Car or truck rental tips

[diamondmoth]

phew...thought I wasn't going to make it this year because our jeeps a POS BUT we can afford to rent a van! Yay!

So does any one have tips on how to protect the rental? Would covering it with a tarp do any good? Is the only real tip to just clean that sucker after we get home?

[Token]

Don't cover witha tarp. It will just scratch the hell out of the paint.

There is no way to keep dust out. Eventually you will have to pack all your playa covered gear back into it as well as your playa covered selves.

Allot of folks go and tape vents, turn off the AC, line stuff with bed sheets etc. I personally don't. My ass and boots will drag the playa in and cleaning will be necessary either way.

[StevenGoodman]

If you can, rent a cargo van and not a passenger van. Much easier to clean.

Martini Steve

[Token]

... Unless you have three or more passengers. Cargo vans usually have only two seats.

[diamondmoth]

ooh nice idea on the cargo van. We only have two passengers but were driving from Bozeman, MT which only has U-haul. I've heard they are horrible to rent from but we'll see. We also have an airport with all your regular car rental companies.

[lucky420]

don't tell uhaul that you are going to burning man, I've heard that they won't rent to you. Tell them you are going to the Rib Cook-Off in Sparks, NV. The mileage will be close enough...

[diamondmoth]

ooh nice, called up U-Haul about the "BBQ" in nevada. its 19.95 per 24 hours and .39 cents per mile...so about a little less then 1000 bucks should cover it.

Cargo vans from enterprise and thrifty rent were looking to be about 2000 dollars soo....I might just have to risk bedding with the devil to save a few bucks...

[StevenGoodman]

Or maybe even rent a pickup truck/work truck. Do you have anyone who rents to construction firms?

Martini Steve

[diamondmoth]

looking around and found this

http://www.rentawreck.com/mt.htm

seriously? Rent a wreck? is this a joke?

[Token]

Check out construction rental companies. They often have cargo vans or trucks and they don't usually care about a bit of wear and tear considering their clientele.

[Token]

looking around and found this

http://www.rentawreck.com/mt.htm

seriously? Rent a wreck? is this a joke?

Nope, they are legit. Big chain that started small and grew.

[sputnik]

Rent a wreck is real. OTOH, if you're willing to spend a couple grand on a rental you *may* be able to purchase something outright that will get you there and back and on the return you can sell it and get back some of what you spent.

[diamondmoth]

Uggh, that's the debate me and my partner have been having!

We have a beastly jeep that is amazing and I love it but last year the radiator burst ( which is apparently something they just do in these older ones ) and the tires are big and the frames not lifted so being so overloaded it made a scary scratch sound on every bump

We're debating on getting a lift kit, possibly adding more leafs ( is that what they're called? ) and getting the exhaust beefed up.

...My partner is a dude and knows how to ask the right questions so we don't get screwed by the mechanic. I know its completely sexist and I hate to admit the stereotype but every time I go to the mechanic I have to fight so much harder to get a fair price.

Also for some reason my partner things I'm fucking magical or something and will be able to fit all our stuff into the jeep with out using the tow trailer we have...I think I'll just pack it up right now for a visual aid.

[motskyroonmatick]

Lift kits reduce the good handling of the vehicle so that is something to take in to account. What about switching back to a stock tire size for the trip. That would be especially prudent if pulling the trailer. It would help with torque and give less wear and tear on the various hill climbs between your place and the burn. Just a thought. Either way works. Be sure to take your gps and use it as a speedometor since it is probably off from the larger tires. Speeding is something watched very closely by law enforcement on the roads in to the burn.

[Token]

Oooh! Tough one. Spend a grand on a one time rental with peace of mind or spend the grand on fixin' the old Jeep and a prayer.

Tough call.

The good thing about Jeeps is the available aftermarket parts. A 3" lift kit will likely cost less than smler tires. The radiator is also a quick fix. Anything else need work?

Fixing the Jeep might be cheaper if your man has any wrench talent. (I said wRench, not wench)!

[diamondmoth]

Oooh! Tough one. Spend a grand on a one time rental with peace of mind or spend the grand on fixin' the old Jeep and a prayer.

Tough call.

The good thing about Jeeps is the available aftermarket parts. A 3" lift kit will likely cost less than smler tires. The radiator is also a quick fix. Anything else need work?

Fixing the Jeep might be cheaper if your man has any wrench talent. (I said wRench, not wench)!

ugg its the ultimate debate! But I am really leaning towards fixing the jeep. Love that thing. Aaron ( partner ) and I have been working on it since he bought it for 500 dollars and it has got us from Montana to Seattle so many times. Plus its ugly as hell and we don't have to worry about it getting scratched.

The reservoir, thermostat and water pump are all good because that's what broke last year on our way from burning man, so they are newish. I was thinking about buying a spare reservoir ( is that the right name, the container that holds the cooling stuff ) because they have a tendency to crack ( even new ones ) in the heat. They are cheap but last time ordering one from the napa in Cederville took two weeks!

That's also a concern because most likely the next thing to go is the hoses since they are older then the rest of the cooling system...maybe I should buy some spare hoses to?

Also there is the exhaust, it needs to be looked at. Apparently there is a small crack. When we got it checked out last year it wasn't worth replacing because its going to take it a while to fully break. But will probably get that either patched or replaced. unfortunately I don't remember exactly what was cracked..

So extra reservoir, hoses, exhaust check up and then I can figure out the lift/suspension problem.

I think what we're going to do is get a 3" suspension lift. All depending on how much it will cost. It its around 1000, its probably worth it. Does any one know rough pricing on that? I would love to learn how to do it my self but Aaron says that its so old under there it would be a horrible first project. :(

[DiveDogFLL]

IMHO, the short wheelbase of a jeep makes it a poor highway car, and not a good choice for tow vehicle at speed.

I'd think about a cargo van and some beanbag chairs.

last thing you want to worry about is the transportation.

my .02

-btw, how much rust on the frame?

[Token]

Lift kits can go from $150 to over $5000. Depends on year and model of Jeep and how high you need to go. That's just for parts. Labor is extra.

So give us some specs.

[FIGJAM]

Belts and hoses need to be changed periodicaly as a matter of good maintanence. I dont care for lift kits, cause if its not done correctly, the angle of the drive shafts can cause the u-joints to go bad catastroficly. Ive had this happen, then its not just the u-joints, but the shafts get so damaged they will most likly have to be replaced. Hard to do if your on the way to bm. You seem such a nice person, I just want you to be safe.

[diamondmoth]

It's a 1989 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl 4 liter . When its loaded up with all our gear and we go over a bump the tires rub on the plastic cover thing. I checked under there and its not rubbing on any of the metal, like the frame or leafs, but on the plastic thing on the out side of the tire. We could remove them, I think they are mostly to reduce mud splatter any ways.


Here you can see how close the tires are to that plastic frame, the real frame is a good two inches in. It would look ghetto but might be worth it.

We were thinking we should add some leafs to it to increase its load capacity, do you have to do a lift them? Also, I'm aware that body lifts ( opposed to a suspension lift or all those other kinds) aren't as good because it doesn't actually increase clearance underneath the vehicle, but were not doing any off roading with this old thing.

Also, lifting will definitely cause some disruption to the alignment and possibly the drive shaft and hoses, but we're looking to buy a commuter car in 2011-ish so really we need this beast to last us a year/to next summer. We said we would put 1000 in it this summer and maybe another this winter then we'll retire it. I think it should have a name?

As for rust, there isn't any on the frame. The leafs have rust discoloration though


And here's a picture of the exhaust. its been leaking more in the past week so I think that crack is catching up with us. Its behind that thing with the red sticker, and its shiny and black from what ever is leaking. You can see some of the rust here too.





OOh I should mention, me and my partner "work from home" which means as long as we bring our laptops and hopefully break down some where that has cell reception, we could use our AAA, and camp/work from where ever we end up... So were not as worried as most about getting stranded...that's what happen last year! its was like second vacation.

[FIGJAM]

They used to have a kit that was just a half leaf spring and you just jacked up the truck to bolt it on, but I cant find it now. Adding 1 leaf to each side should do it and wont be as pricey as a lift. The one I cant find added 1500 pounds capasity and bolted right on.

[FIGJAM]

I think this is it.

http://www.stillen.com/product.asp?id=HLWLPSER1&c=SU&year=&make=&model=

blow up the image to see how they just bolt right on to the factory springs. The ones I had were like $30 at checker.

[Token]

Woopsi. When you said Jeep I thought wrangler/CJ5 type of Jeep.

For the SUV type lift kits are expensive and complicated.

The helper springs are affordable and easy to install. I think mine were ~ $150.

[ygmir]

I've run helper springs on my one ton for over 100K.......and, it takes big loads....they've held up fine, easy to install, and, pretty cheap, especially if you put them on yourself...which is quite doable.

[laura*]

diamondmoth, why are you even considering renting when you already have the perfect Burning Man vehicle?

Put a new/rebuilt radiator and new hoses in it. Spare coolant overflow containers can be bought at any grocery store for about 99 cents. They come with a gallon of drinking water in them. Or you can splurge and get a container prefilled with antifreeze. Do be sure to pick up a universal mounting kit - those will be hidden in the tape aisle and may have a drawing of a duck on them.

Your tire rubbing problem looks like it might be because your tires are too wide, not too tall. A lift kit won't fix this unless you lift the body waaaay up. Are those the original wheels? Is there room for the tires to be inboard a bit? You might be able to get some cheap (used) steel wheels that solve the clearance problem.

I think you've got the exhaust confused with your 4x4 transfer case. The thing with the red tag is an add-on onto your transmission that drives the front wheels. The shiny gooey black thing under it is a transmission mount. They get that way when they get old and oil is leaking on them. You can leave it alone until the rubber tears. Even then, it won't leave you stranded. I'm guessing $20 for a replacement and a bunch of swear words to install it.

The towing issue mentioned above applies to short wheelbase Jeeps like the CJ*. Because you have four doors, you have a longer wheelbase that is fine for towing a small trailer.

BTW, what rust? Your Jeep isn't rusty. To see what rusty vehicles really look like, you need to move someplace like say Detroit.