Car got towed last night, doesn't drive strait

[Bronze MFP]

Like the title says, my car was towed last night, probably pulled onto a flatbed. Anyways the car doesn't drive right. Do I just need an alignment, or could there be damage from the dragging. Car was in gear with the parking brake on, so i'm sure it wasnt easy to pull onto the flatbed.

[Dattebayo]

What ever it is, they have the right when towing to enter the vehicle to remove the parking brake and pull the car out of gear.If they did not follow procedure, you can sue them or ask for them to pay for the damages.

Youre gonna need some good luck!

[k6kicker]

well i should hope they lifted the car from the rear....if its rear wheel drive there is no way to lock up the front wheels and just a glance under the car and they can tell where the "good ol' pumpkin" is

[Chaotic_Warlord]

Check your rear lower control arms, some tow trucks guys have no respect for other people's cars, so they strap them down so tight it winds up bending the control arms. go get an alignment and see what the guy tells ya, make sure its a four wheel alignment and not just the front wheels. I'm had the same problem with my 95 S14 when I got it. TOok it in for an alignment and wound up having to replace the front lower tie rods and still need to replace the rear control arms. If you're arms are bent take the bill to the towing company and make them pay for it, they'll say it was like that when they towed the car but take that BS, it's obviously there fault.

[Bronze MFP]

they didnt take it out of gear or release the e-brake, there are 2 big skidmarks where my har was sitting, and scratchmarks where the exhaust got scraped against the pavement. I've got a good alignment shop that i'll go to and see what needs to be done. I hope the lower control arms are ok. Thanks guys.

[skydragoness]

WTF, they dragged it? Was it continuous skid marks through the parking lot and out the parking lot exit? I hope not. I had my car towed once for parking in a shopping center and going to class (long story short--i'm not paying $80 for a permit to park 2miles from campus only to be late for class).

Anyway, they used dollies on it since at the time i parked it in gear with the e-brake up. Since they tow cars from the campus area on a regular basis i think they knew how not to get sued.

I hope the skid marks are just from them pulling it up to the flatbed. The alignment shop will definitely be able to show you any *abnormalities* and hell, get it in WRITING from the alignment guy.

[Bronze MFP]

Yeah they just towed it up onto the flatbed, but the skidmarks go for about 10-15 feet... so i don't know what they had to do to get it on there...Anyways, i'm not taking my car downtown anymore. If it doesnt get towed, it might get stolen and either way it sucks and is way too expensive.

[Mixmastamunkh]

keep us updated on what happens with that man, it'd sure suck if they perminently damaged something that you have to replace. i just got my car towed today (no idea what happened) and i was freaking because i thought they were going to damage something, but it was okay. anyways lower control arms are pretty damn cheap though. i picked one up on ebay for 35$ a real good part too.

[Nismo240s]

Man, that really sucks... where were you downtown so I know not to park there ever. I think I'll stay in concord. Anyway, if for some dumb reason they tied it down on the flat bed by the tension rods, it could have bent them. Well good luck man let us know

[bcar240]

They dragged the car onto the truck !!! OMG, I would be going crazy. I would be demanding a new set of tires , and them to pay for a full suspension check and replacing anything that is broken. That is just pure stupidity on their part. If they wouldn't pay, I am sure a small-claims lawsuit (or the threat of one) would grease their pockets. Just in case take pics of everything (including skid marks), they could be a good help in the future.

[br2819]

my car got towed once up at penn state and they dragged my wheels also. you could see the tire marks but they were only a few feet. thats ok because on the way out i tried to spray the gravel on the lot on some guys standing there and almost made one of their tow trucks crash on the way out. bastards think they can tow my car and get away with it. must have pulled out of their driveway at like 40.