1600

On the "nyc taxi...grrr" thread there were a lot of questions about garages and parking in nyc. Try to stay from from garages owned by "the Kinney System". They dented a number of my vehicles over the last 25 years. That is why I sought out a reasonable place that has park and lock spaces where you pay a bit more in order to park your own in your own space, protect the doors and bumpers as well as possible, alarm it and leave it. There are not a lot of garages that offer this option so shop around. Also if you are just coming in for the day a few extra bucks should allow you to have it parked in one of the few "elite" spots in the front area of most garages. Always ask the attendent, nicely, of course, to keep your windows closed as that will keep all the exhaust soot off of your seats and such. Generally you don't have to be concerned about stuff "disappearing" from your vehicle, but it's still a very good idea to keep everything out of sight and locked. The suggestion that you find a garage with lifts and have your vehicle raised above and separated from others is a good idea, but many attendents are not very skilled with these things and you might discover a dent. Speaking of which, make sure that you check over your vehicle carefully before you leave the garage for damage. Coming back later with to resolve an issue is impossible to prove. I hope this helps those of you new to nyc looking for permanent spaces as well as day-trippers.

ExGMan

Another E60 owner (cmansbimmer) suggested using "Bumperpads" on a car before parking in NYC. See: http://www.bumperpad.com/ I was not able to get them before my trip into Manhattan with my 530xi, but they look like a good solution to the front & rear protection issue. Most garages in NYC have signs posted saying they won't be responsible for damage to "plastic" bumpers anyway. I did take a series of photos of the car (with time/date stamp correct) immediately before parking in a garage to prove lack of damage before parking. I didn't need to use the photos, but thought they might be usable if I discovered damage.

Wildcat

Thanks for the run-down. I suppose the only option to be completely comfortable is to take the train, but these pointers will at least help me avoid the wrong places. Wish me luck!

BigL

As 1600 said pay the extra for the elite spot. I have a good relationship with the guys at my garage. They know I don't let anyone drive my car. They keep it up front and don't move it around. When I get back they simply hand me my keys. So far so good.

C's Bimmer

Yep, getting one of the prime spots in front is the ideal solution. The one thing that bumper pads don't prevent are the sides. With NYC garages being so jam packed, I feel that door dings are inevitable over time.

1600

I avoid all door dings using two good sized sheets of styrofoam under my car cover. I guess this is getting a bit anal, huh? Oh, well.

C's Bimmer

I've seen a lot of people with the "prime" spots use styrofoam boards on both sides of their car for this very reason. If you have "prime" spot, I would do this. But if you have a spot where your car gets pulled in and out of all the time to let others get their cars out, this won't work. You'll just find your styrofoam boards on the floor one day when you go to get your car. That would make me really mad.

1600

Yup, but really useful for those of us parked for occasional or weekend use.

jet190rs

you can try but i don't think it'd be worthwile. if you show up with that then attendents might be less careful, not more. they'll think since you have protection, playing bumper cars will be ok.

C's Bimmer

That's EXACTLY what they did with my car when I brought it back again on my E39. Don't ask me why I brought it back after they dinged my rear. They hit something so hard in my front, that my mtech bumper was pushed down into the ground when I came back the next day. That was the icing on the cake when I decided my bimmer no longer needed to be in the city.