towing question

B6/7 S4/RS4
#1

Alrighty real quick synopsis, I stopped off at my cousins place to drop off some supplies and it took me about 5 minutes from the time I parked until I walk back out to see an under-lift tow truck hooked up to my car. I had no idea I needed a permit to park there as there were no signs and plenty of open spaces. Granted 5 minutes!

Anyways the guy was just about to take off with my car and I asked him if he was seriously going to impound my car, he dropped it back down and took off in a split second, no dialogue, no questions asked. That I am very grateful for, he could have been an asshole about it. Couple questions I have after this…

1- I have always been under the impression that they had to use a flat bed for AWD vehicles
2- Doesnt that type of towing destroy your drivetrain? I had the parking brake on and the car in 2nd gear…
3- He had some sort of device that was wedging open my passenger door open at the window, I thought that was really bizarre as it seemed like he was trying to break in that way for some reason…maybe to throw my shifter out of gear into neutral?

Either way I was surprised that they were going to tow an AWD car with an under-lift tow truck…never knew they could do that, or this guy was going to get away with a total lie

#2

he could have just used dollies for the back wheels

or he could have just been a tow truck driver. Remember when you were in university how high your grades needed to be to get into the Tow Truck Driving program? No? That’s because you don’t become a tow truck driver by being a university student.

#3

Yeah you got that right. I was going to bitch them out for towing it in that fashion either way, I wouldnt have had that big of a problem if it was a flat bed…I still wonder why he had part of my passenger side door pryed open from the upper window corner…

In the event my car ever got towed I plan on paying in pennies, no joke. They have to accept your currency rolled or not since it is legal tender, as the cops proved in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzc8vS-ac-g

#4

him trying to break into your car is weird…just realised whaat you wrote. Call the police and ask them if that is normal. I think you’ll find they say ‘actually that is breaking and entering’

There’s absolutely no reason for a tow truck driver to EVER jimmy into your car. EVER. They can lift your car, put dollies under it and roll it out of any location. NEVER need to get in.

#5

yeah that was strange, they use the wedge when you lock your keys in the car so it was definitely him trying to break in.

If the car was in gear and he tried to drive away with a two wheel tow truck the car will try to drive up the towing piece. Happened to me when some jackass tow truck driver insisted my A6 was fwd.

Any chance you got a license plate number or tow company name?

#6

I thought that was extremely odd too. I had gone to the range earlier and left my glock box with nothing in it on the passenger seat and it had me thinking maybe he was going after that?

The guy literally had pried my window open with about a 2 inch gap and had a long metal bar in his hand.

Ill try calling the station and see what they say, couldnt hurt to do it.

Never got a name or anything it happened so fast. I was more or less relieved to not be towed lol

update: called the police, they called me back and said they are not allowed to do that. The officer I spoke to said he may have taken the guy to jail for burglary depending on a number of things and the fact I had an empty gun case sitting on the same door he was trying to open. Thats good to know but very troubling knowing these guys are breaking in and stealing shit…then denying it…

#7

Sounds like someone trying to steal your car… and when you asked if they were towing it, that was their “out”. Don’t our cars have a tilt sensor alarm that goes off when someone tries to tow it?

#8

yes the alarm was going off. The officer I talked to said the guy was trying to steal it as well.

HAHAHA it gets better! I call the towing company and they said they are allowed to break in and I explained my talk with the officer and how they could possibly be arrested. They said they cant and to go ahead and report them. They then said that its necessary for the type of towing they do because the parking brake cannot be on. I said then bring in a flat bed and they hung up. Fucking scum bags, they are being reported

#9

That would have been my first thought too. Sounds kinda fishy.

#10

It was a legitimate tow truck though…never knew that was how they stole cars

#11

I hope you do. Some towing companies operate in this quasi-legal gray area and get away with it. Locally, we had a towing company get slapped on the wrist recently for improper tows and whatnot. http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/147403475.html?refer=y

#12

I have no idea what the rules are in your area, but in England there was a big thing about these rogue, “private” towing companies that would just tow or clamp cars and then demand an extortionate amount of money to release the car or they would threaten to crush it. Nowadays, towers and clampers have to be licensed and regulated.

#13

…is it really your glock box? because that would be an awesome play on words…

#14

-the officer said they were not within legal rights to do that so apparently they arent eventhough they claimed they could then hung up on me…

-and yeah the standard case a glock comes with…that detail raised a red flag to the officer as well

#15

'murica

#16

I agree. Towing companies are so shady

#17

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTdMyDPULjAGotc2bJiWI-jZY3Bf89IdaOjdb2rZl7zI31DaJHNSA

#18

We have a local towing company around here that notorious for stealing shit out of people’s cars. Of course they never get prosectued because there’s no evidence and they have zero liability for personal belongings.

#19

and now the sergeant calls me and says they can break in…fuckin bullshit

#20

Hang on… what? Anyway aren’t they supposed to give you a ticket before you get towed? Unless you parked in a fire lane or something?