It’s natural to be paranoid about using long term airport parking. Aside from your home, your car may very well be your most valuable possession. Leaving it in a public place where you don’t know the security, light issues and public access can breed doubt. Especially, when you are thousands of miles away from your vehicle with no way to check up and little power to do something if a problem develops. Lighting and security issues can vary dramatically from airport to airport.
There are things you can do that will make your vehicle more secure, ease your worries, and make your travelling more enjoyable. Here are a few tips for preparing your car for long-term airport parking.
Clear Out Your Car
Most people assume that airport parking is safe due to the security provided, but this does not guarantee against theft. The biggest danger to getting your car broken into is temptation. Make it worth their while, and somebody will find a big enough rock. Remove all belongings from your car, even those items that don’t seem to be of much value. A desperate enough individual will cause hundreds of dollars of damage to your window for a handful of change. Stash your radio and other equipment under the seat so it’s out of sight. A clean car deters potential thieves. Don’t tempt fate.
Clean out old parking stubs and receipts
The last thing you want to do is lose your airport parking pass in a clutter of trash and old receipts. Airport staff may not be very forgiving if you hand over a receipt covered in trash or it’s just thrown on the dash in a pile of other receipts. Keeping your car clean will make getting your car that much easier at the end of a big trip.
Throw out any trash
Remember your car will be in the parking lot for a while. Fast food wrappers may be ok now, but they can be downright smelly when they’ve been sitting for a few weeks. They’ll stink up your car, making that drive home very unpleasant.
Thieves aren’t always after valuables, but also your financial information. Mail, bills and paystubs may lead a trail right back to your financial vault. Most likely, you won’t know the crime has happened until you look at your credit report and find debt that doesn’t belong to you.
Fully inflate tires
Make sure your tires are fully inflated. If your car is going to sit around for a while, the air pressure will naturally go down. Finding flat or underinflated tires is the last thing you want to deal with. Even the slowest leak will leave you with a flat tire and yet another hassle to deal with when you just want to go home.
Stock an ice scraper
If you travel in the winter, you may return to your car covered in glaciers of ice. You’ll need to chip it out, so make sure your ice scraper is in good condition and easy to access.