Most roads in Guatemala that I drive on are pretty nice. Even in rural areas, they are 2 wide lanes, one each way, often with a yellow strip in the middle and white edge. A couple short areas, 2 or 3 miles, probably ones that had accidents, actually had yellow and even maybe white reflectors nailed to the road. A good thing because once I had to do 12 miles at night, on curves, with fog.
But some are dirt or gravel and my car is very dirty.
Do I wash the car so they will think I never took it on any gravel roads and I took great care of it, and the dirt will hide any scratches I may have made**.
OR DO THEY WASH THE CAR AFTER I LEAVE AND LOOK FOR SCRATCHES AND OTHER DAMAGES THEN, WHEN I'M NOT THERE TO REMIND THEM THAT THE DAMAGE IS ALREADY ON THE CAR MAP THEY MADE AND GAVE ME WHEN i RENTED IT. That seems like something they woudl do. Hertz Guatemala but I'm sure thy're all the same.
Until yesterday I think there was no damage at all, but turning left in a lane just for that purpose, I heard this terrible noise. When I could stop, I saw that I had scratched the left rear wheel cover. A plastic OEM Toyota one. But plastic. Are they going to make me buy a whole new one? they would cost what, $15, if they didn't say Toyota.
I drove 10 miles on a gravel road today and I'm sure the wheel cover is dusty again.
What to do?
**They told me the insurance (twice the price of the rental itself) coves accidents, but I have to pay for scatches myself. I don't think I've gotten any but there are 3 days left.