Posted on 04/19/2025 3:12:25 PM PDT by DFG
Airport car rental return lines are about to get a giant tech upgrade — and its bad news if you're a careless driver.
Hertz, the third-largest car rental company in the US, just announced a partnership with UVeye, an AI startup that runs vehicle inspection systems.
The upgrade — which uses cameras paired to powerful computers — promises to better detect damage incurred during a rental period.
That means dings, scratches, and divots on the car’s exterior are more likely to show up on reports.
Hertz said cars will be scanned twice: once before drivers leave rental lots to ensure the vehicle's quality, and again when the car is returned.
Renters will receive a report of any damages flagged by the system, along with before-and-after photos for added transparency.
Hertz sources tell DailyMail.com that the new system is aimed at improving vehicle safety and maintenance. They say customers won’t be charged for minor damage any more than they are now.
Hertz’s car damage policy excuses driver mistakes like tiny blemishes, but dents bigger than a golf ball — or scratches longer than a credit card — lands drivers in the damage fee danger zone
Still, experts note that while the rules around scratches and dings haven’t changed, they’ll be spotted much more easily.
UVeye said the fast-paced technology will spark a revolution in rental car lots.
'Hertz is setting a new standard for vehicle maintenance and fleet management in the rental industry,' Amir Hever, the CEO and Co-Founder of UVeye, said.
'Our AI-driven inspection systems complement manual checks with consistent, data-backed assessments completed in seconds.'
Previously, the car rental industry relied on physical checks from employees to assess any potential damage.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Hey, looks like one of my old cars!
Our first trip out west was a few weeks ago and the logistics required flying.
I was amazed at how nice the roads were how clean the general area was.
We took a garden of the gods jeep tour and loved it.
The plan is to go back sometime and I want to drive it. There is so much of this country I’ve never seen.
My Tacoma will probably be replaced before that due to age and mileage. That isn’t expected for a few years. They run forever with maintenance.
If anyone wants and thinks they can stay awake long enough, here is the tour from my Go Pro 13.
https://youtu.be/oFEsYHmjqx0?si=igdqlzfN-m63Q4O-
We had a fantastic driver/guide who went by the name Tumbleweed.
Indeed. There definitely seems to ve a serious problem with hertz these days.
We don’t go near them with our business. We’ve found that a couple of the cheaper rental firms do a pretty good job anyway.
We rented from Hertz for the first time last month in Colorado Springs and I did full photo walk around.
Turned it in when due and haven’t heard a thing from them. It was the same as I got it, very good condition.
I will never own a Nissan.
No power and a clunky transmission.
My recent experiences with Hertz and its related affiliates have been bad. So Hertz can do anything they want as it will not impact me.
Just don’t say it’s for safety and maintenance...
I didn’t get arrested, but when I turned in a car to Avis at the San Jose airport I pointed out that one of the front brake rotors was probably warped due to the vibrations. They thanked me. Then a month later they called my office to ask when I was going to return the car. (I still had my receipt, and memory of where I parked it). They apologized, and went away. Only to call back 2 weeks later to ask the same thing. I pointed out that they had called before, and then repeated the same info. Never heard from them again. This was the 90’s. I expect a call any day now. :)
I had an Enterprise car for a couple months for a work project. I put a real minor scratch in the door.
That’s OK. Before I had to worry about it the car was destroyed. I was stopped at a light in the right lane. The semi driver in the left lane took a tight turn and proceeded to rip off most of the left side of the car.
No more worries about the little scratch.
I’ve been to 47 states. (Need NM, AK and HI)
I’ve driven to every one except CA, NV and AZ.
Last year we drove Maryland to Washington and took a longer route home. I love road trips.
lol!!
I quit using Hertz when they charged me for damages I didn’t do.
Maybe this will improve that. But not with me as a customer.
Apparently this doesn’t involve X-rays at all. What a stupid headline.
Sounds like my dad.
I know he has never been to AK or HI, probably just about all the others.
Many of them are due to work travel.
We added Utah last year on our road trip. It’s the only state I haven’t spent at least one night there.
I’ve adjusted a couple work road trips just to check off new states.
My wife is at 35 or so. Also pretty impressive.
I’ve wanted to go to Amish country in PA for years.
Might happen one day.
I live an hour from there. It’s cool but not worth an entire trip.
Thank you for the tip.
Any trip up there would be part of some kind of wide area travel.
Last year, we drove from SC to WI for my wife’s best friend’s 50th birthday.
Due to misguided plans and forgetting the RNC was in the area taking up every hotel room in all directions, we drove the whole thing in one day.
It was 10 PM or so WI time when we got to her friend’s place. The hotel wasn’t going to be ready until the next day.
I did all the driving since my Tacoma is a manual.
The only part of the trip I dreaded was going through Chicago.
When we hit Chicago around 7 or 8, it was on an industrial area. I don’t remember the details but for at least 45 minutes I did not see a soul or hardly a moving car.
Kind of eerie.
Coming back I was never so happy to see the Indiana state line. We overnighted in Kentucky. I could have driven straight.
That’s a great idea amigo. Thanks for sharing. Due to unforseen circumstances today, I’m staying at a Motel 6 less than 3 miles from my condo. I applied your logic to my motel stay and took pictures of observable deficiencies just in case.
👍
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