Car rental experiences

Where are you arriving at Oberammagau from? How are you getting there?

Where are you going after Rothenburg odT? How will you get there?

How many of you are there?

About the reviews you are reading - where are you reading them? Do they speak of things that would bother you? How current are they?

Have you ever seen anybody post a good review of a car rental location? Even where you are from?

People write reviews when they want to complain. Not so often when they want to praise.

I've rented a car many times at Frankfort (FRA) with no problems, but my one experience in Munich was, as you say, "horrendous". Hertz at Munch airport claimed after I had left the county that they found a scratch on the car for which they billed me $1,500 thru Amex. My Amex credit card provided rental card insurance, so I sent the $1,500 Hertz bill to Amex. Amex did something and it went away with no money paid.

Lots of credit cards provide rental car insurance. Make sure that's what you use. Needless to say, my first choice is Amex.

We rented our car in Frankfurt at the airport and returned it at the Munich airport. We were charged a huge fee for not filling the gas tank before returning the car even though we filled the tank a block from the airport. We contacted the rental car company when we saw our bill and were credited the charge when we sent a copy of the receipt. Make sure to save your last gas receipt or make sure you stay and get a receipt from the rental company when you drop it off. Oh, and make sure if you have GPS in the car that it is set for English. We started off and found that ours was set to German speaking but they were able to change it before we left the airport! Otherwise, we had no problems driving in Germany and we were glad we rented a car over taking the trains. we got around very easily and the Germans were excellent drivers. Have a wonderful time.

I've rented from Hertz at Frankfurt airport, Munich airport, Lindau, and a satellite office near the freeway in Berlin. I've had no trouble with any of my rentals.

Germany is very easy for driving. If you've driven in Italy, Germany will be no problem.

I have rented many cars in Germany, usually at Frankfurt, and have noticed a few significant differences as compared to the typical experience in the USA. I attribute these differences to both social and business culture in Germany. I also know from experience that most U.S. based car rental firms are represented by franchises in Germany.

First, car rental outlets in Germany expect your car to come back clean inside and out. The dirtier the car is, the closer they look for damage. Just about every service station around the major airports has a car wash - run the car through after filling up before turning it is.

If you are getting travel insurance for your trip, add a rental car insurance rider - its much cheaper than daily insurance from the rental agency.

Make sure your car has all the mandatory safety equipment (triangles, safety vest, etc.) before leaving the renal agency. If it gets stolen during your trip, fill out a police report and be prepared to issue a claim with your travel insurance or credit card.

The turn in attendant will annotate even the smallest door ding/glass chip. I would look over the car REALLY well upon pick-up and take pictures and notify the agent of any blemishes.

If, during your trip, you notice any damage, immediately fill out a police report.

That all being said, common sense goes a long way. In over a dozen rentals in Germany, I've never regretted getting a car. Do your due diligence and research driving laws and etiquette in Germany and don't forget your IDP.

We have always rented from Sixt and have have a great experience with them.

If I had to rent a car it would be through a reputable consolidator where hopefully I might have somebody on my side when the rental agency comes after you.

I would recommend autoeurope.com from personal experience.

On the whole I avoid rental vehicles like the plague.

For driving in Germany especially, I'd recommend contacting Gemut.com as they will be able to provide good information on your best options - https://gemut.com/

They have a downloadable PDF car rental guide on their website.

If you'll be driving outside of Germany (ie: Austria, Switzerland), there are some special concerns to be aware of.

I notice horrendous reviews of virtually every car rental location I
have looked at in Bavaria

This is what the German digital industry calls "idiots' online revenge" - nobody cares for these ratings, especially not on Google or on Fb. Very often people who have no clue how to use car rental are disappointed and give such a rating. The number of reviews is often ridiculous compared to the number of successful rentals with happy customers who do not take time for reviews.

German Handelsblatt offered and article (Jan 2017) with results of a representative survey about car rental providers in Germany. The table is readable without translation tools.

If you were able to drive in Italy and UK then driving in Germany is no issue. Few main things to care for by US drivers:

• No turn on red.
• Keep most right lane on Autobahn
• No trespassing on right side on Autobahn
• Have a legal driving permission avalibale
• Make your self familiar with German traffic signs.