Route Restrictions with Rental Car Companies (Kahului, Hana: 2013, rentals, insurance)

[mricu]

I've been reading everywhere that "some" rental car companies do not allow their vehicles go on certain roads on Maui, such as the back side of the Hana Hwy or the north-west side of the island.

If allowed, can folks with actual experience with rental car companies on the island specify if they restrictied driving on these (or other) roads?

I've booked with Advantage and I tried calling the counter at the airpot (just get recorded message talling me how to get to the shuttle from the airport, no real person to talk to) and I also called their corporate line. The guy on the corporate line said they do not restrict driving on any roads on Maui. This is all verbal from a guy that didn't sound like he really knew where Maui was. So I'm still at square one trying to plan my trip without knowing my options for driving the island (I really don't want to drive back the same way I came from on the Hana Hwy).

Any first hand knowledge is appreciated on car rental companies and their driving restrictions on the island.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

We've driven rental cars on both roads you mentioned. They road past Hana was very rough at the time (ten years ago) but I've heard that it's been improved.

There's no way the rental car companies know where you've been with their vehicles. They caution you not to go on rough roads or those with a higher chance of something bad happening. If you do go and you get into trouble, then you are responsible for getting towed out, which could be extremely costly.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

There's no way the rental car companies know where you've been with their vehicles.

Big brother/ rental car companies have the ability to know exactly where you are at. It is standard for most of those companies to have GPS transmitters on the cars.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by mricu

If allowed, can folks with actual experience with rental car companies on the island specify if they restrictied driving on these (or other) roads?

Here's the map all the car rental companies use, showing the two sections of road you are restricted from using.

12 & 13 - MAUI DRIVE GUIDE - February-May 2013

Can they tell? Absolutely:

GPS Keeping Tabs On Car Rentals - CBS News

[oregonwoodsmoke]

The only way to know for sure is to phone the rental car office that you will be picking the car up from and asking them.

Policies are going to vary from company to company.

Also, the low paid clerk at the front desk is not guaranteed to know what he is talking about, so you will also have to read the rental contract.

You would be very sad if you dropped the car off the cliff on the road to Hana and then learned that driving the road to Hana voided the insurance policy. Does it void the policy? I don't know, but I would sure find out before I took off on a rough road with the rented car.

[Dthraco]

We've made the drive in a rental car around the northwest tip. Can't say I would do it again in a rental car though. It's beautiful but sketchy.

They tell you to not drive those roads for a good reason. The 'average' driver is not truly equipped to drive a road like that (IMHO). I was lucky because it was sunny the time I drove it. If it was raining, I would have not continued and turned around at the first opportunity.

[Kokoleka]

We go around "the back way" i.e. via Piilani Hwy every time we're on Maui. In a rental. And yes, the more modern companies can track you. Wheter they do or not... Who knows. And you'll only find out after the fact. We're not in much danger of any of that, since we normally rent wrecks. The roads are just fine (however, that's coming from people used to drive on less than perfect and very narrow roads) and totally drivable. There is a longer stretch where the road is not paved (so if you have a really bad back I'd consider that) and it gets a bit bumpy. The one time I would definitely NOT drive out there is in heavy rain. Too dangerous. People (and by that I mean people who live on that side of the island) have been washed out to sea. At the beginning, when we were not all too comfortable going in a rental we would rent a 4x4 for the day (there are some places who do that). Get up super early (middle of the night) drive up hoping to see the sunrise on Haleakala (after all these years, believe it or not - still hoping and nothing more thanks to fog and clouds), have breakfast at Grandmas Coffee House. Make it to Hana by lunch and drive back via the "road to Hana".

What I have more respect of is the road around West Maui going along Kahekii Hwy. A very beautiful trip too tough. Haven't done that in a long time, so I don't know if the roads are still a bit on the scary side. But definitely a drive well worth it too! This is the drive where I'd be more worried about driving your car off a cliff. However, should you do so, you would not have to worry about the rental agreement, as you're very unlikely to live to see what the implications are... Have fun, stay cautious and consider an extra day's rental with a 4x4 if that makes you feel more comfy

[MauiPartTimer]

I've found that people react to how scary a road is based on what they're used to. For example, I've lived most of my life in California, where the coastside roads can be windy and along cliffsides, so the first time I drove to Hana, I thought "That's the road people wear shirts saying they survived? Really? That's it?" However, people who come from someplace like Iowa where roads are flat and straight might be all freaked out. (These same people think nothing of driving 60+ MPH on icy roads, which scares the beejeepers out of me.)

Having made both trips on the "forbidden" roads, I thought the northwest tip was far more treacherous; probably because there are so many places you have to drive close to the edge of the cliff to pass oncoming cars. I drove from Kahului to Kapalua; if you drive the other direction, at least you can hug the mountainside when passing cars. It was also pouring rain, which didn't make us feel any more comfortable, but with the weather on that side of the island, good luck finding a day when you know it won't rain.

The backside past Hana and Ohea Gulch is beautiful, but dirty/bumpy. You get to a stretch with no vegetation and it feels like you're on the moon. I didn't find it scary the first time I drove it 10 years ago, but two days after we made the drive, a boulder fell and sadly crushed a park ranger as she sat in her vehicle. That made us say "Whoa!"

[McFrostyJ]

Originally Posted by MauiPartTimer

"That's the road people wear shirts saying they survived? Really? That's it?"

I thought those t-shirts were for the passengers who didn't get car sick.

[Kokoleka]

Oh, glad someone thought the same about the road to hana as I did! Was always wondering too what the big deal is about. Last time unfortunately our son's stomach did not think the same. So no more ice-creams in Hana for him. And good point about taking the road from Kapalua to Kahalui (and not the other way round)! Never looked at it that way...