Lippin' out!
-A short story by vbb

It is times like this that make me glad I bought an eBay replica front lip as opposed to something costing upwards of $1K. I think I picked this up for $350 or $400 shipped, then put another $75 into getting it vinyl wrapped (after spending about $20 on a DIY paintjob that turned out terribly). So, all told I lost roughly $500, which sucks, but could have been worse.

I think every car I've had for the past 10 years has had some sort of front lip, and most have been fairly low to the ground, so I've mastered the art of angling driveways and speedbumps, and not parking too close to parking blocks or curbs. Unfortunately though, I'm not the only one driving my car. About 1 or 2x a month I'll trade cars with my wife for a day, usually when I'm home with the kids and she's going out for a work dinner/meeting or something like that. It's rare, but I'm definitely not one of those people who won't let anyone drive my car but me, and especially not someone who won't let his own wife drive his car.

Well my wife has a business dinner at a fairly nice local restaurant so I say sure, take my car. When she leaves the front lip is on the car. When she gets back, she parks in the garage, and when I go out there a few minutes later to grab a drink (and to check my car, because, well you never know), I notice the front lip is totally gone. No scratches, not scrapes, no other damage... just the front lip totally gone off the car. Now I had that thing installed with four bolts and some double-sided tape, so there's no way it just fell off. My wife had the car valet parked though and I just KNOW that's where this happened. Of course she doesn't know my car well enough to notice something missing right away, so she drove back without a clue. I immediately get in the car and head back up to the restaurant, but unfortunately by this time the valet is gone. I watch the security video along with the restaurant manager in his office, and I can see my car for most of the video, but don't see any damage. Of course there's a point where my car was moved from one part of the lot to another part right out front, and during that time it switches cameras and so there is a gap in time where there's no video footage of my car.

The odometer was where it should be, so if there was a joy ride, it wasn't for more than a mile or two, but still, we all know that's enough time to cause damage. My wife feels awful, but also swears she didn't knock it off or do anything to damage the car. I was HOT yesterday and this morning, but now that some time has gone by I'm just a little irritated. I know I can't prove anything against the restaurant, and I also know that blaming my wife for running in to something or not taking a ramp at the proper angle isn't good for me. I retraced her path, and I couldn't find the lip lying on the side of the road anywhere. I'm about 99% sure the something happened at the restaurant and the valet tossed the evidence. I even looked around the dumpster area of the restaurant but couldn't find anything. At least I have some comfort in knowing that the lip had to have been destroyed, so it can't be resold. The bolts are still attached to the underside of the car with pieces of my lip still attached. No doubt it was ripped off by accident rather than removed/stolen.

So, this is what my car used to look like. Good bye ebay replica lip.



FIN

 

what thats an insane story.

get the valet to fess up and have the company pay for it. i was pissed that i curbed my lip and it only left a scratch mark the size of half a dime. if it was totally jacked or messed up from another person, i'd be furious

 

And for this reason I will never let valet even COME CLOSE to my car. They are the last people I trust. Heck, I barely even trust mechanics at the Lexus dealer. My F had 30+ miles on it after a service, and I know for a fact it was a joyride. So I switched to my buddy's dealer (1 hr farther), where one of the mechanics that works on my car is actually an ISF owner. This gives me peace of mind.

 

Bummer dude. This is the main reason I'm hesitant to get a front lip even though I love the way it looks. I think eventually I'll end up getting a rear diffuser but that will be the extent of the cosmetic mods.

 

Two choices:

Get a new lip or get rid of the wife.

On second thought, there's a third choice there...

 

If it were only that easy. Believe me, I went down there on a mission to get someone to fess up or either to find out information that would help me in filing a nice little small claims lawsuit (something I could handle in my sleep). Unfortunately though, I got neither. I know that suspicion alone is not evidence, and without SOMETHING, I have no way to prove my case. Best I can guess, the valet knew very well when and where the cameras were recording, and he was able to conceal his mistake and get rid of the evidence out of the camera's sight. Plus, it was a Monday night, so it was relatively slow and he was the only guy on duty. No chance of me getting one valet to dime out another one because there was only one there. It's either that, or my wife knocked it off without knowing it... but I just don't see how that could be possible. I do not believe she knowingly ran in to something and then created some elaborate cover story. She literally had no clue the lip was gone. She's guilty of being clueless about cars, but not a liar.

 

That's unfortunate to hear. Another reason to not to let valet touch it, even if it doesn't show on the footage. A great looking ride nonetheless.

 

For this reason, I never valet my car or let anyone else drive it.

 

I'm doubtful for getting another front lip. Can't find this one anywhere and still don't want to pay $1K for something that might get destroyed again. I'm thinking I may find a rear diffuser I like (something subtle) or put some money in to doing an '11+ LED headlight conversion.

Oh yeah, and NO MORE VALETS.

 

I could never justify paying someone else to drive my car and then even tip them.

 

Man that really blows. Can you tell me the restaurant so I can stay away from them. So are you going to get another lip or just roll without it?

 

hahaha i like how you tell stories man. really sucks about the lip, but like you mentioned, spilled milk. you did more detective work than most would've done, and you seem to have covered all bases.

 

This is why I never valet my car unless I know the valet personally and why my front lip is still perfect lol. I have several friends here that are valet at different hotels/casinos so I know exactly what happens...

 

i would be livid w/ that *****ing valet company. i detest valets. the only time i'm forced to valet is when i have a meeting or depo in downtown and i'm forced to park in the building that our outside counsel works in. and when i get my car back, i always do a walk around, look at the wheels, etc. while they just stand there w/ my door open, waiting for a freakin tip!

 

Wow, that really sucks! So it came clean off, or do you think they took it? Hope you get your hands on it or a new one, your ISF is gorgeous!