After a total loss or storm damage in Woodridge
Woodridge knows what a bad storm can do. The EF-3 tornado on June 20, 2021 damaged 225 homes in the village and its neighbors, and hail or a fallen tree can do the same to a car on a much smaller scale. When the insurer calls a car a total loss, the owner has to decide what happens to it next.
If the insurer pays the claim and takes the car, it is theirs to sell. If you keep it, tell us exactly which documents you ended up with after the claim. We buy totaled cars as long as the papers allow the sale under Illinois rules, and we confirm that on the call. Our totaled car guide explains the steps after an insurance total loss.
Storm damage doesn’t wipe out a car’s scrap value. What we can offer depends mostly on the car’s weight, whether the engine and transmission are still there, and which parts are worth pulling. Hail dents and broken glass matter far less than a bent frame.
Village rules for a car that can’t be driven
Woodridge leaves little room for a dead car to wait. A vehicle in disrepair, or one left unmoved for a week and looking deserted, meets the village’s abandoned-vehicle definition, and police can order it moved off private property after 7 days. The car also has to stay on an improved driveway or in an enclosed garage. Parking on the lawn is not allowed in residential districts.
Registration counts too. Keeping a car or truck on a Woodridge lot without current-year plates is unlawful, so a car you stopped registering is a problem even if it runs.
Pickups across the village
About half of Woodridge’s homes are single-family detached houses, and 43% sit in multi-unit buildings. We tow from driveways, garages and shared lots alike; for a shared lot, clear it with the manager or association first. Businesses in the International Center industrial area in the far south of the village can sell us a worn-out work van or pickup the same way.
Towns bordering Woodridge
Our pickups extend to Downers Grove, to Bolingbrook on the southwest and to Lemont on the south. The rest of our coverage is on the locations page.
Selling a car in Woodridge: common questions
Do I have to cancel a Woodridge vehicle sticker when I junk my car?
No. Woodridge repealed its village vehicle license in 1998, so there is no local sticker to deal with. Your Illinois registration and plates are a separate state matter handled through the Secretary of State.
Can a wrecked car sit on my lawn while the insurance claim is settled?
No. In residential districts, Woodridge only allows parking on an improved driveway or inside an enclosed garage, never on the front, side or rear yard. If the car can't stay on the driveway, ask your insurer about moving it, or sell it to us once the claim allows.
Can I get overnight street parking for a car that won't start?
Only briefly. Woodridge police grant overnight permission one night at a time, up to 3 nights in 30 days, and not when snow is expected or over 2 inches. A dead car needs a driveway or garage, not the street.