New Way Rental Companies Measure Amount of Fuel In The Tank

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Interesting article about how rental car companies can measure down to the
10th of a gallon weather or not you have refueled the car to the same amount of gas that was in the car when you picked it up. And if you haven't they will consider it not full and will bill you a hefty fee.


http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-12/lifestyle/42004936_1_fuel-charge-fuel-use-much-fuel

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Interesting I did check it out,.
but if you want a repeat customer, don't dispute vapors! I fill in DTD or nearby, the tank is topped still at MCO. (Bearing the car size, we had also had a Chrysler 200 mid-size) I had a receipt from a Chevron on International Dr by Sea World and Thrifty never asked, they just looked at the gage.

They were in the car vacuuming cleaning up for turnover faster then checking for levels or asking for a receipt. My paid receipt from them was in my hands as fast as I got our luggage out. I had Gatoraid left unopened asking if I should throw it away or would the like it, gal said leave it in the car.

 

[Lewisc]

People who don't pre-pay for gas are told to bring the car back with a full tank of gas. The tank won't be full if you gas up by DTD but don't top off near the airport. The tank won't be full if you stop pumping as soon as the needle hits F.

Filling up at DTD, and not topping off near MCO, is sort of OK if every renter does that and the agency doesn't top off. Otherwise the poster who do that are either "stealing" gas from the next customer or from the rental agency.

Don't dispute fumes. I agree. BUT you cant drive from WDW to MCO on fumes. Depending on the car, and how many miles you drove around WDW after you gassed up you could have used a gallon.

The system is a lot fairer.

 

[goofy4tink]

We fill up at the Hess station by BW. I keep my receipt..hasn't been an issue so far. I wouldn't mind filling up closer to the airport but they just gouge the heck out of you. And I really don't want to take the time to stop and top off close to the airport either.

 

[jeff968]

Now, I wonder if when you actually brought the car back it had a tenth (or tenths) more gas then when you picked it up would they give you a credit????

 

[ParrotBill]

To be fair, the distance from the Hess stations in WDW to the airport is 22 miles, which is a full gallon of gas short on return. The cost to a rental company must include a few minutes of labor so adding a dollar or two to the cost per gallon is justified.

Even Landstar Blvd. is 13 miles from the on-airport return. You'd have to go to the road that exits the airport to the north to find a close station. Inconvenient, yes. Worth $6? maybe.

 

[goofy4tink]

So how can we be sure the car has a 100% full tank when we get it?? Looks to be full, but it could be off a gallon.

 

[j's m]

Two years ago, we returned a car to Alamo that we had filled up not far from the airport. The guy checking us in was in a hurry, quickly printed out a receipt that I didn't look at, and charged us $ 39.22 for gas.

I noticed when we were on the plane. My DH called corporate and faxed them our gas receipt, and we got an immediate credit.

Now we take Magical Express.

 

[seashoreCM]

About this new system that supposedly can measure the gas remaining in the tank to the nearest tenth of a gallon -- Can I get a reading at any time during my rental, wherever the car may happen to be geographically (although most importantly at the gas station I am topping off at just prior to return), without paying any system access fees?

So that I can figure out how much gas to refill the car with.

If not then the system is unfair and should not be used or enforced.

For the current system the answer is yes. This old system consists of the gas gauge.

I have never done it but I have been tempted to top off a rental car as soon as I picked it up. (Last time I rented for Disney the gas station was about half a mile away.) Yes I would have to go back to the rental agency if I discovered shortweighting.