Towing Damage: Can it happen?

When you search for Towing Near Me keep in mind that towing, while it isn’t the most difficult of tasks, you should always use a professional towing service like the Rambling Wrecker in Charlottesville Virginia. Doing this will definitely reduce most any possible risk and potential bad outcomes.

True professionals understand that their towing services can sometimes put quite a strain on your car, its transmission and the engine, so it is in your best interest that you are aware of what measures you can take as a driver to prevent negative outcomes.

The usual question is: can towing damage a car?

The short answer is that yes, it could. The damage could mostly happen to the drive train and its transmission. So for example, if the towing were to happen on the road and the transmission of the car wasn’t in neutral, it may end up damaging the transmission (both manual and automatic), tires, linkages and even the engine.

Professional roadside assistance companies will have the most experienced and trained mechanics who will be able to know how to proceed in any of these situations, but it is still in your best interest to learn a bit about it just to be sure. Here are some tips on how to prevent damage by tow trucking:

First, make sure you follow the instructions of your tow truck operator. Then, make sure your transmission is in neutral and check the parking brake: keeping the gear in neutral and not having the parking brake on is crucial to prevent damage. This is something that the towing service will do once they arrive. If the wheels on the vehicle aren’t in neutral, they won’t be able to turn therefore, the car will be dragged along the road and this is what could cause the before-mentioned damage to the transmission, linkage and tires.

In the case of a four-wheel vehicle: what is usually suggested in these cases is that the rear driveshaft is temporarily removed from the vehicle and that the rear wheels are those on the ground.

You should keep your vehicle’s owner manual at hand: new and improved versions of cars may catch some mechanics off guard regardless of how knowledgeable they may be, they may be instances where they would benefit from taking a look at the manual to make sure they’re using the right procedure to tow your car with no damage.

Remain calm: It is key that you wait calmly for the help to arrive, attempting to drive the car away from the site of the accident or breakdown is very risky and can result in great damage not to mention that is it very unsafe as well.

That last point leads us to the following advice tips: what to do while you wait for help to arrive. Remember that waiting for a tow service won’t necessarily mean you’re absolved of your traffic duties, here are some tips to prepare safely for their arrival:

Turn on the hazard lights: these are located near the steering column or on the dashboard. The purpose of turning them on is to assure that other drivers can see you, especially at night.

Move to the side: your vehicle needs to be as far away from the active traffic as possible, this is a way to keep you clear from the other vehicles and make you easy to find by the tow service.

Get the name and license plate from the tow truck driver: Since they may be a lot of towing services nearby, knowing who is exactly the tow truck driver who is coming to your aid is a good way to verify you’re being assisted by the right person from the right company.

Place triangles and flares behind your vehicle: This is your duty since that is the way you warn other traffic participants about your situation. You should place them at a ten feet distance from the car and the other at about 30 feet, so that other vehicles have enough time to steer away from you.

Collect your stuff: Make sure you get all of the things you will need from your car. Your phone, keys and wallet are just some of them.

Be cautious: While waiting for the tow truck some other drivers may generously offer to help, however, it is best to avoid letting strangers into your vehicle.

When it comes to roadside assistance, the best you can do is to leave it to pros and that would be us here at Rambling-Wrecker Charlottesville. Need a tow? If you have further questions at or we can help in any way, please call on the Rambling Wrecker – Charlottesville at 434-230-9555. Located in downtown Charlottesville Va at 531 E. Main St Unit #1663. Charlottesville VA 22902.

and we will be right there!

Car got towed? You have rights!

If you are like me, most people don’t really expect their car to get towed. If they did, they probably would not have parked there. Now, some of us do stretch the rules, but most of us obey the laws and act accordingly.  For that reason, the folks at the Rambling Wrecker  in Lynchburg, Virginia wanted to share the most common rules that regulate towing services around the country.  be advised, however, that this is not legal advice and the laws could be different in your area.

The following rules apply for property owners:

• The property owner must post a warning sign of at least 17’’x22’’ with 1’’ letters saying that parking is prohibited and that cars will be towed if parked there.
• The sign must also include the number of the local police as well as the name and number of the towing company allowed to tow the vehicles there.
• The only cases in which no sign is required for towing is when the vehicle has a notice issued for parking violations from at least four days prior to the tow, if the vehicle is missing major parts or if the property is a single-family dwelling.

For vehicle owners the following rights apply:

• You are within your rights to contact the towing company and schedule the vehicle’s release at any time during the day. .
• You are expected to pay no more than the lawful maximum fees to tow and store your car.
• If you were to return to your vehicle before it has been towed, you are within your rights to have the car released from the tow truck and you will only pay half the towing fee.
• You can pay with cash or credit and the towing company is required to have enough change for you in case you decide to pay them with cash.

Here are also some of the most commonly asked questions about towing rights:

How am I supposed to know when my car was towed?

In some jurisdictions, but not all, the private property owner is legally required to notify the police within one hour of authorizing the tow, The towing company is also legally required to notify the police no later than 30 minutes after removing the car or 15 minutes after arriving at the storage facility. This must be done whichever is earlier.

What if I came back when they were still hooking up my vehicle? Can they still tow it?

No, if you return to your car and it is hooked up but has not left the property, you are within your rights to have the car released from the tow truck and, as mentioned before, you’re only required to pay HALF THE NORMAL TOWING FEE.  

Who can authorize my car to be towed?

Your car can only be towed from the private property by the property owner, the commercial tenant or their employee, or the tenant of an apartment building of fewer than 15 units which does not have an on-site manager; this last case only applies if that tenant provides a written request to the property owner within the 24 hours of towing the vehicle that the car was parked in their assigned parking space, and only if the property owner provides a statement to the towing company stating that it is authorized within the 48 hours of the towing happening.

The written authorization for towing must include the following:

• Make, model, VIN, license number of the vehicle
• Name, signature, job title, residential or business address
• Working telephone number of the person who authorizes the towing
• The reason for towing the vehicle
• Time in which the vehicle was first observed illegally parked on the property
• Time in which the authorization to tow was given.

What if my vehicle was towed in the middle of the night and no one signed the authorization?

Here are the exceptions that may apply in a case in which the signature is not required:

• The vehicle was parked on private property and the owner signed a “general authorization” with the towing company. This said, remember that you are within your rights to ask for a free photocopy of a photo that shows the violation at the time you claim your vehicle and also you may ask for a copy of the General Authorization agreement that the company has with the property owner.

Remember that here at the Rambling Wrecker, we strive to not only provide our customers with reliable, secure and efficient roadside assistance but also want to educate and help you be able to deal with the situations that affects your life. Have any questions regarding your towing rights? Need help? Just call us and we’ll help you right away. We got your back!

The Rambling Wrecker Lynchburg
2485 Rivermont Drive Unit #3485
Lynchburg, VA 24503
434-230-9550

The Towing Service of the Rambling Wrecker Manassas

Some people would ignore the towing service of the Rambling Wrecker Manassas Virginia  because they are thinking that most of the drivers and car owners knew how to fix things properly or they have the tools with them when they go on a trip or travel. There are different kinds of services that the towing companies could offer like the tow truck wrecker service Manassas VA and many more to mention but all you need to know and to do is to be very familiar with the kinds of services that they can give you in case of emergency as sometimes it would be very hard to find a towing company that offers your need. Most of the towing services are open 24-hours a day and make sure to give the right service any time of the day and be contacted any minute of the hour so that they could help you.

It is nice that you will have a company or someone to lean on when there are problems that you meet when you are on a place where you don’t know.

Services like roadside assistance, flat tire repair, locked out of your car, and many more.

They could help you to fix things and be able to repair the problems that you have so that you can use again your car and have a wonderful journey. There are times that you won’t care about the price of the towing service as long as you can manage to go back home or just to reach your destination on time as it is an important event or meeting or your family gathering is waiting for you. Of course, you need to make sure that you have the internet or contact numbers for towing near me by the Rambling Wrecker Manassas of them so that you can just call them immediately when you need the assistance or the help as it could be very hard if you could find nothing and no one in that place especially if this is in the middle of the road.

You need to think sometimes that accidents may happen anytime or everywhere in this world so you have the towing service insurance to keep you worry-less about the financial thing like the hospital bills and your doctor’s fee. At the same time, accidents may bring you some headache since you need to have someone to help you to fix things sooner and by calling the towing company even early in the morning would be a great relief to you.

They can go there to the area as soon and as fast as they can so that they could respond to your needs and be able to give you the right and excellent service that you are looking for. Of course, they have the knowledge and great training about the things to do and the steps to think about when there is an emergency or accident situation in the area. Another thing that you would like about them is that they are not going to ask for a very high price as they know how to keep things better without taking advantage of the situation. You can guarantee that the service is on top.

The Rambling Wrecker Manassas
9108 Church Street, Unit #203
Manassas, VA 20108
434-337-3134