Having Your Car Towed to an Auto Shop: 3 Tips to Protect Your Car from Damages
Posted on: 12 September 2016
If your car has broken down or has taken quite a bit of damage from an accident, you should get it towed to an auto shop as soon as possible. Most tow-truck companies offer emergency services and will send help your way within minutes. Before allowing the tow trucks to hitch onto your vehicle, here are three tips for protecting your car from damages that you should keep in mind.
Take Photographs and Videos of the Car's Exterior and Interior
Accidents can happen en route to the auto shop of your choice; however, it may be difficult for the tow-truck company to identify whether the damages are pre-existing or from improper towing. This may make claiming damages a difficult and lengthy process. This is particularly true if your car was already damaged prior to getting hitched onto the tow truck due to an accident. You might not be familiar with all of the damages on your car if you were just in an accident and may not be able to determine whether the damages were from the accident or from improper towing.
To eliminate all doubt, take photographs and videos of both the car's exterior and interior before allowing the tow-truck driver to hitch your car onto the truck. Take photographs and videos with the tow truck in the background to prove that the videos and photographs were taken before the car was hitched to the tow truck. You definitely want to do this if you just got into an accident, as the stress from the accident may cause you to overlook or not notice all of the damages that your car sustained.
Request for Flatbed Tow Trucks
The type of tow truck that the tow-truck company sends out may also have an effect on whether your car will be towed properly and safely. Generally speaking, most professionals recommend flatbed tow trucks, as they are less likely to damage your car's transmission through the way that the car is hitched onto the tow truck. In addition, the wheels of your car won't be left hanging during the move. This can eliminate the risk of damages to not only the wheels but also the rims and suspension.
Flatbed tow trucks are also fairly inexpensive in comparison to all of the options available. Most tow-truck companies have numerous flatbed tow trucks in their fleets at a time. It's also easy to hitch cars to this type of tow truck.
Read the Fine Print of the Towing Contract
Before letting the tow-truck driver drive off with your car, make sure you carefully read the fine print and the terms and conditions of the towing contract. You'll generally have more than enough time to go over all of the terms and conditions while the tow-truck driver hitches your car onto their truck. Make sure that you carefully read whether there are any terms or clauses that specify whether the tow-truck company will be responsible for damages your car may sustain during transportation. Determine whether there are any limitations. For example, some tow-truck companies may specify that they will only cover repairs to a certain amount or only certain types of damages.
In addition, you'll also want to determine whether the contract outlines how the damages can be claimed. For example, some tow-truck companies may specify that you'll need to prove the damages by inspecting the car with the tow-truck driver before and after it has been towed. An inspection report may be required to file claims with the tow-truck company. If that's the case, make sure that you complete an inspection report with the tow-truck driver.
While most tow-truck drivers are very careful, you should still take some extra precautions to protect your car in the unfortunate event that it gets damaged during transportation. Make sure that the tow-truck company will take responsibility for any damages sustained before letting them tow your car away. You don't want any surprises.
Talk to a company like Country City Towing for more tips and information.
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