Good Samaritan or Busy Body?

[centralcoaster33]

So, I work near an airport. There is a short stretch of road that people can park their cars for up to 3 days safely. This is of course to avoid all the pay parking at the airport. Anyway, I take a smoke break and walk past the cars regularly. Yesterday I noticed a Honda with the drivers window halfway down, the interior panel removed, the window and lock switch exposed. So, I assume the person was fussing with their window in an attempt to roll it up (electric window), but ran out of time and had to catch their flight. Well, it was going to rain. Actually, it did already a bit this morning, but not much. There is a significant rain scheduled for tonight.

So, I'm not sure when they're gonna come back for their car. I am sure it's going to rain. I can see the car is somewhat a beater (just an opinion). This matters because of paint, and sometimes taping something to a paint job can lift that paint off later. I don't think that will be an issue with the tape I used, but I did think about it beforehand. I decided and just now installed two plastic garbage bags across their window, taped it up nice and tossed a note onto the seat. I mentioned what I did in the note and gave them a tip, saying they should run power straight from the battery to the motor to get it to roll up or down. Then I wished them well.

I wanted to get in there, fix their switch and or at least roll up the window for them and lock it up, but I don't have the wires with me and figured that is a bigger step and potentially a bigger violation than I want to take at this time. Much closer to busy body in my mind.

So, what do you think you would do if you found your car taped up with a note in it? What if you found it fixed? Just curious.

[Bubba1]

You're a good soul. To answer Good Samaritan or busy body? My answer is both. Temporarily taping to cover the window (without harming the paint) is a nice gesture but to go beyond that is inserting yourself into someone else's business without their consent. Heck, for all you know, that car might have been stolen, or the window was open because there were other problems with the door/window, or perhaps it was a "bait" car. The 2000 lb gorilla in the room is that you just don't know. I think if the owner gave you approval, then bravo. But in this situation, you did enough, bordering on too much. And to answer your question, yes, I'd probably be very annoyed that a stranger was in my car uninvited, even with a "note". You can tell I'm a northeasterner, and from a typical northeasterner's perspective, it's akin to breaking into a home and fixing the faucet. Yeah, you left a "note", and you fixed the faucet, but how does the owner know you didn't first search the home for cash/valuables? Again, you did a nice thing, but it's not really something you should have done without their approval.

[lexcrob]

Maybe they were planning on making a lawsuit with a repair shop. Maybe they just don't care. Maybe they had a animal or plant that needed air. Id have avoided the area. You never know with people today. I dont know if I would have done the same. Tough one. I would have been grateful if it was my car.

California is in your sig. I would never in that state! People with stuck floor mats and more laws than sense. No way in cali.

[float_6969]

I'd have done something similar. Good Samaritan vote from me.

[centralcoaster33]

Thank you for the thoughts. I do have to double think many things in CA. We harbor all kinds of weird here, on the streets and on the books.

I did get the feeling that doing any more then a plastic cover, like actually fixing their window, would have been a violation of space, privacy, etc. I didn't enter the vehicle or check the lock or filter through the glove box. I tossed a note in through the open window, then taped it shut. It rained over an inch last night (big deal in CA drought) and is still raining (thankfully).

I would have loved it if it was a "bait car"! Especially if it made it to the broadcast show. Instead of stealing the car, this man walks up, weather proofs window and leaves note. Monterey vs. L.A.

[szh]

Hmmm ... tough call. I think what you did was about the maximum you should/could do - good for you! In particular, I would not recommend entering any car to go beyond that.

A similar (not cars though) thing happened to me once. My neighbor was away on a trip and one of his water pipes (fortunately outside the house) broke. It was spilling large amounts of water at the side of the house, along the fence, and running out onto the front sidewalk ... pretty clearly a major break. I felt comfortable going into the walkway next to his house where the water was coming out of, and found the break - could not fix it though.

But if the break had been inside the house, I would not have felt right about going in though ... he might have been okay with it, but that would have needed me to somehow break into the front door, etc.

Anyway, I turned off the main water valve in the front (sidewalk cover access) and left a note on his front door as to what I had done. He was very grateful when he got back a few days later, since his water bill would have been enormous and the damage to the garden and walkway next to the house would have been quite bad. I happened to see him a bit after he got back while he was still wondering why he did not have water inside his home (had not seen my note on the door yet, since he went in from the garage). He called a plumber before unpacking the car ...

Z

[frapjap]

Maybe you were on "what would you do?" and end up on tv in a couple weeks.

[nissangirl74]

I wouldn't have been upset about what you did do, but I would have been pissed if you had opened the door and started messing around inside (even with the best of intentions). Granted, in this circumstance, I would have come back to a soaked car interior, but the thought of someone rummaging through my car without permission, is a big deal.

[centralcoaster33]

I'm glad I went with my feelings this time. They seem rather mutual among the level headed.

On a tangent, this quote is awesome! "We just stay here hoping and praying that she'll start jogging again, but she keeps trying to convince us that we want a fat FWD chick with CVT." I need to find and read that thread...

[szh]

On a tangent, this quote is awesome! "We just stay here hoping and praying that she'll start jogging again, but she keeps trying to convince us that we want a fat FWD chick with CVT." I need to find and read that thread...

It is in here: as-if-the-crosscabriolet-wasnt-a-big-en ... 70391.html

Z

[centralcoaster33]

Yeah, I found that and was very entertained! I almost resurrected the thread but opted against it. I did go to Nissan USA to confirm that there were no 2016 or 2017 crosscabrilets and I didn't see any. Phew!

[centralcoaster33]

Well, I was out there again and the car was there and then some people showed up to give it a jump start. I walked over and introduced myself and apologized if I had overstepped any boundaries and admitted I'd put the plastic on his window. The guy was super thankful! He said his son in law was having issue with his infant and they were rushing to the plane and such. His wife was in the other car and she leaned out the window and said it was a good Samaritan thing I did (her words!) and that she doesn't understand people's fear of 'doing the right thing' these days. Anyway, it was a pleasant exchange and I'm glad that they were happy people.

[frapjap]

^Nice! Glad you weren't left wondering and were about to help out a thankful family.