# How do I get my truck back from the mechanic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 13, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427 "2015-10-13T20:11:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/21 "2015-10-15T02:16:10Z")
I think @tardrex should just go over the the mechanic’s house and pick the truck up. Any discussion about lawyers and police is OBE. If the truck hasn’t been repaired, then we can discuss his options later. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/22 "2015-10-15T02:22:02Z")
Y’all missed the part where the mechanic called, had heart surery took a few days off not answering the phone and told the op it was ready and to pick it up today @ 4:30, and he would let us know how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/23 "2015-10-15T02:28:18Z")
Hopefully, this story will have a happy ending…Without the police or lawyers becoming involved… ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/24 "2015-10-15T04:25:10Z")
Yeah its always a danger to not read all of the posts to find out that the problem has been resolved. Its a good discussion anyway but there are no good answers if the vehicle is sitting there in parts, behind locked doors, and not towable. Often you’ll find that just a quiet discussion with the Sheriff or local police can be very helpful. They’ve seen everything before and can at least offer advice on how to proceed, and they are free, usually. They can be very responsive. I was having a roof put on and had to leave for out of state before they were done. I called the police about 10:00 and just asked if they would swing by and check to make sure the roofers had locked up. They not only checked the garage door but all the other doors and got a call back in half an hour with their report. Then got another call a few minutes later asking if everything went ok and if there was anything else I needed. Garage door/cars inside so car related. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/25 "2015-10-15T04:31:00Z")
> **"If I'm at your house and I leave my laptop on your dining table and then you don't return my calls do you think the police will help me gain entry into your house to retrieve it? "** Actually - NO. This is a civil matter. If the place you left the computer at said…he’s mistaken…it’s his laptop…then there isn’t much the cop can do, At that point you would need to get a lawyer. Now with a truck…that’s different since it’s registered with the state. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/26 "2015-10-15T04:36:35Z")
An old truck? An old transmission? A verbal agreement with no time limit? What could possibly go wrong? … lol Seriously, I think he’s just run into some technical difficulty and it is going to take a while for him to figure out what’s wrong. If I were in this situation and I’d called a couple times and it appeared he was having some difficulty, I’d say “well, I’d rather have it done right than done quick, so continue on, I appreciate your efforts, do what you have to do.” And leave it at that. Worse case, it will be up to him to figure out what to do with your old truck when it starts to fall apart from rust sitting in his backyard. Best case, and I think this is more likely, in a few weeks he’ll call you and say it is done. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/27 "2015-10-15T04:42:33Z")
For pete’s sake, look at Barkydogs 5:22 post. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/28 "2015-10-15T07:19:47Z")
I agree please read that he went in for a heart condition and they are doing surgery but got the truck done before his surgery. Seems like extenuating circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![irlandes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5e925/32.png) [@irlandes](https://community.cartalk.com/u/irlandes)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/29 "2015-10-15T07:58:04Z")
I agree. Seems problem solved. However, let me tell you that the posters who said a truck is NOT the same as a laptop are correct. I had to pass a Business Law test for the CPA exam. Cars have legal titles on record that triumph over he-said/he said. In the Army we used to talk about barracks lawyers, Soldiers who really know little about the Army regulations, but are very confident in their beliefs about what regulations should be. ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/30 "2015-10-15T19:44:57Z")
All very interesting, but did the OP get his truck? Is it fixed? Is he now happy or at least done with this? ---
**Author:** ![philipp10](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@philipp10](https://community.cartalk.com/u/philipp10)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/31 "2015-11-02T02:39:28Z")
you have a title, he does not. Go to the police with the title and report it stolen, Posession is NOT 9/10ths of the law…lol ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/32 "2015-11-02T06:27:32Z")
Um, a couple weeks too late on the comment but I would not recommend filing a false theft report with the police. It wasn’t stolen, it just wasn’t finished and the guy was scheduled for heart surgery. That’s what happens when you deal with a lone wolf and not a shop with back up mechanics and staff. ---
**Author:** ![bloody\_knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@bloody\_knuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bloody_knuckles)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/33 "2015-11-02T20:20:29Z")
As Agent Maxwell Smart might have said… “Oh, the old heart surgery trick, eh?” ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/34 "2015-11-03T01:44:33Z")
Mechanic’s Lien does not apply if the car has not been worked on yet and no money is owing. Agree that a belligerent attitude won’t work well here. I use intimidation only when other approaches fail. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/35 "2015-11-03T01:58:24Z")
The OP has not been back since OCT 14. ---
**Author:** ![tardrex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@tardrex](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardrex)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 8:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/36 "2015-11-06T08:25:49Z")
I got the truck back the day after he called and said it was done,it seems to run ok, but I won`t be using anymore shade tree mechanics. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 8:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427/37 "2015-11-07T08:17:45Z")
Sincere thanks for the followup post. Far too often we never hear the resolution. Sincere best, TSM [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-truck-back-from-the-mechanic/91427.md?page=1)