Well maybe it is not REALLY a solution, but the best I could come up with. Mazda Customer Service told me to give the attendent a copy of the "Qwick Start Guide". Yeah, right.

At least they'll see this and won't have any excuse, or they will tell me to park it myself. I can keep it in the glove compartment and tape it to the dash when needed.

 

If I ever am "forced" to valet park, I will plan on riding with the driver and holding my own keys once the car is parked. I've heard too many stories about joy-rides that are taken by valet-parkers while car owners are inside eating or attending a movie (whatever).

I mean seriously, what do they have to lose? I'd rather be careful than have my car parked.....

 

You honestly think any valet would read the sign, let alone abide by it?

Valets don't get paid to sit in a car and warm the engine for five minutes at idle; I suspect a valet could get fired for doing that...

 

I'm not sure I understand the concern of flooding the engine while valet parked.. I Valet park my car very often. Typically the car is warmed up by the time I get where I'm going, unless you happen to live next to the restraunt/club/casino/movie theater/grocery store/whatever.

Then, when you leave, your vehicle should still be somewhat warm.. unless you are watching the Godfather filmfest or something.. Even if it is cold, valet attendants typically do not shut off the car when returning it to you...

The only time the engine could get flooded is if you were at said film fest, and the attendant driving stalled the car while avoiding trying to hit 15 cats running behind the car 5 seconds after it was started... and even that would not gaurantee a flood.. (believe me, the cat thing really happened..) The sign wouldnt help anyway...

But it's a really cool/official looking sign!

 

Valet parking lots typically cram a lot of cars into a very small lot, requring the valets to shuffle those cars around to get one parked in the interior of the lot out.

Thus if the car cools for even a few hours, odds are at some point the valet is going to start the car, move it 30 feet, and shut it back off - the very definition of what Mazda tells you never to do...

 

I am thinking of Hotel parking, not restaurant parking. The car will sit overnight in an unheated parking garage and sometimes double parked. If they move it to get another car out I am screwed. I don't often use valet parking, but there have been a few times when I have stayed places where that was the only option.

 

This implies these guys can read. Is that a valid assumption?

 

I started another thread earlier today on the same topic: flooding and the parking garage attendant. My scenario, living in NYC and always using the parking garage, seems to be the worst of all possibilities. Unfortunately, the answer to my question, 'should I buy the rx-8' seems to be getting answered. I so wanted this car!!!

 

Ok, that makes sense.

 

Also, maybe you'll get lucky and always get attendants that will redline first gear/reverse moving it 30 feet!!

 

Before you get out of the car, make a show of reading the odometer, and write the number on the back of the valet ticket.

 

Yesterday, I went for a short drive and I checked before I shutdown the car that it was temp gauge was around the middle. When i went back in the car to start her up, she had a hard time starting up. Made me a bit worried there for a sec. So I'd imagine if you go to a restaurant and the car just hit the middle on the temp gauge you shutdown the car, you better hope the eat fast cause if the valet moves the car to shuffle them around... it might flood.

 

this is bordering mass hysteria.... the car won't flood ALL THE TIME. never flooded my 85 rx-7 and never ever followed that pocedure.but now, the more i read the more i'm incline to follow it... it grew on me.

 

Yep, I'm going to have to go with you on this one. I can see if it's an all night shuffle in a cold garage; but provided the engine is any semblance of warmed by the time you get where you're going (dinner, formal event), then the likelihood of flooding is likely minimal at best. My father's 2nd Gen '86 never flooded once, and while I realize it's not exactly the same engine the concept still remains the same. Don't drive across the street to 7-Eleven 2 mins after walking out the front door on a daily basis, and you'll very likely be just fine. Bottom line - just be sensible, and if given an option to park yourself, do so.

 

I think that image needs to be made into a poster and hung in the room where RX-8 engineers eat their lunch. Initially I thought this was no big deal but after seeing the frequency of complaints on this forum it seems like a serious problem. It definitely needs to be fixed.

 

Youguys have to admit that the 5 minute thing ispretty inconvenient when it comesto getting the car serviced and parked by valet. Ohwell. This car is worth the troublefor me.

 

Y'all don't get me wrong here, I LOVE the car and I'm not trying to be a smart a$$ about this. I am trying to find a practical answer to a real problem when I travel; and like the guy in NY I have to park it with an attendent in a garage. My big disappointment is that Mazda seems so cavalier about it all. Their "Customer Care" person basically told me it was my problem and to do whatever I wanted but that's just the way rotaries are. Nobody bothered to tell me when I bought it, and the saleman was a well experienced Mazda man who certainly knew it, and also knew that I was not familiar with rotaries. As long as I don't screw up and accidently stall it some morning, it should be just fine and I am really enjoying the car.

 

This is exactly right for some valet lots, some other lots have enough room that they never jockey cars around. But you never know, and some attendent in a large valet lot where they don't jockey cars to pack tightly just might want to sit in the 8 and maybe even start it to hear a rotary in action (is it press 8 to hear...). The bottom line is if you hand your keys to a stranger you never know.

Some people have downplayed this because the engine stays warm for a while. This is true, I have driven my car and after having it sit for a couple of hours it's still warm. But, this is at 40, 50 , 60 F, what about at 0 F, or less. At extreme cold temps, even with a quick dinner, the car will be cold. Ice cold. Although the typical valet driver is well versed in MTs, each car is different, and they can easily stall a cold engine. What then?

 

Nice sign. Now make a signature line and have the valet sign that he read and understood and assumes liability if he messes up your car. I'm sure they'd be perfectly happy to park the car after all that. ;-)

 

I agree: nice sign. I'd use it if I were valet parking my car as a precaution.

I would also ask to talk to the person parking the cars when leaving the vehicle... I know some people think anyone who makes his living parking cars is necessarily a moron, but it's just not so. Very often they have special spots and, if you don't mind waiting a bit, asking them to park your car "in deep" in just doing them a favor. Also, New York is not Wyoming. You shouldn't be stranded anywhere that has a valet. And, if you really did have the car towed from a valet lot, I suspect Mazda would tow you and make a "goodwill repair" as they did with me... even a second time...

My hope is that we make a sufficiently big deal about this issue with Mazda to get a positive, helpful reaction to the valid concerns people have. A technical fix would be nice, but an up-front reasonable policy for flooded vehicles is what I really want. If they do that, I'm still a happy camper and would still recommend the car.

 

If you've ever seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off, that depiction of parking lot attendants is not complete satire. If you honestly believe any valet or attendant is going to actually run the engine for five minutes any time they start your car for anything less than a $100 tip, I suspect you're sadly mistaken...