The height of mixed emotions, as told by a certified idiot.

Tom Ginefra

Tom Ginefra

True Classic
Drove the car to the shop today to play with the timing. Got it nearly perfect! Took the car out for a test drive. I was so excited by how well she was running, I continued on to some twisty local roads. After about an hour or so, I realized that my cell phone was missing. My heart sank as I remembered I had laid it on top of the targa bar while I was working on the car! GONE! Went home...grabbed the wife (with her cell phone)...drove back to the shop to retrace my route (ringing my number continuously, hoping to hear my phone laying in the side of the road. GONE! A perfect afternoon turned to absolute crap, in an instant! I've forgotten stuff on top of my daily car before... a cup of coffee...a notebook...but this is the first time I've ever lost a phone. You don't realize how integral they become to your life until they disappear. It's backed up and I have insurance, but this is still a giant pain in the ass. Worse yet, I feel like the biggest moron in the world!
 
Bummer Tom, it is probably very close to where you took off from.

Many years ago I left my expansion tank cap laying in the engine bay while trying to bleed the system. Got the bleeding done and took of for a long test drive. I got home and popped the engine cover to check the level in the tank and that's when I realized what I had done. I figured it was long gone, but it was about 10 feet from the curb at the end of my driveway. Lucky me, no one ran over it. :)
 
I remember seeing gas caps on the top of the self serve pumps for years. Guess that’s why they have lanyards now.
 
Did you look at the top of the targa bar? It may still be there. I remember I forgot a helmet on the trunk lid after a slalom race. And it was still there 3 hours later.
 
I wish it was an expansion tank or fuel cap. They aren't nearly as attractive to a dirtbag as a new phone. I checked throughout the car thoroughly - walked every inch of the lot where the shop is - walked the street in front of the lot where I pulled out - backtracked my exact route for the first test drive (about a 1 mile loop with some serious turns which were taken in very spirited fashion). It slid right off into the street and someone grabbed it up. My ringtone is an old fashioned bell telephone ringer and the ring volume is always set to full. If it was around, we would have heard it while we continuously called it as we creeped along the route. The neighborhood surrounding the shop is pretty sketchy. If I realized sooner what had happened, I may have been able to backtrack right away. Unfortunately, I had already been driving for quite some time when I discovered it was missing and by the time I started my search about 2 hours had passed. I've already filed a claim for my replacement phone. It should be delivered in a few days (cause it's the weekend) but I'm worried that not all of my data has been backed up completely and I have ALL of my passwords for ALL of my apps on that phone. That's going to be the biggest nightmare if I can't retrieve that. I feel like such a dumbass right now.
I don't know what's worse... the hassle of replacing the phone, or having no one to blame for this, but me.
 
It's likely it blew off very near to where you either launched the car, or laid into the first good turn...can your phone company kill it remotely? Was it locked, or unlocked...
 
Don't feel like bad, I am the king of doing this the last few years...lost numerous expensive coffee cups, and once at work, I was driving off from a job and someone alerted me my Battery bag with about $500 worth of batteries was on the top of my truck topper. I have actually started taking a supplement for my brain function, and my helpers job duties include "check the top of the truck"
Might want to text a "reward if found" message to the phone, but hopefully someone will be a decent human being and try to return it. I actually had a call from a friends phone and that happened
Anyways don't beat yourself up too bad, as we get older, there is so much going on, and it's easy to forget the little things
 
Thanks all, for the sentiments. I've already done all of the above. The phone has been locked and the service temporarily suspended. When I get the replacement I will attempt to back up whatever data is available and then wipe that phone completely. Unfortunately, the "location services" feature was manually shut off on my phone. I typically only turned it on when I was using Maps. So, "Find My Phone" will not display the device location, at this time. I've already resigned myself to the fact that it's gone. I just hope I can recover the important data from my backup.

And yes... the Silver Lining is the car is running really good. I suppose I'll be better able to enjoy that, after I get my new phone and this BS is all sorted. The good news for me is driving the car is my best therapy!
 
Did you try looking for your phone at night? When you ring it up it should light up, you have a 50/50 chance it landed screen up? Alternatively you could try looking for it by searching for devices that could connect via Bluetooth, if you have that turned on. If you find your phone comes up on the list you know you're close. At least that would get you close enough to hear the ringer?
 
MikeHynes said:
Did you try looking for your phone at night? When you ring it up it should light up, you have a 50/50 chance it landed screen up? Alternatively you could try looking for it by searching for devices that could connect via Bluetooth, if you have that turned on. If you find your phone comes up on the list you know you're close. At least that would get you close enough to hear the ringer?
Click to expand...
good ideas - when it rings, the screen lights up.
 
Tom Ginefra said:
Thanks all, for the sentiments. I've already done all of the above. The phone has been locked and the service temporarily suspended. When I get the replacement I will attempt to back up whatever data is available and then wipe that phone completely. Unfortunately, the "location services" feature was manually shut off on my phone. I typically only turned it on when I was using Maps. So, "Find My Phone" will not display the device location, at this time. I've already resigned myself to the fact that it's gone. I just hope I can recover the important data from my backup.

And yes... the Silver Lining is the car is running really good. I suppose I'll be better able to enjoy that, after I get my new phone and this BS is all sorted. The good news for me is driving the car is my best therapy!
Click to expand...
I leave location on now, but mainly in the photo app, since that's what my phone is mainly used for, taking pictures. You can get a phone anytime, but a good-running X19...priceless
 
Sorry to hear. I once placed an iPad in one of those protective cases on the engine cover and drove about 2 miles before it flew off during the turn. I heard it bounce off the trunk lid so I was able to pull over and find it.

I know with Find my iphone, you can have it play a sound. Of course, while you're driving, you'd need to keep tapping Play Sound. The "location finder" is relatively accurate. I say relatively because when I've forgotten where I left my phone at home, a few times, the location has shown as next door, when it was on the kitchen table.
 
I received my new phone yesterday and am in the process of trying to restore my data, apps photos, etc. Another nightmare unto itself!
 
Tom Ginefra said:
I received my new phone yesterday and am in the process of trying to restore my data, apps photos, etc. Another nightmare unto itself!
Click to expand...
If it is an Android or iPhone the data is replicated to the cloud. All app icons should appear on the new phone and reinstall the first time you click them. But a Google Account or Apple ID is necessary for this to work.
 
The biggest issue with the cloud storage is if you selected it to back up what you need backed up and if you had enough room to store everything. Apple gives a small amount of free space and you will need to pay for more which I do, its worth the extra dollar or two a month to save your data.
 
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