How To Valet - An Etiquette Question

In short, I wonder how parking is done for the upper class cars. Here's what I mean: Basically, I had a 944, and then a 951, and I am currently looking for a 996. I have never had a car which really warrented being "left out front" of the hotel, or resturant instead of parked in some lot or garage. The valet drivers, always leave the nice ones out front. I don't really think my old 944 or 951 would have deserved that sort of treatment. However, I do plan on buying a 996 and that will be getting 1st class everything all the way. I am wondering, when you go to a fancy resturant, or a hotel, how do you talk to the valet about how you want you car cared for? Do you instruct them to leave it out front and not to park it someplace else? Do you pay extra for this? What's typically done here when you own a high end automobile?

I don't do valet. If it's valet only, I still park it.

Generally I've never said anything to them ... they want to park nice cars up front ...Good for business? May be it cuts there liability having them in plain view.

I avoid it if at all possible,talk to a couple ex-valets !

I try to avoid it as well, but if I'm taking the wife out for dinner, we usually valet - the car always winds up out front. I also normally give him a few bucks up front and say "please take car of the car" Then I tip again when I leave - expensive, I know, but so is super unleaded and synthetic motor oil...

I never use the valet services in my 911. If they insist, I'll drive them along and park it where they tell me to else I'll leave (and later make it clear to the establishment why I left). However, I do ask first if I can have my car parked up front, less chance of any damage when it's in plain sight. Typically a little "grease" in the palm of the valet and I can park my car anywhere I want. Please be sauve, be prepared ahead of time with the "grease". As you start to talk to the valet, offer to shake their hand and pass along your token of appreciation. This has never failed for me from Spanish Bay to the Carnelian Room. BTW, this just embarasses the hell out of my wife, especially if we pull up with the top down and have to go through the "top up" scenario before I engage the valet. Funny story, I arrived at a local brewpub (BJ's Brewhouse) that only has valet parking. A pimply faced 16 year old valet walked up. I told him that there was "no way on God's green earth that he was going to park my car." In a pre-pubescent cracking voice he answered "Oookay!". What were they thinking when they hired this crew?

I would be afraid to offend the valet, however, as I don't want him thinking I'm an a--hole and slamming someone elses's door into mine as he parks someone elses car next to me. It's kind of like offending your waiter before you have your food. I don't want to worry about whether he spit in my salad.

You say, "No offense, but I prefer to park the car that I have worked my **** off for and love dearly." A little palm grease and every valet I have ever dealt with nicely tells me to leave it right in front in open view. It's never a hassle if you're not an ****.

Hahaha - so true. If your new 996 is a worthy example, he'll take care of you, 'cause he knows Porsche drivers will typically tip more than Camry drivers. No worries.

I just toss 'em the keys.

Depending upon where you live the 996 may not get the attention you expect. Many nicer places here in the Bay area will have Ferraris, 997s, Aston Martins, Bentleys and brand new AMG MBs out front. A simple 996 does not get the attention you might expect.

If I'm going to valet the car, it's usually in an establishment that sees lots of p and f cars and everything in between.

I always tip between $10 and $20 to insure up front. I am a creature of habit and go to the same places. At this one casino they fight to get the keys and sprint to the car. If it is at place you haven't been to yet then 10 to 20 should get it up front unless you are in a big city. I rented a 355 and tipped $50 ( he probably would have parked up front (at LVGS 4 seasons) anyway. All guns should be locked down and look into the valet falshware that would keep them from going too fast........

In Manhattan, valeting your car is pretty much inevitable unless you want to park it on the street (which I rarely do to avoid the nicks and fender benders which frequently occur). Depending on the garage, they usually ask me if I want to park it out front. Then you MUST tip them upfront and later on. If they don't ask, I take the initiative and ask them to park it in the front and throw them $10 or $20 depending, again, on the garage. If you are in a place where you can self-park, I'd always opt for that option. But if you have to valet, make sure they park it up front, so they're not off joyriding in it.

Simple...... If I have to valet I take the Cayenne If I can park myself I take the 911

Hey Dell, how do you know ahead of time? Like the local brewhouse here, I was stunned that they only had valet and never would have thought to call ahead.

Well, here in Vegas are options are pretty limited and you figure out VERY quickly who valets and who doesn't. General rule though.....We know that if we go anywhere out here by our home in Summerlin then we can take the 911. If we go anywhere do on the strip we take the Cayenne.

one thing to do is always first ask for the valet manager if there are more than one or two individuals parking cars.. when you do give them $20 in any major city, that should cover the cost of the parking as well... when they give you a parking token, don't take it.. at 95% of establishments i've found, this is a given that when you're car is parked upfront, they don't have to pay the parking garage, so they gladly take the $20 and let you park outside for a couple of hours without having to pay the parking fee.. NEVER give them a tip such as $20 AND take the ticket.. any place that does that and requires me to take a ticket, i just tell them to take the cost of parking out of the ticket owed.. after that, they realize i'm playing with their money, and they take it back $10 on the other hand, is kinda iffy.. but $20 should cover you for 2 hours and first class treatment and upfront parking...

When the C4S was brand new, I NEVER let the valet drive it. If the establishment was valet only, I would have the valet sit in the passenger seat and I parked it. All the valets I've met seem to understand. A few just point me to the front or by the front entrance beside a Ferrari, MB or some such other car. 4 years and several dozen DE's later, I no longer sweat it. If they point me to the front, fine. If not, that's fine, too. The car is still immaculate, meticulously cared for, but, it's still just a car. I'll be in the market for a GT3 in the near future, and I'll carry the same attitude to that new car.

So THAT'S how the pic in your avatar came to be!

valet = SUV GT3 is for me

I agree with not valeting as possible but hard to know always. Had a meeting in NYC at Ritz Battery Park. Drove Phila to NYC and valet at RC. Tip upfront and ask to keep it close- code for upfront. It will cost you but that's the price of ownership/usership- not the same thing. Small price to pay for using my car when I want. Drove Fcar in South France/Monaco. Car was always upfront with the others. PCars, not so much.

i hate you dell!! You have some crappy options I either take the 911 or hit the subway

I wouldn't worry about it too much, Bob - you engine will blow before they have a chance to joyride it...

F-car... that's a Ford right?

cool, then i get another engine under warranty.. all is good.. nothing wrong with a fourth engine, as long as i don't have to pay for it :>

Definitely true. I parked in front of my corner grocery store today at lunch to run in and get a sandwich, and when I came back out there were two cars parked behind me and one in front. The ones in back were a Ferrari 360 and a brand new Maserati 4-door, and the one in front was a new Bentley. While I love my 996, it definitely wasn't the star of the show. Bob PS: This was Robert's market in Woodside, if anyone local is curious. Besides having a great deli and meat counter, its a good place to car watch.

yeah--such is the case at max's in mizner park in boca raton-- maybe a 996 will get a rock star spot on a slow night. otherwise you'll take a backseat to all the bentleys, maybachs, lambo's and f-cars...if you're in a p-car and want some props--better be in a cgt a crisp "hamilton did the job for me last night tho' at "ocean aire" here in b'more.

THe good ole' world of money makers and big spenders... Im super **** when it comes to this so them valet boys will never get a chance to test drive my 996.

Man you guys aren't any fun! My first job was parking cars back in the day and I have to admit I got to test drive Bently's to Ferrari's and everything in between around the block and that's how I found out the Porsche was the car for me. Back then I was tipped anywhere from $20.00 to $100.00 bucks, but the hundred always got he best spot.

$100 is a little bit excessive.. regardless if you're rich or not, giving $100 just as a tip for 1 min is plain stupid.. while many can rationalize $20 is stupid as well.. i just think $100 is ridiculous for parking a damn car..

any where that requires valet is not worth going, i aint letting ppl touch my car even when i am in my 15 year old accord. car to me is like my wife, i dont think i let others valet her.

Good one, Mooty!!

Interesting read! I just concluded that I'm a cheap tipper

mike, i would think it's a privilege for a valet to valet your car. i dont think you are a cheap tipper. i think you are the VICTIM. the valet should tip YOU. think about that. OT, when i miss dental appt, i get fined. once my dentist had to cancel on me, so i told him, he will be fined and i have no interest in paying for that particular visit. he did the crown for free! he thought i was insane to come up with that logic)(#&*%)#*%.... well i am insane, why else do i drive porsche.

Mooty, Thats a good way to put it!! I always thought that $5 tip is way enough

NEVER HAVE I TIPPED MORE THAN $5 That is plenty. Besides, living out here in Vegas the idiot valet parkers expect you to overtip assuming you are a tourist. I am not contributing to that mentality and they can just get over it. Besdies, they don't get their tip till after you get your car (not when you drop it off). Not pissing away my hard earned cash on a kid that has the honor of touching my car. And before you overtippers start bashing me and proclaiming that they will treat my car like crap since they will remember it you are mistaken. There are WAY TOO MANY cars that go in and out of the places we would valet here in Vegas for them and their sub average IQ's to recall. Funny thing is, most of the time I come out to see my Cayenne parked right in front without even having to ask. Glad to see they respect the brand!

I'm really glad this topic sparked so much interest. I have quite enjoyed reading everyones responces. It has given me alot to think about! Many thanks everyone!

is parking in New York City really that bad? if you guys saw some of the places i parked my car, valet-ing would look like a walk in a flower garden as opposed 2 a bad day in bosnia. still..i've never valeted my car...ever. for some reason i think its because if i valet park it, and **** happens i'll be like: FAK now i have 2 bitch and complain to the manager or whatever if something happens...plus i don't trust ppl. whereas if my car is keyed because i park it somewhere i just think: FAK..I was the one who should have been more careful.

That tiny little grocery store on the street corner? Last time i was in Woodside was years ago, so maybe things have changed since then. so Robert's has a valet service now?

While in high school I was a competitive golfer. My home course was a very high-end country club on Long Island (I was not a member, just a high school golfer). I arrive one day for a practice round and there's a big stink going on. SOP is that members are greated at the front door and their car is parked for them. One guy shows up in his new P-400 Miura (one of the all-time greats). The third hole runs along a nice country road. While on the tee with his buddies his beautiful exotic goes screaming by the course. Well, he was none too pleased. I have no idea what happened to the valet, but he was never heard from again. That episode so long ago taught me NEVER to let some kid park my car.

Ya! and they never did catch me!

^ LOL

I honestly don't think it matters much--the more you worry about/are **** about your car, the less you will enjoy it, and every scratch, nick, and dent your car will almost inevitably get will drive you nuts. I love cars, especially Porsches, but the only time I wouldn't valet a car is if it was a carburetted car that the youngsters don't know how to drive... Similar question to "do you park far away from everyone when in parking lots?" I think that the more you try to make your car stand out, the more people want to f*ck it up personally. Seems like an elitist attitude that "my car is too nice for anyone else to touch". Hey, just my opinion, I could be wrong

With regards to parking spots, couldn't agree more. I do NOT park at the back of the lot away from all. What I do instead though is to find an end spot so I can park in a manner to allow clearnance for those monster caddy doors that come swinging open!

BJ's brewhouse in san fran...priceless name......BJ!!

Actually, it's a chain from (I believe) SoCal. To tell the truth, the beer's not so hot. I'd rather do the Faultline or Tied House any day. Cheers.

depending on where you go....just hand them the keys....but then again mine is a 99 and a TIP...so anybody can drive it...If I had a stick....I would not give it to them, because most of them do not know how to drive stick..and that can be very expensive in the longrun. Tip the guys well and they will take care of it, because most of them love Porsches as much as we do!

I would think no matter how well you tip them, they will torture your car depending on their mood. I have seen many valet drive like Fomula 1 driver here in CA. But of course it doesn't apply to all of them, some of them are easy and cool. And, remember to take with you all your valuables (or lock them) before handing your key to someone you don't know.

Same here, after I saw a Ruth's Chris valet bump park and M3 convertible I vowed never to valet

I found the best one on 42nd street between 9th and 10th. Totally self-park, and you can park a day in Manhattan for about $18. If I park in the garage under my office building on 45th street, it will cost $55. Back when I lived in apartments and rented garage spaces for my manual transmission cars (Audi, BMW, etc), I was always irritated by the problems that resulted. Thankfully, I now have my own house with my own garage, so I don't have these problems daily, more like monthly. The problem was, since I was seeing these parking lot attendants (where I lived, they were all from Ecuador), I became friendly with them, and tipped them regularly ($1-5 each time I saw them, which was at least twice a day). This was on top of the $250-350 I was paying monthly to garage the car each month. I speak spanish, so I would often stop and chat with the guys. When damage to the car resulted the first time (see curb rash, below), I compained to the manager, and one of the guys got fired. After that, I kept my mouth shut and figured car damage was the cost of doing business in NYC. I pleaded with them to be careful, and they usually were, but you can see why this sucks. Here are my favorites: 1. Curb rash. Rash was fresh on my new wheels, valet denied it. Next day, new rash, next day, new rash. Finally, I ran below deck and took photos of the car parked next to an inside curb with fresh powdered aluminum on the curb, my tires, and my wheels. I got a $200 discount, and my beautiful wheels were never the same. 2. Shoe-print on the passenger seat. It seems that when they get the car into really tight spaces, they have to crawl through the car to get to the driver's door. 3. Shoe-scuff on driver and passenger window sill, dashboard, and console. 4. Hand over the keys, valet starts car, revs engine, then stalls followed by restart and immediate second stall, followed by lots of throttle and gratuitous clutch slipping. 5. Gratuitous engine revving. My car has a turbo boost gauge, and everyone, from the valets at restaurants to the guy at the Audi dealer, blips the throttle over and over again to try to get the gauge to show boost (which it won't do in neutral with no load on the engine). 6. Suspicious decrease in fuel level with no increase in mileage. When I parked at an outdoor lot one winter (no monthly spaces available in the indoor lots, yes it's that hard to find one), it took me several weeks to finally discover that the attendants were using my car in winter as a place to warm up. After I'd give them the keys, they would wait for me to leave, then sit in the car for hours with the heater on and the engine running. Great. 7. Car not ready when you're in a hurry. Doesn't matter if you live there or if you are a tourist on your way to see Phantom of the Opera, if you try to get your car out of the garage at a rush time, you will be standing there for a while. I used to call ahead 30 mins to have my car waiting for me, but sometimes they either forgot, or the lot was too crowded/busy to get the car out fast. I have been late to many important appointments because of this. Paradoxically, when you really have to be on time in NYC (before midnight), you need to take the subway. Enjoy!

Russel - good points, and welcome to the board. However, as everyone else will demand - INTRO and PICS!

A little extra dough to have your car parked up front is usually worth it to keep the valets from joyriding and to avoid door dings, etc. I just say "I'd like it close"... they know what that means and they'll let you know how much. Usually, it's 10-20, but sometimes they just grin knowingly and park it there. If I'm going out to have fun I'm not going to embarass my wife by "valet" parking the car myself or wasting my night worrying about it. Yes, it's a very fine machine, but I try to keep it in perspective.

You find the head guy working that shift, and ask him if the car can be left in the spot you want...if he says yes, you put it there, give him the keys and pay him at least 60% of the amount the valet parking is gonna cost anyway, discretely.....when you return, you give him the rest, again descretely, upon retrieving your keys. If you frequent the same place often enough.....the guy comes to recognize the car and you pretty quickly. This approach has never failed me......

i think the whole joyride situation is a little overblown from ferris buelers day off.. <g> how many have actually encountered a valet driver that "joyrided" their car? i've seen and heard about mistakes happening when parking or driving around a lot.. but plain old taking the car out for a drive.. never heard of it really happening..

I agree. I tip the valet guy and park it myself.

I avoid valets -- too many friends were valets and the stories are horrific -- but if a place is valet only I insist on parking it myself with the valet in the passenger seat. If they look offended, or confused, I normally inform them that my insurance policy forbids anyone but me from driving the car. While completely untrue, it has never been challenged and they always accept it as sensible. (I then give a decent tip as well).

I never Valet it. I've known a few valet guys. They take joy rides. I park as far as everyone as possible and try to find a spot that close to a wall or curb, so I can park as close to it as possible. Its very unfortunate they people can be so careless they we have to be almost paranoid about door dings.

Bob, are you kidding me? Why do you think that you have already had TWO catastrophic engine failures? Porsche design flaw, my ****. Stop valeting your car already. You're killing me.

i never drove the porsche to the valets.. the sl55/bmw yes, but not the porsche... i had enough problems with the car blowing up on me as it is.. bmw has 145,000 miles on the engine and still running like new.. gotta love it

when going to an eatery that has mandatory valet ask if the valet service is operated by the Restaraunt. Some eateries source out the job (and claims) to independent valet companies. They don't tell you this when you hand over the Porsha. If there's a problem the restaurant can wash their hands of your misery.