These Are Your Worst Tow Truck Experiences

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You ne'er want to spot your cars astatine nan extremity of a hook aliases connected a flat-bed trailer. We asked our readers earlier this week for their worst tow motortruck experiences. While we received our adjacent stock of misadventures that led to costly tow bills, nan mostly of comments groaned astir nan bad behaviour of towing companies and individual drivers, from towed cars being held for ransom to drivers undervaluing nan value of title ramps. Without further ado, present are your astir frustrating anecdotes:

Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons

I had a towing institution put my 993 onto a flatbed. The car was lowered a bit, and I conscionable had nan beforehand splitter painted 3 days before. I told nan feline we needed title ramps truthful nan overgarment doesn't scratch, which he instantly dismissed. I past watched him propulsion nan car up to nan flatbed and scratch nan paint. I told him to fto disconnected and noted that nan overgarment was scratched. He proceeded to get angry, saying that I had accused him of nan act, and nan scratch was intelligibly already there. I was furious. If you're successful Orange County, CA, and request a tow, debar nan towing institution that starts pinch H.

Submitted by: Kevin Capo

raneko / Wikimedia Commons

Worst (not maine – but I was progressive successful nan accident) – tow motortruck tried to tow a Tesla by hooking/lifting nan front, letting rear wheels roll... Tire fume each complete nan road and nan car was swinging wildly down him. To beryllium fair, he'd already loaded different car connected nan bed, but still.. Not judge if nan Tesla proprietor didn't put it successful Neutral, aliases if Teslas don't person a Neutral mode for towing, and since they're either AWD aliases RWD, person to beryllium towed connected a flatbed.

Submitted by: TurboAWD

OSX / Wikimedia Commons

I person a worst and a best. TL;DR – I sewage towed, sued, won, didn't get paid, 15 years later I pursued postulation successful court, I won pinch 15 years of 12% compound interest. The tow institution sewage to eat it. :)

Longer: A friend and I some sewage towed. We missed nan signage that was 10 feet up successful a tree. The tow institution besides damaged my Subaru Outback Sport (my first caller car!). So I took them to tribunal (both vehicles) for improper tow since nan signage did not meet metropolis ordinance requirements. I won nan towing fees, but mislaid nan harm (I had nary photos, nan tow institution proprietor woman lied and said location was rust). She was to salary maine $280 for nan 2 car tows positive fees. She didn't pay. The statute of limitations is 15 years, pinch a 12% liking compounded annually. I pursued collecting astatine nan 11th hour. In court, "I don't support records for 15 years!" she said. The judge did not care, nor did he judge her. :)

Submitted by: FredSchwartz

IFCAR / Wikimedia Commons

Mine's much of a champion aliases astatine slightest a metallic lining: I was astir 4 blocks from location erstwhile nan supplier successful my '91 240SX just...expired, died, ceased distributing. So that was a $60 travel of little than a half-mile, but aft unloading astatine home, nan driver recovered a bolt connected nan flatbed that happened to beryllium for nan sound sensor that I had dropped and mislaid to nan depths of nan motor abyss. IDK if location was immoderate karmic interplay pinch my supplier dying and moving without a sound sensor temporarily but I did get it put backmost on, without removing nan intake manifold even, which is usually necessary.

Submitted by: Karl F Suhr

Mr.choppers / Wikimedia Commons

I blew a rear tyre connected my '94 Supra successful BFE South Carolina astir 2 americium connected a Sunday during a roadworthy travel pinch my gf astatine nan clip (no spare). I thought, fixed nan clip and location, we would surely beryllium hosed until astatine slightest 9 am. To my surprise, a dispatch was capable to corroborate personification to travel retired past & I told them to make judge they had wood to get nan car connected nan flatbed arsenic it was low. Tow motortruck showed up an hr later, & I kid you not, nan comedian that sewage retired of it's sanction was "Gator". Gator mightiness arsenic good person brought 2 twigs pinch him for wood to get connected nan truck. About halfway of pulling it connected nan wood, 1 snapped successful half, & nan car dropped. I told him thanks, but we're done present and to unhook it because I had already had nan Supra's beforehand bumper torn disconnected earlier by different incompetent tow motortruck driver. At this point, Gator decides to frighten us, and tries to commencement forcefully propulsion nan car onto his truck. After an almost beingness altercation, I unhooked nan car myself & sent nan comedian connected his way. I called backmost dispatch to study Gator and afloat accepted that we would beryllium chilling till nan morning, but surprisingly, they said they had personification other who could come. He called himself & said he wouldn't beryllium location for a mates hours, but he had towed exotics earlier (literally a caller astatine nan clip Murci SV & Phantom nan time before). Around 5, he showed up & it was astir apt nan champion tow I've ever received. Not only did he get it connected pinch ease, he wrapped nan full car successful a protective film, ending nan nightmare.

Submitted by: Crashed Lambo

Famartin / Wikimedia Commons

On immoderate PA highways, location are only a prime number of tow operators that are allowed to work; these companies are not each value businesses. I was rear-ended connected I-476 and though nan car was technically drivable (it was totaled), I wasn't going to complete my thrust location without a moving seatbelt for each passengers, truthful nan car was towed. The tow institution that took it hid nan car successful immoderate batch of theirs while my security institution was trying to retrieve nan conveyance for astir a month. I had to return clip disconnected work, nan tow institution threatened myself, nan security reps and nan security building to beryllium charged pinch trespassing while we were getting nan PA State Police progressive truthful that we could retrieve nan vehicle. I americium not judge what my security institution did astir nan storage/hostage fees but I judge that it astir apt started pinch "Our lawyers will beryllium successful touch".

Submitted by: Cluck

Charles01 / Wikimedia Commons

Battery died successful my Audi 200 astatine nan market store, it was for illustration 5 miles from my location and I didn't return my telephone pinch me. It was astir 2 hours from closing clip erstwhile I made nan first call, erstwhile they told it maine it would beryllium astir an hr and a half earlier they sewage there. Of course, since I had nary phone, they couldn't telephone me.

Two hours later, they haven't shown up; labor are leaving nan store. So I locomotion to a salary telephone crossed nan thoroughfare and inquire them wherever nan tow motortruck is. They reply he already came and didn't spot me, truthful he left. I cognize I didn't spot nan tow motortruck come, truthful I show them I've been location nan full time. I show them that I'll beryllium easy to find now since I'm nan only car successful nan lot. They get location successful different hour.

Submitted by: Jumbojeepman

BedaNo1 / Wikimedia Commons

Nürburgring. I money-shifted my E36 rental title car astatine Flugplatz. Short shifter, car I had ne'er driven, deed 3rd alternatively of 5th from nan apical of 4th gear. Didn't moreover person nan clutch each nan measurement retired erstwhile I realized I wasn't successful 5th, but nan centrifugal had already deed 8,000rpm and nan valves didn't bask those sorts of speeds.

Anyhow, I was capable to propulsion disconnected to a safe spot conscionable successful clip to spot a GT3 clang successful a spectacular mode conscionable down me. That car was toast, and nan driver near successful an ambulance, but I later recovered retired from nan YouTube video that he was good (car not truthful much). So that ended up being rather nan hold since clearing nan wreck was evidently nan apical privilege and it unopen down nan way for a mates hours. A fewer hours later, nan surly tow driver arrives. They do not let you to thrust successful nan tow truck, which meant I had to thrust pinch nan way marshals disconnected nan track. That would person been fine, isolated from nan rental spot was a mates miles from nan way and I had nary thrust to get backmost and settee up pinch nan rental company. Ended bumming one.

Of course, I expected a large measure for nan motor, but I was shocked to spot a interest of complete $600 US conscionable for a sub-10-mile tow. It was explained that nan tow institution has a monopoly and they tin fundamentally complaint whatever. Moral of nan story: breaking things astatine nan ringing is very expensive.

Submitted by: Neal Richards