Car question out of desperation...

[IllogicalJake]

Some fuckhead stole the keys and title out of my glovebox before the tow truck arrived. Now it's stuck, not running, in a downtown parking ramp, with no keys. Tow driver says I'd need to at least get it into neutral to get it out.

I don't even know what my next step should be. I just want to get rid of the damn thing. Any advice?

(Waiting to hear back from the ramp owner before I file a police report on the keys. Tow owner says ramp worker might've saw the unlocked car as suspicious and confiscated the keys & title. Heh, that's my best case scenario now.)

[TommyT]

Some fuckhead stole the keys and title out of my glovebox before the tow truck arrived. Now it's stuck, not running, in a downtown parking ramp, with no keys. Tow driver says I'd need to at least get it into neutral to get it out.

I don't even know what my next step should be. I just want to get rid of the damn thing. Any advice?

(Waiting to hear back from the ramp owner before I file a police report on the keys. Tow owner says ramp worker might've saw the unlocked car as suspicious and confiscated the keys & title. Heh, that's my best case scenario now.)

Not trying to be a total dick, but you know someone has got to ask. What the hell made you leave your keys in the glove box of an unlocked car in a downtown parking ramp?

[bubzki2]

I assure you a car can be towed without the car being in neutral. That's what happens every day. Just be sure the tow company knows that in advance and they can bring the proper equipment to do so (e.g., dollies). Good luck!

[Tyler]

A locksmith can make a new key for you. As far as the title you'll need to get it replaced before you can transfer ownership.

[IllogicalJake]

TommyT, I totally expect that. I just figured putting it out there, hidden, for a few hours while the tow truck for the charity arrived would be alright. I can clearly see now how wrong that was.

Somebody can take the car and disappear with it for all I care at this point, I'm just trying to get it off my hands. I'll pay someone to take it at this point, heh.

bubzki2: Low clearance limits a lot of those options.

[FISHMANPET]

As easy as non-profits make it to donate a car, it's still a pain in the ass to get them to come and get it from you.

I kept moving mine on the street during snow emergencies until one day it didn't start and I had to jump it with my new car and I just said screw it and drove it to to a donation place in St Paul and took a cab to work (carrying a snow shovel, for some reason).

[bubzki2]

bubzki2: Low clearance limits a lot of those options.

I assure you, once it becomes the ramp's problem, they will have it towed, one way or another. A typical wrecker shouldn't have a clearance issue AFAIK.

[IllogicalJake]

bubzki2: Low clearance limits a lot of those options.

I assure you, once it becomes the ramp's problem, they will have it towed, one way or another. A typical wrecker shouldn't have a clearance issue AFAIK.

Very true. I just don't know how to get that ball rolling. Allied Parking's phone # for this ramp has been sending me to voicemail yesterday and today...

[bubzki2]

You can always get a jack or two and get four dollies and a few guys and just push the sucker. Winch it if you have to. Might take borrowing/buying some equipment, though.

[bubzki2]

Care to share the make/model and which ramp located in? My brother dismantles and scraps cars and could potentially take care of it. He says this sounds "sketchy," and I have to agree it would be hard to prove it's yours, wouldn't it?

Otherwise, he recommends: "go to the DMV, rush a new title for $40, go with the title to the dealer and get a new key"

[IllogicalJake]

Care to share the make/model and which ramp located in? My brother dismantles and scraps cars and could potentially take care of it. He says this sounds "sketchy," and I have to agree it would be hard to prove it's yours, wouldn't it?

Otherwise, he recommends: "go to the DMV, rush a new title for $40, go with the title to the dealer and get a new key"

Yeah, there's no way to make something involving a missing title be sketchy. It's adding to my challenge, heh.

Yeah, once I make hear from the ramp itself to make sure they don't know anything (tow driver suggested ramp could've also found it sketchy, hence locking it up and taking key and title out.) I'll be getting a hold of the Indiana DMV about the title. I hadn't transferred the title to Minnesota yet, so I assume they can't help me. Then to find a dealer to help me...

EDIT: Once I get that title, though, if I'm still stuck in this situation your brother could be really helpful. Is it cool if I get back to you on that? With the parking ramp office not answering, it looks like there's not much more I can do until business hours resume Monday.

[Lancestar2]

Some fuckhead stole the keys and title out of my glovebox before the tow truck arrived. Now it's stuck, not running, in a downtown parking ramp, with no keys. Tow driver says I'd need to at least get it into neutral to get it out.

I don't even know what my next step should be. I just want to get rid of the damn thing. Any advice?

(Waiting to hear back from the ramp owner before I file a police report on the keys. Tow owner says ramp worker might've saw the unlocked car as suspicious and confiscated the keys & title. Heh, that's my best case scenario now.)

I suggest you give them a call. Might make a little money to buy yourself a spa day to relax from the stress

http://junkcarsforcash-mn.com/

It says on there website they take cars with no titles and no keys, and offer a free tow.

Call 763.301.7299 For a Quote

[bubzki2]

Once I get that title, though, if I'm still stuck in this situation your brother could be really helpful. Is it cool if I get back to you on that? With the parking ramp office not answering, it looks like there's not much more I can do until business hours resume Monday.

Sure thing. Feel free to PM me. Like I said, the make/model and location will probably matter. If it's really hard to get a trailer in there it'd have to be worth his while. Best of luck!

[Realstreets]

You can get a replacement title, think it's technically called an abstract. Do it before the guy who stole the original does something with it. Do you not have spare keys? If not you can usually get the dealer to get the code for your key from the manufacture and make a new set, but it will cost $$$.

Since you might need to recoup those expenses I would try to sell it. If you price it really low you'd be amazed at what people will buy. I sold my last car, a 1998 nissan sentra with a homemade paint job and 175,000 miles for $1000 about 3 years ago.

[mulad]

Just because I was absent-minded enough to do this for several years, I'll mention that people shouldn't store a car's title in the glovebox or anywhere else within the car. It's something that should be in a safe place at home or somewhere else you trust (safe deposit box, etc.). I was lucky that nothing happened during the time I did that.

Movies and TV shows often show police pulling people over and asking for "license and registration", but as far as I know, there isn't any "registration" that needs to be in a car in Minnesota. (Larger vehicles are supposed to carry a cab card, and that might be something to keep in a car if you're traveling to other states, but not the title.)

[talindsay]

I had a mostly-written response on my phone and then got sidetracked and didn't post it. I assume the car is an automatic since a manual would be no issue at all. If you're still needing to get it out, most automatic cars have a button to release the car from park into neutral when they're off. Cars with a console shifter typically have a little cap either on the side or the base of the shifter that can be pried off with a screwdriver, and underneath it there's a button - it may be way down and need to be pushed with the tip of a narrow screwdriver. Typically, while this button is depressed it becomes possible to press the button on the shifter and move it to neutral without the keys. You can then roll the car to wherever it needs to go, very carefully since, obviously, you won't have power brakes. Remember, of course, to release the parking brake before trying to move the car!

Some automatics can actually be shifted to neutral without the key anyway, although that may not be true of any newer cars. Of course, if it's a 1980s Audi it will probably slip into neutral all on its own if you leave it long enough.

[mattaudio]

I bet the car is already audi5000, right?

[talindsay]

Haha, that's great. And yes, I assume so - but figured I'd post anyway, just in case.

[IllogicalJake]

Just got the replace title, now in the process of replacement keys. Turns out my model of car doesn't have one of those "release into neutral without keys" things. But, hey, I'm almost back to where I started.

Ramp owner knows what's going on, so I'm not too worried about it at this point. The advice was helpful as hell though, so thanks everyone.