I drive a company car so I don't have any records for service. I checked the last bill for service of my wife's car but that just has a lump sum for a fixed service.

My guess is around kr. 6.500 / hour on top of which 24,5% VAT will be charged. Ths is a guess, and it could conceivably be as low as kr. 4.500 up to possibly even kr. 9.000 Hopefully somebody else will have an actual figure.

A day in the garage is about 75.000 Isk. at least! (about 470 B.pounds). The "changing of a small fender" can be extensive. For example, it can involve welding, straightening of body (not necessary obvious at first sight), and maybe painting. Besides the vehicle is out of the rental meanwhile. So I think you got away cheaply!.

I have often reminded people to read "The small print"!!

There is a reason why only credit card holders can rent a car.

B-)

When we were there a few weeks ago we were quoted around £75 an hour labour (can't really remember in ISK) but we were lucky enough that the shock absorber lasted til we got home. Another traveller we met, also from the UK needed a clutch repair and was charged around £1000 for this. Again the labour was over £600 of this. It doesn't sound like you were charged over the odds really, not that it's much help to you.

I also agree with you that Iceland is amazing and I miss it already.

At the current exchange rate, GBP 75 is about kr. 12.000 which seems excessive.

"At the current exchange rate, GBP 75 is about kr. 12.000 which seems excessive."

That's about what my Volvo gets charged per hour in UK.

Remind me not to have my car serviced in the U.K. !!

Many thanks for everybody's feedback - sounds like we got charged about the right amount so we are "sucking it up" as a useful life lesson! Hope our story can be a bit of a cautionary tale for others. Generally I don't think paying the extra insurance is very good value for money, but maybe given car repair costs in Iceland it is ... worth thinking about at least!

Just to reiterate though, Iceland is an amazing place, and very friendly nice people everywhere - except whoever drove into us in that car park of course ... I am telling myself it was probably a tourist :o)

One thing that may be helpful. Extra insurance when you hire a car can be useful, but you don't have to buy it from the car hire company. They don't have much incentive to charge a low price.

There are insurance companies who will give standalone insurance against hire car excesses, and some will also cover things not covered by the hire car company, such as damage to the roof and undercarriage.

Googling "car hire excess insurance" should find some options. I've used dailyexcess.com, but fortunately haven't have to claim.

Martin

I just noticed that Hertz charge kr. 11.000 / hour including VAT ("m/VSK") for a mechanic - see "Service Fees" www.hertz.is/main/view.jsp?branch=15137