Free AirPort parking ?

[Ben174]

Was just googling to see if for a super long stay trip would be cheaper to park in one of those ones in Melbourne where they drive you in to the airport ? A result for carhood came up? They said you get free parking then while reading more while your away they the rent your car out? Ummmmmm? Is this real?

 

[MELoffairpark]

Was just googling to see if for a super long stay trip would be cheaper to park in one of those ones in Melbourne where they drive you in to the airport ? A result for carhood came up? They said you get free parking then while reading more while your away they the rent your car out? Ummmmmm? Is this real?

Yes this is real, Ben174, well, almost real anyway. Carhood has been in the wings for at least a few years now, but it seems by the look of their website that they're nearing an opening date in Sydney & Melbourne, with plans for Brisbane. The idea behind the concept is actually both clever and simple ... around the country hundreds of people leave their cars at airport car parks and bemoan the cost, and their car just sits there unused; meanwhile, hundreds of people fly into our city airports where the first thing they do after getting their bags is ... you guessed it, rent a car. In a kill two birds with one stone kind of approach, their model takes the car that would otherwise sit at an airport from the owner while they are away, alieviating their outlay for airport parking fees; the owner drives their car into a Carhood site near the airport and drops the car with them, and it then driven by a Carhood shuttle service into the terminal. Carhood then either same or next day, collects the pre-matched renter from the airport in their shuttle, brings them to their site where they would complete standard rental paperwork and the renter then drives the car as they would a normal rental, and being pre-matched the renter and owner's schedules would be similar, probably a day apart at most. So renter returns the car, Carhood do a thorough was and detail on it, and then owner flies back in after their trip to a nice clean car and having paid nothing in airport parking fees. And not only that, Carhood also offers owners a percentage (25% I think) of the rental fee they charge the renter, so they offer something that not only saves the owner parking costs it can also make them a little something for their troubles. They also advertise that they guarantee to beat "the big four" (presumably Budget, Thrifty, Hertz & Europcar) rates by 25%, so a significant saving for renters. Presumably they would have to have all proper insurances in place that cover the owners car should anything happen to it, and their website states as much up to a market value of $40,000. Effectively an owner could fly out of MEL and drop their car while on business in SYD for a week, with a traveller renting it while they are gone, and collect a car owned by someone else when they get into SYD for the week. So basically its a kind of Peer-to-peer concept, and on paper not a bad one.

The greatest problem I foresee with this truly getting off the ground in a big way is the fundamental issue that someone else will still be driving your car, and driving it on streets, freeways, doing 100 km/h+, not just driving it at 5km/h in a car park like my staff do. What's more, do you actually know who will be driving it?? Rental documents may well state it is Bob Smith, 40 years old, but how do we know if Bob doesn't allow his 22 year old colleague, 18 year old daughter or anyone else who he may travel with drive the car?? Of course the rental agreement would strictly forbid it, but agreements are broken all the time. In the world of general distrust that we live in, where a good percentage of people believe that all off airport car parks and their staff are dodgy criminals who joyride in cars all day long without consequence, I don't think their general way of thinking is going to shift too much for this. There is also going to be the issues of minor damage, and by this I mean the 3cm scratch or tiny ding in the door that the owner doesn't notice until two days after they got their car back; it wasn't significant enough to notice when they picked it up but now they notice it and want it fixed, and it will just be a never-ending minefield or back and forth. Mechanical damage is something else entirely and you would need to do some good research on this aspect. If you get a call to say your car broke down and it needs a new transmission costing $3,000 total, who will pay for this if you are adamant the renter has caused the damage?? Likewise, if you own a diesel and the renter fills with unleaded, odds are they will probably get a kilometre or so before your car suffers a coronary needing $5000-$15,000 worth of repairs to get back on road depending on what you drive. Odds also are that the renter will argue that they were never told the car was a diesel so therefore not their fault, and even if Carhood has the most comprehensive insurance policies on earth, this kind of damage could have your car off the road for 2-3 months ... what then??

So, this is something to consider if you drive something run of the mill, worth less than $40K, something that you don't pamper and don't really care who drives your car as it is (do you frequently let others borrow or move it who aren't family or close friends?). However, if like most people you wash it at least once a week, have it serviced regularly and generally take pride in what you own, I don't think you'll go near this. If you already worry now when you valet park at the airport that someone is taking your car for a spin while you're away, then this definitely isn't for you. If this is you Ben174 go back to your original search and find a reputable off-airport car park not too far from the airport with a shuttle to take you back and forth. If you are away for an extended period of time (4 weeks+) you will never get the best rate looking on the internet; instead pick 3-4 operators and call them, tell them your dates and ask them for their best price and they should give you some kind of discount, especially now because it is the industry's quietest time of year. And don;t be afraid to ask ... I either get of my staff bring me at least 4 or 5 of these enquiries every week, and I always do something for them. Apart from the facility I manage, I can think of at least another 3-4 off the top of my head where your car will be safe, looked after and at a decent rate. Good luck!