[p912guy]

I just need to vent a bit. My wife and I went out to dinner tonight at a nice restaurant which offers complementary valet service because there is no other nearby parking available. I admit I was a bit hesitant leaving my car with the valet, (normally we take my wife's Q5) but this is a nice restaurant, and I've seen plenty of high end cars left for the valet attendant to park over the several times we have eaten there. I mean my M235 is nice and all, but it's no $150K Porsche 991 or Ferrari, etc.

I handed the attendant my key fob I asked specifically if they are comfortable with a manual transmission and I get an affirmative "yes" with a look like "are you kidding dude". When it was time to leave, I handed my ticket to the same attendant who grabbed the fob and then gave it to another attendant to bring my car around front. Everything seemed fine until we got into the car to head downtown to a show and we immediately noticed an overpowering smell of burnt rubber in the car. The restaurant was busy and we needed to go to get to the show on time so I just drove off. As we were driving I also noticed the temp controls had been changed. Clearly in my mind I am smelling burnt clutch material. The smell is so intense, when we get downtown to the parking garage, the attendant there even mentions the smell.

When we left the show and headed home on the expressway (10 miles), the smell dissipated, but when I parked in the garage, I could still smell it inside the garage outside the car.

While we walked from the parking garage to the theater, I called the restaurant to speak with the manager / owner. I explained everything to him and he took my information and promised to get back to me tomorrow after he spoke with the valet attendants. I have no idea what to expect. The pessimist in me believes he'll defend his valet attendants and claim nothing happened with my car. I have driven a MT cars for years and have never had to replace a clutch, but now I fear my clutch has premature wear and will need replacement long before it would have needed replacement without this incident. I am due for routine service in 1500 miles which most likely will be in a week or two since I have an 800 mile trip this weekend. That said, I am not aware of any routine check the dealership might do which could evaluate this potential issue.

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for letting me vent. Open to suggestions.

[ArcticFormula]

Everything you said was very rational to me, and not too long. Hopefully the restaurant will take accountability. The just thing they should do. So positive thoughts they do that.

[CP911]

First and foremost, I'm sorry this happened. Ferrari or not, another person's car should always be respected and treated with utmost care. Cars are not cheap investments no matter what you choose to drive.

That being said, if the car is still driving fine, I wouldn't be too concerned at this point. Clutches are wear items that usually can take quite a lot of abuse before they start to go out. Cooking it once or twice isn't going to do a whole lot to it long term. They can also smell quite bad even if it was only slipped and burned for a short period of time. Might have made it seem worse than it was.

A bigger concern to me would be that if the person clearly didn't know what they were doing, did they also grind the syncros while changing from 1st to 2nd gear? Without the placebo effect messing with your judgement, I'd highly recommended doing a couple of strong 1st-to-2nd gear pulls to make sure everything still seems normal when shifting. If nothing else, drive it over the next month, and if something bad happened, it'll likely rear its ugly head during this time.

Do you know how far the valet parking lot is from where you received your car back? Is it possible they took your car out for an extended joy ride while you were dining? Did you happen to note the mileage before getting out?

I know I'd personally be livid as I don't have much tolerance for things like this, but I've lived long enough to learn that if you care about something, the best bet is to never trust it with anyone else - especially a valet. This is why I also do all my own maintenance and buy whatever tools necessary (within a reasonable cost) to install my own performance parts as well. The majority of human beings these days suck and just do not care about other people's belongings. Case in point - I just bought a new Nissan Armada from Minnesota, and although I declined all exterior and interior detailing, I was driving it home and noticed a TON of what I swear is a McDonald's cheeseburger all over the steering wheel. I'm talking ketchup, mustard, and onion bits absolutely crammed into the white stitching. I couldn't even wait until I got home to let them know how upsetting this was and how unprofessional it is to eat in someone's brand new car! I also asked them to credit me for a steering wheel replacement since I have some OCD over cleanliness and hygiene. Their response: "We offered to detail the interior and you declined. Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to replace the steering wheel for you, but if you want to come back, we will happily clean it for you."

Anyways, at this point, I'd just wait for the manager to call you back and then go from there. Chances are there's nothing they can do for you, but you can at least let the manager know it was extremely unprofessional, and if they can't do anything to compensate you for your troubles (voucher for a few free dinners with the wife?), you can always take to the internet (Yelp, their Facebook page, etc.) and let as many people as possible know that they should take their money to another establishment that will respect their property.

Keep us posted on this one!

[Poochie]

I'm sure the valet were "professionals"

[mb67]

This kind of thing is prompting me to get a good dash cam setup; Not just for valet parking, but for accidents, etc.

[bimmerfile]

[BenDiem]

I feel your pain. Sorry that you had to experience this!

You mentioned it in your post, and I agree with you. I would not allow anyone to ever drive my car. A car to me is more than just transportation; similar to pet lovers, who love their pets more than their spouse, lol... That is just me.

Peeps, valets notwithstanding, lack the respect for OPP.

Cheers/B

[p912guy]

UPDATE:

I spoke with one of the restaurant owners and he was very apologetic and agreed at my request to provide a letter stating if I need to replace my clutch prior to reaching 100K miles, they would cover half the cost. I have the letter. Of course they are also offering dinner for my wife and I and a couple guests. While not a perfect solution, I am satisfied. Some folks have commented not to worry too much about the clutch as in all likelihood no major damage was done, but I am still a bit worried. The noxious burning smell has finally dissipated, however, after driving in some bumper to bumper stop and go traffic yesterday, I noticed a faint odor when I pulled into the garage.

While I remain hopeful, only time will tell if the valet fried my clutch to the point it's useful life was significantly reduced. The car needs to go in for routine maintenance in a week or two so we'll see if the dealership notices anything.

BTW, thanks for the words of encouragement.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by p912guy

UPDATE:

I spoke with one of the restaurant owners and he was very apologetic and agreed at my request to provide a letter stating if I need to replace my clutch prior to reaching 100K miles, they would cover half the cost. I have the letter. Of course they are also offering dinner for my wife and I and a couple guests. While not a perfect solution, I am satisfied. Some folks have commented not to worry too much about the clutch as in all likelihood no major damage was done, but I am still a bit worried. The noxious burning smell has finally dissipated, however, after driving in some bumper to bumper stop and go traffic yesterday, I noticed a faint odor when I pulled into the garage.

While I remain hopeful, only time will tell if the valet fried my clutch to the point it's useful life was significantly reduced. The car needs to go in for routine maintenance in a week or two so we'll see if the dealership notices anything.

BTW, thanks for the words of encouragement.

As this has turned out with some good degree of security for you, I have just one lingering question...

What is this thing you call a "valet"?

[aerostar]

Once in a long while (every like 6 months or so) I get impatient and kind of rush through shifts, etc. without really paying attention.

I don't stall out or truly abuse the clutch, I'd say I'm on the gas a little more than I should be at times. When I get home my garage smells really badly of burned clutch.

The point is, I wouldn't worry about it. And they are willing to cover half of the cost if before 100k miles anyway. I'd say that's more than fair.

[cxp213]

I totally understand your concern and your sentiments regarding the incident but your clutch is most likely fine. If there was significant damage to it, you'd know because it would have glazed over and it wouldn't bite the same. Some burning of the clutch isn't great for it, but it's not as bad as you're imagining it. No matter what that person did, you're not going to keep smelling burned clutch for hours, let alone days, after it happened so you're just now being paranoid.

[CP911]

I'd say that is an acceptable outcome! It's Friday night. Go get some dinner!