Hello, for several times now in Thailand i got rental cars with big rental car agency stickers or rental car agency number plate frames. If there were no stickers outside and no rental car agency number plate frames outside, there are still stickers on the windscreen readable from inside that show emergency numbers. I don't know if you can see it's a rental car from the actual registered number itself.

 

Anyway anybody interested can see it's a rental car. 

 

Your take?

 

And the problem is?

17 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

And the problem is?

.....absolutely nothing!

''Your take? ''

 

Lots of admiring glances from people passing by that one can afford and is driving a rental car that cost lots of moola per day.

Here on Samui it is for security.

Back in the day, crooks would come to Samui, hire a car and drive it back to Bangkok or wherever. Never to be seen again.

Since then, all rental cars have a sticker.

At the ferry terminals, they are supposed to check that if there is a sticker, then the driver also has a letter of authorisation to take it off the island.

Same for bikes.

I do not know if they still do the checks now but I have not heard of any thefts for a long time.

19 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Here on Samui it is for security.

Evo, thanks for that background. One wonders if crooks couldn't remove the sticker or hide it by sticking something else there. Or they could exchange the number plate frame for a model without a rental agency name.

23 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Anyway anybody interested can see it's a rental car. 

So what? 

20 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Here on Samui it is for security.

Back in the day, crooks would come to Samui, hire a car and drive it back to Bangkok or wherever. Never to be seen again.

Since then, all rental cars have a sticker.

At the ferry terminals, they are supposed to check that if there is a sticker, then the driver also has a letter of authorisation to take it off the island.

Same for bikes.

I do not know if they still do the checks now but I have not heard of any thefts for a long time.

I think most rental cars have a GPS tracker fitted now.

I've never rented in Thailand, but I have often rented cars in the US and EU usually on business, and I prefer them to be unmarked as rentals.

To me, identifiable rental cars are like having a flashing light on them that says "Break Into Me!  I Have Goodies in the Trunk!"

 

6 hours ago, brianthainess said:

I think most rental cars have a GPS tracker fitted now.

 

But better to prevent them being stolen rather than tracking them down after, hence the visible markings.

Tha American car hire companies used to do this in the mid 80’s I think there was a case of seven or so tourists getting gunned down because criminals knew they were tourfrom the barcodes on the bumpers from the car hire companies 

9 hours ago, Iron Tongue said:

I've never rented in Thailand, but I have often rented cars in the US and EU usually on business, and I prefer them to be unmarked as rentals.

To me, identifiable rental cars are like having a flashing light on them that says "Break Into Me!  I Have Goodies in the Trunk!"

 

 

Agree, but car crime isnt really a thing here.

I'd rather a rental didnt have big stickers, but just for the aesthetics - no car looks better with "SOMCHAI MOTORS" plastered on the door! but its not a deal breaker

 

The OP still hasnt explained his issue with it

On 12/27/2023 at 1:06 PM, Iron Tongue said:

To me, identifiable rental cars are like having a flashing light on them that says "Break Into Me!  I Have Goodies in the Trunk!"

That had been my thinking too. But I don't know if it is relevant, so I wanted to ask. I am always flummoxed when I see the rental agency's name printed big outside on the car and I feel like a sitting duck - made so by the car rental agency.

Anyway I like to book cars online in advance and I have no chance to handpick the car. Of course one could try to remove a sticker or even to replace a number plate holder with some effort.