How to Find a Lost Car
It seems absurd, but we do it all the time. We park our cars in some remote area of the mall parking lot or garage. Then, after hours of holiday shopping and two handfuls of bags in our arms, we find that we can't find our two-ton automobile. This is no reason to panic. There are a few easy steps you can take to easily find your car and avoid Jerry Seinfeld's experience of spending an entire evening roaming the garage alone.
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Things You'll Need
- Colorful cloth or ribbon
- Notepad or voice recorder
- Digital camera or cell phone w/camera
- Remote keychain w/panic button
- GPS keychain
Instructions
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Practice preventative parking. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by parking in a memorable spot. You can do this one of three ways. First, if possible, park in the same spot. This may require you to park further away from the building. That's okay, because the second way is to park in an uncrowded area. It's hard to miss your car when it's the only one parked in G-7. Alternatively, park near a memorable landmark, like a statue or highway sign.
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Tie on a colorful reminder. Procure some brightly colored cloth or ribbon and tie it as high on your antenna as possible. That should make your car easier to spot with a sweep of the eyes.
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Jot down your location. This is useful if you are in a parking lot or garage that is conspicuously divided into sections. For example, if you're parking at Disneyland, note whether you are in the Tinkerbell or Donald Duck section of the garage. You can then take note of your location in a notepad, a note taking program on your cell phone, or a voice memo to yourself.
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Take a picture. It lasts longer. Carry a small digital camera or, if possible, snap a photo with your cell phone.
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Use your key remote or panic button. Most modern keychains are electronic. Simply hit the lock or unlock button on the remote to see if your car's headlights flash. If that doesn't work, hit the panic button. You should be able to hear the repetitive honking and whistling. Everybody else in the parking lot can.
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Deploy a satellite -- in a global positioning system. A few companies manufacture a mini-GPS keychain that pairs with your car. If you can't find your car, simply click the appropriate buttons on the keychain. The GPS will then locate your car's coordinates and direct you to it.
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Do it the old-fashioned way. Systematically walk up and down each aisle of the parking lot until you find your car. Though this is clearly the most painful method, you are guaranteed to find your car this way. If you balk at this method, just remember that you are the one who got yourself into this mess in the first place.
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Wait it out. Allow the parking lot to thin out as the crowds dissipate. This requires an extraordinary amount of patience. Go buy a magazine, grab a snack, and hang tight. It's going to be a long evening.
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Tips & Warnings
The GPS method tends not to work in parking garages, as the satellite feed is often blocked.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit full parking lot image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com
