Found a windscreen chip on your rental car? What to record at pickup

Look at the glass from inside and outside

Before driving, look across the windscreen from outside and from the driver's seat. Reflections can hide a mark from one position and reveal it from another. Check the other windows and mirrors as part of your walkaround, without reaching over the car or standing in a traffic lane.

If you cannot tell whether you are seeing a chip, a scratch or dirt, record what you can see and ask staff to inspect it. Do not press on the glass, pick at the mark or try to make it more visible by disturbing it. The useful record is the condition as you found it.

Start with a view that locates the chip

Take a front or three-quarter view that identifies the car, then photograph the windscreen with its edges visible. Include a recognisable feature such as a corner of the glass or the wipers so the position is understandable. A close-up of a dot against the sky can be difficult to connect to a particular vehicle later.

Use a simple location description in your message, such as ‘windscreen, lower left when seated facing forwards’. If you add an arrow to a copy of the photo, keep the unedited original too. The arrow helps the reader find the chip; the wider photo shows where it is on the car.

Change your angle until the surface is visible

Move slightly to one side and check whether the reflection shifts away from the chip. Avoid pointing directly into a bright sky, lamp or flash reflection. Tap to focus on the area if your camera supports it, hold the phone steady and review the saved image before taking the next one.

Try a second close-up from inside the stationary car if that makes the mark clearer, and keep both views. Enlarging a blurred image will not reveal missing detail. Move the phone far enough back to focus and retake the photo while you are still beside the car.

• Registration and an overall view identifying the rental car.
• A windscreen view showing the chip's position within the glass.
• A clear close-up, plus another angle if glare obscures the surface.
• A factual description and the rental company's acknowledgement.

Report the chip and resolve safety concerns

Compare the mark with the collection condition record and ask for any omission to be corrected. Enterprise's UK guidance includes checking the windscreen at collection. Follow your own company's reporting process and keep the response, even if someone tells you the mark is already known.

A photograph cannot decide whether a windscreen is safe or whether a chip needs repair. Size, position and the nature of the damage matter. UK government guidance requires a roadworthy vehicle and clear visibility; ask the rental company to assess a crack, a spreading mark or anything affecting your view before driving. Avoid using an internet repair threshold as a rental company's damage allowance.

Keep the original glass photos available

PickupLens keeps your windscreen photos with the rest of the collection inspection. The app can suggest possible marks, but reflections on glass can be difficult to interpret. Check the original photos and include the chip you saw yourself, even if the app has not picked it up.

Keep the company's updated record with your own evidence. If the glass looks different later, record the new observation separately and contact the company through the process in your agreement. Do not replace the earlier files or present a later photo as the collection image. Your included optional PickupLens return scan gives that later condition its own record.