Confessions of a parking valet - Never leave a car with them except rentals.

[bla_bla]

Notably, most valets won't show annoyance or anger the customer. "First and easiest, we'll take a long time to bring your car up, and we're not going to take the time to put your seat and mirrors back the way they were. But I have known valets who lower tire pressures, change climate and radio settings, or intentionally ding the door or scrape paint in a place where it's not easily noticed. There's nothing better than getting your revenge and getting them to tip you, too."

When you're not around to see it, there's a lot valets do:

- Blast the stereo and change the radio stations: "Any time that I have a car with a good stereo in it, I take an extra minute to check out the sound quality. I also change the satellite radio station, but I almost always change it back."

- Speed in a parking structure or on the street while driving to a lot: "We once had a running contest going to see who could get the fastest top speed inside the hotel parking structure. I set the record with a 55-mph run in a Porsche 996 GT2."

- Rev the engines of performance cars: "I can't help revving up the engines of the cool cars I get to park. My favorite was a Lamborghini Gallardo. I drove it straight to the top floor and called all of my friends in my phonebook. I said, 'Guess what I'm driving!' then stuck the phone out the window and revved the engine. Heck, I even called my parents and did that."

- Drift: "After our parking garage is cleaned, we have to re-park all of the cars back in the structure. Of course, having an empty, wet parking structure just begs for a little hoonage. I take every rear-wheel-drive rental car and find out how well they drift going up the structure. Surprisingly, the Chrysler Crossfire does a great job. Gotta love rental cars; they take the most abuse."

- Go through the customer's property: "Though I personally never rifled through anyone's belongings, I hear plenty of, 'You should have seen what I found in this person's car' while we're standing around waiting for cars to pull in."

With all these shenanigans happening with your car, is the management aware? "Our manager doesn't know about most of this stuff," Mark admits, "but he helps cover up our mistakes sometimes. He always keeps a container of rubbing compound and wax in the office in case there's a scrape. We'll clean and buff the affected areas and pray the customers don't notice. Most of the time, they don't. I have seen managers rub out many small scrapes and never report the incident."

[bdfcorrado]

man you suck at life!!! keep it to yourself jackass.

[mistral938]

Where is this from? I'd like to read the whole article.

[mk4_2.ho]

man you suck at life!!! keep it to yourself jackass.

dude, i think it's an excerpt from a longer article. calm yourself.

fwiw, most valet places are now cracking down on stuff like that, valets are easily replaceable.

[jettafan[atic]]

I'm almost positive this is taken directly from an edmunds.com article.

Shame on you for two reasons:

1. The article is old, like really old.
2. You didn't cite where you got it from, give credit where credit is due.

Edit: BOOM! http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/dri...6/article.html

Edmunds.com, Confessions of a Parking Valet, Date Posted 02-12-2009 which in internet years is older than my grandpa.

Son, I am disappoint.

[what]

Confessions of people with no regard for the property and (potential) hard work of others.

[chocolatecamil]

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...-Parking-Valet

[CSmith]

Here's something more original:

bla_bla car lounge nOOb
bla_bla don't get a big 'tude
copy paste no good

[strskatr05]

I hate this crap. I used to valet and never did any of that ****. I would never want anyone to do it to my car so why in Hell would I do it to theirs?

[ZPrime]

Honestly, several of those things I wouldn't really care if they did.

I don't keep anything of value in my car that's not attached to it. Maybe my 120GB mini HD for music, but that's about it. Search my **** all you want, nothing fun for you. Makes you a rude arsehole, but yeah. Plus, there's this thing called the "valet key" that nobody ever uses...

Revving the engine doesn't hurt the car. There's a rev limiter for a reason.

Driving it fast down the street? Again, as long as you don't hit something, why do I care? It's a car. You get pulled over in it and it's your ticket/license, not mine.

I don't know why the hell they'd intentionally damage cars unless the customer is being an arse to the valet. I always tip valets fairly and am courteous to them. {shrug}

[Impeccable]

valets are easily replaceable.

I worked for valet many years and not true, Many trainee valets were very slow inefficient whiners that would think i was trying to rip them off because I was friendly with alot of the regular customers.

[unimogken]

I hate this crap. I used to valet and never did any of that ****.

I think only trolls do it!

[Chris Stack]

I was a valet for ~6 months in college at a lower-end restaurant in a nice area. For maybe the first two weeks, it was "OMG awesome I get to drive these cars!!!" After that, all we were concerned with was parking quickly and getting back to whatever we were talking about at the valet stand. If your car was under $100k, we'd parked a dozen that week and didn't get excited about it. 911s, Jags, MB, BMWs, whatever, I'm not going joyriding because I don't care that much.

[compy222]

i can't believe this hasn't been posted yet:

[patrikman]

i can't believe this hasn't been posted yet:

I used to have a gif of that but I lost it.

[pdxbora]

I hate this crap. I used to valet and never did any of that ****. I would never want anyone to do it to my car so why in Hell would I do it to theirs?

i was a valet, too, and being a huge car enthusiast it was one of my most favorite jobs i've ever had. all the OP accomplishes here is to make life more difficult for honest valets who can appreciate a great car while respecting the owner and the profession.

[A Gruesome Time]

Working as a valet at many of Atlanta's finer dining establishments I came to the conclusion that it really just depends on the parking company. The company I worked for was a class act I've driven everything from Maybachs to a Ferrari F50 and F40 in the same night, and I never messed around with cars. When you regularly drive cars that cost more than most houses, you learn to be very careful of what you do in other peoples cars. I usually just know my companies... Like B&H I will let park my car, bur I would never let APA park it. The company name is usually clearly marked on the parking sign and ticket.

[Impeccable]

Plus, there's this thing called the "valet key" that nobody ever uses...

Revving the engine doesn't hurt the car. There's a rev limiter for a reason.

Driving it fast down the street? Again, as long as you don't hit something, why do I care? It's a car. You get pulled over in it and it's your ticket/license, not mine.

I don't know why the hell they'd intentionally damage cars unless the customer is being an arse to the valet. I always tip valets fairly and am courteous to them. {shrug}

LoL, Alot of people seemed to give me all the vehicles keys(that coem with the car from the factory) I'd get alot of people with the 2 regular keys and the valet key on the key chain.

Cool customers as yourself I'd keep up front even if you didnt tip me upfront.

[atomicalex]

The valets who don't know that there are only four possible positions for reverse are the ones I like best.

"Uh ma'am, you car is right up front there. We need you to back it out of the spot it's in."
"Thanks, honey! I love it when you don't put any miles on!"

[BooberC2S]

I was a valet of and on for several years and learned one valuable lesson-money talks. Tip early, tip often. If you want to be a cheapskate of if you are worried that they will mistreat your vehicle, park the damn thing yourself!

[P-Body]

I was a valet of and on for several years and learned one valuable lesson-money talks. Tip early, tip often. If you want to be a cheapskate of if you are worried that they will mistreat your vehicle, park the damn thing yourself!

And when there's no other option? We stayed at a hotel in Quebec City a few months ago where this was the case. Luckily, I didn't need my car all week, but when the option is valet ONLY, well that pisses me off. Trust me, I don't like giving ANY car to valet parking - except for my old company cars.

[Lexi]

Note to self: Next valet I see , sucker punch him in the face. Then leave a note on his body with URL pointing to this thread with the words below the link :

"Now we're even".


jk

I don't ever valet park for this reason, heck I hate taking my car to the dealer.

[ordpetegti]

I was a young kid once. that's why I never valet park. One of my friends was a valet for years. That is another reason no one touches my car. I want it to run right when I get it back. If there is no other option, like at strip clubs, I find a different lot.

[Impeccable]

The valets who don't know that there are only four possible positions for reverse are the ones I like best.

"Uh ma'am, you car is right up front there. We need you to back it out of the spot it's in."
"Thanks, honey! I love it when you don't put any miles on!"

I would have the opposite people telling me ohhh this car is so complicated can I park myself, meanwhile its an S550 /ML columnn shift automatic pos or a prius . I would have to tell them its ok I can handle i

[Impeccable]

I was a valet of and on for several years and learned one valuable lesson-money talks. Tip early, tip often. If you want to be a cheapskate of if you are worried that they will mistreat your vehicle, park the damn thing yourself!

Good idea, but park the thing in the street Nothing was more annoying than "i can do it myself " "ive been driving for xx years" and then they would park crooked or take up 2 spots.


Or idiots would do this leave it sticking out way too far (lot I worked in was very narrow so all space is necessary to let limos tour buses in).

[stolenface]

I've never even been somewhere with valet parking.

[BRealistic]

I will avoid a business if I have to use valet parking to be their customer.

[Impeccable]

I will avoid a business if I have to use valet parking to be their customer.

So if its your buddys wedding you wont show up because they have mandatory valet and no street parking available

[blaizefed]

I was a valet in high school, and for the most part that article is accurate. I would NEVER valet a car I cared about. Rentals? have at it, I am prob abusing it too, but not my own car. The stuff I saw happen was actually a fair bit worse than what he said. Loads of theft, sleeping in cars with the engine running (for A/C), tons of accidents that the owner is not told about, ect. Not so much abuse of sports cars because we all knew the owner would actually care about it, but we would POUND on the rentals (4d escorts catch air the best on parking garage ramps, FYI).

And if you owned a Merc 300 sl and parked at the Sheraton in New Orleans around 1994-5, that massive dent in the right door did not actually happen at dinner. That's why I opened the door to let your wife in. Sorry.

[BRealistic]

So if its your buddys wedding you wont show up because they have mandatory valet and no street parking available

Then I'll hitch a ride with somebody else.

[Papanicola]

I used to have a gif of that but I lost it.

Ask and you shall receive

[mujjuman]

I used to valet and I did none of those.

[Bayer-GTi]

I let them park my truck in Vegas.. Not worried about it. Not much in there of any interest.. I normally put my iPod in the glove box. If it's missing, it's their a$$. My truck is kind of a POS, not worried about it.

[Impeccable]

And if you owned a Merc 300 sl and parked at the Sheraton in New Orleans around 1994-5, that massive dent in the right door did not actually happen at dinner. That's why I opened the door to let your wife in. Sorry.

I had a Fence/garbage bulk container door that the idiot kitchen staff didnt lock and it slammed right into the passenger door of a customers car. When he came out I told him what happened and he told me he would try to buff it out. I gave him a business card and told him to call management if it didnt come out he was a happy camper.

Better to just be honest besides its not like you would be footing the bill for the repair, thats what the valet company insurance is for.