Busted for Polishing!

[PriusRos]

After washing Graylord in my driveway, I took him to the Metro station parking garage to polish him. I don't have a garage and my driveway has a tree -- as soon as I clean the car, it's covered in pollen and other crap. The garage offers a nice shaded area and at weekends it's free and there are hardly any cars there. I had applied my Zaino and was about 3/4 of the way through removing the polish, when a cop rolls by.

At first, I thought he was just stopping to chat. He asked me if I'm polishing the car, and I said I was. Then he tells me that the garage is for parking only, and I'm not allowed to be doing anything else there, such as repairing, cleaning or polishing my car, and this is just a warning. He drove away, and I quickly tried to rub off the rest of the polish, but I saw him returning and thought I better look like I'm getting ready to leave before he comes back and gives me a ticket rather than a warning.

Sheesh. I wasn't using up a parking space that somebody else needed, nor was I making any mess, pouring water all over the place, or draining my oil. But I guess rules is rules!

[TonyPSchaefer]

I can sort of understand that the rules are the rules but there really is a difference between polishing and repairing. I would think that he would realize that you had to remove the polish that was already drying on the paint and that you were simply trying to remove that before you moved along.

[Econ]

Originally Posted by PriusRos

After washing Graylord in my driveway, I took him to the Metro station parking garage to polish him. I don't have a garage and my driveway has a tree -- as soon as I clean the car, it's covered in pollen and other crap. The garage offers a nice shaded area and at weekends it's free and there are hardly any cars there. I had applied my Zaino and was about 3/4 of the way through removing the polish, when a cop rolls by.

At first, I thought he was just stopping to chat. He asked me if I'm polishing the car, and I said I was. Then he tells me that the garage is for parking only, and I'm not allowed to be doing anything else there, such as repairing, cleaning or polishing my car, and this is just a warning. He drove away, and I quickly tried to rub off the rest of the polish, but I saw him returning and thought I better look like I'm getting ready to leave before he comes back and gives me a ticket rather than a warning.

Sheesh. I wasn't using up a parking space that somebody else needed, nor was I making any mess, pouring water all over the place, or draining my oil. But I guess rules is rules!

Is that not the dumbest thing. I wonder if there are any rules posted any where in that Metro Station Parking Garage? I can see if they were posted and you did not see them.
Needless to say, you did the right things - move on. Was he a rent a cop or city? We have lots of rent a cops here in my town and they are armed and ready with their mouths and stand ten feet tall because of their rent a badge! And a few of them have had been candidates for tazer testing and are still wandering around.

Smart move on your part not to excite them. I am sure that you will have another opportunity to find a place you can get that second coat of Zaino applied.
Another thing Tony, you can apply Zaino in direct sun and not worry. I have done that while on vacation a couple of times.
Best wishes and enjoy your V.
j

[fjpod]

Should have told them you were waiting for somebody to arrive.

[Fstr911]

Imagine the danger to passerby's with someone waxing a Prius in a public garage. In this cops mind this was obviously just another example of serious criminal activity.

Meanwhile the judge probably released a few armed robbers and burglars with wrap sheets a yard long....but that was legal.

I'd drop a note to my commissioner and the mayor. This is warped.

[PriusRos]

Originally Posted by Econ

Is that not the dumbest thing. I wonder if there are any rules posted any where in that garage. I can see if they were posted and you did not see them.
Needless to say, you did the right things - move on. Was he a rent a cop or city? We have lots of rent a cops here in my town and they are armed and ready with their mouths and stand ten feet tall because of their rent a badge!

Smart move on your part not to excite them. I am sure that you will have another opportunity to find a place you can get that second coat of Zaino applied.

I'm pretty sure there weren't any rules posted. I use the garage everyday and have never seen the rules. But who knows -- there's probably something somewhere about the use of the garage. I do understand that they would not want people tearing down their cars or changing oil in the garage. He was a city cop. Just doing his job, I suppose.

Before thinking of using the Metro garage, which I've done a couple of times before, I used the garage at Target. I got away with it the couple of times I did that, but then I thought, this is private property, and I'm pretty sure sooner or later someone will come out and tell me I'm misusing their property. With Metro though, I feel it's kind of public, and I personally am giving them a lot of money ($4.75/day) for the privilege of parking there.

So, I can't really think of anywhere else I can go. The shopping mall would be the same problem as Target! I had to come home and finish up in my driveway. The back of the car was covered in a layer of pollen within about 30 minutes!

[PriusRos]

Originally Posted by Fstr911

Imagine the danger to passerby's with someone waxing a Prius in a public garage. In this cops mind this was obviously just another example of serious criminal activity.

Meanwhile the judge probably released a few armed robbers and burglars with wrap sheets a yard long....but that was legal.

I'd drop a note to my commissioner and the mayor. This is warped.

Well, I was obviously a Taliban al Quaida sympathizer. Who else would polish a Prius? You never know what WME I have stashed in those little vials of Zaino.

[patsparks]

Would I get busted if I combed my hair as I walked away from my car there? How odd.

[PriusRos]

Originally Posted by patsparks

Would I get busted if I combed my hair as I walked away from my car there? How odd.

Depends -- probably, if you have dandruff!

[donalmilligan089]

Originally Posted by PriusRos

Depends -- probably, if you have dandruff!

To the letter of the law disregards the spirit of the law. Circumstance can over ride the letter of the law.