Vehicle handover at Nuremberg Airport: photos, key, handover record
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Before your car goes into someone else's hands for one or two weeks – to a valet employee in front of the terminal or onto a bus provider's site in the north of Nuremberg – you should record its condition. It only takes a few minutes and prevents later arguments about scratches whose origin nobody knows any more. The Franconian weather sometimes makes it difficult: in autumn there is often fog over the Knoblauchsland, in winter it is dark and frosty for early flights. Here is how to document it anyway.
Key facts at a glance
- Photograph systematically all round, details close up.
- Check the handover record, have missing existing damage added.
- Hand over only the vehicle key.
- Check immediately on return.
Why document?
After the holiday, your memory of the car's condition is hazy. Was the dent on the tailgate already there? A photo with date and time answers the question clearly. That helps you if something happens while the car is parked, and it helps the company refute unjustified accusations. Reputable providers are therefore glad of joint documentation.
A fixed order
The easiest way is always to proceed in the same way: start at the front left and go clockwise round the car. An overall shot of each side, then close-ups of bumpers, rims, mirrors, door edges and windows. After that, the interior, the boot and the instrument cluster with the mileage and fuel or charge gauge. A slow video all round supplements the photos but does not replace them, because individual images are sharper.
Fog, rain, darkness
In fog and drizzle, the camera lens quickly gets damp, and fine scratches disappear on wet paint. Wipe the lens, photograph at an angle to the surface and use your phone's torch. If you want to be absolutely sure, take the all-round pictures in your garage at home and only the gauges at the meeting point.
The handover record
Whether on a form with a sketch of the car, as a PDF by email or in an app: almost every company records the condition in writing. Make sure that the day, time, number plate, mileage, fuel or battery level and all scratches and dents known to you are noted. If anything is missing, ask for it to be added before you sign or confirm digitally. The document stays with you until you have the car back.
Which keys?
A key ring often holds more than the parking service is entitled to: front door, cellar, letterbox, a remote for the garage door, sometimes a fob with your street and house number. All of that stays with you. The spare car key stays safely at home. If you use a digital key or a card, agree with the company before the trip how the handover should work.
What stays in the car
Child seats, high-visibility vest, first-aid kit and warning triangle stay in. Cash, laptop, tablet, satnav, sunglasses and documents come with you. The registration certificate does not belong in the glovebox. On longer trips, take out any food.
Modern technology
If your car has a special feature – electric parking brake, keyless start, unusual gear selector, sensitive front apron – explain it briefly to the employee. With electric cars, photograph the charge level. Vehicle apps may continue to show the location during the trip; that is normal.
Leasing and company cars
When a lease car is returned, damage is examined closely. Photos from every handover at the airport are therefore particularly valuable. Also clarify whether your contract or employer permits handing the car over to a valet employee.
With children on board
If the whole family gets out at the meeting point, one person needs to look after the children only – ideally on the pavement or by a wall, away from manoeuvring cars. The second person takes care of photos and key with the employee. That way the documentation is thorough and no child runs between moving vehicles.
On return
Even if the sofa at home beckons: take a moment at the car. Hold the departure photos next to it, look at the bumpers, rims and door edges and compare the mileage. In the dark, use your phone as a torch. If anything is new, immediately take a photo, tell the employee and make a written note. The whole procedure is described in Return: collecting your car at Nuremberg Airport.
If you notice damage
- Photograph the damage 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.
Discovered later
If you only see damage the next morning, report it immediately in writing with photos and booking number. The longer you wait, the harder it is to attribute.
Backing up photos
A lost or broken phone on holiday can take the handover photos with it. A copy in the cloud or in your own email inbox is safer. Give the album a clear name with the travel date.
Parking location
Good providers describe how their site is secured. Further selection criteria: Choosing a parking service at Nuremberg Airport.
The procedure in seven points
- Tidy up at home: remove valuables, documents and garage door openers.
- Take only the vehicle key.
- At the meeting point, walk round the car together with the employee.
- Photograph all round and shoot a short video.
- Record the mileage and fuel or charge gauge.
- Read the handover record, have missing existing damage added.
- Mention the car's special features.
Classic cars and sports cars
Classic cars, lowered sports cars or cars with air suspension need special care. Ask before booking whether the company has experience with them and whether there are high kerbs or steep ramps on the way to the parking area. Write such notes directly into the booking so that they are known on the day of travel.
Who is liable?
While the car is with the parking service, its terms and the statutory rules apply. How the company is insured and how it deals with damage should be stated in the terms. Read them before booking if your vehicle is valuable. Your photos and the handover record are the basis for any fair resolution.
In a hurry?
If you are running late, take the all-round photos at home and at the meeting point only the four corners, the speedometer and the fuel gauge. Read the handover record anyway – two minutes are enough.
Snow and ice
In the Franconian winter there is sometimes snow on the car. Brush it off roughly before taking photos so that paint damage is visible. The same applies on return: first clear it, then check.
Naming photos properly
After the trip you won't want to search through hundreds of holiday pictures for the handover photos. So create a separate album before setting off, for example named "Nuremberg Airport" with the travel date. All the pictures of the car go there. On return you open only this album and compare at your leisure.
A look in the boot
Many people forget the boot. Photograph it empty or with the items that deliberately stay in the car – such as snow chains, warning triangle or child booster seats. Then you will know exactly what was in it later.
What makes a good handover record
A complete handover record contains, in addition to date and time, the number plate, the mileage, the fuel or battery level and a list of known existing damage with its position on the vehicle. Some companies mark damage on a sketch, others take photos in an app and send you a link. What matters is a copy that you keep until after the return. If something incorrect is in it, have it corrected before handing over the key.
In brief
Five minutes of documentation before the trip can save long discussions afterwards.
Once you have made this routine second nature, it only takes a few minutes on every further trip.
Have a good trip – with the reassuring feeling of having documented everything.
When the family gets impatient
Don't let yourself be rushed at the meeting point – neither by whining children nor by a queue behind you. The two minutes for photos and the handover record are part of the trip.
In brief
Four steps are enough: take pictures, check the handover record, hand over only the car key, compare after the trip. How the handover works in detail with the driving service is described in Valet parking at Nuremberg Airport; which offers can be booked is shown on Parking at Nuremberg Airport.
