Car was stolen, found, now it's at a tow lot, what to expect?

[scarfase99]

Like the subject says...got the call from the police, they found my car & it's at a tow lot. I can't pick it up til the AM, but just wondering....

Will i have to pay to take my car out of the tow lot even though it was stolen?

also, just thinking the worst of how they got my car, but i'd imagine i'd have to take it to a mechanic to actually get it started? How much you think that'll run?

i'm relieved they found it, but now stressing about this.

btw, this was in Milpitas/San Jose, CA.

 

[KLin]

Of course you'll have to pay. That's what insurance is for in this case.

 

[scarfase99]

well, when you have an old beat up car, i never thought anyone would steal it. The thing has dents on all sides of it... :-( *sigh*

EDIT: Meant to imply, i don't have full insurance on it...so i'm SOL :-(

 

[paulney]

Out of curiosity, what kind of car was it?

 

[scarfase99]

97 honda civic

seriously beat up, lol. first thing everybody said at work was, "They stole YOUR car???" :-( Funny to them, sad for me

so how do you think they stole it, screwdriver in the starter? hotwire? Expensive stuff to fix?

 

[summit]

easy to fix, i'd worry about the towing/storage fees at the impound.. that will run you easily 600. to fix anything that might be wrong with your car should be less than that.

 

[scarfase99]

ok, phew. yeah, i've been towed here, so yeah, probably looking at 400 at least :-( worst part, is i was totally down to pick it up right when they called me (10pm), but the Towyard doesn't open til 8am. Bet they'll charge me for every hour.

Luckily, as poor as i am, i still do have AAA, so they give me like 7 miles towing for free!!!

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: scarfase99
ok, phew. yeah, i've been towed here, so yeah, probably looking at 400 at least :-( worst part, is i was totally down to pick it up right when they called me (10pm), but the Towyard doesn't open til 8am. Bet they'll charge me for every hour.

Luckily, as poor as i am, i still do have AAA, so they give me like 7 miles towing for free!!!

Most places charge a daily rate, not an hourly rate.

 

[scarfase99]

*fingers crossed* ;-)

Thanks guys. I'm praying for the best I'm just ecstatic to find my car.

Love this place.

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: scarfase99
ok, phew. yeah, i've been towed here, so yeah, probably looking at 400 at least :-( worst part, is i was totally down to pick it up right when they called me (10pm), but the Towyard doesn't open til 8am. Bet they'll charge me for every hour.

Luckily, as poor as i am, i still do have AAA, so they give me like 7 miles towing for free!!!

Most places charge a daily rate, not an hourly rate.

I charge by the minute. *buffs nails with breath and shirt.*

 

[nageov3t]

my old roommate had his car stolen from outside of where we worked together, and the cops found it a couple towns away.

he had to pay for towing and the guys who stole his car just smashed in the back window to get into it.

 

[I Saw OJ]

Depends on your area but long while ago when I was picked up and spent a night in jail they towed my car.

Monday 10pm car towed I went to jail
Tuesday 8-9am I was let out
Wednesday 9am, picked up my car, cost me 325 damn bucks

Tow yards are highway robbery, they can pretty much make up any prices they want.

 

[thebigdude]

I was in my parking spot at my apartment complex in college. Someone stole the parking sticker off of my car and the impound place next door towed it.

They towed my car probably 500 feet, kept it for three or four hours, and then charged me $400. I was not happy.

 

[OhSnap688]

Insurance should pay for the towing and shit.

 

[scarfase99]

Originally posted by: OhSnap688
Insurance should pay for the towing and shit.

Not when all i had was liability :-/

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
Depends on your area but long while ago when I was picked up and spent a night in jail they towed my car.

Monday 10pm car towed I went to jail
Tuesday 8-9am I was let out
Wednesday 9am, picked up my car, cost me 325 damn bucks

Tow yards are highway robbery, they can pretty much make up any prices they want.

Not if you file a complaint with the city. Where i was from they had so many complaints in one year they set a standard fee, like cab rates. The drivers were nto happy but that is because they could not charge several hundred dollars for a 5 mile drive.

<-- use to drive a tow truck back in the day.

 

[rasczak]

knowing some tow companies, they are probably the ones who stole it in the first place. It's not unusual for this sort of thing to happen.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: scarfase99
ok, phew. yeah, i've been towed here, so yeah, probably looking at 400 at least :-( worst part, is i was totally down to pick it up right when they called me (10pm), but the Towyard doesn't open til 8am. Bet they'll charge me for every hour.

Luckily, as poor as i am, i still do have AAA, so they give me like 7 miles towing for free!!!

Most places charge a daily rate, not an hourly rate.

I charge by the minute. *buffs nails with breath and shirt.*

That probably works great for your g/f, why pay for the full hour when 3 mins is all they got.

 

[alkemyst]

You may need cash too...some tow companies don't take credit.

 

[ViviTheMage]

civic = number one stolen car in the WORLD~!

 

[TheAdvocate]

Be grateful if that's your biggest worry.

My GF had her car stolen in college. 4 door oldsmobile (hand me down). Thieves actually abandoned it (left it in a park, running) just hours after they stole it. The cops picked it up immediately, then failed to notify her for ohhhh.... seven business days.

Luckily, she had great insurance, re: impound/lot fees.

Unluckily, the car sat in the impound lot, with the windows cracked, in late August, and with the: 1) urine, 2) feces, 3) malt liquor, and 4) opened packages of stolen ground beef in the car for the entire week. It rained mid week, turning the floorboards into a swampy mess of decaying flesh, booze and human excrement.

The damn insurance company would not total the vehicle and insisted on fixing the "cosmetic" damage. The poor bastards at the Olds dealership that had to rip out and restore the interior literally threw up a half dozen times. The manager told us that he had to keep an oil drum by the car for his guys to barf into. My GF felt bad, but she couldn't afford to just ditch the car and buy another.

They cleaned it up very well, but it was never right again. She drove it for about 6 mos then donated it to charity.

Horrible memory though. Not funny at all. I saw/smelled that and had to deal with how upset she was (she's a very decent person who didn't deserve that crap).

 

[Jugernot]

Originally posted by: TheAdvocate
Be grateful if that's your biggest worry.

My GF had her car stolen in college. 4 door oldsmobile (hand me down). Thieves actually abandoned it (left it in a park, running) just hours after they stole it. The cops picked it up immediately, then failed to notify her for ohhhh.... seven business days.

Luckily, she had great insurance, re: impound/lot fees.

Unluckily, the car sat in the impound lot, with the windows cracked, in late August, and with the: 1) urine, 2) feces, 3) malt liquor, and 4) opened packages of stolen ground beef in the car for the entire week. It rained mid week, turning the floorboards into a swampy mess of decaying flesh, booze and human excrement.

The damn insurance company would not total the vehicle and insisted on fixing the "cosmetic" damage. The poor bastards at the Olds dealership that had to rip out and restore the interior literally threw up a half dozen times. The manager told us that he had to keep an oil drum by the car for his guys to barf into. My GF felt bad, but she couldn't afford to just ditch the car and buy another.

They cleaned it up very well, but it was never right again. She drove it for about 6 mos then donated it to charity.

Horrible memory though. Not funny at all. I saw/smelled that and had to deal with how upset she was (she's a very decent person who didn't deserve that crap).

Of course, she deserved it. She works for a living and actually paid for the car. Why shouldn't some scumbag get to steal it and wreck it. They just stuck it to "THE MAN!" errr... "THE WOMAN!"

 

[summit]

update?

 

[scarfase99]

sorry, sorry! here's the update (it's been a stressful day)

So, i got the car back after a hassle. I showed up to the Milpitas PD last night, got my Vehicle Release...then i had to take that to the San jose Sheriff Dept this morning (tow yard was closed last nite), THEN had to take THEIR paper to the Tow Yard. Car was in decent condition. They stole the radio & my rear view mirror (who steals that?!?!?), and my sunglasses & baseball bat, and toolbox. But overall, ok. The car still even started with the key, but pretty sure they broke the crap out of the ignition switch (and tumbler??), but mechanic wanted like $400 for that, so i wasn't about to do that....


BECAUSE, i had to pay like $350 just to get it out of the Impound Lot!!! So they called me last nite at 10pm (the Sheriff), right? And the car was reported stolen on Monday the 25th. And i've been stressing since. WELL, i ask the impound foookers, "When did you find my car?", and their answer, "The 26th"....so then i reply (as i'm handing over my effin credit card), "Why wasn't i called sooner?"...his response...."Sheriff had to do a fingerprinting of it"

REALLY!!! I'm sure they searched long & hard. But yeah, i'm just pissed A) For having to be without my car those extra 2 days, and B) For having to pay so goddddamn much. I'd rather the Sheriff just have called me & i could pick it up from the street myself

Either way, guess the Thieves always win in the end :-(