Valet Service... poll

Wanted to get some insights into if/how everybody uses valet service? 1. Do you valet your P-car at restaurants, etc? 2. If yes, how much do you pay? 3. Do you pay upfront or after your dinner, etc when you pick the car up? 4. Do you pay extra to have it parked upfront, so the attendant can watch it? 5. Anything else?

If I don't let my wife drive my p-car, why would I let a valet?

No to valet service. I'd rather walk a block or more than have to replace a clutch (or worse!). If there is no option to self-park nearby, you can tip generously to let them let you leave it right in front; a Porsche out front usually doesn't hurt the image of a restaurant or hotel. Too many memories of the valets in "Ferris Bullers' Day Off" in my mind to take that chance.

no valet for ANY car. i live where i see valets BEATING on cars all day long. read the fine print on the back of those valet tickets - they aren't responsible for ANYTHING.

I never drive the P-car anywhere where I can't see it. If I have to leave a car, I take the DD, and I still won't let a valet touch it.

DO NOT TRUST valet parking! Trust me, I'm with a luxury hotel and I know what goes on and how they drive. Most valet parkers are young kids, so imagine them getting behind the wheels of a Pcar, or any nice car at all. They can do 0-60 tests in a "stretch" of a hundred feet, then test you brakes at the end of the "stretch". Oh, they'll make sure your tires scream with pleasure around the tight corners too. Ooooh...then they would have so much to brag about!

Wanted to get some insights into if/how everybody uses valet service? 1. Do you valet your P-car at restaurants, etc? 2. If yes, how much do you pay? 3. Do you pay upfront or after your dinner, etc when you pick the car up? 4. Do you pay extra to have it parked upfront, so the attendant can watch it? 5. Anything else? well i guess im spoiled cus my valet guys know me and they take care of my car all the time. to answer your questions 1) yes if i cant find a parking close enough for me to see the ride (not a pcar yet but my M) 2) 10-20 3) either or, depends on the valet service and if i know them or not 4) yes, sometimes an extra 10-20 5) im usually nice to the guys, say hello or shake his hand and give me some respect, look him in the eye letting him know (you hurt my car, I HURT YOU ) i have been burned by valet though, they once curbed one of my 19iin JLine/DTM wheels. i didnt see it till a week later so i had to pay out of pocket for that

I valet at every clubb I go to. If its a nice restaraunt I do as well. I always ask them to leave it up front and they always do. This way I KNOW they don't tear-it-up. I never pay more than 10bux. I always act cool and interested in knowing them. Ask their name and tell them mine. I make sure they respect me and my car by showing them respect. AND i get to show off the P when coming and going. I am friends with the valet's of the clubbs I frequent and I get treated VIP. I pull up and am greeted by name. Its worth 10 bux to me for all of the above including not wondering if my car is safe in some parking lot in the city, unattended.

1. Do you valet your P-car at restaurants, etc? -- Never

I always valet and I always throw them an extra $20 upfront and ask them to take care of my baby. My car is always right out front waiting for me and I have never had a problem.

I don't, I take the Jag.

NFW

Let me put it this way.... I really, really, want a 19 year old who cannot get a real job driving my car! In fact, now that I think about it, remind me to give my keys to my reckless teenage neighbor and tell him to go and have fun with my baby! Oh, sorry, they're one in the same person. My bad!

NEVER EVER EVER valet the Porsche or any other high end vehicle. Did that on too many cars in the past, only to get home (dark at night, can't check wheels) and find damage the next day. Park somewhere else, or drive a different vehicle.

Take your P-car to a mall parking lot early on a Sunday morning, then blindfold youeself and drive around the lot at 20 MPH for about 30 minutes. Using valet parking is taking the same risk. Here is a pic of my car after I used valet parking. Just kidding about it being my car, but you get the point.

In St. Louis $10 Bux is the same as your Manhattin $20 Spot.

Dude... $10 in St. Louis is like $100 in Manhattan! Unfortunately, I live in Greenwich, CT where $20 is even less than it is in Manhattan. Sometimes I can't believe I don't just pack up and move to Phoenix or someplace else reasonable (and warm)...

Always valet. Restaurants, clubs, and I even use the Valet at the movie theater. Never had a problem. I ALWAYS tip up front. The Valet typically sees me coming and has someone fetching the car even before I get to the valet stand. No issues, and those 19 year olds need to eat too... -td

Yeah, I am not sure what goes on in STL, but here in LA, if you want some jackass to take your car around the block and hit every curb, take anything you leave in your car and then expect you to tip them gratuitously, valet away.

Never valet - I just give 'em a tenner to let me park it...and I keep the keys!

No Big Deal, at least at restaurants. If I get my own spot out front (something I have a knack for), I don't have to pay. At a number of restaurants where we go, they just don't have parking, so valet is the only option. I tip $3-5, depending on the circumstance. At a hotel, I park it myself. Other than that, at the end of the day, it's only a car.

Always Valet. What's the equivalent, park on the street? 1. Do you valet your P-car at restaurants, etc? 2. If yes, how much do you pay? I usually pay 10-15 tip 3. Do you pay upfront or after your dinner, etc when you pick the car up? Either 5 or 10 up front, and then 5 afterwards 4. Do you pay extra to have it parked upfront, so the attendant can watch it? Yes, or better yet, I pay so that "I" can park it up front. 5. Anything else? Be nice . . . don't be a dick and act like your car is "precious" Also, it helps that I speak Spanish. They take care of me

Had an experience a week ago with wife's A6 at a high end steak joint in Philadelphia - valet overcharged us (3 cars - my kids joined us) by $5 per car, then when the Audi was returned, pulled up against the curb and scraped the hell out of my front alloy. The restaurant made good on the overcharge, but I'm trying to get the valet service to own up for repair of the wheel. So, in answer to the question - NO would NEVER valet the Porsche, and we self-park whenever possible with our other cars. Phil

Never and I would avise others to do the same. A few years ago I met a friend at Morton's for dinner, he used to drive a sweet 964 C4 cab. He used the valet I street parked. A few hours later we left, I drove off in my street parked M5 and he was waiting for his 964. The next morning he tells me that it took forever for the valet to bring up the car and that when he got in he couldn't get it into 1st. Long story short the clutch was fried. The worst part was that Morton's refused any responsability claiming that they contract the parking to a third party and the valet after many calls and letters offered $500. That's why I don't valet. Stan

I live in LA, and take dates to LA restaurants frequently. I'm sure my evenings would go pretty poorly if I made my date walk 2 blocks in her $300 shoes so that I could avoid the valet. And I'm not picking anybody up for dinner in my '99 Tahoe. So I use valet a lot, but do as others here have suggested: tip up front (usually $10, sometimes $20), be cordial to the valet, and ask that they keep it close. Even at the sheeshiest restaurants, where a 996 doesn't make much of an impression, this usually ensures that my car will be placed right up front with the Maseratis and Bentleys. And so if my date still ends poorly, I have only myself to blame.

If the restaurant has valet, I bring my wife's car. If I can't do that. I let my friend drive. If that doesn't work I bring my Audi S4 (which is also 6spd) and pay the valet extra and park it myself. All my cars have manual transmissions and don't let anyone else drive them. BTW, when I was a kid, a valet totalled by Dad's car. My Dad was waiting in line for valet and the kid came around the corner and crashed into the door of my Dad's car, totaling two cars, (the car he was valeting and my Dad's car)

Yeah, but they shouldn't drive other people's Porsches - they've barely mastered the English language - they don't stand a chance with an expensive sports car.

I think you mean "barely"....but point taken. ;-)

Sometimes I roll with a stack of $10's. It's all about the hamiltons baby!!

Cracking me up, dude.

Just my $0.02, I've had 3 expensive wheels on two different cars curbed by valets. It doesn't matter how much you tip, an error is an error. And in Manhattan, you often don't have a choice of valet or street, if you really have to be somewhere and can't find a space. It's just the painful cost of doing business in the big apple.

I never used to valet anyone of my sports cars. For my Vette and 911, those valet always put on EXTRA friggin miles on the car. Some valet put on 5+ miles on the car, definitely joyriding. I do what you do. But for situations, where they have to drive away to a different lot, I pre-tip $5 - 10 to park upfront. I always had someone drive if thee restaurant or any destination had valet, but these days, it's not much of an issue as long as they don't drive away with it. If they get into my car to park upfront while I watch, that's good enough. I tell myself it's only a car, and as long as I see how and where they drive & park it.

Ha ha we're in same situation. I have a 01 Vette, 01 Carrera, and a 91 Merc 300E. With my dates, I take one of the sports cars, and usually not in my antique Benz. Clubs and restaurants I visit usually don't have self-parking. I make sure I pre-tip to have them park in front while I watch them. Cheers.