Sorry for the problems, but it's good to hear that things are on the mend!
As for the hire car, it could be worse... I once had a Nissan X-trail as a rental.
150 miles on the clock - so basically brand new, and absolutely everything rattled. Technically, it seemed ok, but was a bit big to park in the small spaces at work and it certainly gave the impression that the interior was held together behind the scenes with paper clips and high hopes.
Was certainly glad to get the MINI back a few days later!
All the best,
Andrew.