Manhattan 2004/5 TL drivers, (or other large cities such as Chicago, SF, LA, etc...), where do you park?

I primarily drive in Manhattan and I see a lot of people park using the "touch method" where they'd parallel park by softly "bumping" your car. I don't have my TL yet, but I would be so angry if anyone scratched the front and back of my car. I've read about Acura's great TL sales, but I've only seen one TL parallel parked in Manhattan (where are the NYC TLs??). Do you all park in garages and pay the $20+??? Those parking garage fees add up!

 

why do you buy sucha nice car if you know you will subject it to this type of damage????????????????????

 

I parked in the $30+ garage (including pre-tips and tips) each time in my first 3 months' ownership. Now, I park wherever I could get the spot. It ain't the new bike anymore...

 

Um, I live in Chicago... and my TL ain't no Ferrari... I park wherever the heck I find the first parking spot....

Bumpers were made for a reason, and it's just a car, it can be fixed, painted .... but a good parking spot ... priceless.

 

and u won't feel anything for paying extra money on it, right?

let me think, umm... 200 bux? 300 bux?

 

Well, parking in a garage everyday's pretty pricey too. So you can either pay to park in a garge, which will probably add up to more than the possible cost of repairs in the end from parking on the street or in a public lot. And I do stress the word possible. You're not going to get a ding everytime you park your car.

I'll be the first to admit, that I was distraught when I found my car's first dent though. But in the end, you just have to realize it's inevitable. And rocks flying at you on the freeway isn't fun either. It's a car, stuff's going to happen no matter how much you look after it.

And sorry to burst everyone's bubble, TL is NOT the nicest car ever made. It's fun, but there's a lot more expensive cars that you could probably have a easier time justifying the price of parking your vehicle in a garage.

 

agreed, the TL is NOT the nicest car out there, its categorized as a near luxury sports sedan.

However, it's much more expensivie than an economy car (such as civic or camry) which would suit all your travel needs, and get you to point a and b.

with that being said, that's why i wonder why people buy such nice cars full knowing they are going to get banged up in an urban environment

 

I live in NJ, however, go into NYC pretty often. I've parked my TL on the street, but I'm really picky about the spot. Meaning it can't be too tight, are the cars I'm between nice so hopefully they'll respect my car as much as I do mine, etc. Because of this I usually end up parking in a garage and paying the $30.

 

I work in downtown DC and pay $230 a month to park in my office building's garage. Parking on the streets is impossible due to the need to go out and move the car every two hours (if you feed the meter, you get a ticket, as my former secretary learned the hard way--DC parking enforcement is really strict).

 

I have a parking spot in the indoor garage in the building where I live. Ironically the cars I've had have never been scraped when I've parked on the street, but someone scraped my Accord's bumper on two different occasions doing a 3-point turn (probably did it in 2-points ) in my garage. So far my TL is pristine.

I never let the garage valet park my car, but in a commercial garage you have to turn it over to them, so that's another consideration. Just listen to the sound of screeching breaks while you're standing in a garage! That's the sound of valet parking.

You're never safe from bad drivers.

 

I drive to Manhattan and Flushing a lot and I park in garages. I usually park in garages where they let you park yourself. I know it's just a car. A car is to be driven. Scratches, dings are going to happen sooner or later.
I'm afraid to parallel park my TL in Chinatown or Flushing. It doesn't matter if you park in back or in front of a nice expensive car. I always see expensive luxury cars parallel parked in Chinatown and Flushing. A few weeks ago I saw a E55 AMG parallel parked in Chinatown with the rear bumper all scratched up. There was some scratches on the front bumper also.

 

"touch method"??? what the hell is that?

if som1 did this "touch method" and took off, thats called a hit and run buddy.

i try to park on the ends of therow in parking spots. so at least one side is safe. i also try to park next to my friends when i have a chance. that way, one side 'should' be safe

 

Wow that is cheap...SF I pay $165 a month

 

get used to it. no one respects anything in NYC. for example. look at my bumper

 

i went into to manhattan jus this week..i parked on 66th n lexanton b/w a ML350 n C230..had no probs..but i do know how u feel..honostly if u can find a decent garage with a good monthly fee go for it..think of the time n hassal of finding a spot u will save..plus nothing is better that oem...i'd hate to say my was repainted here n there when come to sell it....good luck

 

i used to live in NYC and my building was 400+ a month for a spot

 

I think he meant $30+ a day not monthly. Monthly in NYC will run you anywhere from $300-$400 and up. It is just crazy. I'm glad my building only charges $125. Not cheap but definitely not that bad.

 

Maybe he's shopping for spare parts

 

I have assigned parking at work, but at nite the TL sleeps on the street in Lincoln Park. I park one block North of our condo because there are less houses on there and the street does not get as crowded. There are $40-60K cars parked on the street FYI.

 

I live in a medium sized where parking is not really a problem and am usually able to park away from other cars.
Recently, I had my 05 TL NBP parked safely at home in the garage while a contractor was working on the outside of the house. The contractor managed to scratch my front and back bumper while briefly coming inside my garage to pick up some material that was kept there.
The plain truth is most people just don't give a shit about other people's
cars. I don't want any scratches on my car and it pisses me off when people just don't pay attention to what they are doing.
To properly get the scratches repaired will cost $600 (refinish both bumpers).

 

The health and welfare of my car FAR exceeds my desire for convenience. Therefore, I do to great pains and lengths to make sure I find the "right" spot to leave it. On days when weather is not friendly (like snow today) or when I have to go out for something during lunch (like yesterday), my TL stays at home in my garage and I take my trusty Ford Ranger pickup. My car comes first.

 

I used to go to columbia, and theres 6 hour street metered parking available around there where the spaces are plenty big. Theres also some streets that have free parking in the area but the spots may be tighter. Anyways, the upper west side might have some parking that fits your criteria. Thats one "cheap/free" parking option. Garage parking everyday in manhattan is probably not cost feasible. If you live in the city, why not take the train to work? If you live outside, find a good place outside and take a train in.

 

Maybe I can afford it. Have a nice day!

 

My TL is my daily driver, I have a 738rwhp 1998 Formula that runs low 10's that gets special treatment.

 

my Tl is my daily driver, I have a 1981 Buick Century that gets most of my lovin' on the weekends... oooh yeah, 143hp!!!

 

In the garage in my building for $290/month (cheap for Manhattan).
Unfortunately, it's not self park. YUCK........

That's why I had to ding proof to the max. Rets has seen my car 1st hand and definitlely agrees with the extent of my protection work.

Rear Bumper:




Fender Wells:



PLUS:
Custom 3M door edge guards and 3M Paint Protection Film on the Body Side mouldings.....Pics to Follow......

 

Company has a garage in DC for us....decent size spaces too.....Guess I should be thankful......its free for employees.......

 

I parked on 1st ave & 56 street, while the wife and I were having dinner. Finding the parking spot was tough and the worst park was that a Navigator (with tow hitch) was right in front of me and it was a very tight spot. I was somewhat nervous during the entire dinner. Normally, I would not be so nervous, but my TL was only 2 weeks old. As the car ages, I know that I will not think twice about parking in the city. My $0.02.

 

For sure, your car is better than I'd expect. Those protections seem to work well in this lousy city. While tons of ppl using that "touching method"(bumping the cars in the front and in the back to squeeze itself into the tiny spot) to do the parallel parking, you would wonder there is no way to protect your car's bumpers. However, DMZ apparently gets the good deal with his car.

 

I know the TL isn't the nicest car, and of course scratches and dings happen.. . I'm just saying, it's not a good feeling to see people try to parallel park and softly bump the car ahead of them and behind them.

ayethetiense, yes, the "touch method" is common in cities like nyc or chicago. I see it everyday, especially in Flushing and Chinatown. I don't think CA has this issue as much.

I was also talking to a friend who parks in a garage, and he caught a parking attendant taking the car for a spin after he parked. Not just around the block, but they added 10 miles to the car. It happens to any car, not just the TL.

 

What did your friend do about it? If that was my car, it might have easily been the last time that attendant ever got behind the wheel of ANY car. But then again, I tend to give off a DON'T F..K WITH ME look.

 

I had to drive to work one Saturday and the garage in my office building was full (it charges $45 a day). So, I had to park in a garage half one block away (East 60th and 5th Ave) right off Central Park and the Plaza Hotel (it charges $60). Parking fees in NYC are ridiculous. Thank goodness my firm picked up the tab that time.

Like many of you, I hate leaving my keys with valets. They don't really care about your cars, and they drive them like race cars in the parking lot. Usually, I just tip them and tell them I will park my own car.

 

My employer pays my deck parking in a Birmingham "playing chicken" deck with 2-way traffic. I park on the right side of a row of cars because there will only be cars to my left, and assuming no passengers, no one will open their right door into my car.

We pay $75/month for these spaces. I usually have to go almost to the roof to get a suitable spot. My previous car (Toyota Sienna) got at least 2 dings (one with red paint to boot) from neighboring cars.

I suspect I will get more lenient as time goes by, but hey, my car's only 2 weeks old!

 

He complained to the management and they said they will repremand the attendant. Not sure what happened after that, but I would be sure that attendant will never drive my car again...

 

I live in a townhouse community and park in front of my house. The house next to mine has been empty for the past 5 years ( I have no idea why the dude doesn't rent it?) so I have no neighbor to me on my left. So that works out great. I just slide the TL over a little more towards the empty house. At work, I have to park in a busy parking lot. But I get there early and park directly next to the handicapped spot. The spot is used probably half the time as usual spots. My asst. usually gets in right after me and parks on the other side of my car to protect it. Good asst! When in the city, I look for other expensive cars and park near those.

 

This kinda sounds stupid, but I park my car at work parking lot, and take my Accord back home at night. My both MDX and TL are there.

Why da hell do I do this? well... I've seen few cars that are being banged, jacked in middle of the night.

One time a DUI truck drive hit a lady, rolled X5 on its side, and hit 12 parked on the side of the street. Right in front of my Apt. and walked away like nothing happened.

I later followed that mofo and cops took him in.