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for me it's like do I buy insurance for every package I ship? no I do not because the risk of the package getting damaged is extremely low, I do for high value things but not every single thing getting nickel and dimmed along the way no way. Insurance for a rental is insane, when in most likelihood your existing insurance covers you already. Is there risk if you do something not "allowed" sure there is, there is also risk just driving down the road minding your own business.
these rental company's are well aware of what people do with there vehicles, if you bring it back with a dent and your insurance covered it while you were driving it, then it just goes thru the claim's process like normal, you pay your deductible and everyone has a nice day, the particulars of towing are perhaps a bit more complicated but if it is repaired and no one was injured you have little to worry about.
true, there is of course a better way, I am no angel myself, never have been the system is rigged against me since birth I may as well embrace it.
Not gonna lie, this is actually the thought that popped into my head. With all the hi-tec telemetry and the such the rental companies are using to communicate with the vehicles nowadays I’m surprised they don’t have a complete log of every sensor and readings such as the RPM’s and towing mode engaged. And if they did, it’s possible they could have used that against you in the event something had gone wrong.
I've rented Tahoes, Burbs, and Eskies... all of them had tow packages... all of them had an oem factory hitch cover that blends nicely into the bumper, that one can conveniently pop off. Make sure you reinstall on return... nothing mentioned to the rental company.
Mechanical failure was the main thing that went through my mind, especially when they handed me the keys to a Jeep Wagoneer LOL. I think the cost to monitor outweighs the benefits. I would wager that the amount of failures they see due to towing or misuse is probably miniscule and the savings would not warrant the added cost. And insurance covers the rest in most cases.
I read the rental contract in it's entirety and in no place on the contract does it state there is a financial penalty for misuse, aside from covering the cost of the repair or replacement in addition to, and in some cases, where lost rental time could be applied. All of these clauses fell under the concept of an accident where the car is inoperable or totaled, which of course is where insurance comes in.
