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What to photograph when you park your car

Photograph your parked car when the spot or its condition could matter later: the sign, the space and the whole car. A photo proves where the car was and how you left it, with a time on it. Pick your situation below for the shots, then fill in the car and save the card.

Our checklists · Each photo stays on your own phone

App screen: Parked, Today 17:02, accurate to 5 m, note Level 3 B18

Keep the photo with the spot

With Car Finder Plus ($3.99 a month or $29.99 for life), Where Did I Park keeps a photo of the sign or bay with your saved spot. Saving the spot and a note are free. About the app

Download on the App Store
A hand holding up a phone to take a photo
Photo by Luciano Oliveira on Unsplash

What a photo can prove

Three things: where the car was, what condition it was in, and when. For a ticket, the photo that counts shows the sign and the car together. For damage, the photo that counts was taken before the damage. Take it as you leave, because you can’t take it afterward.

Keep the originals. Your phone stores the time and usually the place in the file, and a screenshot or a messaged copy can lose them.

Madison Avenue street sign and a One Way sign at a New York corner

The street name at the corner

A garage pillar painted with level -1 and zone B

The pillar, with level and zone

A silver sedan parked in a marked space outside a shopping center

The whole car in its space

A lit instrument cluster with the odometer showing

Odometer and fuel gauge

Four shots that prove where and how you left it.

Photos by Jean Woloszczyk, Annie Spratt, Holiday Extras, McCarthy Beckan on Unsplash

If a valet damaged your car

Say so before you leave the property, and ask for the manager. Show your before photos and the claim ticket, and ask for an incident report. What happens next depends on the business, its insurance and your state, and the ticket may carry terms of its own. Use our record to write down the details while they’re fresh.

A painted Valet Parking sign on a dark brick wall
Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash

What to do next

Rental car photosParking and returning a rentalFight a parking ticketYour deadline and your evidenceWrite down the spotLevel, row and landmark

Quick answers

Should I take a picture of where I parked?

Yes, if there’s any chance of forgetting the spot or disputing a ticket. Get the sign, the space and the whole car.

What should I photograph before valet parking?

All four corners, existing marks, the odometer and fuel gauge, and your claim ticket.

Do photos have a date on them?

Your phone normally stores the time in the file. Keep the original, since a copy sent by message may lose it.

Sources: FTC — Renting a car

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