Selling a dead car in Moreno Valley

The repair-shop standards

Section 9.09.070 exists to curb "noise, fumes, litter and parking problems associated with motor vehicle repair shops." It reaches every repair facility, including one inside a dealership or a rental agency. Three lines matter to an owner whose car is stuck there:

• disabled, junked or wrecked cars stay inside the main building
• the outdoor lot is for employee and customer parking, "not for the repair or finishing work or long-term (over one week) storage of vehicles"
• "No vehicles to be repaired shall be parked or stored on any street or in any alley."

If the shop is pressing you to collect a car you no longer want, stuck at a repair shop sets out the choices.

A dead car at home: state law, and maybe more

Our sources turned up no Moreno Valley ordinance on dead cars at houses or curbs, so this part leans on Sacramento. Moreno Valley may still have its own. Vehicle Code 22660 lets any city or county, Moreno Valley included, declare abandoned or inoperative cars a nuisance, remove them from private or public land and bill for the work. Call City Hall before deciding a driveway car is fine.

The curb is covered either way. Under Vehicle Code 22651, Moreno Valley can tow a car that stays put three days in a row against a local parking rule. Under Vehicle Code 22669, officers or city staff given the job can tow a car they think is abandoned. Moreno Valley can tow a car from public right-of-way without any wait if it has no engine, transmission, wheels or windshield. Vehicle Code 22851.3 covers abandoned cars worth $500 or less. Moreno Valley must put a 72-hour warning on the car (some worth $300 or below are exempt), send the owner a letter within 48 hours of the tow, and allow 10 days to seek a hearing.

Walking away doesn't work. Vehicle Code 22523 fines abandonment at $100 or more and requires proof the removal bill was paid.

Paperwork when it leaves your hands

• The state DMV runs California titles, by mail or at a field office. In Moreno Valley, you sign as seller, and any lienholder adds a signature too.
• DMV lists no notary for signing the title. One comes into play only for section 5 of REG 227, when a lienholder appears on the record.
• No title in hand? A replacement through REG 227 costs $28.
• Cars sold for dismantling skip smog entirely.
• REG 138 goes in inside 5 days. After DMV records it, tickets dated later belong to the buyer.
• For a Moreno Valley car, every unregistered year adds fees and penalties back, unless you filed a Planned Non-Operation (REG 102).

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or write in to sell a Moreno Valley car. Around Moreno Valley we load cars from homes, apartment lots and shop bays where they stopped running. Nearby pages: Riverside, Perris and California.