When the valet doesn't disengage the parking brake...

Mistake # 1 ---> surrendering your car to a valet.

I have one rule ---> nobody, and I mean NOBODY drives my Ferrari other than myself...period. If the valet/restaurant/club/whatever-event does not like it, I will find a different club/restaurant/whatever-event that will gladly take my money with me simply parking my own vehicle.

 

How bad would it be if said valet had a pistol pointed at him and the safety not fully engaged? *Blam* Oops. My bad. *Takes valet's money*

Don't.ever.valet.your.car.again. It's.just.not.worth.it.

 

Yikes... Gotta wonder what that does to a clutch...

 

+348 & 355!!!

 

So I get my first "sports car", an Audi S4, about 6 years ago. After a week or so of ownership, my wife takes the car to the store. I come home soon after she does and the garage smells like a truck after a 7 miles descent at 10%. I look in the car and before I even open the door I can see the parking brake handle is pointing straight up. I get in the car, and struggle to release the brake, which falls back as if the cable snapped. So I go in "WTF?" and she says:
"I think I left the parking brake on all the way home. I kept thinking 'I don't understand the hubbub, this car isn't any faster than the van.'" She didn't realize until she went to set the brake and it was already set. So then what? She gives it another firm tug, just to be sure. Thanks honey!

Anyway, it wouldn't do anything but drag a little on the parking brake shoes. As long as he got it rolling, the clutch fully engaged and didn't wear any more than starting up a hill. No worries!

 

Aaaaaaa

 

Rick:

I won't bother repeating what everyone else has already said. If you encounter a valet that won't let YOU park the car, explain to him/her that your insurance company agreement absolutely prohibits anyone but YOU from driving the car. If they still insist, go else where. It's just not worth it.

 

More to the point. I don't think a 200 yard drive is going to be catastrophic to your parking brake, provided there are no repeat performances

Was it it good thing---probably not, but I am sure we all know someone close to us who has done far worse, and their parking brake has lived to fight another day.

 

I had a valet park my Miata at a black tie dinner last year. I could see the parking deck & cross street from the club entrance. After the event I heard the very distinctive exhaust note of my modified supercharged Miata down the deck & through the streets at like 6k RPM on delivery. Needless to say I, in my little black cocktail dress, told him to get the f*** out of my car & later had him fired. Never again will I let a valet drive any of my cars in this town!

Not sure how much the parking brake is really worth as I have accidentally driven quite a few feet w/ barely noticing it is on in all my cars at one time or another.

 

Its a chance you always will take to hand someone $20 to park your car.

 

Like the old adage "You don't pay a prostitute for sex. You pay a prostitute to leave" Never let go of your keys.

 

Oh gods......

 

Get a new car...and wife.