I think it is fair to say that the majority of you lot out thier tend to look after your motors. I work at a major airport maintaining aircraft .
I feel i have to warn you against airport parking . you may be tempted to pay extra for parking were the company take your car from you and place it in secure parking. First of all they do not always use any more secure parking than if you had parked the car yourself. Secondly and more important is the way i have seen the the cars treated when out of sight of there owners . Reving a cold engine very hard seems to be a favourite,closely followed by wheel spinning. Out of horror i have personnally challenged these people but they dont care .
My advice is you park the car yourself and take the keys with you.
Be warned...
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Thanks - been there and seen that.
One that got me was a particular company that claimed on site parking, who still managed to put 5 miles on my car.
When I challenged them on this after returning to my car, they just shook their heads and denied it. I guess they didn't expect people to check the miles at the point of drop off. No easy way for me to prove it though. They also reset my stereo pre-programmed stations, cleared the trip computer and changed all my mirror and seat settings - even the passenger side!!!
Must have been a very big car park!!! ;)
Suffice to say, I won't go there again...
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Go by train if you can. Less hassle, less risk, less worry, less cost. Heathrow, Gatwick (par excellence -- platform to concourse in one easy move), Stansted and Luton all have good rail services.
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Ferris Bueller's Day Off springs to mind when I read the OP's observations....
Cheers
DP
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Funnily enough just had a three line whip from our company to use one of the big parking co's. But they certainly won't be driving the Porsche!
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We had a thread on this subject recently.
May I suggest that you use a friendly, local airport car service. They will pick you up at your house, drop you off at the terminal building and pick you up again at the terminal.
You can relax, have a drink on the flight back without any wear and tear on your car.
Of course, I am not in the least biased - see my profile ; - )
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Recently went to Greece. Parked at Securapark, booked in advance, blow horn at barrier, you follow them to where they want you to park, park car and take keys with you. They then take you to airport (5 mins) away. Opposite way around on return. Used them 4 times now. Prices seem fair too.
Steve.
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Xantia HDi.
Buy a Citroen and get to know the local GSF staff better...
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Glowplug - at which airport was this and at which others do they operate, if any?
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at which airport was this
Manchester only according to google.
tinyurl.com/n6wo2
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Not sure if this is the same mob as I once used in Manchester - it was basically a multi storey car park that they had taken over. However just like the site said, I parked my car and took my keys with me and got a lift to and fro in the minibus. Totally hassle free and recommended.
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Bobby - where precisely is it?
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where precisely is it?
From one of the links on google ( www.securapark.com/contact.htm )
8th floor, multi-storey car park, Rowlandsway, Wythenshawe, Manchester. M22 5RG
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Thanks DD
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If you're travelling far to get to the airport, and especially if there are 4 of you or you're going for any length of time, the best thing to do is hire a car locally from a compnay with an office at the said airport, then just drop it off. Hire one for the return journey.
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Interresting reading , it seems that manchester airport has problems too . The airport i am referring to is east midlands . *************, is the company . Stay away..
jeta1, please read the site rules and refrain from naming & shaming. Thanks. smokie, BR Moderator
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I know exactly what you mean. I was offered free parking as part of this years holiday package from a large South West England airport. Even though my neighbour could have run us to the airport, I thought I would try it out.
Three days before I left, a mate said his parents would never use that car park again as they scuffed whole side of car & as their car was picked up in darkness the damage wasn't noticed until they got up next day.
While I was waiting in baggage reclaim at the end of my holiday the guy in front was telling his mate about the stoved in front he found when he returned to same car park last year. It quite takes the edge off the end of your holiday!
I should be grateful for only getting minor scratches to the driver's door, but the gouged rubber door window surround takes some explaining. Brand new car as well.
What makes me laugh is their website showing rows of neatly parked cars in marked bays with loads of room around each car. This is in fact the drop off point before they park them nose to tail, two inches apart on rough gravel.
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Had a quick search, but couldn't find the article from a few weeks ago, on how an offsite Northern (edit by DD) Airport parking company had stuffed a customer. The gist of the story is that on return from their holiday, told that car had been stolen. Owners insurance company not interested as the owner had voluntarily given custody of the car to the parking company. Parking co. initially said no problems, they are fully insured, unfortunately this does not appear to have back up as their insurance claims that they had taken all reasonable precautions and not liable for loss!
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My advice is you park the car yourself and take the keys with you.
I always park on site. Some 'airport' car parks are fruther from the airport than my home.
And even if you 'reserve" on site parking you should note the small print in the contract only entitles
you to park 'in the vicninity' of the airport. In other words they can shift you to another terminal
car park or even somewhere else if they chose to.
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One of the money pages recently did a piece on valet parking cons. tTey used a service that advertised on the internet, the number givin to call being a mobile! The car was followed by the undercover reporter to where it was parked on James Watt Way, Croydon, next to a burger van for 24 hours!
Local residents in Horley were also said to be fed up with the streets being clogged by cars left by airport 'parking' companies, sometimes with keys left in the wheel arch and the paperwork on the front seat.
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You're on the ball DD aren't you?
Yes it was Manchester, Rowlandsway. Seems to be the top couple of floors of a multistory. You access it up a couple of winding ramps - a bit like the fun pools have but wider! There's a chioce between undercover parking or not.
When we arrived back we got our luggage and then called them, 5 minutes later they collected us. Will continue to them in future.
Steve.
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Xantia HDi.
Buy a Citroen and get to know the local GSF staff better...
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You're on the ball DD aren't you?
Well, google was actually ;o)
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