Our car’s engine emission warning light came on a few days ago so we booked it in for repair but BMW in Niort (who we have always used) cannot take it until 23rd May. Our car policy does not cover for hiring a car (only if it has been involved in an accident) so we are looking to hire one for about a month.
Can you recommend a hire company we can use in our area (Parthenay/Bressuire in North Deux Sevres) and a rough cost for a small car.
Many thanks.
Try here for an indication on price:
https://www.ebookers.com/
Also try your local supermarket or DIY store as they hire cars/vans quite cheaply.
The supermarkets do small cars for 4€ a day. Kms not included but if you don’t do a lot very cost effective
Yes they do, but make sure you pay the up front deposit with a credit card not debit. I hired a car from Super U on behalf of the dog rescue to transport urgently a dog and innocently paid with my French debit card instead of my Lloyds credit one. The amount took it over the monthly limit and I was unable to use it for 30 days.
Thanks for that info about using a credit card not a debit card. We’re booking a car online from our local supermarket as they seem much cheaper than Europcar or Avis/Hertz.
Yes, a nasty shock, it is a bit hazy now, it may have been a daily limit on amount or number of uses, can’t remember, but the principle is the same. What I should have done is pay with the credit card up front, and with the debit card for the final hire charge.
On a similar kind of topic, what actual credit cards (not the ‘delayed debit’ type) do people here recommend in France?
One thing worth trying is test its not the petrol cap seal. Put some thickish polythene over the filler and refit the cap see if light goes out!
Thank you SteveG - I’ve tried your suggestion but unfortunately it doesn’t work. My gut feeling is that it is fuel related. The car starts perfectly OK, runs clean at idling but as soon as you put your foot on the accelerator, it becomes uneven. Though it could be anything. I’ll let the BMW garage establish what the problem is.
In the meantime, we’ve hired a Renault Captur from HyperU in Parthenay. It’s a smashing car - even my wife can drive this one!
Thank you everyone for your input. It has been very much appreciated.
We will, of course, let you know the garage’s findings.
Is the technique of asking for the replaced parts back when you drop off the car for work, practicable in France?
Our garage always shows us what they have needed to replace - sign of a good garage.
Our Peugeot garage spent months replacing part after part in an attempt to locate the problem… (always putting the “innocent” part back on the car as things moved along …)
and yes, when something needs doing… a dodgy part/whatever… they always have it ready and still (after all these years) try to get us to take a look and they seem almost hurt/insulted if we don’t… 
Is it a diesel, as it could be the DPF (diesel particulate filter) that’s blocked - this can happen if you do alot of shorter journey. The link gives a bit more info:
https://bmautomotivesolutions.co.uk/2020/05/07/bmw-dpf-blocked/
I learnt of this and now am able to force the DPF clean on my bmw through using a diagnostic tool on the phone, as I was hearing it was quite a common problem.
Thanks for this info but the car is petrol driven. We’ve owned this car since 2005 and we’ve done around 230,000 miles with no other major problems other than needing a new ECU about 10 years ago. We’ve had years of really good motoring not always at speed but with a lot of comfort. Our BMW main dealer/garage has always serviced the car and we’ve never had any problems with them in any way.
Ok understand - sounds like you’ve got a great car there - best of luck with getting it sorted out 
Sounds like it could be MAF mass airflow sensor, they become clogged as they age and draw in dirt etc.
Check youtube for how to clean, not difficult job.
I was reminded by my wife that just before we came to France in 2006, we had the car serviced and had a new battery. We didn’t need to replace this battery until last year. In all my years of driving cars, I’ve never had a battery that lasted that long!
@Corona - your point regarding the MAF was a consideration when I was wondering what the problem could be but realise that it was checked when we had the car serviced in November.
It was just an idea as that end of things can cause all sorts of problems. Even a small hole in the air pipe to the turbo after the MAF sensor can make them run badly.
If its a variable rate turbo, the vanes can get sticky but that normally puts the engine management light on and limp mode.
Cartezero.fr
It’s free, except when you draw cash, then they charge interest from the first day. You decide how much to pay each month with a minimum compulsory payment. You don’t have to open a bank account to get one
Ta Rachman, interesting. I may look a bit further when I get time, there is some terrible feedback on their customer service with some customers using very bad language. But it is nice to know there might be something out there