I was talking to a MINI-owning friend of mine at work last week, who has a '12 Cooper S Coupe. We're talking wheels, and he showed me a nasty case of curb rash on one of his wheels, damage done by a restaurant valet. And that got me to thinking: I wonder how many MINIacs use valet parking?

Personally, I won't. For one, I have a manual, and I have no idea if the valet drives a stick worth a damn or not. In addition, I have a stainless steel shift ****, sans shift tree. So unless the valet has experience with a MINI (or gets lucky guessing) what're the odds they find R the first time, and don't accidentally get 1 and hop a curb or parking block, grind the hell out of the gears & clutch, or something worse. (I just saw an account on another forum about a guy who had his MINI "moved" by a salesman at a car dealership, and the salesman did this very thing.)

I have nothing against valets, and appreciate that some hotels & restaurants offer the service, but I'll never use it. I'm not sure I'd use valet even if I had an automatic. A simple request: if you're of the "a MINI is just a car - CHILL" mindset, that's your choice, but my MINI has substantially more value to me. I respectfully ask you to please refrain from posting comments of that ilk.

 

My dealer fired their driver after I told them they stalled someone's MCS twice in the garage trying to pull out.

 

I used one once, and never again.
It was a pretty upscale place, and I thought if they can park $100k cars, my car should be ok. The valet tried to park between an SLS and some other high end car I don't remember. Stalled it twice, and then left it there - half way in the spot, and the other half in the path of passing cars.

 

so you only want people who agree with you to post on this thread

 

No, people are free to say "I use valet parking all the time", I just don't want the pissing matches I've seen too often here lately. Too much bitchiness and negativity. Disagreement is fine, but there's no need to get emotional or belittle someone else's choices.

Edit: to clarify, what I'm hoping to avoid is "you're an idiot for babying your car" or "scratches happen" or "it's just transportation". State your reason for why you valet or not, but leave it at that, K?

 

+1

 

I used valet service when on vacation in Vegas, just for the convenience..but that was a rental. I doubt I would let someone else park my Mini for me. it is like a big Algebra problem...too many variables to solve.

 

After seeing how some of them drive other people's cars, there's no way in hell I'd let any of them anywhere near my MINI or anything else I didn't absolutely hate.

 

The parking lot I park at for work is all valet. They did this to my car and I'm in the process of fighting them for repairs right now.

 

About 10 years ago, my mother had a Lexus. It had the equivalent of our Comfort Access. I went to dinner, and we took her car, which they handed over to a valet. After dinner, we went to retrieve the car, but the key was nowhere to be found. After 90 minutes of looking and "attempting" to call the valet, who had left for the evening (they suspected that he may have "accidentally" left with the key in his pocket), the supervisor (who was about 19) drove my father back to their house (about 30 minutes away) to get the spare key. Since that day, I have never trusted a valet with my baby.

 

Yikes, and to happen to a GP no less. Very sorry to hear. I hope the situation is properly rectified.

 

That royally sucks. I think valet parking people do that job because they aren't quite qualified to be airport baggage handlers. Seriously.

I was out to dinner at a fairly nice restaurant in Providence (yes, they have some nice restaurants in Providence -- that don't have NY System signs in the window) and happened to park in the same municipal lot that the valets use, and I had the privilege of watching them park and retrieve the vehicles of a few unfortunate patrons. All I can say is, even though they did only go from the restaurant to the lot and back, the valet scene with the Ferrari in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is the first thing that came to mind. They were complete #@!% animals with bland ol' Camry's and Chevy's -- I can only imagine what they'd have done with my tuned MINI. ANFW I'd hand my keys over to any of them.

 

Wow, I would feel like pretty bad if someone lost his her job because of me. I hope that he didn't have a family to support.

In another note, here in NYC 90% of parking garages are valet and they beat the crap out of your car, some garages have multiple floors and the cars are parked so close to each other that the attendants have to climb on top of other cars and enter trough the open window, not all of the garages do this but some do and is out of the view of the customer, it's not their fault the have orders to pack the garage as much as possible but I've seen this.i never use valet at a hotel or restaurant I would never remember to check the car before I take off, in Manhattan the go as far as posting that the garage will not be liable for bumper damage, they came up with that many years ago when they started charging extra for SUV's etc but I think that they had to drop that issue with the bumpers, the last time I used a garage in Manhattan was 10 years ago many thing changed even their prices I have a friend that is paying 700.00 a month for his SUV on East 90th crazy!!!!! Any whooo I rather park down the block and walk a bit more if possible instead of using the valet.

 

I park the car and tip whatever it costs to park. Example it costs $10 to park I just give em a $20 bill

 

Well deserved.

 

No valet parking for me. Too much risk to be told "we're not responsible for any damage."

 

(raises hand...)

In 1993... I had a Valet ram my (then mint) 1989 Golf GTI, into not one.. but THREE parked cars.. had he rounded a corner waaay too fast..

Front end... headlamps.. hood.. drivers fender... bumper... rebar.. A/C condensor.. rad support.. radiator...

He hit...

A 1988 Corvette
A 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier
And a 1984 Mercedes 280.

Clipped the Vette, Tore the bumper cover off the Cavalier, and hit the right front of the Merc.

Yes...

That was a very.. very bad day..

 

I try to avoid valet parking when driving the MINI. The VA hospital in San Antonio is a little over 50 miles away, they have very little parking there that is not reserved for valet parking. It is easy to miss your appointment time while driving around waiting for a parking space so using valet parking is sometimes the only choice. Even though the MINI would be more fun to drive and more economical for the 100 mile round trip, I end up just driving my Silverado just in case valet parking is necessary. I just do not want those guys driving the MINI, they are less likely to hot rod a 12 year old truck and it is an automatic like 99% of the cars that they park, and tough as nails.

 

A person at work had his car stolen when using valet several years back.

My work friend pulled his car to the valet podium at a high end La Jolla, CA restaurant overlooking the coast. Person dressed in a valet uniform came up...opened his door...handed my friend a valet ticket....and drove off. Turns out a rogue valet lot attendant that got a hold of a uniform. The car was never found...probably was driven across the border to Mexico. Poof....gone.

I don't use valet for any of my cars.

 

My profession for the past two years has been a valet. And i can honestly say i wouldnt alow a valet knowing what i know park my car. Especialy if its a stick. I have a coworker who cant drive stick if her life depended on it she left a clutch smoking and smelling and gave it back to the customer with a burned up clutch. Ive had coworkers young and stupid not pay attention and get fired for crashing a car. I have had coworkers including myself joy ride the hell out of the more expensive cars. Bmw m3 lancer evo subaru sti audi s8 audi r8 list goes on and on. For those who are good safe responsible drivers it would be ok. But think twice before handing the keys to a 20 year old like me. Or worse somone who cant drive your car. Just my two cents lol

 

I don't think I've ever valeted a car at a restaurant. We don't tend to go to that sort of restaurant. I have used the valets at several high end hotels and never had a problem that I noticed.

 

I hate valet and swear against using them again.

One time I was eating in the outside portion of a restaurant with clear view of the parking lot and the valet. My gf & I sat there watching the valet guy trying to park a brand new Porsche w/ manual. We can hear him riding the clutch and later smelt it burning. I felt bad for the owner but luckily I don't valet for that reason since I drive a manual.

Another time, I was going to dinner with a friend and I decided to valet because I was in a rental while the mini was in the shop after someone backed up into it (that's a whole other story). Anyways we got done with dinner and came out to get the car, the valet guy pulls the car up and right in front of us, he smacks into the curb. So he backs up a little then pulls the car up for us without saying one word of I'm sorry or anything. He was lucky I was in a rental, had I been in my car, I would raised hell.

 

Of course they denied my claim. But still fighting non the less. I work in marketing. I'm pretty good at getting what I want

 

Used valet exactly once. And that was at the labor & delivery receiving at the hospital. Valet is free, and I wasn't in a position to park it myself.

No issues with it. My BMW X3 made it out just fine.

 

I do not use valet parking...EVER. When I pull into somewhere that is valet parking, I give them the tip I would have given them had I let them actually park the car and tell them I would like to park it myself. This usually gets me a spot closer than the ones that they usually let self parkers into