I am in a very confusing and frustrating situation. So here it goes...on Friday my wife picked me up from work. We were headed to get a car part and bring the car to the shop. Our car died as we pulled out onto the road. We thought we were just out of gas. We pushed the car to the side of the road. We went and got gas and filled the tank. The car wouldn't start. I paid to get it towed to the shop where we were going anyway. By the time it got there, the place was closed. It sat overnight. They looked at it in the morning on Saturday. After an hour and 45 mins of looking they discovered the timing belt had went out causing a valve to bend in the engine. The car was dead. I paid them for the diagnostic. I paid for it to get towed to my apartment. We were going to sell it as is and use some savings to put money down on a new car. We got a buyer. I went down this afternoon to clean the car/get our things out. He was supposed to come tomorrow morning to buy it. When I went out to the parking lot the car was gone. My wife found out it was towed...because the tow truck that brought it to my apartments parked it backwards, something against the rules of the parking lot, because the shark mother fucker tow truck that works with the aparments can't see the sticker showing it belongs there if it's backed in, and the tow drivers are lazy assholes. Anyway the car is in an impound lot. It's dead. I don't want to pay to get it out. It is worth little more than what it would cost to get out. But, my wife's name is on the tags. If she abandons it she could lose her licence. The tow company won't listen. They don't care. I get it. They won't allow us to get the plates so we can return them to the DMV. So I guess I am fucked. I will pay to get it out. Pay to get it towed back here, parked the correct way, and then sell it for what I can and take the loss. Fuck me
What's the year/make/model of the car?...mileage? Also, did the people who did the "diagnosis" pull the heads?
When a timing belt breaks on a Toyota and a few other makes, it's usually bad news and usually does result in a bent valve at the minimum. But considering the year and the mileage of the car, it wouldn't be worth much even if it were still running. So if it were me, I'd probably just walk away. Sorry that I'm probably telling you something you already know and/or considered. Tough break, man.
I would report it stolen, as it clearly was. Then I would file a claim against the tow company who was paid to tow it there and park it correctly which they failed to do, the tow company who stole it from your parking space which is paid for by a portion of your rent, and your landlord in small-claims court for the max allowed or 3 times the value of the car, whichever is greater. 50/50 whether you win or not, but you lose nothing and get to put these assholes through costly, time-consuming court drudgery that stains their business name for eternity no matter the outcome. If the judge dislikes them in person, you win. Then I would move and tell your landlord who had it towed to fuck off. 2 or 3 years later, all kinds of bad karma "could" start happening, and hard to tell which of their many victims was causing it. There are a multitude of books and websites that detail how to "jumpstart" bad karma.
I think @MARIS61 is close. I wouldn't report it stolen, because it wasn't, but I would sue in small claims court the tow company who parked it wrong and the apartment for getting it towed when you clearly had a sticker (even if it wasn't readily visible.) And note: The apartment cannot evict you out of retaliation. They should be liable for all costs from the tow onwards.
The part about losing her license for abandoning the car in a tow yard doesn't make sense to me. It might be true, but I don't see why it should be. Nor did I understand why you'd want to take the plates to the DMV. barfo
Did you try going to the tow yard yourself and using Jedi mind tricks to gain access to your vehicle? Is the place ran by Hutts? I'll go down there with you if you want, and we can try to sort them out. Or at least help you lay out a plan of action because you really should not have to deal with this BS.
We read that is the law if you abandon your vehicle, which we would be technically doing if we didn't get it out of impound. Aren't you supposed to return plates/tags to the dmv if you are no longer using them\the vehicle?
It's hard to prove abandonment when you left it in your parking spot, and the people who stole it won't return it to you despite your pleas that they do so.
If we dig deep enough we'll surely find that somehow she is the cause of your predicament, so I'll just say it now. FUCK KATE BROWN!
Returned plates just get you the difference in the time you used the plates and the time remaining on them when you returned them as a refund. I've got an old plate from a car I got rid of 30 years ago sitting in my garage right now. Your only problem is that the tow company has your name and can sue you in court for their costs. They'd probably take you to small claims court and typically a sheriff's deputy would serve you with an order to appear.
Sorry, but I have to strongly diagree with this. If it has the 4a-fe engine, then it is a non-interference motor. Toss a 40 dollar timing belt at it, and you're good to go. In my many years of working on the rigs, I've seen craploads of Hondas bend valves when the belt breaks. I can't remember ever seeing a single Toyota do that. Not even on the dohc v-6's. Chris, that may be a cheap, easy fix. How much do you trust that shop, and their diagnosis???
I apologize, you are correct. I went and checked again and I evidently had it backwards in my mind. I was thinking that it was Nissan that was a non-interference engine but that is incorrect and if you break the timing belt on their engines you are screwed almost every time. But if you break a timing belt on most Toyota engines you're OK and would simply have to change the timing belt. Kudos to you for pointing out my error...and apologies to CC for giving erroneous advice,
THIS!! @Chris Craig that shop lied to you! Either that or they are terrible mechanics. A ‘92 Corolla is a non-interference motor like Doug said. This means if the timing belt breaks the pistons will NOT slam into the valves and fuck your motor. It’s made to be replaceable. If your timing belt is indeed broken, your car is NOT dead! It just needs a new timing belt and to be re-timed. Do not sell a Corolla with only 159k on it. My moms 93 (exact same car) had 315k on it when she wrecked it, who knows how much longer it would’ve lasted. Get your car out and park it at home. Call that mechanic and bitch them out. I would DEMAND my money back! That is such an unacceptable mistake for any licensed mechanic to make dude! The wrecking yard is a different issue. Nothing you can do but pay to get your car out. They are predators with the law on their side, unfortunately. Buy a timing belt and try to find a decent mechanic to install it when you get the cash. It’s good to replace the water pump at the same time if you’ve got the extra $. And don’t forget to bitch out that shitty mechanic and get your money back!
