Photo: Screenshot from Facebook video by Super Speeders
Rental cars live a tough life, and this mostly happens because people tend to take less care of things that do not belong to them. Despite contracts, rules, and all other measures meant to prevent anything wrong from happening, vehicles that get rented tend to have a rough existence. Rob Ferretti, known on the internet as Super Speeders, shares how he catches renters who did donuts in the vehicles that he offered as rentals.
Rob had lent out a C8 Corvette to someone who was a new customer, and he had a feeling that things would not be right from the first moments. As he explains, the person on the other end of the line requested a discount from the start, which Rob sees as a potential red flag, but he did offer a discount eventually.
Moving on, Rob explains why he decided to monitor that particular vehicle during its day out, as well as the discussion he had with the renter once the vehicle was returned. Without even having to look at the tires, Rob told the renter that he might not even charge him for the donuts he did earlier.
Now, when this kind of conversation is open, it may mean several things. In today's world, the vehicle might have a GPS on it, with a tracking system that is connected to the rental company. Many vehicles leave the factory with such options, so it is only normal for rental vehicles to have things like these. Moreover, insurance companies may offer lower rates for companies who have GPS trackers on their vehicles.
The other possible meaning of the discussion that goes on the "I know what you did earlier" is that the rental agent or someone they know has seen the rented vehicle doing things it was not supposed to be doing.
There is also a third option, where the vehicle was filmed by someone who has no link to the rental company, but once it was posted on social media, someone from the company saw it and then acted accordingly.
In this case, the vehicle had a GPS tracker that monitored rapid acceleration and harsh braking, and doing both repeatedly might attract the attention of anyone monitoring a GPS or even a vehicle's telemetry.
There is also an old-school way of checking this, which involves looking at the tires, as well as checking the insides of the wheel well for rubber debris.
As a rule of thumb, before renting a vehicle, read the contract carefully. Burnouts, donuts, drifting, and taking a vehicle to a track day or entering it in a race, are forbidden in most, if not all rental contracts. Race car rental contracts work differently, but that is a different matter.
Depending on the company that rents the vehicle, doing so may lead to a financial penalty, a ban on renting placed on your name, or both.
If the vehicle sustains visible wear or damage, the renter will have to pay for that, which may be deducted from the deposit, or the latter might be just the start of what will have to be paid. It is like speeding fines – the best way to avoid them is to stick to the speed limit.
Moving on, Rob explains why he decided to monitor that particular vehicle during its day out, as well as the discussion he had with the renter once the vehicle was returned. Without even having to look at the tires, Rob told the renter that he might not even charge him for the donuts he did earlier.
Now, when this kind of conversation is open, it may mean several things. In today's world, the vehicle might have a GPS on it, with a tracking system that is connected to the rental company. Many vehicles leave the factory with such options, so it is only normal for rental vehicles to have things like these. Moreover, insurance companies may offer lower rates for companies who have GPS trackers on their vehicles.
The other possible meaning of the discussion that goes on the "I know what you did earlier" is that the rental agent or someone they know has seen the rented vehicle doing things it was not supposed to be doing.
There is also a third option, where the vehicle was filmed by someone who has no link to the rental company, but once it was posted on social media, someone from the company saw it and then acted accordingly.
In this case, the vehicle had a GPS tracker that monitored rapid acceleration and harsh braking, and doing both repeatedly might attract the attention of anyone monitoring a GPS or even a vehicle's telemetry.
There is also an old-school way of checking this, which involves looking at the tires, as well as checking the insides of the wheel well for rubber debris.
As a rule of thumb, before renting a vehicle, read the contract carefully. Burnouts, donuts, drifting, and taking a vehicle to a track day or entering it in a race, are forbidden in most, if not all rental contracts. Race car rental contracts work differently, but that is a different matter.
Depending on the company that rents the vehicle, doing so may lead to a financial penalty, a ban on renting placed on your name, or both.
If the vehicle sustains visible wear or damage, the renter will have to pay for that, which may be deducted from the deposit, or the latter might be just the start of what will have to be paid. It is like speeding fines – the best way to avoid them is to stick to the speed limit.
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