What Would You Do if a Valet Gave Away Your BMW M5?
Two 2009 BMW M5s, one Fleming’s Steakhouse, one huge mistake.
VINwiki has been producing some of the most entertaining car stories on YouTube lately. This tale is similar to something you’ve probably heard in a number of different variations: A valet gets a pair of identical cars and accidentally gives the wrong one to each owner. The interesting part usually ends there. This time, however, it involves a pair of silver 2009 BMW M5’s! This is the E60 generation too, which sports that sonorous 500 horsepower V10.
The storyteller is Ben Burnett, who was looking to pick up some extra money for his honeymoon at the time. A friend had an opening to do some valet driving at a Fleming’s Steakhouse, so he accepted. After a few weeks on the job, a pair of identical color and year M5s showed up within 5 minutes of each other. He then made a minor mistake that led to a major one. Ben and his friend mixed up the keys and owners. This led to a moment every valet fears: they gave the wrong car to the wrong guy.
To make matters worse, they didn’t realize they made the mistake until the second owner came out. When he got to the car he started accusing them of smoking in it. Then the man’s wife, rather drunk, breaks the heel of her shoe and makes quite the scene. Ben also recalls that Charles Barkley, a regular at the steakhouse, watched the whole situation unfold. The owner got even more irate when he realized that the valets had given away his car, instead of just smoking in it. I don’t know about you, but I’d be worried that owner #1 was smoking in MY car while the valets got ahold of him!
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In the end, all was well once Ben gave each driver a $250 gift card to the steakhouse. It took him a few weeks to make the money back. He was terribly embarrassed, but he figures even Charles Barkley remembers that night.
Storytime
I valet parked for a hotel for about a year, part-time, and it was good money because of our location. I never perpetrated anything nearly as bad as Ben, but I was witness to the aftermath of a terrible mishap with a Mustang GT. The parking garage had 5 levels, with the “down” ramps in the middle and the “up” ramps at either end. You could build up some speed if you weren’t careful. The concrete was slick too. Getting the picture?
One of the valets decided to see what a customer’s Mustang GT could do. He built up some serious speed and turned the wheels without slowing at the “up” ramp. To the side, there was a walking path with a handrail for people coming up after parking their cars. This Mustang hit the wall above the handrail. It then landed atop the little curb by the stairs, thoroughly damaging the underbody and breaking the rear axle. It sat there for a week while management talked with their insurance and the owner. I never heard for sure, but I think the owner got himself a free Mustang GT in the deal.
What’s your best valet story? Tell us in the comments below!
