Airport Parking

[timberwolf]

Different people view what is a reasonable risk differently. I don't understand, for example, how you've arrived at what seems to me to be an extreme conclusion that not wanting to leave a new car at a long stay airport car park for concern about door dings (or worse) equates with never being able to go anywhere at all.

[Sagitar]

Different people view what is a reasonable risk differently. I don't understand, for example, how you've arrived at what seems to me to be an extreme conclusion that not wanting to leave a new car at a long stay airport car park for concern about door dings (or worse) equates with never being able to go anywhere at all.

You are right about differences of view of risk. My argument is that airport parking is a relatively low risk event compared with the risks that you endure in everyday driving. It is therefore illogical to leave your car in the garage to avoid a risk that is lower than the risks that you take every day. If you set the level of risk associated with airport parking as the decision threshold for taking the car out of the garage then you would never take the car out of the garage because everyday driving risks will always exceed that threshold. It is of course a decision that only you can make.

In 2007 (the last year for which I could find published figures) nearly three thousand people lost their lives in road traffic accidents in the UK. I don't have figures for the total number of traffic accidents/incidents that caused damage to vehicles, but I would take odds that incidents in airport carparks are a tiny percentage of that total. These figures present a much more frightening prospect and a much stronger reason for not driving your car than that of getting a ding in an airport car park; but I am repeating myself.

[Jolly English Gentleman]

The issue of whether one should actually risk parking a car at the airport is very much a matter of personal choice dictated by distance from the airport (i.e whether a taxi is cheaper than paying for parking), time of flights and what sort of parking system the airport operates.

Personally I think I have proven that if you get to keep the keys then any risk is minimised as you are not going to leave the car in the hands of someone who may not have the foggiest idea how to start it - let alone drive it. The second concern I had as to whether there was a risk of Battery issues after leaving the car parked for two weeks is also a genuine concern that has been addressed by experience. Of course someone with a high miler where the Battery may be nearer to the end of its life has another factor to consider. Even conventional cars have that risk, but of course it is a bit easier to replace a Battery on a conventional car.

Whether one takes a view that the risk of leaving a car at the airport for a number of days is higher than leaving it for a day at Skegness Beach car park, or for two hours in a supermarket car park is very much a personal opinion. There is always a danger that your car will be damaged wherever you park it. This was the point of my response to Trevnhill, and I think also Sagitar's. I don't feel that either us can see that parking at an airport bears any higher element of risk other than those associated with valet parking referred to on the first page of this thread.

In our household we had absolute proof last year that things can happen any where when some drunk driver took the bend too fast demolished a neighbours wall and ended up in our front garden causing £2,500 worth of damage to my partner's Yaris parked in front of the garage and another £4,000 plus damage to our property. If he had ended up three feet further north then he would have been in our front lounge and I would probably not be here to write this. We are not on a main road, but on a quite residential neighbourhood street where that kind of incident just is not expected. The total damage to our property, the neighbours and the cost of writing off the third party's car after its recovery, as well as all the costs of sorting out the insurance would probably not see much change out of £10,000 for something that took the same time as a child would to get out of the back seat of a car.

It was not my intention to start any fallout on this board, and I feel that the initial legitimate questions I had have been well and truly answered.

[johalareewi]

Just to follow up on this, I had a slight concern that it might not start after being idle for 2 weeks and thus causing battery problems. Pleased to say it started first time.

Just come back from two weeks away and mine started first time too.

[Sagitar]

Just to follow up on this, I had a slight concern that it might not start after being idle for 2 weeks and thus causing battery problems. Pleased to say it started first time.

Just come back from two weeks away and mine started first time too.

I picked up the car from the long stay car park at Southampton Airport today after leaving it there for a week.

Not a mark on the car which started without difficulty.

However, I did notice that the brakes were binding on as I drove away, not a good feeling in a tight packed car park where you want to ease away gently. They were fine once released in the first movement forward.

This is not a problem that I have ever had before.

[timberwolf]

Did you leave the Parking brake on? ;)

The Prius are prone to the brake discs rusting, but the theory goes that that is due to their under use because of the regen braking, and regen is only on the front brakes where as parking is applied to the rear brakes. I have a feeling that alloy wheels contribute to the problem as they leave the brake discs more exposed to the elements (but then I dislike alloy wheels so I find (invent?) reasons to add to my list!).

[johalareewi]

However, I did notice that the brakes were binding on as I drove away, not a good feeling in a tight packed car park where you want to ease away gently. They were fine once released in the first movement forward.

This is not a problem that I have ever had before.

I used to have a mk2 Astra which did that all the time. A couple of times it was so bad, I had to get the AA out to unjam them.