Here’s what to do if the rental car says you’ve got a low oil warning.

A Redditor posed an interesting question. His rental car informed him via a warning notice on his dash he had low oil. With the rental company closed on the weekend and with him still needing the rental, what should he do?

Low oil on rental picked up two days ago, they are closed on weekend. What do i do?
byu/unfair-call5234 inMechanicAdvice

Rental cars are like tables at a restaurant; new customers come in and out as quickly as possible with the busser doing the absolute fastest job to get the table ready.

Items like empty sauce bottles or one less fork get overlooked.

With rental cars, vehicles are given a quick once-over, washed, and are practically ready for a new renter.

And, with how different car manufacturers deal with oil warning lights, maintenance like oil levels commonly get overlooked.

So, what should you do if you notice low oil in your rental?

The short answer.

The short answer is it’s not your problem.

Do Nothing.

Oftentimes, if the low oil level is like what’s shown in OP’s post when he left, it’s really about a quart low.

Most modern engines can survive a rental stint with a quart or even a bit more that low.

And when you return it, don’t even mention the low oil, still not your problem.

If you know how to add oil and you know it’ll annoy the heck out of you if you don’t do something.

What OP ended up doing was adding exactly one quart to ease his mind with the correct oil, and he went on his merry way.

If you’re confident in your abilities and can swing $8 for a quart of the exact oil your rental takes, yeah, go ahead and buy the oil, top off your engine oil, and feel secure knowing you won’t be driving around with a low oil warning light.

You have to be 100% sure you’re using the right oil.

Check the oil cap, and if it doesn’t say what oil to use, check the owner’s manual (it’s in the glove box or in the rear near the emergency roadside supplies.)

You can also just search online, too.

Then, as suggested by other Redditors, when you return it, you do not tell the rental car company that you added oil.

If the rental car engine were to crap out spontaneously after the fact, nothing’s stopping the rental car company from going after you for damages since you admitted to touching it.

Do not expect to get reimbursed for the quart of oil you bought, just tack it on as a rental cost.

Conclusion

Driving your rental with a low oil warning light likely won’t damage your rental in the short term, so the best bet is to ignore it and drive on.

However, if you want to be 100% sure your rental won’t quit on you when you need it the most, and you know you can do the absolute bare minimum of topping up the oil with the correct kind, go ahead.

Just don’t tell the rental car company after the fact.