Towing problems....

[Mike00]

As some of you might know I hydrolocked my car awhile back. Well when the tow company towed my car they put the hook underneath the entire bumper causing a rediculous amount of pressure on the bumper and pulled the bumper right out of one of the metal fenders.

Inititally they said bring it in they will fix it. So I bring the car in and they take a look at it. They tell me they will weld the bumper back up on the right but they claim it ripped because of some rust damage. Which there was some but I tend to think it was because of the 1800 pounds of pressure put on the damn bolt. Regardless they also caused cracks in some of the bumper which they refuse to repaint because they would have to repaint the whole bumper.

Anyway they were trying to get me to let them fix it right away which I absolutly refuse. Regardless I know we have some laywers out there and I'd love to hear some suggestions. I really need at least one new metal fender possibly two. SO it's not going to be cheap to pay out of pocket.

I plan on calling AAA today to see if they will do anything for me since it was through them I got towed. I guess I could also check with my insurance but I hate the thought of filing a claim which could possibly raise my insurance.

[XYRCNCP]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the owner's manual specifically says that the Celica cannot be towed using a "sling" type tow truck, that is must be a flatbed.

[Mike00]

It was a flat bed. They still have to use a hook to get it on the flatbed though. Hell it was aflatbed they use for corvettes for that matter.

[XYRCNCP]

That's weird, then the tow truck person must be a moron, because I've seen Celicas towed in flatbeds and nothing like this has ever happened.

[treeh8r]

they may have changed it after 2001, but on the BACK of my car, i have two giant loop things under the car...would they not be for towing? (ie. hook the loops, pull the car up BACKWARDS onto a flatbed?) looking under the back of the car may have saved some aggrivation...also keep the front end from hitting the flatbed on the way up...?

[nutcasebass]

I've been towed on flatbed before, they usually throw the hooks around the A arms and tug it up that way. Not on the bumper.

[Mike00]

OK first I have a buddy club kit. So my car is a good deal lower.

He put the tow hook on the a arms I guess. IT's the piece of steel connected to the frame just under the engine. However instead of running the cable to the hook through the hole in the middle of the bumper he put it underneath the bumper. Well as low as my car is it created a ton of pressure on the bumper pulling it from the fender.

The only way to really tow me is to remove my bumper. On my stock rims it's like 1 1/2 inches from the ground without being lowered. BC kit is extremely low, I think the lowest kit out there.

[XYRCNCP]

Originally posted by treeh8r
they may have changed it after 2001, but on the BACK of my car, i have two giant loop things under the car...would they not be for towing? (ie. hook the loops, pull the car up BACKWARDS onto a flatbed?) looking under the back of the car may have saved some aggrivation...also keep the front end from hitting the flatbed on the way up...?

I think I read in the manual that those hooks are used first during loading/unloading during shipping and can be used for "emergency towing", but I don't think you can attach a tow truck to them.

[Miguel GTS]

most tow companys , will not tow a lowered car with a body kit without telling you that they are not responsable for the damage to the kit b/c the car is so low

I think your SOL

[treeh8r]

Originally posted by XYRCNCP
I think I read in the manual that those hooks are used first during loading/unloading during shipping and can be used for "emergency towing", but I don't think you can attach a tow truck to them.

if so, then they should be designed to absorb the force of moving the vehicle through means other than the engine. i think if i had a choice between using those loops, or my front bumper, id choose the loops. regardless, to rebut my own statement, he said his car was towed, so even if those loops were for towing, the front end would have dragged along the ground until the front end came off in another way.

i think what we've learned from this is when we call for a tow, specifically request a flat bed, to reduce the amount of time any stress is put on any piece of our vehicles, regardless of direction of tow.

[Mike00]

Was a flatbed.

As for the tow company telling me that they did not tell me anything of the sort. IF they had I simply would of had them wait and taken the damn bumper off. They assured me it would not be a problem with the truck they use for corvettes.

Regardless though a flatbed uses a tow hook and your going to put undue stress on the fenders and bumper.