Flat Tire in Italy

It wouldn't be real life without a little drama. So, let me tell you about my rental car experience. I admit, I have been nervous about a rental car in Italy. When I came to Italy a few years ago with UltraGirl, our rental experience wasn't great. Lost transmission on the Autostrade and had to get towed to a gas station. Then had to call a cab to get back to the Airport. So...

Anyway, the government Commercial Travel Office couldn't book my rental for me so I was authorized a rental upon arrival. I was picked up at the airport and had a few days of transportation to and from the hospital area of base. My rental was picked up on base a few days later at Europcar in the Exchange. Easy peasy. My first rental was an Volkswagon Up (mini-economy). I really don't know how to drive standard transmission, and this was the smallest they have. And, wow!!! It was a piece of crap. Seriously. It tried to stall out when stepping on the gas, and here you can't delay pulling into traffic. It rattled. But, it got me from point A to point B. That was well and fine for 2 weeks.

Then I got a call that I needed to turn in the car. It had so many miles on it that they were sending it to the lot for sale. And, oh, by the way ... Europcar isn't doing mini-economy automatic transmissions anymore, so my replacement was a compact.

My replacement turned out to be an Audi A1 Turbo Diesel Injection. Brand new. Hardly any kilometers on it. I was first renter.

 And it was a fun little car ... for 4 days. On Saturday, a tire guage sensor came on while I was driving home from the hospital. Straight to the Europcar dealer. Was told ... it's probably just the sensor. Go to the Agip (gas station) and have it checked. So, as I go out to the car, it's clearly flat. Not all the way, but enough to notice. Again, the Europcar representative told me, it's probably nothing. Go to Agip for a tire fill. Umm? How do they know it's nothing? Well, there isn't anything they can do about it this weekend anyway. So ... with the help from a friend I ran into in the parking lot, I learned about fix-a-flat. Used the whole can. Went to the Auto Hobby shop and filled up the rest of the way. Drove around the base a few times and then to Agip to have it checked. Was reassured that tire pressure was normal. No, I didn't check ... I asked for help so I could be sure.

Now, Sunday morning. I give a sideways glance to the tire. Maybe it's a little low? By the time I went 8km to the hospital, it was dead flat. Nothing. Car was lilting.

Did my work. Called the emergency line. Was told that a truck was on it's way and they would fix my tire. Then was called and told my car would be towed and I could catch a cab to the airport for a replacement. The truck finally arrived and he asked if I had a spare. We opened the trunk and there was a pair of tennis shoes where a spare would have been. Is that a hint? If you need a spare, you should maybe walk instead?

Anyway, the driver told me where he was towing the vehicle and told me it would be ready for me to pick up tomorrow.

Tomorrow? What to do in the meantime? Well, I was on call, so needed to be available at the hospital, so I stayed. If I had not been near the hospital, I think I would have been left on the side of the road to figure things out on my own. Glad I was where I was.

Monday morning, with help, we called the repair shop. No car. They said I was supposed to go to the airport to pick up a new car. Then I called the tow company. They said my car would be taken to the repair shop later in the day. When? Alora (later). I called the repair shop again. Still no luck. By 10 AM, my dealer opened and I called. They first said I was supposed to have gone to the airport to get a car. But, then why was I told to wait until today to get this one back repaired? Sigh. Frustration began to set in. Eventually, it was sorted out. The airport sent another car ... same model, more miles, different color ... to my dealer. I was able to pick it up later in the day.

I had driven a total of 75km on the rental. I was charged premium price for 11 litres (1/8 of a tank they said) since I "returned" the vehicle without a full tank. Since 33 litres is about 7/8 of a tank, 11 litres seems a little high for 75 km. Especially since I can go  500 km on 33 liters. I have tried to argue this with central customer service to no avail. I am still driving the third car. But, my dealer tells me that they didn't find anything wrong with the flat tire. Umm??? Then why was it flat? It has since been wrecked by the next person who rented it. I think it was cursed.

So, that's my drama. If that's the worst experience in 7 months in Italy, then I can live with it. Here's hoping it remains uneventful. But, I can say customer service is definitely harder when you don't speak the language. I've been told it's just not the same in Italy in general. Customer service is definitely not about the customer.

And, sadly after 2 1/2 months with my hot rod, I got a call that they had the mini-economy back in stock. And I had to turn in my fun car for another clown car. At least it gets me from point A to point B. But, the gas mileage isn't as good and it sure doesn't have any power. I also was confused at first because it is a manual/automatic hybrid and I couldn't start it unless it was in full neutral. I was embarrassed to call for assistance again. And get told that I would have to taxi to the airport for a replacement Good thing I have friends who helped me figure it out and didn't laugh at me.