Having lost the car in Worthing yesterday and abandoned it there, I was saved today by a very obliging cousin well in with local borough councils being a member of one. He kindly took the time to pick me up here and drive me to my car, which I was unable to find in an hour or more of walking around in the rain and cold last night.
It was of course where I had left it, unmolested except for a parking ticket, probably a NIP. I'm afraid that is my own fault, for consulting the parking people and fuzz repeatedly.
Herself kindly says I'm not gaga yet, but I'm afraid I may be, just a bit.
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AC,
Do you have a smart phone? If not, think about getting one.
By default Androids use Google maps to record their location over time. They also record when you change between walking and driving.
If you have one it will always be able to take you to within 15ft of where you parked.
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Or buy a biro and write down where you've parked. Not scoffing AC, I've done it myself !
Worst was at the NEC once. Do you know how many car parks there are at the NEC? And indeed at the time how many silver Mondeos were parked in them?
Nightmare !
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My car is parked on the street in London. London being London it's not necessarily left near my house. Sometimes I don't use it for two or three weeks. That can cause fun...
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There is a village in Somerset where the gas main, which otherwise follows the line of the edge of the road, turns to the right, then left, continues for the length of a Golf GTI, and then turns left and then right again to follow the edge of the road.
All because "someone" left his car there for three months while on a business trip to Brazil about 1990...
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>> All because "someone" left his car there for three months while on a business trip
>> to Brazil about 1990...
>>
Seriously? If someone doesn't obey the notice to move their car, they're generally just towed.
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>> My car is parked on the street in London. London being London it's not necessarily
>> left near my house. Sometimes I don't use it for two or three weeks. That
>> can cause fun...
Lost our Mini for an hour or so that way when we lived in Watford. Forgotten the joys of life within the M25.
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>> Worst was at the NEC once. Do you know how many car parks there are
>> at the NEC? And indeed at the time how many silver Mondeos were parked in
>> them?
Lost mine at the British Grand Prix once. had to wait three hours till the car park thinned out before I found it.
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>> Do you have a smart phone? If not, think about getting one.
I sometimes forget how to work the simple, free Nokia device the network gave me when I joined. A smartphone would be beyond me. It would get wet. I'd drop it down a drain or run over it.
I was half afraid I would have forgotten how to drive when reunited with the jalopy, but in the event I wasn't much clumsier than usual.
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Five or six years ago, we arrived back at the Stansted long-stay car park in December - and found all the cars covered in a couple of inches of snow. Fortunately we had an idea which area we had parked in and the remote door unlocking flashed the orange indicators under the layer of snow.
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I once left my car at Liton Airport Parkway rail station car park while I went in to London for work. I distinctly recalled leaving in space 425 (or some such number) and noticing that there was another red Alfa 147 like mine parked in the space in front.
I came back that evening and "my" space was empty with the othe red Alfa parked in the space in front. I went to security hut to report my car stolen. The bloke said, just check the other levels in the multi-storey. I went off to check muttering that I was not stupid, etc.
Of course,there it was, sitting in the same spot exactly two floors above where I had been looking. Oops.
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It's a sport in Luton. That bloke had probably moved the cars around.
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=13195&m=297918
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I had a Mk 4 Cortina ( Roman bronze one no less ) Left it parked in a busy High Street ( when it was still possible to park in a busy High Street ) got back to it, got in and drove it for about 4 or 5 miles before realising it wasn't my brown Cortina but another one more or less identical. The keys had fitted it no problem.
I rapidly drove back to where I'd got in it and much to my embarrassment, saw my own car still parked about 50 yards up the road. By now thinking I'd be arrested for car theft I very sheepishly parked the car as near to where it had been as I could. No one was showing any signs of noticing or reacting to this so I locked the "wrong" one, got into my own car and made great haste for my next and very urgent appointment in Offington Shovery.
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>>I had a Mk 4 Cortina ( Roman bronze one no less ) Left it parked in a busy High Street ( when it was still possible to park in a busy High Street ) got back to it, got in and drove it for about 4 or 5 miles before realising it wasn't my brown Cortina
I did a similar thing back in the days when we only had 3 TV channels.
I'd parked my cream Zephyr 4 mrk 3 outside one of those places which sell intoxicating liquor, while I was inside helping to reduce its stock of Red Barrel and Double Diamond.
Came out and unlocked said automobile, jumped in along with mate Kev, started the engine and thought, hello! .. I don't remember having a red interior light. Strewth, we did a quick exit and into my car which was parked up further along the road.
I should have twigged as soon as I got into the other jalopy really, because my limo had leopard skin seat covers front & rear!
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I once tried to get into someone else's car at a big Tesco. I couldn't work out what was wrong with my key. There were two white Volvo 240s in the carpark.
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>>because my limo had leopard skin seat covers front & rear!
>>
...should have 'lifted' the red interior light to go with those......
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>> ...should have 'lifted' the red interior light to go with those......
I'm not 'that sort' of gal I'll have you know!
I didn't choose the seat covers BTW - they came with the jamjar :)
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I do recall Ford having an issue with keys fitting multiple cars back then. I did the same with my Escort in Tesco carpark in west London somewhere. Came out with my bag of shopping, unlocked the car, hopped in and started up. It was only the fact the the car smelt nice (I was a smoker back then), that I realised it wasn't mine. I went straight to Halfords and bought a crook lock once I realised how easy it was to nick.
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>> I do recall Ford having an issue with keys fitting multiple cars back then. I
>> did the same with my Escort in Tesco carpark in west London somewhere. Came out
>> with my bag of shopping, unlocked the car, hopped in and started up. It was
>> only the fact the the car smelt nice (I was a smoker back then), that
>> I realised it wasn't mine. I went straight to Halfords and bought a crook lock
>> once I realised how easy it was to nick.
During that period, I could open ANY ford car with any ford key. If it didn't work easily enough, slight jiggling or sliding of the key in and out would do it.
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I'm not even sure it was important it was a Ford key, a decent blade would do it without damage.
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Blade?
Nailfile, patio-door key, lolly stick...
My Mk2 Cortina 'worked' with all three.
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>>Nailfile, patio-door key, lolly stick...
Flat screwdriver blade ... allegedly.
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The feeler gauge in your toolbox was ideal.
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I've broken into a few cars in my time. Sunroof, side windows front or rear... a wire coat hanger, suitably bent to make a sort of hook at the end, will often do the trick. Or it used to anyway. I've had more than one car whose doors could be locked with the keys still in the ignition.
I was caught doing it a couple of times. Strangely, the fuzz were cooperative once I'd explained myself. I must have an honest face or something.
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>> I was caught doing it a couple of times. Strangely, the fuzz were cooperative once
>> I'd explained myself. I must have an honest face or something.
Was similarly observed trying to wiggle down the window of my Pug 104 having locked key inside. Copper asked "is that your car sir?" told him it was "without looking down tell me the registration number". Fortunately I could do so.
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I broke into a house a few years ago - I'd locked myself out, all the DG windows were locked as was the conservatory.
I had to break a leaded-glass window in the front door to get in (easy peasy!) cost me 100 notes to get repaired!
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Easy done A.C has happened to me once or twice.I could do with a smartphone 02 keep asking me to change.
Watch yourself don't get lost again.
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Argh... not my favourite place - No FM2R
