Stories of not being able to find your car

[LogicalBlodge]

1 hour Watford Shopping Centre yesterday.

Could probably end the story there (as in - if you've been you may know 😂).

Was headed to an event, parked up and popped off.

Came back at end of day, was rainy outside so all humid. I found a carpark and headed to the top...it was covered and my car was in a small open air section.

Asked someone if there was only one and she said yes but you need to go up. Great, headed to to the top. It was massive, and empty.

No problem. Asked a gentleman who pointed to another car park through some glass in yonder distance.

I head there and again to the top. It's smaller and has a few cars, I know it's the wrong one, but I'm willing the car to appear.

Head back down and find a security guard. At this point, I'm hot, stressed, and starting to think I may never leave.

I'm so sorry I can't find my car and I'm having a breakdown (lighthearted).

This must happen as she has a list of questions - was it a glass door or closed lift, what shops did I see.

I can't remember, so she asks for the car reg. Bingo. She calls someone who checks all the cameras - it's in King Level 1, so off I head, past Prince, Palace, Queen, Moat whatever carparks (there were a lot).

I feel relief as I step out...but noo its a covered carpark. I am feeling a sense of defeat. In the corner there is a chink of light. I think no that can't be it. I head back out and see two security guards.

I don't know what happened here but as I start to speak I burst into tears. Is it in this carpark one of them asks. This question sends me over the edge and activated something in my brain and I start to laugh at the same time 😆 So I am now laughing and crying at the same time in a vaguely maniacal way trying to explain I can't find my car and someone said it was here but it's not.

He then leads me through the car park to the chink of light which turns a corner and goes up a slope to another carpark which is open-air. But that's still not it, there's another slope we go up to another open air carpark.

I'm convinced this cannot still be called Level 1 but thank him profusely anyway 😂 get in the car and eat a battered cake that I had in my bag.

About 40 minutes of searching in the Alton Towers car parks years ago when we realised we hadn't taken proper note of where we parked. We got off lightly.

At least you had cake in your bag! 😓

Yup. Drove myself nuts going round in circles and back and forth between carparks, then had to admit defeat and ask the security guy for help!

I searched the Metro Centre for half an hour, was sure it was the right car park and roughly the right area. Turns out I'd gone in my DH car and walked past it many times.

Then I also did the motorway service station where I'd ended up on the wrong side of the motorway searching the identical car park. Turns out this is common and if they see you wandering they come and mention it.

And then I parked my car like I usually did somewhere within about half a mile walking distance of the tube and failed to save the What3Words. Spent an entire weekend searching with dh and in the end reported it stolen (which it may or may not have been).

My mum reported her car stolen. Back in the 70s. Just on a different floor 🙄😂

What a great story....so sorry for your stress! I usually lose mine at the supermarket. Especially embarrassing if I've braved it without a bag, traipsing each row of cars in the rain with a wobbling 'Crackerjack' tower of shopping in my arms. For some reason I cannot ever admit I've lost my car and when some bright spark asks me I always shout breezily 'No, I'm fine'! Inwardly cursing and muttering like a madwoman...!

I had a mate who did this all the time, he went in and out of all the car parks in town once before confessing to the mate he was with that he had no idea where he’d left his car. He was hilarious when retelling his travels.

My MIL came to pick me up after I'd had laser eye surgery.
We go to car park and cue she can't remember where she parked and then she is asking me if I can see the car.

FFS....I've just had eye surgery, eyes are streaming and I'm wearing sunglasses for protection at 4pm in November.......

Yep. My one and only visit to Wimbledon. Drove a friend there, parked the car, and left before them. No-one warned me that W was circular, so I unknowingly exited by another entrance leaving my friend there (I had another appointment, which I never made). I walked around looking for 3 hours in unsuitable shoes to no effect. Eventually presented myself back at the courts in such a state that the doorkeeper let me back in, and found my friend, who took me back to where the car had been patiently waitng.....

I got a new car and parked in a shopping centre car park. Came out, no car. Looked everywhere. I knew the area I’d parked but it wasn’t there. Phoned my mum after 30mins of looking on the verge of tears and full of panic. Told her my car had been stolen. She (rightly) told me to calm down and look properly I’d probably just forgot where I’d parked
I got very ratty and told her there were absolutely no blue cars on the car park…. She reminded me my car was now infact green 😂 I was about 3 cars away from it

Manchester Airport, short stay roof. I was convinced my car was stolen, made a report, called my insurance, called my car dealer because the car was new and I forgot the plate number. I was negotiating a lift home and realised I came up a different lift the car was in the opposite corner.

To be fair, there are two landmark stairwells and they are mirror images of each other. Also to be fair, I was returning from a long haul trip to sort out aging parents and I was pregnant,

I genuinely thought my car had been stolen in a tiny co-op carpark my heart sank my stomach churned I felt physically sick looking around for it then I realised my new car had a dark black and grey boot I was looking for a silver car and I had pulled forward instead of reversing in so it looked like a dark car 😮‍💨

My mom bought a new car and parked at the NEC we had to check the number plate of many MANY blue cars to find it over two carparks because she wasn't sure which one she parked in and it was getting fucking dark 😑 I suggested next time we took a torch she said I do have a torch! It's just it's in the CAR! I'm just grateful she kept the little paper tag with the number plate on it

Years ago…,

Me and DH went to the races in 2 cars.

I parked & joined him in his car to complete the trip & we parked in the event car park.

When we came to leave, he drove me to where I thought I’d parked my car. No! Not there.

We drove around for a bit to no avail. All I could remember was gravel and a stone wall! No car park name on ticket!

Finally I went to police station and a copper drove me in his Panda car to the wall and gravel!

DH had left me at the police station not really knowing if I was safe or not. Never thought too much about that at the time! I’d be furious now!

No stories but I am determined that my next car will not be grey! I do wish there was more choice of colour though - when you're buying second-hand, avoiding grey means ruling out more than half the cars.

This is 30 years ago so no mobiles, internet etc. my mum had had a big abdo operation a few months earlier so this was her first big outing and we took her to Southport flower show. If you’ve never been you park on the beach as the tide doesn’t come in.

We had a new car. We parked it next to a red van. Went to the flower show. Mum spent a fortune on stuff which we dutifully lugged back to the prom. Couldn’t find the car. Couldn’t remember the reg as it was literally a week old. There were ten red vans, none of which were parked beside a new blue VW Golf.

My mum then decided she needed the loo. Can’t wait - she’s had a lot of bowel removed. So my dad has to sit with all the plants while she finds the loo and I walk up and down the beach trying to find the new car. Finally found it after almost two hours!

My car has an app that shows me exactly where I left it. Even gives you directions to help. I may have used it on a few occasions 🤣

Once got confused on the ferry from Stranraer heading back to the car; took my eye off the girl we were with and my then boyfriend and I circled decks for some time til her Dad saw us and shouted.
Such a long time ago I had to look up where the ferry from Stranraer went, I can't remember why we were even going to Belfast and assume we must have driven on somewhere. It was a long time ago!

Years ago,dp had a silver car-a car that looked like every other sodding car

We'd gone to Stoke and he'd parked up in tescos car park and we headed in to buy sd a new coat

Came out and it was snowing and pissing down at the same time,the wind was howling and it was dark

We spent the best part of two hours walking around that bloody car park,getting more and more soaked,sd whinging,squawking and moaning about how soaked and cold she was,me on the verge of losing it with her as we where all soaked and freezing and dp was panicking and getting shirty with us which made sd start whinging and moaning even louder (which of course wound me up even further)

We finally found that car-it was parked almost at the front doors and we'd walked past it at least 4 times

The next car he bought is ninja turtle green-and we've still managed to lose the bloody thing at our local tesco

When Dd was little l used to walk her to school. Sometimes l had a late start and would go straight onto work after. Sometimes l’d go home first.

Anyway, l took her to school, went home, collected pack lunch and stuff and went to get in my car.

It wasn’t there. I looked up and down the street but couldn’t see it. I then phoned Dh to see if he’d moved it. I then accused him of deliberately hiding my car. Which he strenuously denied oc😁

Time was ticking on and l was going to be late. Then l couldn’t find my bag. I didn’t accuse Dh of hiding this.

Evrntuslly after another 5 minutes looking up and down the road desperatelyfor my car, l decided to walk back to school, although l knew l definitely didn’t take it.

….. and there it was. With my bag in.

Dh still goes on grieviously about my accusation of him hiding my car 10 years later😂he likes to ask where l thought he’d hide it!

First time in Asda car park- I completely missed a section and was a bit frantic looking for my car. Second time I tried to go there I couldn’t even find the car park. Seriously, I was in my car and I couldn’t find Asda and I was driving around for ages - even followed the sat nav. I’ve given up on that shop now and go to Morrisons !

Not lost my car a such but I did walk home without it once, I'd completely forgot I'd driven

Yes! Watched Take That's reform at Milton Keynes Bowl.

Parked the car in a residential area and walked to the venue.

Had a great time. We were in the gold circle and we were so close I could see the colour of Gary's eyes and I actually squealed!

Came out very happy and went back to where the car was. Only, we couldn't find it. It was then that we realised that MK all looks the bloody same on each housing estate in that area.

After an hour of wondering around, we finally found it! Honestly, we were really starting to panic! Plus, by the time we found it, we were utterly exhausted!

Years ago I didn’t lose my car. I got in my white mini with the black sunroof.
Except it was an identical mini about 2 rows away.
It was only when I opened the door that I realised the upholstery was different, in my panic to leave I didn’t lock the car again so the driver may have been a bit puzzled when they returned to an unlocked car.

Not me, but a mate at University in early 90s. We went to the pub and he then realised he needed to move his car from where it was, so he did.

We were all on a total bender that night, so all in bits the next day. He goes off to find his car and it’s not there. Reported it stolen to the Police and heard nothing.

2 weeks later we were walking up a road and I said “errr, Paul isn’t that your car?”. He then remembered he’d moved it that night.

we all went to the pub to celebrate!!

When we went to Disney World many years ago there were signs everywhere all over the car park telling you to take careful note where your car was. The car park seemed the size of a small country.

I have also walked home from the kids school and rounded the corner to face an empty driveway. Luckily I had to be back for an activity that lunch time, I used to help out on occasion, so I left the car where it was and nonchalantly strolled back to school later. 😳

I also now have an app for my car.