Parking Tickets in LA

You should clear this up with DMV as soon as possible.

Worse than the parking ticket: moving violations and accidents by the current owner. In some cases, an arrest warrant could be issued for outstanding tickets.

They may come after you instead of the proper owner.

 

I'm confused. When the cops look at an illegally parked car, they look at the license plate; they can't even see the VIN. So assuming the old vehicle has new plates, why didn't the tickets go to the new owner?

 

The same thing happened to me a few years ago. We sold my mom's old Dodge Dart to a "friend" at work. He never bothered to register it, and my mom got tickets because the "friend's" daughter's boyfriend was "living" in the car somewhere. In Calif. you have to fill out a yellow DMV form disclaiming any ownership of the car, which we finally did. It is the dealer's responsibility to follow thru on a trade-in, but not everybody is on the job. Good luck.

 

This is common, and I suggest you talk to the offending dealer about your trouble.

Dealers are supposed to register your old car to themselves within some period (10 days?), but many let it "float" so that they can save the cost, and use it as an incentive to the buyer of your old car. However, as you found out, that leaves YOU hanging out as the "owner" and you get to go through this hassle. This is actually illegal for the dealer to do. You might remind the dealer that he is responsible for any fees or penalties or other trouble you experience. I bet he gets real helpful when he knows that one pissed off phone call from you to the DMV gets them in legal trouble.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Feb 13 2007, 09:45 AM) [snapback]389543[/snapback]</div>

Believe it or not, Los Angeles Department of Transportation parking enforcement officers actually do check the public VIN plates on the cars that they cite. The car which was cited was probably still without new plates after nicos transferred his/her personalized ones to his/her new Prius. In the City of Los Angeles, citations are issued by the use of hand held computers which print out the parking tickets.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Feb 13 2007, 12:45 PM) [snapback]389543[/snapback]</div>

Since the personalized plates got transferred to the new car, the dealer probably sold the old car without plates. The parking cop would have to use the VIN to write the ticket. And unless you have something on the dash board covering it up, they read the VIN through the windshield - it's on a small plate up on ther very top left of the dashboard... in all cars.

We bought a used car from a dealer 4 years ago that didn't have plates. My wife got a parking ticket about two weeks later that had the "failure to display plates" violation added. The cops got the old plate number from the DMV and wrote it on the ticket. The first registration card we got from DMV had that old plate number on it - Then about two weeks after that we got new plates and a new registration card. The dealer got the title transfer screwed up by dragging their feet with DMV.

 

wow, what a pain to deal with! hope everything gets settled, nicos!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nicos @ Feb 13 2007, 11:45 PM) [snapback]390072[/snapback]</div>

Just download this form, Notice of Release of Liability (REG 138), fill it out and send it in.

 

"The dealer’s (LONGO TOYOTA) DMV liaison said that the old car was sold in auction and until a new owner actually registers the car DMV will keep my name on record."

And that, friend, is an admission of guilt! They are not allowed to "float" the re-registration like that. From the Cali DMV website:

Timely Transfer

When you buy a car in California, you must title and register it with the DMV within 10 days of the sale. After the 10-day period, you will be charged a penalty for late registration.

At the same time, the seller has five days after the sale of a vehicle to file a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability with the DMV. This can protect the seller in case of an accident involving the vehicle before the new owner registers it.