It always surprises me when a brand new car is getting towed. I ran into this Benz getting a tow.
Have you ever had to tow a brand new car? What was the problem?
Or have you ever had to get a tow for a car in general? What was the problem with the car?
What are things (or scams) to look out for when getting a tow?
It always amuses me that when I see cars either stuck on the side of the road or being towed they are almost always much newer and shinier than my old beater. The only time I've been towed was due to a bad fuel pump.
This!!!
So far, only had cars towed away for donation.
Lucky you!
For my 1999 Honda Accord. The only time I ever needed a tow was when something in the clutch went out at 225K miles.
For my 2007 BMW X5. The e-brake wouldn't release. Not even the emergency release lever in the back of the car would release the brake. That was a pain in the ass to get on the tow truck, because the damn wheels don't turn.
maybe it was just illegally parked.
Possibly, but highly unlikely. The tow service the city usually uses is different than the tow service in the picture.
ah ok. where I am, the law only allows one towing company and one taxi company per city.
also , many drivers are just clueless. I had a random couple ask me to look at their car at the gas station. The lady pointed to the tire pressure light on the dash, and asked me what it means and if they need to get their car towed.
Haha. Could be!
' the law only allows one towing company and one taxi company per city.' Prices are probably higher then for those services.
probably. I don't understand the logic.
he didn't really answer the question, but thank you
Lol. Yeah not an answer, but an informative response.
The Benz in the pic is a AWD and I see that the tow driver supported the front wheels before he towed it. They don't bother to care whether your car is FWD or AWD if you violate a parking law. I suppose it's a bank towing for late payment or something is wrong with the Benz.
Cars I've had that needed a tow:
1. I had an old Civic towed more times than I can count because it ate distributor caps like crazy. Just sold it and moved on.
2. My 2004 Corvette Z06 was towed at 14k miles due to the column lock acting up on it. Installed a bypass kit and never worried about it again. 42k miles on it now and never another issue.
3. My 2002 WS6 got a tow home after work one day. Would not crank at all. Turned out to be a blown fuse and a subpar battery. She runs great nowadays but rarely sees the road.
4. My 2003 Mustang Cobra Convertible got a tow at 93k miles because of overheating problems. Replaced the thermostat and rebuilt the motor. Still overheated. Upgraded the fans, checked the electricals. Still overheated. So...said screw it, dropped a new SVT crate motor in it, and it has been fine ever since.
5. My 1998 Z28 Convertible was towed from the private buyer I bought it from to my shop. Bought it with a known blown motor for $1000. Fixed the problem by dropping in an LS3, which ran perfect until I changed to an LS7 not long ago.
That's been all I can think of.
Whoa. #4 takes the cake! I can’t believe you needed to swap out the entire engine to resolve the issue.
The crazy thing? I was posting this late at night and forgot to put my 2018 F150 on this list. Towed multiple times for engine/transmission problems in first 6 months/6k miles. 2 blown motors, a transmission, and a lawsuit later, Ford bought it back. But yeah....my Cobra was a real disappointment too as it cost me more to repair than what I paid for the car. To this day, it's been one of my worst purchases financially and I'll probably never sell it because I have so much money in it. It is a fun drive though.
Oh my with the F150. I’ve known folks that had problems right off the bat with the F150. Which is surprising since it is the number one selling vehicle in America, at least in the top 3.
I thought that was a lie
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/why-do-some-automakers-lie/#post-114285
NFW. GTK.
@mod_man That was funny. My dad's coworker also bought the same model year with the 3.5L Ecoboost engine. I don't think he knows about the problems with those engines.
@mountainmanjoe I've never been able to find anything, anywhere, on them having to pay an FTC fine. Not saying it isnt true, just saying I'd love to read up on it if it is happening.
I didn't find anything about it either, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. The media doesn't like telling people things they don't want them to know. (until it becomes embarrassingly well known)
https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/is-the-ford-f-150-really-canadas-best-selling-truck
Well I wouldn't pin it on the media. I think Ford would spend a lot of money to keep a secret like that under wraps. Would make sense and again, not saying it isn't true.
I mean, Ford is the company that decided it would be cheaper to pay out for lawsuits against the Pinto than fix the actual problem.
The media lies on a regular basis. They have zero integrity, and I don't believe a word they say.
I can respect your opinion. Mine differs, and that's ok. {blackemo}:hotdrink:
the evidence is there. You just have to look at it and have an open mind. You are being misled.
I've heard it all over the last 5 years. Here is how I see it: The news is the news. They are going to report some things you don't agree with, and some that you do. Some are going to report it with a slant, and some are just going to shoot straight. Free press is extremely important to democracy, which I know you are a fan of. So...I have the sources I listen to, get the news, and interpret it for what it is. Nothing more, nothing less. I think the war on the media is sad personally. But that's all I'll say on it as, as mentioned, I know you feel differently about it and I respect that.
I'm not talking about slants or opinion. Straight up lies. Untruths.
A 2nd publication cites the 1st one as a source, and reprints the lie. And everyone cites each other in a big incestuous circle. Then it gets on the social media. You can of course sue for libel and defamation if you're rich enough to have lawyers, and the 1st publication might retract their false statement, but the story has already made the rounds, and has been seen on live television etc. That's how misinformation spreads.
I'm not against media. I'm against dishonest media.
Viewership of traditional media is way, way down. They're panicking, and they'll publish ANYTHING to get people to watch. Just look up the hidden camera footage from CNN. Bunch of slimeballs.
All I know is I would believe anything....and I mean, literally, anything....before I would believe social media. Social media is the absolute worst and I avoid it at all costs. Not just for news, but for anything else as well.
Amen. OK I'll shut up now.
@mountainmanjoe I can see that plus it's stands for Chinese News Network.
@legendaryslayer Well mine, and my Dad's, were both 5.0L V8's. They are made awful as well.