Brass is Best Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Would you ever let a Valet park your car? Have you ever let a valet park your car? I used to Valet in college and I would never allow a valet to park a collector car. I have seen too many things. Only once have I allowed a valet to park my everyday car and that was nerve racking. Anybody have any interesting stories? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) No. Even if I found them to be trustworthy, I think old cars - even as late as the fifties - are too unfamiliar to most folks. I would probably pay to see a valet try to drive a Model T, though, with it's manual spark advance and no gas pedal. 😄 Edited March 25, 2019 by JamesR (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Brass is Best said: ...I used to Valet in college and I would never allow a valet to park a collector car. I have seen too many things.... Do you mean letting a valet park a modern car, or a collector car? Andy, what have you seen? As a past valet, your experiences may be very enlightening to us! Edited March 25, 2019 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brass is Best Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 10 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said: Do you mean letting a valet park a modern car, or a collector car? Andy, what have you seen? As a past valet, your experiences may be very enlightening to us! I mean letting a valet park any car. I saw a lot of slipped clutches, and door dings. We had to park the cars in a old parking garage build in the 1920's. One night another valet took a high top conversion van into the garage and promptly wedged it under a beam. The manager always seemed to have a hard time getting sports cars to turn into the garage with out making a big loop around the block which included getting on and off of the freeway. Another Valet company which operated at the restaurant next door gave a Mercedes to the wrong customer one night. The customer decided not to say anything and drove it home. That mess was straightened out the following day with the help of Police. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 We went out to an expensive dinner in the '29 Cadillac last summer and I just rolled up to the valet stand and we got out like it was totally normal. The valets (one male one female) didn't even try to get in the car, they just said, "Is that a stick shift? You should probably park this yourself," and pointed me towards a spot right in front. I don't know what I expected--if the kid had climbed in ready to go, I probably would have watched until he made a mistake or until he parked it successfully. It's not like he can really hurt the car or the mechanicals, but the problem wasn't the car's age, it was the fact that it had a clutch... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 No..at least not an old car. I doubt anyone would want to go on a joy ride on my 19-year old Bravada. But, the chances of my going to anywhere with valet parking are about nil so I will not have to think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Not a valet parking guy but I watched a mechanic nearly drive my 55 Buick off an alignment rack because he put the shift selector where it normally goes in a newer car and stepped on the gas without visually checking for "R'................Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Yes, we go to the Mayo Clinic often with a fairly low mile 07 Buick. Never had any problem of any kind. No tipping is allowed. I wouldn't turn my Vette much less a collector car over to a person who is unfamiliar with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.Boland Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 No ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 I have had valets park pretty much all of my modern cars for the past 25 years but I would never even consider allowing a valet to park one of my 60's cars or my classic cars. In 2006 we took our Pierce to the National Pierce Arrow Society meet held in Oregon. Back then it was illegal to pump your own fuel. We put over 300 miles on the car during various tours and not once did a gas station attendant even attempt to pump gas for us. Every last one just told us they didn't want to mess anything up and told us to pump out own gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 8 minutes ago, zepher said: I have had valets park pretty much all of my modern cars for the past 25 years but I would never even consider allowing a valet to park one of my 60's cars or my classic cars. In 2006 we took our Pierce to the National Pierce Arrow Society meet held in Oregon. Back then it was illegal to pump your own fuel. We put over 300 miles on the car during various tours and not once did a gas station attendant even attempt to pump gas for us. Every last one just told us they didn't want to mess anything up and told us to pump out own gas. It is still the law in Oregon. The deal is that if you have a collector car or do not trust the attendant, you are free to pump your own gas....especially motorcycles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 16 minutes ago, J.H.Boland said: No ! There is no damage to the car. Believe none of what you here and half of what ya see. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 I would not want a valet parking my hobby cars but I have no problem with the dailies. My current vehicle is a Dodge Durango SRT with 475 hp, it has a "valet" drive mode setting that you can activate with a PIN, cuts the horsepower down and eliminates first gear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Once let a valet park my model A Ford. Never knew the grinding of gears was so loud outside the car! He had a good time though.(1960's) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcarnut Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 We had a 2009 Sonata with a five speed manual we just sold a few weeks ago. Valeted several times at events my wife had to do in Cincinnati over the years and was surprised how they always had someone who could drive a stick. Of my eleven collector cars, I would let them valet my 67 Camaro as it is a PowerGuide and plenty of old door dings as it has only been partially restored. My wife and I drive it a couple times a year to our work parking garages downtown. I drove it yesterday to a club lunch and don't worry about where I park it. I probably will never fixed the door dints and rust in the front fender because it is nice to have a couple cars I don't worry about. My 70 Vette is another driver quality one with a four speed I might consider Valeting. I have a 1911 Model T Ford and Matt has given me an idea to try this summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 If you can, get a peek behind the building before you go in. "Whoa, man, like that '60 Buick is bristling with all kinds of anti-theft devices." This brings back memories of the auction at Hershey when they had a couple of Duesenbergs that were coughing and belching up to the block in a cloud of smoke. I think that was also the year the young woman stalled the Bentley R type on the ramp. We figured that incident cost $10 to 15 K on the Bentley alone. Last time we went to a valet place the older man in charge spread his arms and guided us to a spot eight next to the entrance. We sat in the window overlooking our car. (can't find reverse on a Dynafow anyway) And 25 years ago I misplaced the key for my Riviera. The ignition was unlocked so it's fine. Gotta get a new one made someday. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 I once had a valet park my rustbucket 70 Olds. The latch on the driver's door was a bit persnickety, and after the car still hadn't appeared after a 5-minute wait, I went looking for it. The valet had his hands on the latch and his foot against the back door, pulling as hard as he could to get the door opened. I walked over, opened it with one hand, gave him a couple of bucks, and drove off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 1 hour ago, zepher said: I have had valets park pretty much all of my modern cars for the past 25 years but I would never even consider allowing a valet to park one of my 60's cars or my classic cars. Same here, I have had more damage done on my new cars that get serviced at the Cadillac Dealership then anywhere else, of course they deny it every time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 2 hours ago, Bhigdog said: Not a valet parking guy but I watched a mechanic nearly drive my 55 Buick off an alignment rack because he put the shift selector where it normally goes in a newer car and stepped on the gas without visually checking for "R'................Bob Ditto and when I was working in a GM dealership (1960's) they had backed a 98 Olds on to the front end machine to check something. The service salesman said he didn't trust the car jockey to drive off the machine so he jumped , put the car in "R" and backed the rest of the way in to the alignment pit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 I don't own any vehicles manufactured in this century, the 1999 Olds is my newest. If you gave me the keys to 12 cars in a parking garage I wonder how many I could move? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim65 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Being a little worried every time I have to leave my Buick in busy or unprotected situation , for instance when we go out for a meal or drink and car is not within my vision , I have found that the top hotels here in Cyprus love the opportunity to have Ruby parked in a prominent position , however most have a valet service , so reluctantly I have handed over keys . These hotels are also casinos and have many very rich punters visiting , so Ruby has been mixing with some high rollers , they have a private parking bay out front of one hotel and Ruby was nestled between New Ferrari and Lamborghini, I went to another hotel and valet took keys , when I came Ruby was parked on their forcourt , between the hotels two new bentleys they use for picking up their top clients . Valet must have been pretty good driver as access to forcourt was between two pillars hardly wider than Ruby or Bentley , haven’t risked that one since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 2 hours ago, TexRiv_63 said: My current vehicle is a Dodge Durango SRT with 475 hp, it has a "valet" drive mode setting that you can activate with a PIN, cuts the horsepower down and eliminates first gear! Interesting. With my daughter's used Toyota, one of the keys operated both the ignition and the trunk, but the other key wouldn't open the trunk, and we couldn't figure out why. The dealer service dept. said the second key was a valet key so they couldn't get into our trunk, which apparently happens. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 And, of course, if you use a valet there's always the sage advice to never set your car's GPS to "HOME" using your actual home address, just something near enough that you can get home from there. The idea being that the valet has your keys, possibly with your house keys on the ring, as well as your car. Your car's navigation system will give him step-by-step directions directly to your front door to which, of course, he has the keys. Plus he knows you're not home--you're at dinner and you'll probably be there for two hours or so. Does this actually happen? I don't know. I doubt it. But in this world of people being scared of putting their bank account info on wire transfers and hiding their license plates in photographs, I suppose it's one more thing to make us needlessly fearful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john hess Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Took wife's 2000 BMW z3 for touch up paint from door dings and also front air dam scuffs on bottom. Went to pick it up and service tech(valet) brought it around front and promptly pulled it up to the curb and did the same damage to the air dam that had just been repaired! No words spoken imediately... I just turned around and asked them to call me when it finished..... The 53 Pontiac is at another paint shop right now, don't think I will have someone move my cars again.... Ever 35 minutes ago, Pilgrim65 said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 56 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said: And, of course, if you use a valet there's always the sage advice to never set your car's GPS to "HOME" using your actual home address, just something near enough that you can get home from there. The idea being that the valet has your keys, possibly with your house keys on the ring, as well as your car. Your car's navigation system will give him step-by-step directions directly to your front door to which, of course, he has the keys. Plus he knows you're not home--you're at dinner and you'll probably be there for two hours or so. Does this actually happen? I don't know. I doubt it. But in this world of people being scared of putting their bank account info on wire transfers and hiding their license plates in photographs, I suppose it's one more thing to make us needlessly fearful. That's good advice regardless of where you park your car. If you leave it at the airport, it wouldn't take a guy very long to figure out where there's a house that might be empty for a while. My suggestion is to set your home location to a local grocery store or bar. The presumption, of course, is that you know how to make it home from there. Or maybe the bar really is your home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pfeil Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 NEVER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Cole Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Never seen a valet yet who knew how to start my 40 Buick, let alone drive it to a parking space. 🤔 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vila Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 The last time I had a valet attempt to park my manual transmission 2002 BMW Z3 it was in exactly the same location when I picked it up as when I dropped it off. No one responsible for parking cars at the hotel new how to drive a manual transmission. At least they were not dumb enough to try and drive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 2 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: I suppose it's one more thing to make us needlessly fearful. As long as the topic mentions keys, does anyone know who Hotkeys1997 on Ancestry.com is? Whoever they are they are one of a whole bunch of possible cousins of mine whom won't put their real name on the thing. My Wife bought me one of those spit kits for Christmas but most of the matches are pseudonyms and I can't make heads nor tails out of who they are. Talk about your fear of being identified. Ancestry.com has to be the pinnacle. If those dining places are local the GPS thing may not be necessary for the crooks. One night while we were at dinner with the '60 Buick the car must have been spotted and recognized. We never got into locking the house. (If friends or relatives stopped by and were locked out we'd feel bad). Anyway, we got home and there was a $5 bill on the kitchen table. Neither of us left it there. Later we figured someone saw the car in town, knew we were away, and came in to rob us. After looking around they just threw the fin on the table and left. Figured we needed it more than them. I guess that's an example of needless fear. Bernie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Down here in Southern Florida it’s common to see a sign at the valet desks that reads.......... If you car is valued at more than $500,000 dollars, please park it yourself. Recently I took a customer car up to the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach........a “big boy toy” and pulled it up to the valet. They declined to park it, gave me a very nice spot in front of the hotel, but asked for the keys once it was parked. I gave them the normal tip, I did all the work, but they kept an eye on it while I was inside. Im not sure there is a valet anywhere that can drive a early car and get it in a spot without great difficulty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Like a valet could figure out how to run some of them - you just do 20 to 50 plus steps and off it goes right ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 A friend in LA drive Model A Fords - one for everyone in their family (for really hot days they also have a Shay with A/C and and for a big trip they have a 1935 w/add on a/c) - they say perfect car for LA and say usually valets let them part right by the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Not a lot to start my '60 Electra, but they are pretty amazed when I show them the voice control start feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 9 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: Not a lot to start my '60 Electra, but they are pretty amazed when I show them the voice control start feature. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 I had a Honda S2000 6 speed. We went to a Christmas party at a realtors once. He invites everyone he sold a house to that year. So he had the local high school kids parking cars. No cost but all tips were going towards the band trip, so i felt obliged to use them. The first kid got in and the look on his face was priceless, he quickly got out and said he couldn’t reach the pedals! He gave the keys to another kid, again the look of dread. He got out and as the third kid started to get in he saw it was a stick, he turned to another band member and said “It’s a stick”. The girl he said it to took the keys jumped in and took off to park the car. When we came out to leave, she saw me and said she would go get the car. She brought it around and as she got out said “What a sweet ride, I’ve got to get one of these someday” ! I’ll never forget the guys looking at her in total disbelief. Dave S 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcarnut Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 14 hours ago, SC38DLS said: I had a Honda S2000 6 speed. We went to a Christmas party at a realtors once. He invites everyone he sold a house to that year. So he had the local high school kids parking cars. No cost but all tips were going towards the band trip, so i felt obliged to use them. The first kid got in and the look on his face was priceless, he quickly got out and said he couldn’t reach the pedals! He gave the keys to another kid, again the look of dread. He got out and as the third kid started to get in he saw it was a stick, he turned to another band member and said “It’s a stick”. The girl he said it to took the keys jumped in and took off to park the car. When we came out to leave, she saw me and said she would go get the car. She brought it around and as she got out said “What a sweet ride, I’ve got to get one of these someday” ! I’ll never forget the guys looking at her in total disbelief. Dave S This reminds me of the young 25 year old lady I just sold the 2009 Sonata 5 Speed to last month. Her Dad came with her to look at it and he drove it first. She was next and I was ready for some jerky shifting. She was very smooth and much better than my wife who had been driving stick for 30 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr. Buick Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 I always eye a good spot when pulling in, visible but out of harm's way, and offer the suggestion, "How about I just park it over there?" And it works ever time. If they ask for the keys, I tell them, "If you can start it and work the transmission... You do know how to start it, don't you?" And that ends the request. The quirks of a Buick with Dynaflow and the old starter in the gas pedal are handy deterrents. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 For me it is simple, if the car I am driving has a fobic (remote key entry or RKE) I flip it to the valet. If not (older cars) park it myself. Took a friend to the Breakers last year (she wanted to see it). Lunch was near a double Benjamin. I prefer the Colony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 I have never been anyplace so fancy as to have valet parking. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarFreak Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 On 3/25/2019 at 1:36 PM, John348 said: Same here, I have had more damage done on my new cars that get serviced at the Cadillac Dealership then anywhere else, of course they deny it every time Recently had to drop off my new pcup @ the dealer for a service adjustment and they were providing a loaner. The Service Writer walked around their new truck to show me no damage. Un huh, and let's walk around MY truck and I'll show you that it has no damage. Fortunately, the mechanic was a very good friend of my son and he took good care of the truck. Even diagnosed that it needed a new battery @ 2 1/2 yrs old and 35k miles. Good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now