<b>Car</b> renter gets big bill but <b>photo</b> isn't his <b>car</b> | Travel | The Seattle <b>...</b> |
- <b>Car</b> renter gets big bill but <b>photo</b> isn't his <b>car</b> | Travel | The Seattle <b>...</b>
- <b>PICTURES</b>: <b>Car</b> overturns on SDR in Newport (From South Wales <b>...</b>
- Audi TT and TTS (2014) first official <b>pictures</b> <b>...</b> - <b>Car</b> Magazine
| Posted: 25 Mar 2014 11:14 AM PDT Originally published March 25, 2014 at 11:05 AM | Page modified March 26, 2014 at 4:42 PM Q: I recently rented a car from Budget in Nashville and returned it to New Orleans. It was in perfect shape when I brought it back. A few weeks ago, I received a damage claim from the company. They asked me to pay more than $3,000 for repairs. I'm not responsible for the damage. How do I know? Well, I can tell you that I returned the rental undamaged. But there are two things about Budget's claim that don't make sense, either. First, I returned the car at the Budget Rent-a-Car agency in New Orleans, specifically on Canal Street. Canal Street is in the middle of town, surrounded by buildings. But the landscape in the pictures on my damage claim is completely different. There are no buildings at all. They must have moved the car before taking pictures of it. Who's to say it wasn't damaged then? Second, there was a picture of the odometer in the claim. When I returned the car, the odometer out was at 22,265 miles and when I returned it, it was at 24,374 miles. But the odometer on their picture is 24,196 miles, which is impossible. I was driving the car when it reached that number. I tried to contact Budget several times by phone, by email, even by mail. But they never responded. Now I'm being threatened by a collection agency. What should I do? — Guilhem Ibos, Chicago A: Budget shouldn't have sent you a $3,000 bill -- at least not with that kind of documentation. Ideally, any damage to a rental car would be recorded when you return the vehicle and the renter would sign a form acknowledging it. This just looks like a "gotcha" -- and a poorly executed one, at that. What kind of documentation is adequate? A time-stamped photo of your rental car, showing that shortly after you returned the vehicle, the company discovered damage; a picture of the odometer that verifies your claim; and a repair invoice. The paperwork you received was less than persuasive. I'm not sure why Budget didn't respond to your letters and emails. If you're being ignored, you can always escalate your case to a manager. You can find a list of executives on the Budget website, http://ir.avisbudgetgroup.com/management.cfm. Email addresses at Budget are formatted firstname.lastname@avisbudget.com. I also list Budget's executives on my website: http://elliott.org/contacts/budget-rent-a-car/. One thing is clear: Without conclusive proof that damage to this car was noted -- and repaired -- shortly after your rental, Budget shouldn't have sent you a $3,000 invoice. I'm not saying the company's claim is invalid. Only that it needed to make a stronger case. I contacted Budget and asked it to review its claim. A representative called you and told you the company had withdrawn its bill. Christopher Elliott is a travel consumer advocate and the author of "How To Be The World's Smartest Traveler." His column runs regularly at seattletimes.com/travel. Contact him at chris@elliott.org.  Enjoy 8 weeks of unlimited access to seattletimes.com for $1. Subscribe today! |
| <b>PICTURES</b>: <b>Car</b> overturns on SDR in Newport (From South Wales <b>...</b> Posted: 25 Mar 2014 10:39 AM PDT PICTURES: Car overturns on SDR in Newport5:39pm Tuesday 25th March 2014 in Gwent news
A CAR overturned on the SDR in Newport this afternoon after a collision involving a lorry. The crash happened near the Alway roundabout heading towards Spytty retail park. Pictures sent in by reader Lori Waite. |
| Audi TT and TTS (2014) first official <b>pictures</b> <b>...</b> - <b>Car</b> Magazine Posted: 03 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PST  By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 03 March 2014 19:00 This is the third-generation Audi TT that’s due in showrooms by the end of 2014. While it’s a more creased, hard-edged design, it still carries the crucial curves that set tongues wagging when the first TT rocked up in 1998. What’ve they done to it?It’s not as convincing as the original, is it? It’s a culmination of cues from the Audi Sport Quattro concept shown at the 2013 Frankfurt show, and the Audi Allroad Shooting Brake Concept that was displayed at the Detroit show in January. Audi has shown the regular TT and the more potent TT S model. >> Click here to see the Audi Sport Quattro Concept That angular version of the single-frame grille is like Hannibal Lecter’s mask on the classic TT silhouette: a bold garnish to the curvier, organic body design. Xenon LED headlamps as standard, with the Matrix Beam lamps currently offered on the A8 saloon optional. Its 4.18m length is slightly shorter than the current car, but sits on a 37mm-longer wheelbase (2505mm), is 10mm narrower at 1832mm but is identical in height (1353 if you must know) yet sits 10mm lower on 18in alloys. Blending the current trend of sharper, trouser creased-styling with the original’s seductive curves hasn’t resulted in aching beauty, but the TT hallmarks remain: the crease over the front wheel, teardrop glasshouse and rounded-off tail. The badge is now on the bonnet, a la Audi R8, for the first time instead of its current position on the TT’s grille. The design team, which includes the UK’s Steve Lewis, has incorporated more three-dimensional detailing, alluded to by (now former) Audi designer Wolfgang Egger at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show. That includes the sharp edges around the headlamps, as well as taillights protruding beyond the rear body curves. What’s new apart from the look?This is the first sportscar built on the VW Group MQB platform â€" VW’s high-tech, much imitated modular architecture that enables cars to be lengthened, lightened, tightened and powered by just about whatever fuel customers may want. For TT Gen III, that means the aluminium spaceframe body is a core feature, like before, and is wrapped around more ultra- and high-strength steel underpinnings. That means it’s 50kg lighter than the current car, thanks to form-hardening of its metallic cocktail, with the 2.0-litre TFSI model now carrying 1230kg. And inside?This is brilliant â€" that new digital dash cluster that was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January. From the new sports seats (that are 5kg lighter), the simple, clean and sophisticated cabin has binned the central screen to show all functions in front of the driver in a single display. The 12.3in ‘Audi Virtual Cockpit’ display is customisable and boasts stunning 3D-effect graphics, positioned behind that stunning flat-bottom three-spoke steering wheel. Again, it’s straight out of the Sport Quattro Concept and is to that shown on the VW T-Roc concept that will also be at the Geneva motor show. Oh, and there’s a 13-litre increase in boot size… >> Click here for more on the Audi TT cabin What’s powering the new TT?The engines will be largely carry-over, with the four-cylinder 2.0-litre engine offered in 227bhp for the TT that gives it a 0-62mph time of 6.0sec. Choose the six-speed S-tronic instead of the six-speed manual and add Quattro all-wheel drive, and it’s 5.3sec. Want more? You’ll need the 306bhp TT S that can run from 0-62mph in 4.7sec. If that’s not enough, you may want to wait for the snarling five-pot TT RS with as much as 400bhp from its 2.5-litre, and a 0-62mph time in as little as 4.0sec. It should arrive in 2015 when the seven-speed S-tronic transmission lands, as initially the TT will use a six-speed manual or six-speed dual clutch gearbox. The third-gen Audi TT will be in UK showrooms before the end of 2014. The 2.0-litre diesel carries on, too, with 184bhp and 67.2mpg for 110g/km CO2. The biggest difference will be the availability of the diesel with front-wheel drive, as it’s currently quattro-only. The Audi TT arrives in UK showrooms in late 2014 and should start at £25,000. |
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