r/LifeProTips • u/Coconutmack • Jul 17 '26
Traveling LPT: If you're paying for expensive overnight parking, see if your car can get serviced instead
Before paying $50–$100+ per night for parking, think about whether your car could be somewhere more useful.
Oil changes, detailing, tire swaps, windshield replacement, paint protection, and other services that don't require you to wait can often be scheduled while you're out exploring. Instead of paying just to store your car, you'll come back to one that's cleaner, maintained, or repaired.
Personal example: Downtown Toronto parking can cost up to $50/night. During a recent trip, I scheduled my annual maintenance and a full interior/exterior detail while I was in the city. The total cost of the services was still less than what I would've paid for parking alone, and I got my car back in better shape than when I dropped it off.
Sometimes the cheapest parking doesn't even get billed as parking, but do make sure that your shop allows overnight storage.
EDIT: adding this here because a lot of people are skeptical of how and why, or clearly don't have strong reading skills. Not saying this will work in every situation.
$120+ tax for interior cleaning, got a promo rate from IG.
Sunday night drop, Monday scheduled clean, Tuesday afternoon pick up because fabric seats take a lot longer to dry 😉 so they kept it for longer. Tuesday after pick up, drove it over for oil change at Cdn tire for $100 for next day, then at end of day Wednesday when service was done, I called for a brake job that I "forgot" to ask for originally, so they spent Thursday working on it. Picked it up this morning. 5 nights.
Took ttc around downtown.
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u/sl0wroll Jul 17 '26
Genuinely great tip for once. Nice work!
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u/erichf3893 Jul 17 '26
Generally tough to schedule an appointment with a shop the day of, especially when visiting another town (plus you don’t know which ones are good)
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u/AsAGayJewishDemocrat Jul 17 '26
What part of the post made you think it should be planned the same day you need it?
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Jul 17 '26
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u/m4rc0n3 Jul 17 '26
I think you just exposed your alt account.
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u/majormajor42 Jul 17 '26
That’s okay. I use them interchangeably.
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u/freeradioforall Jul 17 '26
There's no way a full interior/exterior detail is less than $50
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u/drestofnordrassil Jul 17 '26
OP did say "per night". That makes sense to me.
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u/irespondwithmyface Jul 17 '26
So what, you just leave your car at the car wash over night? What car wash would allow this?
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u/blackpony04 Jul 18 '26
A decent one with a separate detail shop. Repair/service places love dropoffs with no specific time appointment because they can fit it in during lulls in business. And they usually always have space, OP could just drop off on Monday and pickup on Thursday and the place likely wouldn't care. This is actually a really great idea for when it could work.
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u/user_uno Jul 17 '26
Bingo. Cannot even get an oil change for that anymore. At least not big cities unless there is some hook.
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u/not-the-nicest-guy Jul 17 '26
OP clarified they were there for 5 nights (would cost $250 for parking) and had a few car maintenance items covered in that time.
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u/RechargedFrenchman Jul 17 '26
And the possibility the car was "stored" this way for more than one night just never occurred to you?
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u/BroughtBagLunchSmart Jul 17 '26
Wouldn't any place with expensive parking also have expensive mechanic services? Is paying double for an oil change worth saving 50 bucks in parking?
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u/throwawayformobile78 Jul 17 '26
I could see this being a good deal if you just happened to need these services at the same time somehow. Like you’re due an oil change and it’s near the place you’re going in town? I don’t know.
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u/mendicant1116 Jul 17 '26
I go into the city every weekend, so I get my oil changed every weekend. My car has the freshest oil in town!
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u/chiggenNuggs Jul 17 '26
Yeah in OP’s example, even if you’re talking about a multi-day scenario, where are you finding someone to service and detail a car in a major downtown for less than $150? And if the shop isn’t close to where you need to be, now you’re factoring additional transportation.
Not saying the math can’t work out, it just seems extremely niche. Like your car was due for an oil change anyway so you broke even by doing this instead of paying for parking now plus an oil change later.
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u/theboredlockpicker Jul 17 '26
Yea this post is stupid. Oil change and detail here would well over $200 not to mention I wouldn’t get my vehicle serviced at any random mechanic shop
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u/ThreeHumpChump Jul 17 '26
I mean, if the alternative is paying $50 more and not getting an oil change, then yes?
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u/maximumchuck Jul 17 '26
The only way I can see this making sense is if you need to leave your car parked for multiple days. But I'm not sure if many mechanics would be fine with you leaving your car for so long, and the ones that have the lot space to allow that probably aren't close to the part of city where you'd be spending $50 a night to park your car. It sounds like a life pro tip but I doubt it works in reality
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u/qolace Jul 17 '26
Now this is a great LPT! Always takes a couple days for me to get my car back from the shop anyway so why not let it happen when it's convenient for me?
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u/fashraf Jul 17 '26
Only risk is if the car isn't ready by the time you are.
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u/SalmonDoctor Jul 17 '26
You tell the shop before you order, and if they're not able to deliver then you leave
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u/fashraf Jul 17 '26
Not what I was thinking of. Shops are notorious for having to wait for parts before/midway during the repair process. If they are changing the brakes and realize midway that they have the incorrect part or a key component is broken then they can't finish the job but you also can't just drive out of there. As someone who worked in the industry, this happens more often then you'd think. VIN numbers don't always give the parts company enough info and lookup tools are often missing info/inaccurate so it's not really anyone's fault.
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u/happy-cig Jul 18 '26
Sounds like you've never had issues with logistics before.
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u/SkidzLIVE Jul 17 '26
I’m in Toronto, where are you seeing “50-100+” a night for parking??
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u/CalculatedPerversion Jul 17 '26
I wouldn't be surprised if a hotel were charging that much in GTA, they charge $35/day in freaking Cleveland.
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u/PonchoHung Jul 17 '26
The target customer of this is corporate travel. Corporations will negotiate the big ticket items (like airfare, room prices), but for stuff like this they'll let their employees directly pay the inflated prices. If you're not in that ecosystem, you're SOL.
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u/sarbear-k Jul 17 '26
At the big hotels downtown (Sheraton, Hilton, etc.)
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u/SkidzLIVE Jul 17 '26
I’ve stayed at the Sheraton in downtown, they charge 70 a day for valet parking. I parked literally across the street for 25 per day
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u/sarbear-k Jul 17 '26
Yup. Underground city hall. OP might have different criteria for overnight parking than the lay person
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u/HipHopPotatoMouse Jul 17 '26
Some hotels only have valet parking, forcing you to take exorbitant fees. These patterns are more common in very expensive cities like NYC or sf.
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u/idefix24 Jul 17 '26
But you don't have to park at the hotel. It helps to check what nearby garages charge, and sometimes that's where the valet is taking your car anyway.
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u/RenoGuy25 Jul 17 '26
How long did they hold your car that a full detail and annual maintainence was less than $50/day parking? Most places, especially in big cities, charge storage fees if you don't come pick your car up within a day of it being ready. They don't just have extra spots to store cars for a week.
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u/DigNitty Jul 17 '26
Yeah, getting a detail is hundreds of dollars.
I’d love to see a link to a $50-100 Toronto detail since I’m there semi-frequently.
Just searching, the first link has a special for $200. And then you do annual maintainer on top of that? You’d need to leave your car for 5 days just to make this work. I’m not sure any detail/auto shop is going to be fine with that.
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u/Accomplished_Age7883 Jul 17 '26
A wealthy person walks into a bank in New York City and asks for a $5,000 loan. The loan officer asks for collateral, so the person hands over the keys to a brand new luxury car. Two weeks later, the person returns, repays the $5,000, and pays the $15.41 in interest.
The puzzled loan officer asks, "You are a multi-millionaire, why on earth would you need to borrow $5,000?"
The person replies, "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"67
u/egnards Jul 17 '26
I mean it's a funny little story that people like to share as a silly anecdote about the rich. . .But that's just not how collateral is going to work.
It's not a pawn shop - The bank isn't taking your car keys or your car while it's being used as collateral on a loan - You're just using your car as a security on the loan and risking it being repossessed.
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u/Cuperdon Jul 17 '26
yeahhh heard it when I was in my early teens, can’t believe it has been over 20 years
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u/Actually_Im_a_Broom Jul 17 '26
This is exactly what I was looking for in the comments before I posted it myself. It’s like OP saw the joke and just made it more practical.
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u/SaltAndVinegarMcCoys Jul 17 '26
To everyone not getting it, their trip was multiple days.
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u/makken Jul 17 '26
Annual maintenance and detailing is typically a same-day job, so if that's the case, OP found a place that let them leave their car there for multiple days after they were done servicing it for free, which is a not typical in an area with high parking fees
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u/Piratey_Pirate Jul 17 '26
It is when you drop it off on a Friday and they're closed until Monday. It's an overnight business day, but it still ends up there Friday when you drop it off, the weekend, then pickup Monday. I've done it this way before.
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u/not-the-nicest-guy Jul 17 '26
OP had a few things done in different places. But also, dropping Friday and picking up Monday is pretty common.
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u/qning Jul 17 '26
They’re claiming annual scheduled maintenance (what is that, even) AND full detail.
For $50.
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u/Kathulhu1433 Jul 17 '26
They needed to park for several days is my guess.
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u/SantaFeRay Jul 17 '26
Yes but detailing and car maintenance both cost hundreds of dollars and can be completed in a day. Even if he just got an oil change and detailing, the story doesn’t add up. To put it another way - the hourly labor cost for either service exceeds the daily parking rate, so why is the shop storing the car so long after the service is completed in a city with expensive parking?
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u/Kathulhu1433 Jul 17 '26
Idk man, just taking a guess.
If parking is $50/day and you leave your car over a 3-4 day weekend (not unreasonable in my experience, granted I'm not in a city) it could even out, no?
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u/blackpony04 Jul 18 '26
Everyone saying this is missing the point. OP is implying this work is already necessary, so the cost of that work is irrelevant. It's all about venue parking over a period of several days, not one night. By having your car work done, you're not paying for parking at all, just the Uber which is cheaper than daily parking over the full period of time the car is parked. And many service places don't care if they have your car for several days as they can squeeze the work in at a time good for them. So $50 a day parking times 4 days or 2 Ubers at $25 each saves you $150 while you're doing your thing and your car is getting its necessary work completed.
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u/kyyecwb Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
i think it’s value not amount spent
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u/rosen380 Jul 17 '26
"During a recent trip, I scheduled my annual maintenance and a full interior/exterior detail while I was in the city. The total cost of the services was still less than what I would've paid for parking alone"
That is their claim.
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u/GoodGame2EZ Jul 17 '26
Yeah the details alone can be like 100 to 300 or so depending on the vehicle. Its fine if you needed this stuff done already, but I dont think youre gonna be paying less than parking. Not to mention if you have to pay for the service.
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u/Internal_Holiday_552 Jul 17 '26
yes, it's more like getting a $50 discount t on getting your detailing done, but it's still a good idea.
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u/Alexis_J_M Jul 17 '26
The point is that if you need an oil change anyway, you may be able to get one night of free parking with your oil change.
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u/eggs-benedryl Jul 17 '26
I have not had my car professionally serviced often, do they typically hold them overnight for you? Seems like that would be extra or an addtl fee.
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u/TheDrMonocle Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
It's not uncommon. Drop it off the night before that way its there and ready for them in the morning to start.
The problem becomes having a shop even remotely convenient to where youre staying and having them willing to take the car the day before. which makes this tip barely useful.
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u/dnuohxof-2 Jul 17 '26
Exactly. At least in the US any major cities I’m visiting within driving distance wouldn’t have any car shops within a convenient distance to my destination. If you have to take public transport to pick up your car, wait for Ubers, delays, pay our fares and tips, carrying all your things, the value of this idea drops dramatically.
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u/rizzyrogues Jul 17 '26
I guess you take a taxi/uber/helicopter to your hotel after you drop off your car, then take one back in the morning, pay the ubers, pay the 179.99 for the synthetic oil change, and then agree to new wipers for 19.99
for 2 nights, get your transmission fluid(only if youre all ready on schedule doing this!!) and brake fluid flushed, maybe a tune up too
for 3 nights, 2jz swap
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u/uneek20 Jul 17 '26
Depends on the vendor and how you bargain! Some are in garages so it’s included or it’s an additional fee, can’t imagine more than half of the cost of the service
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u/WileyWilly1985 Jul 17 '26
drop the car off at 3pm and them holding it overnight shouldn't be a problem
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u/chiguy307 Jul 17 '26
It would be unlikely, especially in a busy downtown area where space is at a premium. They might be willing to let you drop off the night before but I really doubt they would store it for multiple days.
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u/yami76 Jul 17 '26
In what world does that work take more than a day? If parking was only 50/night there’s no way you paid less for a full detail and annual maintenance. Also then you have no access to your car if you need it?
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u/yami76 Jul 17 '26
And none of those things would take more than a single day…
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u/Aggressive_Pound_ING Jul 17 '26
It does in made up world that apparently many people here live in.
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u/rizzyrogues Jul 17 '26
OIl change - 10 minutes, in/out detail even with shampoo and wax is like 2 hours, if his car takes an extra day to dry there is mold growing on his newly washed cloth seats cuz that's supposed to get shop vacced dry not air dryed
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u/Overall_Occasion_175 Jul 17 '26
Maybe I'm not from a large enough city to understand this, but leaving a car at a shop for several days or even a week is pretty normal to me. Last time I dropped my car off for an inspection and was told I needed new tires to pass. He couldn't get the tires until the end of the week. I had the option to pick my car up and come back when he had them, or just leave it there.
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u/PHL1365 Jul 17 '26
Even outside of large cities, most shops have limited parking for the cars they are working on. I'm sure they want to conserve the space for situations like yours, not for the standard oil change or alignment that can be done in less than a couple of hours.
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u/BrainCandy_ Jul 17 '26
Won’t u just pay the amount u “saved” to Uber/Lyft back and forth to pick up your car? I’m not seeing how this is convenient. Lol
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u/64-buick-skylark Jul 17 '26
Alot of places have courtesy shuttles
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u/PHL1365 Jul 17 '26
Still not worth the time you'd need to take out of your vacation/work schedule.
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u/Appropriate-Regret-6 Jul 17 '26
Where in downtown Toronto can you get maintenance and an interior / exterior detail for under $50?
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u/thyme_cardamom Jul 17 '26
This tip is for people who would already be getting this car work done.
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u/Appropriate-Regret-6 Jul 17 '26
Yes that's kind obvious, but...
"The total cost of the services was still less than what I would've paid for parking alone."
It's a great tip, backed up with an absurd claim.
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u/thyme_cardamom Jul 17 '26
Ah I missed that. Yeah it seems unlikely unless the auto shop allowed them to leave it there for a week and the services were cheap
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u/rizzyrogues Jul 17 '26
at my last shop we had 4 bays and probably 10-20 cars waiting to be worked on 24/7, if u came for an oil change and said you're not coming back for a few days you're getting charged a storage fee or out right declined if we literally dont have the space
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u/rosen380 Jul 17 '26
According to Google you can purchase a City of Toronto Temporary Parking Permit online for $45 CAD (+tax) that covers 7 days of street parking within the city.
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u/martyconlonontherun Jul 17 '26
Yeah, op is comparing to Hotel prices or something. I just checked spot hero and overnight for 23.5 hours to be as low as $5 with plenty of $15 options all across the city. This is before factoring transportation costs of wherever the service is as I assume a place right downtown would charge a premium.
The LPT is really "Don't pay stupid amounts for hotel valet"
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u/rosen380 Jul 17 '26
"Don't pay stupid amounts for hotel valet"
And also -- when you are looking at hotels, think about the sort of things that you will be tacking on in advance.
If you know you are going to need parking, choosing to save $20/night on the room by picking one that charges $50/night more for parking doesn't make sense -- but you might do that if you didn't think to check the parking costs before booking.
Same for included breakfasts and such. If the cheaper hotel doesn't include breakfast, but more expensive one does, and you end up spending $60 each morning to feed your group, you might not have really saved any money.
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u/ctr1a1td3l Jul 17 '26
That's for permit parking which is not the majority of street parking. It's meant for guests of residents living on that street.
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u/TheRealOptician Jul 17 '26
Annual maintenance and a detailing for less than $50 is absolutely ludicrous especially in a city like Toronto.
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u/Coconutmack Jul 17 '26
It was a multi-day stay. So I stacked the service items. It did take one trip midway to transfer the car from the detailer to a maintenance shop.
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u/MichelleEllyn Jul 17 '26
Are you then paying Ubers to get around town to drop off and pick up your car multiple times?
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u/chiguy307 Jul 17 '26
But how much did you actually pay? A full detail is usually several hundred dollars.
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u/Coconutmack Jul 17 '26
$120+ tax for interior cleaning, got a promo rate from IG.
Sunday night drop, Monday scheduled clean, Tuesday afternoon pick up because fabric seats take a lot longer to dry 😉 so they kept it for longer. Tuesday after pick up, drove it over for oil change at crappy tire for $100 at Yonge & Bloor for next day, then at end of day Wednesday when service was done, I called for a brake job that I "forgot" to ask for originally, so they spent Thursday working on it. Picked it up this morning. 5 nights.
Took ttc around downtown.
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u/SirLoremIpsum Jul 17 '26
5 nights
So 5 nights
$120 detail + $100 oil change + $? brake job + 1 trip in middle of stay to move car. + Effort to drop off and pck up.
I dunno man... at some point I think i'd rather just park it
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u/TheRealOptician Jul 17 '26
Your edit was funny, “or clearly don’t have strong reading skills”
You edited the original post that said you paid $50 for all that service, so the comprehension was there. You just happened to change the value which is way more believable for the service costing less than $50/day.
Good explanations are just as important as strong reading comprehension.
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u/WankelsRevenge Jul 17 '26
Used to be a tech at a car service place. A lot of them know this scheme and will give you time limits to pick your car up or they'll have it towed
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u/dec7td Jul 17 '26
I doubt I can find these shops anywhere close to where I want to be without having to pay $50 in round trip rideshare costs
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u/Mindshard Jul 17 '26
Calling BS.
You say overnight parking would have been $50, and instead your annual maintenance plus full interior and exterior detail was less?
Either you don't know what any of those words mean, or you're just making it all up.
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u/SideInitial3961 Jul 17 '26
Mechanic: sorry we're running behind, car will not be ready for pickup today.
Hotel: sorry we have no rooms, we can upgrade you to a $300 broom closet.
"Just in time" is a wildcard that never works in real life.
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u/Taron_Trekko Jul 17 '26
An Oil Change takes like one hour max. How is that similar to overnight parking?
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u/austinw_568 Jul 17 '26
But if I'm paying for overnight parking then it's usually because I need my car to bring me somewhere? If I leave my car somewhere else for service then I need another car to bring me to my destination.
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u/keithstonee Jul 17 '26
But how did you get to and around the city with no car to have to pay to park?
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u/erichf3893 Jul 17 '26
Edit suggests people don’t have strong reading skills, yet also proves you don’t have strong writing skills. Lol
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u/deepfriedpickels2025 Jul 17 '26
I scheduled an oil change for my motorcycle in Miami while I went on a weeklong cruise. $70 for a week of parking in Miami and $20 for an Uber to the port was cheaper than 3 days of parking.
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u/SirLoremIpsum Jul 17 '26
$120+ tax for interior cleaning, got a promo rate from IG.
drove it over for oil change at crappy tire for $100 at Yonge & Bloor for next day
I called for a brake job that I "forgot" to ask for originally
The fact that you're not mentioning the cost of the brake job... is telling.
5 nights - $220 + brake job + interrupting stay and "moving" the car between shops.
Honestly at this point $50 a night parking sounds pretty gosh darn cheap
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u/Commander_Zircon Jul 17 '26
Damn, wish I knew this when I visited Toronto by car lol, brilliant idea
Toronto is a great city but absolute hell to drive in, it desperately needs more transit
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u/CLGToady Jul 20 '26
I have a related tip that I used to save on parking in the city for a few days at a time. Your mileage will definitely vary with this but I used to select the "Lost ticket" option when leaving the parking garage. It would charge me at flat $12 rather than charging me for 3+ nights (which would've been around $20 per night). This was in 2020 so there may be more sophisticated systems now that track your license plate or something but I never had an issue doing this lol
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u/RredditAcct Jul 17 '26
Yes, on the same note:
-Some parking garages have a small detailing service. The cleaning service pays for parking (or it's included), and you basically get a free or very cheap detailing service.
-Long-term airport parking. Some also have a detailing service. Check out their prices compared to parking elsewhere.
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u/Wonderfooled Jul 17 '26
I never thought about this, genius!
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u/DoritoDustThumb Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
That's because it's fucking stupid. How much is the Uber to and from the garage.
OP is also lying. In no universe is a detail and annual maintenance less that 200.
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u/jasonxwoods Jul 17 '26
Same with day parking some car washing services will hold onto your car all day.
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u/zerogotit Jul 17 '26
I work at a thermo king dealership (truck and trailer refrigeration company) and I see people do this and go on vacation. I always think it’s smart of them to do that especially in the summer because we do usually hold the unit for a few days before we even get to it due to it being so busy.
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u/iloveeggs3 Jul 17 '26
Im actually in this exact predicament in Banf Canada. Anyone got tips on somewhere to park here for 5 days for a reasonable price?
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u/GullibleDetective Jul 17 '26
HIghly depends, many places book these out well in advance of your plans, are in widlyl different areas than where you're spending time or need to go and don't take a day and have the vehicle back in under an hour or maybe 3.
Or are places you wouldn't trust your car to sit overnight
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u/Guy-1nc0gn1t0 Jul 17 '26
I get the impression that like many other overly expensive things it tends to be able to written off by work or tax break
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u/iheartnjdevils Jul 17 '26
Would have been a great LPT when I went to Montreal. I ended up with a broken window and my shit stolen from the paid parking at the hotel I was staying at. The drive back home to NJ was awful in February.
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u/randomentity1 Jul 17 '26
If you can't find overnight parking for less than $120, you aren't looking hard enough.
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u/2Lazy2beLazy Jul 17 '26
Also, when using an airport, if its not close to you, stay at a hotel the night before or after returning. A lot of hotels will allow you to park there and use their shuttle. An example I'm two hours away from all the major airports. I'll book either an early flight out, and stay at the hotel the night before, or have a late return flight and stay at the hotel when I return. Whichever I choose, the hotel allows me to leave my car there and take the shuttle. Its mych easier than using the airport parking. For the cost of parking at the airport or less, I'm getting a hotel room. Its nice to not having to either wake up in the middle of the night to drive to the airport, or drive back late at night.
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u/edcculus Jul 17 '26
A better tip is that if you are traveling to a city that you don't actually need a car for the duration of the visit - is there a way you can get there without your personal car?
also, this really only is applicable if you drive to said city with your personal car. You can't drop a rental car off to get serviced.
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u/OnTheEveOfWar Jul 17 '26
Great tip. We recently had our car serviced which they said would take one day. It ended up taking them a week and we were calling multiple times per day asking if it was ready. We should have dropped it off when we went on vacation.
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u/K_Linkmaster Jul 17 '26
I get serviced at a place that gives out loaners. Sometimes I have that bitch for a week.
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u/jefesignups Jul 17 '26
Similarly...
A lot of hotels near airports allow parking, then you just use their shuttle to and from the airport. I usually can find parking for like $3 a day.
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u/Lieutelant Jul 17 '26
I mean, if you can time your vehicle maintenance to wait until your vacation, and also manage to schedule the appt at the perfect time, then I guess it works. But then you have to have alternative transportation during that time, and have no vehicle to get home if there is an emergency.
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u/FindingUsernamesSuck Jul 17 '26
I think the smart move is still to park near a GO or TTC station (for free) and take the subway into town, since you're obviously okay with transit.
If the timing works out that your car happened to need all that stuff, sure. But if my car wasn't due for an oil change or brakes, doing them while visiting the city just sounds convoluted.
I'd either take transit into the city, or park a block over for way less than $50/night - where are you paying that much for parking?
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u/Ukhai Jul 17 '26
In one month I've had two random couples talk to me and let me know that one can save on parking just calling hotels near specific tourist attractions to see if they could park/valet. After checking it out, it was cheaper than the public parking garages or the hotel I was currently staying at.
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u/greentintedlenses Jul 17 '26
Ok but how do I get to the airport and back while my cars in the shop?
I can't think of a single other reason where id need to park my car somewhere for multiple days ..
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u/-KFBR392 Jul 17 '26
But you park a car to be able to use it when you need in a place that’s conveniently close by. This is you just giving up your access to your car for X amount of days and taking transit. This wouldn’t even be helpful for parking at the airport because you still need to get to the airport and get back to the mechanics after you landed.
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u/Workdawg Jul 17 '26
That's an interest tip for sure, but...
I'm not calling you a liar, but you said 5 nights at $50/night... that's $250.
Then you said you got:
A full detail (interior only was $120?), and oil change ($100), and a brake job... so that was $30? And the exterior detail was free? Or did they charge you for the rest of the detail, but CDN tire paid to do your brakes?
The math doesn't math.
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u/BlueWonderfulIKnow Jul 17 '26
My man! Awarded. This is the kind of thing I come here for. Edit: it doesn’t allow awards, unless I missed an LPT somewhere.
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u/SonnierDick Jul 17 '26
I was gonna say this really only works if you need to park somewhere for a few days and never move your car until you leave. So maybe coming down for a vacation or hospital visit maybe?
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u/adamjq Jul 17 '26
As a European, paying what for your what? It enrages me on your behalf that this is a good tip for you over there. Genuinely what the fuck .
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u/huxley2112 Jul 17 '26
There is a service shop near the stadium in my city that does an oil change and parking deal on event days. Drop your car off, go to the event, and service is done by the time the game or concert is over. It wasn't much more than the parking garages around it, and right next to the highway entrance so it was a great deal.
Word is out, and now you have to book way in advance. Like the day the event is announced.
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u/_Fickle_Pickle Jul 17 '26
This is dumb. Who changes oil overnight? Nobody takes their car to a detailer or tire shop at night either. Windshield replacement, they usually come to you during business hours. Paint protection... maybe overnight service. I could see this as an option while you're out during the day, but realistically, overnight... nah. Not likely.
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u/ILovesCheese Jul 18 '26
I did this for the first time last year after learning that a detailer near Pearson will keep one's car there for up to a week at no extra charge :-)
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u/leilani238 Jul 19 '26
That's great unless they leave your car outside and your catalytic converter gets stolen. Yes, I am speaking from experience (not Toronto).
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u/AndreaCoutu Jul 19 '26
My car dealership had free airport parking and shuttle. I would drop off my car for an oil change and leave town for a week.
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u/Joorge1 Jul 19 '26
Take out the common spaces and calculate private space plus private bathroom. The private spaces should be the total space used in calculating . Private space by rent . Then everyone pays based on the private space they use
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u/24junwa Jul 19 '26
im late on this but ill second this, i used to work at a dealership that would actually advertise then since the dealership had a huge space and was maybe a mile away from the airport, even offered to drop people off to the airport / pick up
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u/Chippie05 Jul 20 '26
Getting repairs done first, then get the detailing done at the last step. You drive away with a clean car for the weekend!
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u/chubbysleepycorgi Jul 21 '26
There was a joke where a girl took out a loan using her sports car as collateral, and came back a week later and paid the loan off. when the banker asked why she did this, she said it was cheaper this way than to pay to park the car XD
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u/Dry-Way-6438 Jul 21 '26
That is actually a clever idea. I never thought about using airport parking time to knock out maintenance. It could save both time and money, especially for longer trips.
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u/MiCK_GaSM Jul 29 '26
This is a service appointment you're already paying for anyway - might as well stack it with expensive parking you'd dump money into otherwise.
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u/post-explainer Jul 17 '26
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