Curious about the fate of a vehicle you once owned after it left your possession? If you sold it intact, chances are it’s still out there. If it met with an accident, well, those vehicles have varied destinies. It was quite unexpected for one former Audi Q5 owner to learn that his car traveled all the way to Poland months after being wrecked in a snowy mishap, thanks to a forgotten AirTag.
The individual, Ian, preferring to go by only his first name for privacy reasons, was commuting home from work in eastern Pennsylvania in December last year when his vehicle skidded on black ice and collided with a guide wire for a telephone pole. While Ian emerged unharmed, his top-of-the-line 2018 Audi Q5 sustained significant damage. The vehicle became a write-off after wrapping itself around the wire. Following the crash, Ian knows it was dispatched to Scranton Copart, an automotive salvage yard in Duryea, Pennsylvania. But what happened from there remains a mystery.
Ian via Facebook
“I didn’t track its movements,” Ian shared, “I only stumbled upon the information a few days ago while attempting to locate an AirTag in my wallet and recollected leaving an AirTag in my Audi.” That’s when the unexpected revelation occurred. The forgotten tag was now signaling from Cielcza, a small town in central Poland.
Ian remains unaware of the car’s journey but presumes it was forwarded to Port Newark in New Jersey before being transported overseas. Essentially, it took almost five months for him to ascertain that the car had reached Europe, though the duration of the actual journey remains unknown to him.
Ian via Facebook
Observing the situation since the discovery in Poland, Ian mentions that the vehicle seems stationary based on his observation. “I don’t believe it has been repaired yet,” he informed The Drive. However, once it undergoes repairs, he anticipates spotting it in the Facebook group where he initially shared his revelation, Foreign Market Car Sightings, unless it’s being dismantled for parts.
Upon its eventual restoration, he plans to deactivate the AirTag for the owner’s privacy. Although he held affection for his Q5, it wasn’t to the extent of maintaining constant tracking. “I look forward to the day when I can see it cruising around happily in that group, fully enjoying its new lease on life!”
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