, even with my manly replacement wrench instead of the supplied POS. I wound up using a tank and the little attachment above to fill the tire and run to the shop. It's a useful device even in the US.

This is what I anticipate if/when it happens on Bonaire - the POS lug wrench, one of those one-armed, 45 degree offset things that are only useful for breaking lug bolts off the rim, won't be enough to break the rusty lug nuts loose.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Whenever renting a car on vacation I always make sure to check that the spare isn't flat and that all the jack parts are present and functional. Takes 30 seconds.

I guess that's the real answer then. I haven't been to Montserrat or otherwise anywhere else where it's normal to drive a rusted filthy rental vehicle on rough-to-unpaved surfaces, in the dark, etc. We picked the truck up at the airport, and as I recall, it was a hurried transaction--we signed and saw our credit card swiped, got the keys, and were off. Because Bonaire trucks often come in a beat-up state with rust here and there, we didn't inspect it for dings, etc., the way we normally would if renting a nice car with low mileage from a major car rental agency in a city. Normally, I wouldn't think to check the spare, jack and wrench--on a typical nice, low-mileage rental car I assume these things are in working order. But I now realize that on Bonaire I need to ask the agent to show us the spare, jack and wrench--none of us were able to find (in the dark) the compartment in which the jack was stored, and we only found it after getting on the phone with the rental agent.

Would you suggest that if the spare looks too worn I should refuse the vehicle? As I said above, I think that objection would be met by a "take it or leave it--that's how truck tires are in Bonaire."

I also suggest anyone renting a truck on Bonaire keep one of these in their "Save a Drive" kit:

I do have one of those and take it to Bonaire. But that didn't help with the problems in this instance, returning from dinner with no tanks or regs in the truck. Even the service guy who came out to help us had difficulty with the jack, and ended up just having a replacement truck sent over for us.

PS - how many divers were in the truck and not one had a light with them? Tsk, tsk, tsk...

We were on our way back from dinner, not a night dive. So I need to bring a headlamp, maybe a rag, a wooden board to support the jack (hey, I've changed tires on unpaved roads before), etc., with me (even to dinner), in case of vehicle trouble?

The more I think about the practicalities, the more I think the bottom line is that we should expect to have to pay the service call fee at some point, and the best we can do to hold off the inevitable is inspect the vehicle at the time we pick it up.

 

[RJP]

I always bolt-snap a small back-up light to the key-chain for night driving any car, anywhere in the Caribbean. Even if you don't need it for auto repair work, helpful to have in general at night.

 

[wwguy]

All of the Bonaire car rental companies I'm familiar with (Telerin, Budget, Total, and Buddy Dive) are clear in the rental contract that fuel, flat tires, and damage to the vehicle are all the responsibility of the renter. You shouldn't accept a proffered rental vehicle without verifying tire condition, including spare, as well as present and operating tools to change a flat. Most rental companies that we've used will walk you through this process during check-in. They also want you to acknowledge presence of the jack and tools in case they go missing from your truck, as you are responsible for them too.

Potential service charges should be discussed in advance. Each company may operate a little differently. The best thing to do is to ask them about these things prior to signing a rental agreement. In my early years visiting Bonaire I would have a rental company fax or email a copy of contract and any other T&C for my review before I'd confirm a reservation.

Threatening to "to give them their POS tuck back immediately" after getting a flat is an interesting tactic, but probably isn't within the spirit of your responsibilities and/or the rental contract that you signed. My guess is that the rental operator acquiesced just to keep you happy.

Some rental operators, like Buddy Dive, are clear in the rental contract that you'll likely incur lower cost for flat repair if you take to a repair shop yourself rather than having them do it for you.

On a couple of occasions, when alternate vehicles weren't available, I've pointed out worn tires during check-in inspection and negotiated a gentleman's agreement that the rental company would pay for flat repair if it occurred. I also carry the inflator discussed previously, but have yet to actually use it. In 26 weeks of renting trucks on Bonaire I've only had one flat, and that was discovered and changed in the morning outside our villa.