never again!!! someone at valet smoked the tires off my car

[sssikvipe]

I realize what i did was idiotic, but we've all been there once (or twice),. I am telling this story specifically for those of you who trust "too much" like me. My wife and i go to a fancy schmancy restaurant. They offer valet. I drop off the car in front, give the guys my keys and go in and have dinner. Two-three hours later, come out, car gets driven up front, I tip the valet, hop in the car and go home and park the car. The next weekend, i drive the car out of the garage to wash it. I bend down to wash the rims and rubber and yikes, the tires are smooth as a baby's butt, no thread at all I am so pissed. The rubber that was on had only 3k on them....the a**hole Valet at the restaurant took my car and beat on it. I am livid, i drive to the restaurant, ask for the manager, he tells me he can't help me (how do i prove it), and the little a**hole denies everything. So now, i have to buy 2 new PS2 and might as well replace the fronts while I'm at it since they have 24k on them anyways!! (BTW, car still runs perfect, phew!!)
The lesson here, if they have valet, wait and ask for your keys after they park the car...or better yet, park it yourself and give them the $20 for the front parking area!!!

 

[johniew398]

Sorry for asking but I assume this was your Viper?

 

[JohnnyViper]

yup i have heard this story time and time again.....sorry it happened to you....chalk it up to experience and I would talk to the owner not the manager and at least get the valet ***** fired, he hurt your pocket and now its your turn to hurt his

 

[Panzer]

Yeah punks do that, their was a investigation on 20/20 or some show like that where they found out valets were beating the hell out of cars. Tehy took videos of the valets drifiting the cars in parking garages and what not.... I know id never trust any one with my future Viper

 

[Wiretech]

You should check your mileage and rubber debris under the innerfender they may taken your car for a joy ride.

 

[Paul Hawker]

I always note the mileage on the ticket stubb that the valet keeps. That way they are on notice that no additional mileage can be added without you knowing before you accept it.

If additional mileage is observed call the cops, and wait till the do a report.

 

[Wiretech]

You should check your mileage and your innerfender for rubber debris and stone chips they may taken your car for a joy ride.

 

[Camfab]

I guess you never saw "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".

 

[PDCjonny]

I would sooner hand my car and keys over to my 8 year old neighbor than ANY valet at ANY restaurant anywhere in the world.
He would have more respect for the car.

 

[KNG SNKE]

You obviously don't like your car letting a valet drive it. No one, and I mean NO ONE drives my car! Hard lesson to learn but be glad he didn't put it into a wall or another car. 2 smoked tires sounds like you got a good deal considering what has happened to others.

 

[v10enomous]

I wouldn't let a valet park my wife's camry. Maybe you can find the tire tracks or watch the place one night and get video. Yes idiotic unless you're made of money.

 

[plumcrazy]

i dont believe the story, i call BS

 

[MTGTS]

I was a valet for 10 years. It's all about the location of the property and using some common sense. The fly by night setups @ restaurants are usually the ones you hear all the stories about. Just look @ your handing your keys too. You can always ask to have your car kept up front. (usually a $20 will get this done) The valets @ the hotels are usually better. Those guys usually make pretty decent $$ believe it or not and it's not worth their job to do something stupid. I had regular's with exotics that would only valet with me if I was working because they knew I had a Viper and nothing would ever happen to their car. If you frequent a place regularly take the DD a couple of times and get to know the guys and just see if they look like they know what they are doing before bringing out the Viper. Sorry to hear that this happen. The manager of the restaurant can't really do anything for you, valet is usually sub'd out to a separate co. You would have to contact them directly. Now, I can tell you they are NOT gonna do anything since you left the property and it's been a week. But, a phone call to just let them know that this kind of behavior is going on will hopefully let them know that they have an employee doing inappropriate things with customer cars.

 

[VYPR BYT 94]

I bet if you were to look the next day at the alley just outside the parking deck, there was probably piles of black rubber on the road... that *******!

 

[v10enomous]

I'll bet a Viper will bring out the worst in any valet or tire jockey more so than any other car.

 

[v10enomous]

You should probably check your brakes too.

 

[Phun70]

Catch him after work some night, and beat his ass!

 

[CEJ]

I guess you never saw "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".

"Trust us sir, we're professionals."

 

[NI-KA]

"Trust us sir, we're professionals."

Sorry.....

but maybe put the car on jack stands and run it in reverse?

 

[Malu59RT]

A fellow Viper owner, and friend of mine, manages a valet company, and after valeting with his company one night for drinks, he sends me a text message a week later asking if I was at a certain lounge. I said yes, and he comments that one of his valets said the car was very fast, and congrats on a nice car. I just started laughing and told him that if he actually drove the car hard and didn't wreck it, congrats to him. He admitted he was just joking to me, and his valet figured I knew the manager. So the next time I go and valet at the same place (in my Lexus, not the Viper), he is driving ahead of me, and a valet comes over and I ask my buddy if that's the guy that beat on my car the last time I was there, and he said yes, and the valet looks terrified, but I just joked with him about the whole story.

 

[bluesrt]

i dont even let people valet my truck- booger fingers and ass pickers can put thier hands on thier own stuff, not mine!!!!

 

[Kevan]

I have a tune called "VALET".
3000 rpm redline; 30 mph top speed.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

When in Tampa a few years ago, 3 of us VCA guys went out to dinner. As we're pulling up, the valet (looked like he was 18) jumps up runs to my window and says something like "I've never seen 1 Viper, much less 3 in a row, I'm suppose to park the cars, but I'm not even gonna ask. Park them up front and I'll keep an eye on them". We kept the keys, ate and tipped him very well when leaving.

 

[TowDawg]

I'll valet the Viper at certain restaurants and hotels where I'm used to going. At all of these places, my car has never been driven more than them moving it 10 ft and leaving it out front. Probably 90% of the time, I park it there myself and they just hold the keys. I've never had an issue at all.

There are definitely a lot of places that offer valet though, that I will never let them touch it. A lot of what worries me more than somebody doing something stupid on purpose, is them curbing a rim or scraping the front in an honest mistake. If you look at most valet tickets, they say they are not responsible for damage unless negligence is proven.

A good way to have better idea of whether to trust the valet or not, is who employes them. If it's a valet company that is separate from the establishment you're at, NEVER give them the keys. If they are true employees of said establishment, they are "usually" much more professional (and longer term employees) and have more to lose than some kid who just got a job parking cars.

 

[1994viper]

If the establishment will not cover the cost. Start a rumour, and make sure they will suffer a monetary loss as well. Just make sure it doesn't come back to bite you.

 

[Carleton]

BS! With that much rubber burned off at one time you would have smell it getting into the car, even hours later. You would felt the handling difference while driving also.

 

[cfiiman]

Wow, I really feel for you, talk about feeling violated. I cringed as I read your story, I never have used a valet, and never will, generally b/c the people that are working there are fly by night people that will not be there long so don't have much of an incentive to do the right thing other then morals, which sadly I feel like most people don't have enough of anymore. I can't offer advice other then if you "know for a fact" that the kid did it, scare the crap out of him, maybe threaten a suit and say you have an eye witness that saw it and knows it was your car, maybe at best he would chip in for the tires, although it is not about money, more violation. I would also probably tell the manager that I was going to let every person know that is how they do business and that they had at MINIMUM lost one customer already. Maybe even find a local news station that has a troubleshooter investigator, they would be all over that with a hidden camera <<<< Actually that is not a bad idea, lol I have one once in a while. That would be great to see an in depth undercover on their valet service, and you can't bet with certainty they do it multiple times a night to probably every car, but guaranteed a muscle car. It would be easy to catch them, hell you could even do a stake out and video it yourself then show it to the manager and then lets see what he does...

 

[Mopar Boy]

No rubber on the 1/4s as the tell tale sign when picking it up from the valet?

Sorry to hear you got valeted. The reason I never leave my car with anyone.



Kevan - Nice!

 

[Stretch]

As a former valet stories like this frustrate me. There are valets out there that you can trust, but the reality is that it's not worth the risk. The only way I'd valet a Viper is to give them money to park it out front and take the keys with me.

The week before I started as a valet a guy had totalled a Maserati. Not cool.

 

[Flexx91]

I'd have to admit this story sounds a little fishy to me also. Turning a set of PS2 rears into a set of slicks would take a considerable amount of effort (time and "nerve" by the rogue valet) not to mention the wheel area of the rear fasica sprinkled with black tire residue and a noticeable odor.

Nonetheless, the only time I attempted to valet my car (back when I had a '96 RT-10 in 2000) was when I drove up to a local restaurant in Houston. I handed over the keys to the valet and before I could get to the door of the restaurant, he asks: "sir, how do I open the door"? I promptly asked for my keys and parked the car myself. Haven't used a valet since and don't ever plan to.