Car moved/towed

ipaqxman · Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:41 pm

So I parked the car with emergency brake, head in, in the work garage before heading out of town for a conference. When I got back, the car was relocated to another part of the garage due to garage repair work, again head in. Doesn't look like there is any cosmetic damage. My question is, how did they even go about achieving this if antibody knows. Doesn't seem like there is entry into the car to release ebrake.

Wonson92 · Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:48 pm

Im pretty sure they just lift the back of the car off the ground and move it that way. I watched them do it to an audi once and they were lifting the front but they gave up so I didnt see the end result.

LPSISRL · Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:30 pm

Jack the front an put dollies under the tires. Tow from the rear. You could even put dollies front and rear and push it wherever you want.

Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:09 pm

If your car is 2WD, it's very easy. They simply lower the tow arm, place it around the drive tires, lift and relocate your car. They do this ALL THE TIME in Washington, DC because many streets prohibit parking during rush hour. Many people don't move their cars in time so they get a ticket and then a tow truck comes and shuffles the cars around to other streets to clear the lanes for rush hour. They sometimes put the car onto the grass and off the street.

If it's an AWD, then they have to lift all wheels off the ground. The dolly wheels are placed under the set of wheels the truck is not lifting with the tow arm. This way, all of the car's wheels are off the ground.

Keep in mind, it's not hard for a tow truck driver to get into your car. They wedge the door with a inflatable wedge and through the open door crevice, they use a tool to unlock the door and get in. They then put the car into neutral to tow. This is why cars with automatics have a shift lock bypass button. It's usually under a tab cover located on or around the automatic shifter. It's so the transmission can be shifted into Neutral without the need of the key and it's mainly for towing purposes.

If you ever breakdown or need a tow for an AWD car, make sure to call and request a flat bed. I did this when I had to tow my old Subaru Impreza. Flat beds are the best and safest way to tow a car, especially for an AWD.

ipaqxman · Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:22 pm

The car is parked head in facing the wall, so I don't know how they would get to the front of the car. The car is an AWD, though the AWD sign is debadged. My question is, do i need to worry about any possible damage to the suspension, frame, or drive train, since the worker was probably not aware that it is an AWD car. Thanks, very helpful infos so far.

Mon Jul 22, 2013 5:25 pm

ipaqxman wrote:The car is parked head in facing the wall, so I don't know how they would get to the front of the car. The car is an AWD, though the AWD sign is debadged. My question is, do i need to worry about any possible damage to the suspension, frame, or drive train, since the worker was probably not aware that it is an AWD car. Thanks, very helpful infos so far.

My guess is that the tow truck driver got into your car and put it into neutral and then moved your car to a position from which he could lift it. I am sure he treated your car like a FWD therefore could not pick it up and tow it simply with the tow arms around the rear wheels.

The best answer would come from an actual tow truck driver. One of our newest members is one and would have his professional answer. Let's see if he replies.