I’m curious to see what folks think about an incident that occurred tonight. Nothing tragic and not a big deal in the larger scheme of things, but still …

My wife and I went out to dinner at Salty’s restaurant in the Seattle area. The food is not the best for the price but the view of the Seattle skyline as good as it gets, especially as the sun is setting as was the case tonight. We drove my wife’s car which is an ’08 335i and has the Dinan remap btw for very impressive torque. As car enthusiasts we care for our cars in ways that the general public does not. Very frequent oil changes, driven hard but not abused, and relevant to this discussion, washed by people who know how to wash cars so we don’t end up with unsightly swirl marks all over them. This means telling the dealer not to wash the car on dealer prep, no wash during service, etc.

We had the car valet parked which we typically don’t do because we don’t like other people driving our cars even in for a short distance, but the parking situation was otherwise bad. Now, I don’t know about you but to me valet parking my car means parking it, locking it, and retrieving it on return. Otherwise, don’t eff with my car. Got it!?

Anyway, we eat our dinner and get ready to leave. I hand the valet ticket to the attendant and he tells me “Ah, the BMW … we washed your car for you tonight”. I look at him figuring he’s joking and ask him exactly that. “You’re joking, right?” Nope. He runs out to get the car as I stand there stunned. Did they really just wash our car in the parking lot of Salty’s?! And who exactly?

The attendant must have given some thought to my reaction as he was retrieving the car because as he gets out proceeds to assure me that the girls that washed our cars do it for charity (which of course means I need to pay them to or I’m an a$$, so I do). I'm thinking great, so this is equivalent to getting our car washed by the charity fund raiser at the local quicky mart, which of course there's no way in hell I'd ever let happen. He then goes on to tell me that they’re trained on how to wash cars and they only use a sheepskin mitt, and that they know to never let it touch the ground. We’ll that’s good. He’s certainly telling me what I want to hear but it was clear from looking at the car when we get home that whoever washed the car didn’t know what they were doing as evidenced from the dirty water streaks visible on the glass as a result of using dirty water, water spots on the grille area, and other minor details. Given the car didn’t need to be washed (it was fully detailed just 4 weeks ago, and we’ve had very little rain) the car now looks worse that it did before they did us the favor of washing it.

I don’t really care that the car is dirtier than before they washed it, and I hope they didn’t put any swirls in the paint. (I’ll know for sure tomorrow when I can see it outside in the light.) My question to the folks on this forum is “Isn’t a bit screwed-up that somebody would take the liberty of washing your car without even asking when valet parking your car?” I realize it was an attempted nice gesture and they were trying to provide good service (which kept me from getting mad at the attendant) but Salty’s is really not thinking this through IMO.

 

The last thing you should expect when you valet your car is to have it returned with a fresh wash. I'm just curious if you valet your GT3 would they still take the liberty to wash it or would they think this is the type of car I'm sure the owner would not want anyone touching. You are a nicer guy then me. I would not have been happy to find out some valet assumed it was okay to do anything besides park my and retrieve car let alone give up to some charity car wash. I really don't find as nice of a gesture as you because all they did was force you into a situation to cough up your money or look like a stiff. A nice gesture would have been " sir, we appreciate your business here and as a token of thanks we have taken the liberty to wash your car " no charity cause included and I still would not be thrilled. Like you said, it's not the end of the world but I would have not been happy.

 

not the end of the world, but you were probably more gracious than i would have been. also, performing an unsolicited service, without your knowledge, or consent in return for a charitable donation (presumably) is not ethical. no established, legitimate charity would do that i hope.

 

I, like you, would never valet park my BMW 135i or my 6GT3. The potential for damage is too great. Your experience with valet parking confirms my opinion to never valet park a nice car.

 

Very odd, I would be pissed off.

 

You are nicer than I would have been. If there is ONE mark on the car I would be asking the restaurant to be picking up the tab on a complete detail.

 

Roland, I care for my cars in exactly the same way that you do. That would **** me off to no extent. Just like when you specifically tell the Service Advisor that you do not want you car washed at the end of whatever they do on it, but they do it anyway. That is the worse!!!

I hope the clear coat is ok!

 

Roland- I think most of us are in agreement with your assesment. I never ever ever ever valet my car. I tell the guy im parking it right there, get out lock it and give him a $20. He's happy, and most of all im happy. My first car ever was an old jaguar which i completely redid with every bit of dough possible at my disposal (dumb teenager) I valet the car and that night, im on the way home, noticed the steering wheel was upside down and car going straight (thats odd) 20 min later vehicle overheats and engine blows. Since then- I ABSOLUTELY DONT VALET and recommend you do the same

 

Another reason not to valet, and I would be insulted that they would be so presumptuous as to wash my car without first offering to do so.

 

Its funny, nearly all damage to any of my cars is because of someone else. I VERY rarely ever do anything to mess my babies up...thats said, karma is a ***** and I just kinda go with the flow. Ill valet whatever I have, and if someone took the car out or did anything wierd (im good at picking up on this, especially when I reset the odo and check off the miles), I just ask them casually if their house was worth the ride. Let their imagination run with it.

 

Good to see I'm not alone on this. I mentioned the incident to my brother this weekend who is meticulous about his car, and he practically fell out of his chair. Knowing him, he would have been filing a police report had it happened to him.

Anyway, this is the first time I've used a valet in a long time and it will certainly be the last. Thanks for the support.

 

I hate Valets
yes I completely agree -- I would not be happy. I likely would not freak out as the processor in my head says I am the one that will look like an a-hole for getting upset about a "free" wash as most people could not even comprehend what I would be upset about.

When it comes to valets -- I think their motto should be "no surprises"... no washes, no dents, no scratches, no joy rides... simply park the car, don't screw with my seat/mirror settings, lock it and retrieve it in the same condition I gave it to you in... I am not sure why that is so hard... just park the car and keep an eye on it genius.

I had a valet at Wild Ginger in Seattle put a dent in my former Land Rover Defender... I noticed it right away (it was a hard top and they backed it into something and put a dent in rear roof line) and I pointed it out and of course they did not do it. The car did have some other love taps from off roading but not the roof one... I was repeatedly told that they did not do it and that they would call the police for me and I could file a report if I wanted... I told them to F off and wrote a letter to the owner of the restaurant... never heard a word back.