As anyone who has rented an all-inclusive car hire from Drivalia will know, we keep one of the newest fleets in the area and so thankfully breakdowns are rare but nevertheless we do get calls from clients because their car won´t start and it is usually down to driver error. So here are our top tips to avoid self inflicted breakdowns during your holiday!
Let´s take a look at the most common reasons call us if they have a problem with their car:
Flat Batteries are the singlemost cause of customers experiencing problems. It goes without saying to turn off the lights when you leave the car but remember that some cars have side-lights so make sure these are off too.
Internal lights can also put a drain on the battery and it´s very eary to turn one on to look for something and then later forget to turn it off. Often cars have internal lights in the boot so be careful because a piece of luggage catching the switch can often be the cause of a small light being turned on and not even noticed. Park up over night and when you return to the car the next day you may have trouble starting. Radios, chargers left connected and other devices can all drain the battery so when you leave the car make sure that you ensure everything is switched off!
Press the clutch to start the car! Most modern cars require that you press the clutch (or the brake for automatic cars) in order to be able to start the car. This is a safety feature that most of us do anyway without thinking but you can guarantee that every day someone will call us to say the car won´t start and when we ask them to press the clutch it suddenly works!
Keep your keys dry! Modern key fobs can be very sensitive and it goes without saying that if you drop your key in the sea it is unlikely to function afterwards. Remember that in Spain we often have a lot of humidity and do just the natural air or sweat from your pocket can cause dampness inside the key fob. If you have trouble with your key fob you may like to try gently drying it with a hair dryer (being careful not to overheat it) and this often does the trick!
Running out of fuel is another cause. Most modern cars give you a pretty good idea of when they are low on fuel and even an estimated “km to refuel” but keep in mind this is an estimate so when it gets super low it´s time to think about filling up. Just because the car says you have 1km left remember this is an estimate!
Ignoring warning lights is a big no no! Thankfully warning lights are very rare with our cars because they are all practically new but even a car of one day old can go wrong. If a warning light comes on you muts contact us immediately for advice. Actually, ignoring a warning light can lead to you being responsible for any subsequent damage so always pick up the phone if a warning light comes on.
Remember that when you book your all inclusive car hire at Alicante airport or Mallorca airport with Drivalia you will benefit from one of the most modern fleets in town. Also when you choose our Ultimate all inclusive car hire package you benefit from our full to full fuel policy, complete insurance with no risk, no excess and no deposit and honest transparent pricing where the price you see if the price you pay. Also, with Drivalia Ultimate we are proud to offer debit card card hire at Alicante airport and Mallorca airport.
In the unlikely event that you do have a breakdown we will of course work fast to get you back on the road but by following the advise in this article you can avoid the most common reasons that clients have problems!
