car rental company in uruguay ?

[justindp]

does anybody know a good carrental company in uruguay ?? thanks !!

and anybody knows if punta diablo north of uruguay is reachable by car ?

 

[katti]

When you arrive in Colonia with Buquebus, all the 'main' car rental companies are there. Just go out of the terminal and go to the building to your right.

 

[TomAtAlki]

Renting ahead of time usually saves a lot of money. I used Europcar. I would also check Priceline.com and Travelocity.com.

Yes. You can drive to diablo.

 

[jimdepalermo]

I second Tom's suggestion. Last time I reserved online with Dollar (or maybe Thrifty?), and when I arrived at the office, they were quoting rates to walk-up clients twice what I was paying (and the rate I was paying was still expensive!)

Also be aware of the insurance "situation" there. I always decline insurance when renting cars, to let the credit card cover collision and LDW. All the agencies in Colonia tell you there is ZERO coverage for anything, including liability, unless you buy a package that also includes high-deductible collision coverage that, if ever used, would void your credit card coverage. I've tried to find out if this is true, without success. Argentine friends with homes in UY tell me the insurance requirements there are dangerously low, and that the sales spiel the rental agencies give you may be true, so I continue taking the coverage. If anyone has reliable info on this, please fill us in.

 

[wreReynolds]

Most countries are the same. As a rule, only Europe and the US honour credit insurance. If you do get into an accidenmt, you may find yourself in deep doo-doo. Some countries will not let you leave until the matter is settled.. My company always tells us to buy the local insurance for everything and read the fine print.

Good luck.

RR

 

[justindp]

thank u so much guys, really heplfull ! oks so if i get it right . in UY even if you take the package including high-deductible collision coverage.. u r still screwed if something happens ? kinda new in the car renting world so not sure if i get it ..

 

[TomAtAlki]

I think I checked with AmEx and they said I was okay on the CDW. You might want to check with your credit card co.

 

[jimdepalermo]

All credit card companies say the same thing - you're covered for collision and loss-damage waiver around the world. I've filed a few claims over the years, and they do eventually come through. It's a hassle, but enough letters and calls will eventually get you the benefit. (Note that most cards exempt rare or expensive autos by market, so no coverage for Cadillacs or BMWs in the US, although they usually cover small BMWs and Mercedes in Europe. In Argentina, they would probably cover a VW Gol but not a Passat.)

The problem is with liability insurance, which covers damage or injury you cause to others. To my knowledge, this is never included as a credit card benefit. In the US, Europe, and Argentina, it's required to license the car, so it's covered by the rental company's policy. It's the liability coverage that the UY rental agents claim is not provided in their rental fees.

(Note that even in the US, the rental company almost always provides no more coverage than the legal minimum, so a bad accident that the authorities determine to be your fault could still be costly to you. Many private car insurance policies include liability coverage when you rent, so car owners may have some additional liability coverage.)​

The catch-22 I mentioned in my earlier post is that the UY agents sell only insurance packages that include the supposedly - at least according to their agents - mandatory liability coverage as well as high-deductible collision and LTW coverage. By buying the collision-LTW, you decline your credit card's coverage, which typically includes no-deductible collision.

So, let's say you return the car with a dent acquired when the car was parked on a street, or for that matter, a dent that you didn't notice when you rented the car or didn't bother to document to the company. If the repair costs U$ 500, your credit card insurance would either pay the company directly or reimburse you in full when the company charges the repair to your credit card. But if you buy an insurance package from the rental company that includes a U$ 300 deductible for collision damage, you automatically decline your credit card's coverage, and you will have to pay that U$ 300 deductible out of pocket.

On the other hand, assuming the rental agents in UY aren't lying, if you decline the insurance package, you would have no liability coverage other than whatever your personal auto policy provides for rentals in UY. If you don't own a car or your personal auto policy doesn't cover rentals in UY, you would be personally liable for any and all damage or injury to other parties that the local authorities determine to be your fault, including potentially pain-and-suffering grants, long-term care, permanent disability, etc.

I emphasize "that the local authorities determine to be your fault" for reasons that I hope are obvious to readers of this forum.