Kelly and Katherine Graves say returning their rental car was uneventful.Â
A week later, they were accused of damaging it.
Enterprise says the Kelowna, B.C., couple put diesel fuel into a gasoline-powered SUV â despite receipts showing they bought gasoline, filled up at a pump that does not dispense diesel and rented a vehicle designed to prevent that kind of mistake.
“I was a little anxious,” said Kelly. “My blood pressure went up.”
The company pursued the claim for months, backing down only after a lawyer intervened and Go Public started asking questions.
The Graves’ experience speaks to a broader concern about how rental companies substantiate claims, disclose evidence and pursue customers months later, said Abu Khurana, a lawyer who specializes in corporate and business law.
“You’re dealing with a large corporation. They’re telling you you owe them thousands of dollars, often with very little explanation,” he said. “Most people don’t have the time, resources or legal knowledge to push back.”Â
The Graves rented a Dodge Durango last April from National Car Rental, owned by Enterprise, and returned it to Edmonton International Airport.Â
“The engine was nice and smooth,” said Kelly. “We had no problems with the car.”
How this couple beat a $9.5K car rental damage claim | Go Public
About a week later, they got a call: diesel fuel had allegedly been found in the engine, and the car would not start.
They were told to open an insurance claim or pay.Â
The Graves denied the allegation on that call, and again five days later, and then heard nothing more.
Until nine months later, when Enterprise sent a letter demanding $9,500.
“I was frustrated, because we hadn’t heard anything for such a long time,” said Kelly. “I thought they closed the case.”
Khurana says car rental companies cannot simply tell customers they are responsible for major repairs â they have to provide evidence, and do so in a timely way.
“They can’t just issue an invoice and expect a payment without any evidence,” said Khurana, who was hired by the Graves to fight back. “People should know they don’t have to simply accept these claims.”
Enterprise declined an interview request and dropped its claim after Khurana sent a letter outlining his clients’ defence and Go Public asked the company to answer a number of questions.Â
In a statement, the company said it followed a “comprehensive investigation process.” It declined to answer several questions, including why it continued to insist the Graves had put diesel in the vehicle.
On the morning Kelly and Katherine returned the vehicle, they filled up at an Edmonton gas station before driving about 53 kilometres to the airport.
Kelly kept the gas receipts â there were two because the gas flow cut off prematurely during the first fill-up.
The receipts are dated and time-stamped two minutes apart. They show that a total of 48 litres of gasoline was purchased.Â
The couple also obtained a photo of the exact pump used.Â
It dispenses gasoline only. There is no diesel option.Â
Enterprise did not explain why that evidence did not resolve the claim.
“I was waking up at 2:00 in the morning and not getting back to sleep,” said Kelly. “You work all your life to gain savings so that you can retire and enjoy your life. And then somebody comes along and says, ‘We’re going to take $10,000 away from you.'”
There is also the design of the vehicle itself.
The 2025 Dodge Durango has what is called a capless fuel system â instead of a cap that twists on and off, a self-sealing flap opens when a nozzle is inserted.Â
It is designed to block larger nozzles to prevent accidental misfueling, said mechanic John Le Van, who has run a Vancouver auto repair shop for more than two decades.Â
“The diesel spigot at the pump is a bigger diameter than the gas spigot,” Le Van told Go Public. “So it wouldn’t be able to fit in.”
Le Van also questioned how a vehicle that had 48 litres of diesel in it could then travel more than 50 kilometres to the airport.
“I don’t think it would have made it more than a few kilometres, if that.”
He said the car would have shown clear signs of trouble, because putting diesel in a gasoline vehicle would have caused “incomplete combustion” problems.
“It probably would have started misfiring pretty heavily,” said Le Van. “There’d be smoke, a flashing engine light on the dashboard and the car would just be shaking all over the place.”
Nearly a year after first contacting the couple, Enterprise dropped its claim.Â
In a statement, the company said that because of the passage of time, it was “unable to verify additional details regarding the fueling source.”
The company would not say why it kept pursuing the claim for so long, or whether it would cover the Graves’ legal expenses.Â
The Graves say they were able to fight the claim because they kept detailed records.
Khurana says many others may not.
“A lot of the time, people might back down and pay, even if it’s not right,” he said.
He says people fighting a car rental company should document everything, keep receipts and ask questions.Â
He believes companies should be required to have solid evidence before trying to hold customers responsible for costly repairs.Â
“That would allow these car companies to have an internal review process before they go and make these claims.”
Kelly and Katherine Graves say they will find a different car rental company on their next trip, and hope speaking out might prevent other people from getting dinged for damage they did not cause.
“We don’t want them to go through the same thing that we’ve gone through,” said Kelly.
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