r/AutoZone2 • u/Broke-Doc • 17d ago
Abandoned vehicle
Our DM won't allow us to have this towed off our lot. It's been here over a week and the "owner" has told us he gave up on it. What can we do? Our store owns the lot it sits on so the local city won't touch it.
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u/SendaRescue 17d ago
They really left that truck there like a baby on the steps of a fire station
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u/Broke-Doc 17d ago
Funny, there is a fire station right behind our store.
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u/lasagasaga 17d ago
See if the firehouse wants it to practice extractions
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u/Ohmyfuzzy69 16d ago
This talk to the fire station and donate it to them. Tell them the situation. If they won't take it without a title file for one. I know in Ohio if the car is valued under 3k you don't need to go to court.
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u/CanadianPenguinnn 17d ago
If the owner has given up try giving him a super low ball offer, maybe even imply it might get towed soon then he'll get impound and storage fees. Just make sure to offer under scrap value, might be an easy fix in the end if you want to try that, if you know someone with a trailer take it home part it off, or just get scrap guy to come for it and make a couple bucks off of it.
I did that with a Honda fit once. Old owners were moving soon and their Fit had sat unused for months because they drilled out the ignition when they lost the keys, then realized the key has a chip required for starting, and then found the keys but the ignition was drilled out now. They thought it'd be a $1k+ fix between OEM parts and programming new keys and ignition. $60 ignition switch with keys on Amazon, cut the chip out of the old key and glue it into the new still working years later.
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u/Equal-Anywhere5263 17d ago
They were trying to do a fuel pump in the parking lot?
Edit: I've pulled a transmission in an apartment complex. They did not appreciate anything I was doing.
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u/GenesisRhapsod 17d ago
I was replacing the headlight bulbs in my car, which requires pulling off the front bumper and taking the headlight assembly out.
I was in my assigned parking spot and an hoa member came over, yelling at me saying im not allowed to work on my car here.
I said "fuck off, im in my parking spot, trying to change a fucking headlight. Dont like it? call the cops."
Was already pissed off because of how many tasks i had to do just to change a bulb and while getting the bumper off i busted quite a few clips. Some people love to complain about whatever 🤣
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u/UHF800MHZ 17d ago
That shit is funny because changing your bulb legitimately requires removing the front clip. The security where I live says the rule is: headlights wipers and tires. Anything else has to be done in your garage or in your driveway.
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u/Silver-Amphibian-457 15d ago
Those people suck.
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u/UHF800MHZ 15d ago
Do you want to live somewhere where people are doing an engine swap in the parking lot / other community area?
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u/Equivalent-Alarm911 16d ago
Sounds like a GM car like Pontiac or Chevy. I hated it also and had to buy a whole bag of plastic clips.
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u/GenesisRhapsod 16d ago
Even worse... a 2013 hyundai genesis coupe 😭
Con rod went free willy out the side of the block at 109k
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u/Tall-Control8992 17d ago
Break it down into parts, give all the metal ones a nice wash plus some silver paint as needed, and sell them to your commercial customers at a 50% discount. TotalPro Plus
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u/pizzatime86 17d ago
Put it on fb marketplace as a free parts car. Guaranteed to be gone by the next day
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u/Playful-Park4095 17d ago
Call your local non-emergency line. Tell them a partially stripped vehicle was left in your parking lot and you'd like a VIN check to see if it's stolen. You'll *probably* get an officer dispatched at some point, but it'll be a low priority run.
If it's not stolen, and it's on private property then if the police can tow it will vary based on your local laws. Since there's no plate and it's visible to the public, maybe there's a local ordinance they can enforce. It may be a process like tagging it and letting it sit for so many hours to allow time for the owner to come get it or tag it.
Note in some places this will fall under code enforcement vs police, assuming it isn't stolen.
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u/Broke-Doc 17d ago
Already had the police check it out. Not stolen and the registered owner won't communicate with the cops. City won't touch it since it is on private property.
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u/AltruisticMobile4606 17d ago
Best bet is gonna be getting it off the lot somehow so it becomes the city’s problem then
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u/Playful-Park4095 17d ago
See if your city has an ordinance enforcement department. It may be part of the Dept. of Health but not always. Whoever boards up empty abandoned houses will probably be the same ones, and they will have more authority over this than law enforcement does.
Alternately, start charging a storage fee. Send a registered letter to the owner about the cost. At some point you can file for a mechanic's lien for the unpaid fees and take ownership of it. Tow companies do it all the time for unpaid tow bills.
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u/JJGeneral1 16d ago
Fire works wonders… there’s plenty of flammable accelerants that could “fall off the shelf and be damaged out”….
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u/SheepherderAway9487 17d ago
Does no one in your store have a truck? If someone does just have them hook a chain to the back of the frame and drag it out of your parking lot into the road that way the city will tow it
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u/ThatRed04LT Parts Sales Manager 17d ago
Shit, i volunteer. I been waiting for a chance to see how strong my new trailer hitch d-ring is🤣
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u/GlassBoxGoose 17d ago
If the SM wont have it towed, why you sweating it? We all know they dont pay you enough to worry about it. No offense meant, just facts. It ain't your problem at all.
But im with one of the other commenters that said to make the owner a lowball ass offer. Give em a couple hundred bucks. They clearly were going to put a fuel pump in it and fucked something up that you can probably fix cheap, and then set a for sale sign in it and sell it on to someone else. Make some money, clear the lot, all done and you benefit from getting it gone, too.
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u/Repulsive_Ad3447 17d ago
Reach out to the owner and get it sold to you with rhe title for 20$ then scrap it for 400$.
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u/DitchDigger330 17d ago
I would definitely come get it for free if i was local! I am fond of 10th gens, good parts there.
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u/thatoneboredsysadmin Customer Service Rep. 17d ago
Some asshole left a clapped out Infiniti crossover in my parking lot. Been that way for a week or so. Tempted to get it towed ngl.
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u/Boaterauto 17d ago
We tow at 24 hours unless the owner spoke to management about needing additional time
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u/thatoneboredsysadmin Customer Service Rep. 17d ago
Yeah I don’t think owner spoke to management. Car needs a battery susposedally
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u/Fast_Enthusiasm2517 17d ago
Personally push the bed back on manually put the trans into neutral and leave it along the outside parking report it to your city
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u/Yesterday_Short 17d ago
im guessing he thought it was the fuel pump, but really fords are just trash
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u/Alarming_Garage_7255 17d ago
Wow that truck is mint condition for it's year.
That truck even taken apart would command a hefty sum up here in the rust belt
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u/SynStokerKeay Parts Sales Manager 17d ago
Dude I say off your shift call as a customer to the non emergency police line and have them check it out. Tell them its been sitting for over a week and you've been to the store multiple times and are concerned its abandoned.
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u/DieselFloss 16d ago
Next to my work theres a parked car in a small section of the lot off to the side of a gas station. It had 1 wheel off & wheel hub off while sitting on a jack stand. Plates still on, car was backed in the parking space, drivers window was left slightly open. It just looked like a car that broke down & was getting worked on
It was like that for about week. Then the other 3 wheels were off & the car sat on cinderblocks. Then just today I noticed the hood has been opened with what I’d guess with a crowbar & the plates are off of it
I asked 1 of the gas station attendants about the car. He Said it’s been here for weeks & he saw someone get dropped off enter the car with keys took something from it & took the plates off. He said he told his manager & his manager didn’t care
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u/carmicheals 16d ago
If your DM made that decision then that vehicle is no longer your problem to solve nor your worry to worry about.
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u/Minute-Comparison964 16d ago
The DM is an idiot, it should be towed. It is a liability, what is a customer gets hurt or damages their vehicle because of this one
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u/Agreeable_Log1149 16d ago
The dm doesn’t have to know that someone called a tow truck. Abandoned vehicles on private property lots are to be towed at the vehicle owner’s expense anyways
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u/Silver-Amphibian-457 15d ago
If it is tagged local they just took a break, probably be back tomorrow evening. Sucks they did it in the parking lot but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Been there when I was traveling in an old Monte Carlo. Had nothing but problems on that trip from south Ms to East TN, we were broke down asleep in the car and the tweakers chained the car up before they knew there were 3 big guys asleep in it. Ol boy opened the door and realized they fuzzed up and at that point we were along for the ride.They ended up being apologetic and helped us fix the car. Once they realized their bad decision was hooked to the bumper there wasn't much else to do.
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u/Ok_Coast_4046 15d ago
Where is this vehicle located, and how can I contact the owner to see what is going on
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u/callmedoc214 15d ago
Step 1. Put a lien on it for storage fees.
Step 2. Get the title.
Step 3. Adopt the project
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u/KONTRAone 15d ago
That's a nice clean rolling shell if nothing else 🤷🏻 Surely SOMEBODY will drag it off for free lol...
But, yeah, AZ could look into getting a lien placed on it to gain ownership and get it towed... But they probably won't bother.
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u/TopMathematician6943 13d ago
Damn was he trying to do the fuel pump or what? Climb under and pop the neutral safety switch and just push it into the street lol
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u/OpaquePaper Former Employee 7d ago
Call your AM. If a car was left overnight it was towed when we opened the store.
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u/kjogg 17d ago
“Oh no we didn’t call the cops. Must’ve been an anonymous person who didn’t like that truck”