The bags are in the trunk and the car answers the key with a click. Or the door shuts with the keys still on the seat. From now through Christmas Eve, the lots around Polaris Fashion Place fill up early and stay full late, which is exactly when a tired battery or a moment of distraction catches people. If it happens to you, our Polaris Mall towing and jump-start page covers the area in detail, and this guide walks through the holiday version: who to call, what to tell dispatch, and how to get home without making a long day longer.
One thing up front. Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent company. We are not the mall's tow company, we do not patrol or enforce any lot at Polaris, and we only help drivers who call us about their own cars.
Why holiday shopping trips are hard on cars
Cold slows the chemistry inside a battery, so it delivers less power just as a cold engine needs more, and a battery that has been weakening for months often quits on the first cold night. A holiday trip adds a few more strikes:
- Long stops in the cold. The car sits for hours in an open surface lot while you shop, eat and see a movie.
- Short hops between stores. Driving from the mall to another lot and back gives the alternator little time to put back what the start took out.
- Something left on. Headlights on an auto setting that you switched to manual, a dome light bumped while loading bags, or a trunk that did not quite latch.
- Distraction. Arms full of bags and kids in the back is how keys end up locked on the front seat.
Polaris Fashion Place keeps longer hours in the weeks before Christmas, so plenty of drivers walk out after dark to a cold car. The mall's holiday page lists it closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, with shorter hours on Christmas Eve, so check the posted schedule before you plan a late trip.
Know where you are: the Polaris area at a glance
A precise location saves more time than anything else. The district is big, and several shopping centers sit side by side.
- Polaris Fashion Place is the two-level enclosed mall at 1500 Polaris Parkway, Columbus 43240. Its anchors, Macy's, JCPenney, Von Maur and Dick's House of Sport, make the best landmarks. "Four rows out from the Von Maur entrance" beats "somewhere in the Polaris lot."
- Polaris Towne Center is the separate shopping center just south of the mall across Polaris Parkway, listed at 1319 Polaris Parkway. If you parked there, say so; it is a different set of lots and driveways.
- Polaris Parkway is the continuation of State Route 750. It curves around the mall and meets I-71 at exit 121.
- Gemini Place crosses I-71 north of the mall with its own interchange, and Orion Place is the office street east of the freeway that runs south from Gemini Place.
- The county line. The mall and the shopping around it sit in Delaware County, just north of the Franklin County line, even though the mailing address says Columbus. If you call 911, give the street address and the business name, not just "Columbus."
If the car won't start in the lot
Listen before you call. Rapid clicking or a slow, labored crank usually means a weak or drained battery, and a jump is likely to work. If the engine cranks at a normal speed but never catches, the battery probably is not the problem, and the car may need a tow to a shop.
Turn off the lights, fan and radio, and stop cranking after a few tries. Our jump start service uses a portable jump pack, so the driver does not need to park nose to nose in a packed holiday row. The driver tests the battery on the spot. If it fails, it can often be replaced right there with our mobile battery replacement, so you are not driving home on a battery that will quit again tomorrow morning.
If you have your own cables and a helper, follow the clamp order and safety steps in our winter jump-start guide. Do not try to jump a battery that is cracked, swollen, leaking or frozen.
If the keys are locked inside
Check every door and the trunk first; one is sometimes still open. Do not break a window. Our lockout service opens most cars without damage. Have your ID ready, because the technician confirms the car is yours before opening it. We unlock cars only. If a key is lost or broken, a dealer or locksmith will have to cut or program a new one.
If a child or a pet is locked inside, especially in a car that is not running, call 911 first. Do not wait for a tow truck.
If you break down on Polaris Parkway or at exit 121
The roads around the mall are busy all year and busier in December. The Delaware County Engineer describes the Polaris and Gemini interchange as severely congested for several hours a day. Exit 121 is only a partial interchange: drivers on Polaris Parkway cannot get onto southbound I-71 there, so that traffic is sent up to the Gemini Place ramps. A stalled car on any of those ramps becomes a hazard quickly.
- Turn on your hazards and get out of the travel lane if you safely can.
- If you are in a live lane, anyone is hurt, or traffic is too close to step out, stay belted and call 911 first.
- Then call for a tow and tell dispatch which ramp or road you are on, which direction you were heading, and the nearest business you can see.
Our I-71 towing guide covers freeway breakdowns farther along the corridor.
Driving an EV to Polaris
Electric cars lose range in the cold. There is a Tesla Supercharger at Polaris Towne Center, 1177 Polaris Parkway, listed as open 24 hours, so a Tesla running low may only need to reach the other side of the parkway. Our post on EV range in cold Ohio weather explains preconditioning and other ways to stretch a winter charge.
If the car cannot move, it needs a proper tow. Our EV and Tesla towing keeps all four wheels off the ground, on a flatbed or on a wheel-lift with dollies, following the manufacturer's instructions. A fully dead EV may need a 12-volt jump first so it can be put into transport mode.
Mall security, lost items and overnight parking
Polaris Fashion Place has its own Security team. The mall lists 614-840-9725 during mall hours and 614-992-6375 outside mall hours, and says to call 911 and mall Security in an emergency. Lost items also go through Security. If you are waiting for help in a dark, emptying lot and feel uneasy, call them, then wait in your car with the doors locked.
Do not plan to leave a dead car until morning. The mall's code of conduct says there is no overnight parking and that a vehicle left unattended overnight is subject to being towed at the owner's expense. If your car was already removed from any private lot in the area, read the posted tow sign and call the company it names. Our guide to finding a towed car in Columbus lists what to bring. Once you have a release, we can haul the car from that yard to your home or a shop.
What to tell dispatch
- Which center: Polaris Fashion Place, Polaris Towne Center, or a store or restaurant along Polaris Parkway, Gemini Place or Orion Place.
- The nearest entrance or sign, and roughly how many rows out you parked.
- Year, make, model and color, and whether it is a hybrid or EV.
- What happens when you try to start it: clicking, slow crank, normal crank, or nothing.
- Where you want the car to go if it needs a tow: home, a shop, or a dealer.
How long it takes and what it costs
Dispatch answers day and night. Polaris and nearby Lewis Center and Westerville are in our outer-community zone, where most calls are reached in about 40–60 minutes. That is always an estimate, and holiday traffic around the parkway can stretch it; the dispatcher gives you an updated expectation when you call.
A jump start or lockout is $75 flat plus $4 per mile en-route. If the car has to go on a truck, the tow is a $125 hook-up fee plus $7 per loaded mile, and veterans with a military or VA ID save 10%. Night, weekend and highway surcharges are on our pricing page, and dispatch quotes the full price before a truck rolls. More on the office parks and private-lot rules is on our Polaris Mall towing page.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call if my car won't start at Polaris Fashion Place?
Call a roadside company for the car itself; we answer at (740) 812-9489 around the clock. If you feel unsafe or need help on the property, the mall lists its Security line as 614-840-9725 during mall hours and 614-992-6375 outside mall hours. In an emergency, call 911 first.
Can I leave my car overnight at Polaris Fashion Place if it won't start?
Plan not to. The mall's code of conduct says there is no overnight parking and that a vehicle left unattended overnight is subject to being towed at the owner's expense. Get the car started or moved the same evening, and call mall Security if something truly prevents that.
How long does a jump start at Polaris take?
Polaris is in our outer-community zone, so most calls are reached in about 40 to 60 minutes. That is an estimate, not a guarantee, and holiday traffic on Polaris Parkway and around I-71 exit 121 can stretch it. The jump itself usually takes a few minutes once the driver is at your car.
Can you tow an electric car from the Polaris area?
Yes. Every EV we move rides with all four wheels off the ground, on a flatbed or on a wheel-lift with dollies, following the manufacturer's instructions. If the car has run low, the Supercharger at Polaris Towne Center may be close enough to reach, but a car that will not move needs a proper tow.
Do you tow cars for the mall or the stores around it?
No. Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent company with no connection to Polaris Fashion Place, Polaris Towne Center or any store there, and we do not patrol, enforce or impound in their lots. We only help drivers who call us about their own vehicles.
Stuck at Polaris this season? Call (740) 812-9489 any hour, or send your location from the SOS request page.