Last week, my car got towed from a parking lot where I had parked it by mistake.
1. Even though the towing company’s sign was present at the lot, there was a sign that said “church parking lot; lot shall be fenced off when not in use”.
2. After recovering my car from the tow yard, I notice that it pulls to the right, and the steering wheel shudders at low speeds and pulls to the right.
Qn.
Do I appeal the fine in court? Do I ask for reparations in small claims court? Does it sound like I have a chance of getting my money back ?
sorry about your problem.
could you prove that it did not do these things before towing? it was probably towed from the rear so that no damage would occur to the front end.
talk to the tow company, see what they say. small claims is the other alternatve but you must prove that they did the damage. have you had it repaired? If so what did the shop find wrong? If no repair yet then make sure you get a print out of the alignment before and after the work is done.
good luck
Most churches that tow cars have determined it is within their rights to do so. Tow companies are not responsible for damage caused by towing illegally parked vehicles. You can take the matter to court, but don’t expect much sympathy.
I’d take the car to an alignment shop and get it checked out. Hopefully no parts are bent and damaged and a simple realignment will smooth things out.
Is your car front wheel drive??? A roll back may have been used to move it and it is possible that a tie rod end was hooked to secure the car. That will throw the alignment off most definately. The other is with a wheel lift, rear wheel drive with front wheels straight, no issue. FWD parked in, thats the drag and pull… drag it out then take the front. A wheel lift will not cause damage because its contact point is the base of the tire at 5 & 7 oclock, but if the wheels where cocked the drag might cause an issue. Good luck and no you will not get your money back, the tow agency makes its living from situations like this, the church is your best course of action, and if its Catholic… just put the tow bill in your envelope at collection time marked paid and write it off your taxes.
For what its worth.i had a tire blowout on a highway that shredded the tire. State police called for a tow truck. Car was towed to tow truck facility.
When i went to get the car, and drive home,the car was all over the road so i had it towed,by the same towing company to my mechanic.
Turns out the two lower control arms were bent. My mechanic showed me the control arms with what looked like where the tow truck operator connected the chains,hook,etc. to the control arms when he winched the car onto the flat bed.
I got a letter from my mechanic stating his opinion,and took several pictures of the damage. I contacted the tow company,and they said they would take care of it,which they never did. I ended up taking the tow company to small claims court,and i WON!!
They paid for the towing and repairs to the car.