I NEVER liked the idea of valet. Have some stranger drive your car and park it somewhere you don't know about? Then you have to tip them too?! I don't think so. I rather park and walk.

I went snowboarding a few months back (not driving my car of course) and in the tight parking lot there was a brand new M5 with no license plates wedged in between two cars.

Lots of interesting tips and funny posts guys.

 

I made the mistake one time in my life (at 18) letting a valet park my brand new car. When me and the girl friend arrived at the lot to get my car, I could hear the guy over-revving the engine while he rode the clutch to get up an incline BECAUSE THE IDIOT HAD THE TRANNY IN 3RD GEAR!!

I swore, never again and that's just how it's been. Never again will a valet park my machine. Rental yes (and I've done this), but NOT mine.

 

And rightly so, see this thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ht=valet+crash

 

fellow TL'ers , PLEASE, PLEASE, please........

PLEASE

don't take up 2 parkin spaces.

I would be so disapointed if I saw a fellow TL'er taking up 2 spaces, and while I would spare an Acura, but any other car taking up 2 spaces, and my fellow juvenile delinquent's , most almost definnitely, do something stupid.

ESPECIALLY if you are taking up one of the spots CLOSE to something, and ESPECIALLY if there are no spots remaining.

my favorite thing to do in my old jeep, was if i am trying to park at a sporting event, and there are NO spots left, and some ass-hole was taking up 2 spots, if it was humanly possible for me to fit between him and the car next to him in the 3rd spot. I would squeeze my car in there, and block his drivers door.

I found this hillarious, and my car was never vandalized because of it.

In the TL, I wouldn't even think of doing this. I park the TL miles away from everyone, but like it has been posted before, people tend to flock towards me after i've parked.

 

I thought if you Rhino Line the outside you will become indestructible....

 

Man you are spot on.. that is B-A-D!! And the manager blamed him!!??!!

Thing is, when you turn over your keys to a parking lot attendant, THEY immediately assume liability of your vehicle REGARDLESS of any sign which may be posted to the opposite. It's called "bailment" and it makes them liable for any damage, theft, or other malmadies which might befall your vehicle. The reason is the fact you turned over your keys.

Another case where this would present itself is if you park the car yourself and retain the keys, but the lot is locked and or gated, and under guard. Again, bailment.

 

Door dings and scratches are inevidable but there are some common sense things you can do to reduce the chances of getting them:

Park on the right side of cars as opposed to the left if you can - Every car has a driver that opens his or her door raising the possibility of a ding. Not all cars will have a passenger so the right door won't be opened.

I avoid parking next to cars with big, long doors like 2-door coupes.

I avoid parking next to cars with big, long doors and/or SUVs that look like kids are passengers. Kids tend to swing car doors open wildly.

I avoid parking in "compact" stalls if possible - less room.

I avoid parking where there are any shopping carts nearby or downhill from any nearby shopping carts.

I tend to park in areas where there are many open spaces, leaving at least several spaces open that are closer to the stores so drivers that arrive after me will fill those spots as opposed to right next to me.

If you have a choice between angles parking stalls and straight ones, go for the angles ones.

 

I park towards the back of the lot. I normally take the corner spot so I can park my TL further away from the only available spot. I also dont park next to fucked up cars or cars that are worth less than my TL (if possible). I stay away from cars with baby seats (those people concentrate on buckling up their lil nasties an loose track of their doors). I know I can avoid all dings but I try to minizine the opportunities.

 

So one time my friend tries to park farther away you know cuz he just got his new 2nd Gen TL. He goes to 24 hours fitness parks hella far. While he's in the gym workin' out, a voice comes over the PA and says "WIll the owner of a white Acura with license number balh blah blah blah blah, please come see us at the front desk..." He goes up there to find that his car has been hit! Some dude apparently left his pick up parked in neutral and on a slanted (hilly) sorta parking lot. his pick up barrels down the lot jumps like two planters and also changes direction (b/c of hitting and skipping over things), goes through two rows of parked cars (right where the gaps are), and ends up smacking the back of my friend's TL, parked all by it's lonesome out in the boondocks of the parking lot. Ass to ass. hahaha.. just goes to show ya.. you never know.

 

OMG, I see that everyday too and shake my head......usually on a BMW

 

I see that on a lot of Audi's too.

 

in my school people who took up two spots would get keyed automatically... since parking was so scare at Rutgers University, we needed every spot available and more.... u got these riced out civics taking two spots, eventually campus police just started ticketing them...

with the gas prices these days, it encourages me not to even look for a close spot... as soon as i pull into the lot, i start looking for empty spot towards the back but i leave 2 spots from the furthest car... parking totally away from everyone may invite carjacking or even theft like others have said...

 

I always park my car AWAY from everyone else...my wife thought I was crazy for a little while, then someone backed into the bumper in a parking lot after SHE had parked it in a crowded garage. Now, I'm not crazy!

 

The worst place to park, IMO, is any hardware store parking lot. Try to observe people's behaviour in a Home Depot parking lot. Not to say that all contractors are this way, but several that I have seen in Home Depot parking lots are very careless, especially whatever they are driving is something that they beat up on a daily basis to carry concrete, wood, and what not. Case in point:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e22/khiyal/Car.jpg

... and while we are at it, here is someone's take on car security:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e22/khiyal/car2.jpg

 

Man I love that first pic. Hard to believe. Isn't it?????

 

Specifically, when you notice that there is 'actually' a lady inside the car, presumably sleeping. (or at least I think it is a human in the front seat)

 

everytime i go anywhere too now i tend to look at the farthest spot possible. my girlfriends hates it and i offer her to drop her off at the front door but she hates being dropped off. now i think she is gettin used to it and doesnt complain anymore, now she kinda helps me find a spot where door dings are less likely to occur.

 

I park as far away as possible...sometimes I take up two spots...2 years and not one dent, ding, or scratch.

 

Guys, do you think that because we're worry too much, it will eventually happen to us? lol Anyway, I'm still worry whenever I park next to an old pick-up or van ....
Do I need a sign in my car says: "NEW 06 TL - PLS DO NOT HIT ME" lol

 

there is only so much you can do. as long as you know you did the best you can. things are going to happen. just keep doing what your doing

 

my girl is still getting used to it. but she is starting to get better. currently i have the problem of being on the forum too much. she doesnt like that.

 

Tell her to get an account, and pm you about it.

 

I've been married for 24 years and have always "parked away" while the wife will cruise around a parking lot for five minutes in order to be close to the door - typical woman. I never get dings while her car looks like the surface of the moon.

That's why she srives an Odyssey and I drive a TL. I've told her I wouldn't "waste" a decent car on her. She has become so intimidated with getting a ding in the TL that, on the days I need the Ody, she would rather stay home than drive the TL to a mall.

It's absolutely moronic to me to drive around looking for a spot when it's probably quicker to park farther out. God forbid any of them get a little extra exercise walking!

gurney

 

Another tip: make sure you aren't downhill or downwind from a shopping cart or other object that could roll into your car. When I had my GS300 I went to the grocery store and did my typical park way out at the end of the lot. Unfortunately it was windy and rainy and some lazy ahole apparently just left their cart next to their vehicle and drove away. While I was in the store the wind blew the cart towards my car (which was slightly downhill) and left me with a decent sized dent and hairline scratch on the driver's side.

I always make it a point to move any carts that could possibly roll towards my car after I park, and I never just leave a cart next to my vehicle when I drive away.

 

oh man that's a great line

 

Join the club

 

The first car I ever owned (the one which the valet couldn't seem to find 1st gear). Well one day, I came out of a store and there was some woman loading groceries into her car and she had put a bag on my trunk (Corvairs had the trunk in the front). I quietly slipped into the car depressed the clutch, into reverse, then started the engine while giving a decent amount of throttle and letting the clutch out a bit. Grocery bag hits the parking lot, glass items break, crap all over the place, and I drive off smiling while she is cursing. TFB!

I also did this once at a dance club when two people were half sitting on my trunk (same car). Dumb people hitting the parking lot, falling all over themselves while I drove away.

Cars aren't sofas or chairs or tables. At least mine aren't. The way I see it, they invaded my property and were at my whim, deserving whatever I decided to serve them.

 

dont give me idea's ill get in trouble

 

I also like to find spots that are exposed only on one side. Be careful where there are curbs, though, because even though I don't have any door dings, I do have two badly scratched rims from brushing the curbs.

 

You need to make her understand that you have certain priorities. The TL, internet forums about the TL, then her.

I'm sure she'll understand...



And if she doesnt, you can always sleep in the TL. cant lose!

 

she is reading that right now and she is still slowly understanding. but its still a long time coming.

 

The only mistake you made here was you didn't roll over them as they lay on the pavement!

gurney,
Parking Lot Warrior

 

yea she is the same way. she doesn't really like it because i am always on here. she did open an account and she has a 1st gen tl but she is always on the 3rd gen forum.

 

Wow, that's awesome! Sounds like two moments that would've been great to have witnessed!!

 

Yeah, but then there's blood and paper work and if they don't die, emergency personnel. Just a general hassle.

 

I used to work with guy who was going into a grocery store while some nutso femini-nazi was coming out with her arms full of bags. As he held the door for her, she said something to the effect of, "I can get the door myself". He said, "Ok" and let the door go. The door wasn't quite working right and it slammer on herl knocking the bags out of her arms and to the walkway where a number of things broke.

Yep, she got what she deserved.

 

I park away from the building and everyone but somehow some jackass has to park next to me...out of their way! It's like people are out to annoy and scare me constantly and they just have to park right next to me wheren theres clearly 20 empty spaces around my car. Drives me nuts!

 

lol! pwned!

 

i try to park as close to a wall or a pole, you know, those with "excess" parking space around them? that way, even if the next car parks next to me, usually i have a buffer of about a few inches between my door fully open and where that potential car may be parked in the next slot.

though i agree these are unavoidable because there will always be people who dont give a crap about other people's cars, i try to help the situation by giving the potential next car to mine enough room.