Handing Over Your Car at Dortmund Airport: Ten Points You Should Know
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When you hand your car over to a driving service at Dortmund Airport or leave it on a site in Holzwickede or Unna, you are entrusting it to someone else for days or weeks. Proper documentation is then in the interest of both sides: it protects you if something happens during the trip, and it protects the provider from accusations about old scratches. Instead of a long treatise, here you get ten concrete points that have proven themselves in practice.
Key facts at a glance
- Take photos systematically, including the speedometer and fuel gauge.
- Read the report and have missing existing damage entered.
- Hand over only the car key.
- Check immediately after your return and report anything unusual.
Point 1: Tidy up at home
Before you set off, take everything out of the car that does not need to stay there: laptop, cash, ID documents, garage door opener, the registration certificate. A tidy interior is easier to photograph, and there is nothing that could go missing during the trip.
Point 2: Split your key ring
Hand over only the car key. Front door, cellar and letterbox keys, as well as key tags with your address, stay with you. Leave the spare key at home. With digital keys or key cards, clarify the procedure with the provider beforehand.
Point 3: A fixed photo round
Start at the driver’s door and walk once around the car. Take an overall shot of each side, then close-ups of the bumpers, wheels, mirrors, door edges and windows. Then the interior and the boot. A short video is a good addition, but no substitute for sharp individual pictures.
Point 4: Speedometer and fuel
Switch on the ignition and photograph the mileage and the fuel or charge gauge. On return you will then see immediately whether the car has been moved and how much fuel or electricity has been used.
Point 5: Light in the dark
For early departures and late returns, it is dark in autumn and winter. Use your phone torch and hold the phone at an angle to the surface – that makes scratches visible. Rain makes it harder to see; wipe the camera lens first.
Point 6: Read the report
Many providers record the condition on a form, as a sketch or in an app. Read it before you confirm. If existing damage you know about is missing, have it entered. Keep your copy until after the car has been returned.
Point 7: Explain special features
If your car has an electric parking brake, keyless start, a sensitive front apron or a tow bar, tell the employee. With electric cars, photograph the state of charge.
Point 8: Leased and company cars
When leased cars are returned, they are inspected closely. If you drive a leased car or a company car, document especially carefully and check whether handing it over to a driving service is permitted.
Point 9: Check after landing
Even if everyone is tired: walk once around the car before driving off, compare with the photos and read the mileage. If you notice anything, photograph it and mention it immediately. More: Returning: picking up your car at Dortmund Airport.
Point 10: Acting correctly if there is damage
- Photograph the damage together with its surroundings.
- Inform the employee and have it recorded in writing.
- Have the handover photos ready.
- Contact the provider in writing; for Friend-Park bookings, also contact support via the contact form.
And if you only notice the damage at home?
Then report it in writing as quickly as possible, with photos and the booking number. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to attribute.
Where exactly is the car parked?
Reputable providers describe their parking area: fenced, lit, under video surveillance, a hall or an open-air area. This information helps with your choice: Choosing a parking service at Dortmund Airport.
A word about company cars in the Ruhr
Many commuters in the Ruhr drive a company car that they are also allowed to use privately. For a holiday flight this is practical, but it comes with obligations: damage must be documented for the fleet management. Photos with time stamps at handover and return are the best basis for this. Check beforehand whether the company car policy allows handing the car over to a driving service.
Presents and suitcases in the car
If you fly to visit relatives and buy presents beforehand, some things stay in the car until they go into your luggage. Make sure that nothing valuable remains in the vehicle at the handover. Photograph whatever stays in the boot.
Who is liable?
While the car is with the provider, its terms and the statutory rules apply. For valuable vehicles, read them before booking. Photos and the report are the basis for any fair clarification.
Back up your photos twice
Upload the pictures to the cloud or email them to yourself. Otherwise a phone lost on holiday takes the evidence with it.
Handover in rain and darkness
In the Ruhr it stays dark for a long time in the mornings in autumn and winter, and it often rains. Wet surfaces hide scratches, and drops on the lens make photos blurry. Briefly wipe the car dry at the most important spots, hold your phone torch at an angle and take a few more pictures rather than fewer. If it is very dark, ask the employee to move the car briefly under a street lamp or to a lit spot.
Digital reports
Some providers record the condition in an app and send you a copy by email. Check it immediately and report any discrepancies. A digital copy is not lost as easily as a slip of paper.
What does not belong in the report
You should avoid leaving personal items in the car. If something does stay behind – a child seat, for example – mention it and photograph it.
Electric cars
With electric cars, photograph the state of charge and note whether the provider should charge it. Only hand over charging and access cards if this has been agreed.
After the return
Compare the mileage and state of charge with your photos. Small differences due to manoeuvring are normal; mention larger ones.
Handover under time pressure
At Dortmund Airport, many airlines close bag drop at a fixed time. If you arrive late because of a traffic jam on the A40 or night-time roadworks on the A1, the temptation to skip the photos is great. Do not skip them entirely: a quick round with four pictures – one per corner – and a photo of the speedometer take less than a minute. That is better than nothing. Do the rest next time with more calm.
What the provider needs from you
- The car key and, if applicable, the remote control for an immobiliser.
- Information about special features when starting or parking.
- Your mobile number for the return.
- The return flight number, if not already in the booking.
What you get from the provider
A receipt or digital confirmation of the handover, ideally with notes on the condition, and the phone number for your return. If anything is missing, ask before the driver drives off.
Vehicles with a tracker
Some cars have a GPS tracker or a manufacturer app that shows journeys. This can help in disputes. Manoeuvring trips between the meeting point and the parking area are normal and no cause for concern.
Typical places for scratches
Experience shows that minor damage occurs mainly on bumper corners, wheels, door mirrors and door edges – exactly where something can bump when manoeuvring in tight spaces. Photograph these spots particularly carefully, ideally from close up and with light from the side. Stone chips in the windscreen also belong here, because they can grow in the cold and are hard to attribute later.
The most important thing in one sentence
Take photos, read the report, hand over only the car key and compare immediately after your return – that is all it takes.
Naming photos properly
If you want to find your pictures again later, create an album on your phone with the date and destination, for example “DTM Antalya August”. With several trips a year, you will not mix up any pictures. Many phones also store location and time in the image data; leave this function switched on for the handover photos. That way you can prove, if in doubt, when and where a picture was taken.
In short
Ten points, a few minutes of effort – and you fly off with a good feeling. The valet procedure is explained in Valet parking at Dortmund Airport; bookable offers are shown at Parking at Dortmund Airport.
