Rental car smoking

[mi000ke]

Well if you do decide to take the risk, here's what I did the year I was commuting to Canada each week for work. Would fly in then rent a car and drive two hours to my destination. And I would smoke at least two cigars on the way each week, and never had a problem returning the car. The key is to figure out the most efficient air flow out of the car so that the smoke goes directly out the window and does not circulate inside. This assumes you are smoking only when driving on the highway at sufficient speed to create a negative air flow out the window. I had to experiment a little with each car, but generally you want to crack open just the driver's side window about an inch or so (enough to create a strong outflow and still have room to flip your ash out the window) and direct all of the air intake vents towards that window. And get some air freshener and spray liberally after you are done. Don't smoke in the car for a couple of days before you return it. And if you want to be a bit devious, after you first get the car, walk back to the office (don't let them come out) and tell them the car smells like smoke but that you are ok with it and will they just note it on your paperwork. While I've never done that, I did rent a car that smelled like smoke and I did ask them to note it on the paperwork (which they did) and I then proceeded to smoke in it as well. So I guess it might work. If you want to take the risk...

[FidelCastro]

The problem with doing that is when the attendant will actually walk back to the car with you and give it their own "smell test" and you stand there like Barney Fife shuffling your feet back and forth. That happened to me a couple of times but I persevered and told the attendant that my sense of smell is pretty accurate and unless they were prepared to "upgrade" me to another car ( which would have been a luxury car ) then they needed to notate on the paperwork that I was taking the rental under protest because of the smell and they were only too happy to do that. Sometimes it worked and I would get a nice luxury car upgrade or I'd get the original car with a "pass" and I'd smoke cigars the entire time I had it. Is this ethical? Nah but while I drove off in the car I said a few Hail Marys and I felt better about the whole thing. Things us cigar smokers will do to deal with our hobby!