Note 03
What actually needs an oversized bay, and what only looks like it does
The most expensive mistake on this desk is a car that arrives longer than the reservation. It is always avoidable and it is almost always about something bolted on.
24 March 2026Vehicles
An ordinary marked bay on this corridor takes a vehicle up to roughly eighteen feet with nothing above the roofline and nothing behind the bumper. That is the whole specification, and three things break it.
The three measurements
Length
Sedans and hatchbacks: no. Mid size crossovers: no. Full size SUVs: usually no, but at the top end they are within a foot of the line, and a lot with tightly marked bays will complain.
Long wheelbase vans, extended cab pickups and anything with a third row and a tow hitch: yes, oversized.
The roof
A roof box adds nothing to the length and rules out every covered deck on this corridor, because the height limits are lower than people expect and are enforced by a steel bar rather than a sign.
A roof box on a surface bay is fine for length and may still push a vehicle into oversized pricing at operators who charge by footprint rather than by length.
The rear
This is the one nobody counts. A bike rack, a hitch mounted cargo tray or a spare wheel carrier adds one to three feet behind the bumper, and it is measured from the furthest point.
A four bike rack on a mid size SUV makes an ordinary vehicle an oversized reservation, and the barrier arm behind you is where you find out.
The table the desk actually uses
| What is on the vehicle | Bay |
|---|---|
| Nothing | By length alone |
| Roof rails, no box | By length alone |
| Roof box | Surface only, oversized at some operators |
| Bike rack that folds flat against the car | By length, tell us anyway |
| Bike rack loaded, or a cargo tray | Oversized |
| Tow hitch with nothing on it | By length, tell us anyway |
| Trailer of any kind | Oversized, and ask first |
Why supply is the real issue
Oversized bays are a fixed quantity. An operator with two hundred standard bays might have twelve wide ones, and no amount of demand creates a thirteenth.
That has two consequences worth planning around.
- In a peak week they are gone first, well before the standard bays are tight.
- A same day oversized request is a coin toss. We will make the calls, and the answer is sometimes no.
Reserving a week ahead moves this from a problem to a formality.
What happens if you turn up longer than the reservation
The operator has three options and none of them is good: put you in an oversized bay and charge the difference at the gate, put you across two standard bays and charge for both, or turn you away.
Which one you get depends entirely on what is free that morning. Telling us the truth on the form costs nothing and removes the whole scenario.
Say what you drive
The reservation form has a field for it and a notes field for whatever is bolted on. If you are unsure, describe it in the notes and leave the bay type on the option that asks us to advise. Or call +1 (415) 906-2431. Monday to Thursday 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, Friday 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, Pacific Time.