Can't get rid of car not in my name.

emzolita

In a pickle here and don't know what to do about it.

Long story short.
We bought a car from a Ford Dealership three months ago who took our old Fiesta as part exchange. The Fiesta's engine had died and needed to be towed from our underground garage. This was part of the deal.

Three months later and the car is still in our underground space which we're paying for btw. We had registered the car with the dealership too, so they could move it, so we cant get it towed now.

We are ringing them all the time and they tell us bare faced lies about the towing company being incompetent etc, or they say theyre with a client and hang up.
Today they told us the towing company had already been out at our house 3/4 times and we were not there... This is a lie, as we rang the towing company they said they were using, and they said they dont deal with that dealership.

We can't get the car towed or scrapped as it's no longer in our name. WTF do you do in this situation? Honestly, the dealership just say "ill ring you back" everytime you call them.

smash

Pull off the licence plates, file down the chassis number and call the council to say the car is abandoned in your spot and it needs to be removed. It might work.

RootX

Stop paying for the parking spot?

Atlantic Dawn

Contact the management company and tell them there's a car parked in your spot or else contact Ford Ireland and complain about the dealer.

smash wrote: »

Pull off the licence plates, file down the chassis number and call the council to say the car is abandoned in your spot and it needs to be removed. It might work.

They won't tow a car from a private underground parking spot.

smash

Can you push it into someone else's spot?

emzolita

RootX wrote: »

Stop paying for the parking spot?

It's a yearly rate, so already paid for.

Raytown Rocks

Take it piece by piece to the "dealer" in question.

sjb25

Tow it to the dealer with your new car land it outside the door

Carawaystick

Move the car from its spot into another spot, or in the way. Then the mgmt co will have to remove it.

Or you have a car, tow the fiesta to the public road outside and leave it there.

Toyotafanboi

ring a scrap dealer, get yourself €50 quid for it.

it doesn't sound like the dealer will be too disappointed if they never hear from you or the car again.

cruizer101

Tow it to dealer, leave it parked across their entrance, go home and post them the keys, then its their problem.

Or put it up on donedeal, looking for 100 quid, someone will take it off your hands, say selling it for parts but they have to take the lot

Cee-Jay-Cee

I think your a little naive. The dealership don't want the car, I know they 'took it' as a part ex but it's worthless and in reality they allowed you nothing on the price of your new car bar the haggle money which anyone buying a car would get. Get the car moved out onto the street, it'll be towed away by the council if it's on double yellows or causing an obstruction. Your wasting your time and money phoning the dealership, do you really think they're going to spend money getting a scrap car towed to their premises to take up space? If it starts costing them money in parking fines then they might do something about it but you are going to have to put the car somewhere else yourself first.

robtri

Send them a written note saying unless car moved by end of week, it will be charged parking at €xa day(your yearly fee/365) as its in a private space and that after 30 days car will be towed and disposed off with all costs associate with this being chargeable to them.

might light a fire under their arses.

otheriwse ring a scrappy and have them pick it up, most will pick up for free and take car away

ba_barabus

Bill the garage for what they owe you, or call the garage and ask to speak to the dealer principal. If that doesn't work then Ford Ireland.

Failing that, several smoke bombs and a fire brigade later they'll have a hefty bill for it.

Or advertise it as free to take away

blackbox

ba_barabus wrote: »

Bill the garage for what they owe you, or call the garage and ask to speak to the dealer principal. If that doesn't work then Ford Ireland.

Failing that, several smoke bombs and a fire brigade later they'll have a hefty bill for it.

Or advertise it as free to take away

Be a little bit careful here. By all means bill the garage or report them to Ford Ireland, but remember that the car is no longer your property. Do not put yourself in a position where you are on the wrong side of the law.

ba_barabus

blackbox wrote: »

Be a little bit careful here. By all means bill the garage or report them to Ford Ireland, but remember that the car is no longer your property. Do not put yourself in a position where you are on the wrong side of the law.

Some of that was meant tongue in cheek.

Clamp it, remove a wheel and start billing them.

biko

If you scrap it now you are essentially scrapping someone else's car and they might sue you for damages.
See if you can get a tow company that's not very particular and have them pick it up and drop it off at the dealer.

Or go to the dealer and sit there until they give you the keys so you can move car yourself.

Caliden

robtri wrote: »

Send them a written note saying unless car moved by end of week, it will be charged parking at €xa day(your yearly fee/365) as its in a private space and that after 30 days car will be towed and disposed off with all costs associate with this being chargeable to them.

might light a fire under their arses.

otheriwse ring a scrappy and have them pick it up, most will pick up for free and take car away

I like this suggestion.

Notify them that it's parked on private property without permission and start sending them invoices. Once the value of the car has surpassed the cost of parking, scrap it.

sunnysoutheast

If you are no longer the registered owner of the car isn't it just the same process as if some randomer had parked in your space? Might need to get the management company to deal with it.

I know that an apartment complex I used to live in had bad problems with commuters parking in allocated spaces during the day and the managers had it down to a fine art removing the cars within an hour or so.

Alternatively drag the car to the exit ramp and leave it there. Should get sorted pretty quickly then

James Delaney

For staters I dont think u have revealed the name of the garage here - I don't feel the garage would like bad publicity, esp if its a main-dealer.

Also was the removal of the old car inc. as a condition of sale for the new car - on any forms.

Other option, pay for removal yourself - Take case to Small claims court - Inc cost of Parking old car, accomodation & travel if required, cost of taking claim (€15 + postage) , cost for your time to attend the hearing - put in for every charge / cost & have receipts where possible.

The latter if threatened initally, will prob piss the dealer off (cost for them to attend (labour) & travel to court) & they may sort it out straight away. If not, go ahead with the claim anyway. It will cost them more at the end of the day - If the garage does not have a rep in court to defend the case, the judge will make an award in ur favour.

Good Luck - Maybe u cud post the outcome on this forum when finalised.

emzolita

I would think the dealer didn't want the car either the way they're going on. However, they were eager three months ago to get it into their name.
Also, the old car is not a complete banger like. very good condition and very low mileage, with NCT, Tax and a brand new battery. We had planned to get a new car anyway, so it breaking down just hurried us up.

We've just been told there's a tow truck coming on Monday. So we'll see.

Im not gonna name and shame them, as I have put a complaint in with Ford ... however I doubt i'll hear anything from that either.

Thanks for your suggestions.

savagethegoat

don't call them, call in and make a fuss right in their showroom, don't budge from there and make sure any prospective customers know what's going on. They won't be long sorting it if they think they'll lose a customer.

PS send them a link to this thread...If they come Monday, maybe they already saw it!

SmartinMartin

sjb25 wrote: »

Tow it to the dealer with your new car land it outside the door

This. Should have been done 2 months ago.

emzolita

SmartinMartin wrote: »

This. Should have been done 2 months ago.

My old car doesn't have a tow bar. It's stuck in an underground car park. And any tow company was charging me 150 quid to move it. I'm not gonna pay for a car to be towed that's not mine.

I got married 5 weeks ago too, so it wasn't really top of my lost of things to do

Del2005

SmartinMartin wrote: »

This. Should have been done 2 months ago.

Towing a car that runs is dodgy, towing a non running car is dangerous. Doubt many cars are even rated to tow an unbraked load as heavy as a car.

BMJD

stick the plates on another car and drive through the M50 toll a few times*





*may not be legal

dr.fuzzenstein

Del2005 wrote: »

Towing a car that runs is dodgy, towing a non running car is dangerous. Doubt many cars are even rated to tow an unbraked load as heavy as a car.

Towing is really not rocket science.

Del2005

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Towing is really not rocket science.

It's not rocket science, but it does take skill to safety drive a car without brakes or steering a couple of meters behind another vehicle.

C.K Dexter Haven

Ask the garage what pragmatic approach they would like to take resolve this. will they pay you to tow the car to them? Will they sell the car back to you for a euro?

It sounds like a simple sort of problem to get resolved- they obviously don't want the car so anything you can do to make life easier for them might be the solution.

mgbgt1978

Del2005 wrote: »

It's not rocket science, but it does take skill to safety drive a car without brakes or steering a couple of meters behind another vehicle.

Why wouldn't it have Brakes ??? No Servo obviously. but Brakes should be fine. Practically any Car that is being Towed does not have a working Servo....because it has broken down.
As for the steering-lock. At this stage the OP might as well remove the Ignition Barrel with a Hammer thus taking out the steering-lock.....unless you are referring to Power Steering. Just put a bit more effort into turning the Wheel.

All that aside, all the OP has to do is move the car from his Apartment Complex out onto the Public Road. After that it's not his problem. It is then a problem for the Registered (and legal) Owner.

dr.fuzzenstein

Del2005 wrote: »

It's not rocket science, but it does take skill to safety drive a car without brakes or steering a couple of meters behind another vehicle.

Well, it's not entirely without brakes or steering, they're just a bit heavier. My neighbour towed me in and out of town when my car had broken down, only he drove as though I wasn't attached to his car (Hilux) and he was late for a very important appointment.
The steering isn't so bad once on the move, but the brakes do take a bit of a shove. But all manageable.

mullingar

What year/engine is your Fiesta ?

SmartinMartin

emzolita wrote: »

My old car doesn't have a tow bar

You don't need a towbar, every car has a towing eye front and rear. It's usually behind a plastic panel in the bumber, or directly below the bumper. Sometimes it's a screw-in eye.

SmartinMartin

emzolita wrote: »

My old car doesn't have a tow bar

You don't need a towbar, every car has a towing eye front and rear. It's usually behind a plastic panel in the bumber, or directly below the bumper. Sometimes it's a screw-in eye.

Congratulations btw.

BMJD

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

Ask the garage what pragmatic approach they would like to take resolve this. will they pay you to tow the car to them? Will they sell the car back to you for a euro?

"Sorry, our pragmatic approach manager is in a meeting at the moment, he will give you a shout this afternoon k thx bye"

Toyotafanboi

mad thread. loads of knee jerk responses, but very little in the way of good advice. i'd like to know how many people would actually, in real life, follow through on any of the following

- take the car apart piece by piece and deliver it over time to the dealer
- remove the number plates and file off the chassis number, push it into the street and ring the council
- have it towed to the dealer and park it across their entrance
- wait in the showroom and don't move in protest until someone takes the car
- clamp the car and start billing the dealer for storage fees
- report it to the management company as a stranger parked in your spot as if you have no earthly clue how your old car is still in your spot

nobody would do any of these, they are all terrible ideas.

not trying to be a dick, but has the OP even checked if the car is gone out of their name on motortax.ie, because nobody has even asked that before we started coming up with these radical schemes, or does the dealer merely have possession of the logbook, because if the car is still registered to the OP, they are really ****ing themselves up by utilising most of those options.

imo, your best bet for a hassle free time is to ring the dealer and be honest, "look, i really need the parking space back, do you actually want/ need the car? and is it still in my name?". if it's still in your name and they don't want it, tell them not to worry, you will ring a metal recycler and it will be picked up in a matter of hours at no cost whatsoever to you. done. dealt with.

even if the dealership has taken ownership, just ask them to transfer it back to you, "look guys, i know you had good intentions to take the car away, but i'm sure you understand i really need the parking space back, would you mind transferring ownership back to me so i can have it recycled" or would they arrange for a scrap merchant to take it.

the price of scrap has fallen a good bit lately, but most places would still be interested in coming and removing a car for free.

Caliden

"With a client at the moment, can I call you back?"

Toyotafanboi

Caliden wrote: »

"With a client at the moment, can I call you back?"

"no actually, it's quite urgent"

or

"could i speak to a manager if one is available" (in a non stand off ish way)

or

"could you pass on this message for me please, i was just wondering, if you actually don't want the car can i x, y and z..."

i'd say once the salesman realises you are both on the same page about wanting rid of the car with as little hassle as possible, he will be "busy" far less often.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Toyotafanboi

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Never said it hadn't been done, I was just saying it' a bit unorthodox and impractical. There are easier, more civilised ways to get a resolution.

power pants

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

mad thread. loads of knee jerk responses, but very little in the way of good advice. i'd like to know how many people would actually, in real life, follow through on any of the following

- take the car apart piece by piece and deliver it over time to the dealer
- remove the number plates and file off the chassis number, push it into the street and ring the council
- have it towed to the dealer and park it across their entrance
- wait in the showroom and don't move in protest until someone takes the car
- clamp the car and start billing the dealer for storage fees
- report it to the management company as a stranger parked in your spot as if you have no earthly clue how your old car is still in your spot

nobody would do any of these, they are all terrible ideas.

not trying to be a dick, but has the OP even checked if the car is gone out of their name on motortax.ie, because nobody has even asked that before we started coming up with these radical schemes, or does the dealer merely have possession of the logbook, because if the car is still registered to the OP, they are really ****ing themselves up by utilising most of those options.

imo, your best bet for a hassle free time is to ring the dealer and be honest, "look, i really need the parking space back, do you actually want/ need the car? and is it still in my name?". if it's still in your name and they don't want it, tell them not to worry, you will ring a metal recycler and it will be picked up in a matter of hours at no cost whatsoever to you. done. dealt with.

even if the dealership has taken ownership, just ask them to transfer it back to you, "look guys, i know you had good intentions to take the car away, but i'm sure you understand i really need the parking space back, would you mind transferring ownership back to me so i can have it recycled" or would they arrange for a scrap merchant to take it.

the price of scrap has fallen a good bit lately, but most places would still be interested in coming and removing a car for free.

probably as likely as doing this



then when you are picking up the car after it's been repaired and you've handed over payment, just as you go to leave ask can you use the bathroom. go in and put every single toilet roll you can get your hands on into the toilet bowl, cram them all in with your foot, good and tight, flush the toilet once to fill the bowl, then flush it a second time and head on. then you've had the last laugh.

that's what i'd do.

dr.fuzzenstein

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Never said it hadn't been done, I was just saying it' a bit unorthodox and impractical. There are easier, more civilised ways to get a resolution.

Yeah, but not as funny.

Toyotafanboi

power pants wrote: »

probably as likely as doing this



then when you are picking up the car after it's been repaired and you've handed over payment, just as you go to leave ask can you use the bathroom. go in and put every single toilet roll you can get your hands on into the toilet bowl, cram them all in with your foot, good and tight, flush the toilet once to fill the bowl, then flush it a second time and head on. then you've had the last laugh.

that's what i'd do.

That's much easier. It doesn't involve disassembling a complete car and transporting it one piece at a time to a dealership or attempting to move/ tow a car that you have no keys for. Or trying to charge a business for a ficticious service you invented in an attempt to punish them and claim money they don't owe you.

power pants

yeah I take your point, it would be easier then disassembling a complete car and transporting it one piece at a time :pac: