So, a year ago I had my winter tires & wheels swapped over at my favorite shop. They left the car outside for me, and asked what I wanted done with the winter tires & wheels. I said to just leave them beside the shop, and I'd pick them up later that night with my truck. They cautioned against it, saying there had been some theft in prior weeks. I said it would be fine, and I was comfortable with the risk.
Picked up my car after work. Went back after supper to get the tires... you guessed it, stolen that night. I was pissed, the shop was very apologetic, but without question it was my fault, my bad, my problem.
Anyway, for a while I scanned local classifieds and shops *just in case* they popped up, never did. Bought a new set of winter tires and rims for about a grand.
Fast forward to last night. I'm leaving the grocery store and see a very nice E320. Because I've programmed myself to do it, I check out the wheels. STOP. Distinctive marks that looked like mine. I do a walk around, looking for one particular mark that would definetly make them mine. There it was: a scrape and drill marks from where I had
drilled out a broken wheel bolt. My wheels!
So I park beside it and wait for 20 minutes for the owner of the car to happen by. When I see a nice old lady unlocking the car, I get out and very politely ask her a few questions, saying I have a similar car, how does she like it, etc etc. Then I ask her about the wheels, does she have seperate winter & summer wheels.
Turns out her husband bought the car 3 years ago. They only had all season tires, and found it very hard to drive in the snow. This past winter, her husband bought winter tires and the guy at the tire shop also sold him the wheels. She didn't know what tire shop, and her husband died 2 months ago so she had no way of finding out. Once she said that, I didn't press the issue and didn't mention they were my wheels. Just wished her happy motoring and I hoped the car works out well for her. Turns out she might be selling her house, so we're going to stay in touch
odd one, eh?