Service Request #5: Dude, Where's My Car?

99% Invisible investigates what happens when your car goes missing and you have to deal with the opaque world of private towing. The episode uncovers how towing companies operate with little oversight, often charging exorbitant fees and making the retrieval process as difficult as possible. Through a personal story, Roman Mars and team expose the murky rules and powerful private actors that turn a parking mistake into a financial nightmare. It's a classic 99pi exploration of a hidden system that most people encounter only in a moment of panic.