Ice scrapers in rental cars

[PlutoPony]

What has been everyone's experience this winter finding ice scrapers in rental cars? Obviously talking about those who have rented in the midwest not Orlando . Will I have any trouble getting a flimsy plastic one thru security in a carryon? TSA website addresses ice picks and ice axes but not scrapers.....!

 

[safetymom]

Everytime I rent in a city that would require an ice scrapper there is one in the car. You can also use a old credit card in a pinch as an ice scrapper.

 

[PlutoPony]

Thanks Safetymom - I was hoping you'd post your experience. It's been a couple of years since I've rented in the winter so wasn't sure... I have several cards that would work in a pinch but the midwest has had more ice this winter than usual, so wanted to be prepared with something else just in case.

Happy Holidays!

 

[safetymom]

You are welcome. You are better prepared than I am thinking ahead. If there wasn't one in the car I would go back into the building and ask for one when you get there.

 

[Fire14]

I live in the lovely snow covered land called midwest. anytime I've rented a car locally d/t accidents I've had an ice scrapper in car. I will say at least around Columbus there has been mostly snow not ice.

 

[szymon]

Hertz and Avis include them in their cars. Don't count on one from Enterprise.

Szymon

 

[bavaria]

Not even Hertz does everywhere. We had rentals in Northern Canada last year with no ice scrapers and lots of ice and snow. In two cars there was also no windshield fluid/anti freeze left on pickup of the vehicles...

We now know to check in any cold city before leaving the lot!

 

[tjmw2727]

I just rented from Enterprise this weekend at logan (Boston) and there was a very nice ice scraper in the car. Unfortunately I actually had to use it

TJ

 

[PlutoPony]

Hmmm sounds like I might get one - or I might not. If nothing else I'll ask when I check out (EA in Columbus). Thanks for the reminder on windshield fluid and anti-freeze, have had problems with that in the past but had conveniently forgotten that nightmare trip!

Thanks for your help!

 

[MinMouse]

We rented a car in Detroit that had no windshield washer fluid and the weather was terrible. We of course realized it quickly and stopped at a truck stop. It was my kids first experience with a rest stop with showers . . . . they were amazed! But that place was scary!

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

It's funny that you mentioned Orlando in your post PlutoPony. One year I needed an ice scraper for the rental car at WDW and of course there aren't any in the cars down there and I didn't have any old credit cards with me so I had to use my drivers license which worked just fine for the light coating of frost that was on the windshield for a couple of mornings. But now I carry old hotel key cards with me. I even keep them in my car for the light frosts that we get here in the fall and spring. They work very well for those days. Of course up here the days of "light frost" are over but the used hotel key cards fit in my wallet and they don't take up much space in the car so they just stay and there and I have them whenever I need them. They have come in handy when I have had to fly to Texas as well and have hit some bad weather - there are no ice scrapers in the cars I have rented down there either.