tow truck nightmare!! pictures

[jbeaton9292]

So yesterday my lower balljoint pasanger side broke on the expressway i had it towed to my shop while i was at work. WHAT A MISTAKE! They completly destroyed my car. First they tore the bumper off the car they trashed my greddy fmic broke my fiberglass/carbon hood what a great day. Thaught it was bad enough to replace low control arm and balljoint wheel and tire but now this! And they backed it into my building and messed up back bumper.

Pics start before and lead up to the big problems. Looks like my car had a stroke after they got ahold of it!

 

[2gmitsueclipse]

What did the tow company have to say?

 

[jbeaton9292]

Said they didnt do it must be the shop i brought it to my father in laws shop where i work on my car all the time

 

[2g spyder eclipse]

Sue them.

 

[jaimegonzal101]

If you're sure none of the damage was cause by what broke then yeah sue then!

 

[2gmitsueclipse]

Is there a camera outside at the shop it was towed to?

 

[nelliott500]

It will probably help that you have a picture of the car on the side of the highway and it shows the intercooler wasn't damaged. If necessary, you can pull the EXIF data on the image to prove when and where the picture was taken.

And who did you talk to from the tow shop? You need to sit down with the owner, explain the situation, and show them the pictures of both pre- and post-damage.

I assume you were there when the tow truck picked up the car? Did you notice they were damaging it? Any pictures at the time?

 

[ohlegend]

If your father in law didn't do it, sue the towing company.
You have the picture of the car right after the accident, I don't see the damage that is in the later pics.

 

[jbeaton9292]

It will probably help that you have a picture of the car on the side of the highway and it shows the intercooler wasn't damaged. If necessary, you can pull the EXIF data on the image to prove when and where the picture was taken.

And who did you talk to from the tow shop? You need to sit down with the owner, explain the situation, and show them the pictures of both pre- and post-damage.

I assume you were there when the tow truck picked up the car? Did you notice they were damaging it? Any pictures at the time?

I wasnt then when truck got to my car as i was on my way to work and told them that and they said fine so i went to work after my mom had to come get me and take me to my girlfriends car

 

[nelliott500]

Damn. It sucks you weren't there because it's a lot harder to prove. Having a "before" picture is good but not definitive. That's the big issue. If there are cameras at the shop, you should have all the evidence that you need. Without that, it's simply "he-said-she-said".

 

[jbeaton9292]

Damn. It sucks you weren't there because it's a lot harder to prove. Having a "before" picture is good but not definitive. That's the big issue. If there are cameras at the shop, you should have all the evidence that you need. Without that, it's simply "he-said-she-said".

Yeah but tow companys dont take photos i clearly have before and after pics and i have more than what i posted on here to prove my case it just sucks being that its my daily driver and all these problems now and didnt have the money for new ic bumper and all that i can rig it back together and make it work but why should i when they damaged it

 

[DSM_GSX01]

Sue them ass holes this happened to me and i had pictures like you. If you can print those picture out with time and date. And your before and after pictures you have evidence against the tow company.

 

[chardbox03]

Buckhorn towing??? They destroyed a fmic of mine also

 

[nelliott500]

I actually thought a lot of tow companies take pictures for reasons specifically like this. People try to sucker them into paying for damages that they didn't actually cause so they take pictures before they tow the car.

This tow shop may not do that or, in this case, they may discard the pictures and just claim that they forgot to take any.

You're right that you may have the upper hand.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Damn that sucks jesse id have them in court neighbor right next door is a lawyer.

 

[jbeaton9292]

Im gonna try and settle with them for 1k and if a shop fixes and buys parts its gonna be way more

 

[boost97gst]

Ive been well acquainted recently with lawyers. Trust me, there's a lawsuit everywhere. The problem you may have is the cost of a lawyer vs the cost of repair. If it was a stock LCA from the factory(unlikely) then save the LCA and call a lawyer. Recalls are still recalls. Aside from the bullshit the towtruck company pulled, mitsu would definitely be held accountable.
They would rather settle than fight it themselves. Thats how shit works.

I was run off the road back in April. The guys insurance company are a bunch of thieves(not uncommon). I ended up calling a lawyer that i know. I won't say any more but you get my point.

 

[xxxSpetsnazxxx]

In all honesty, there isn't much he would of done different. Because the control arm snapped, its basically bottoming out, in order for him to pull it on his bed, he needs to grab from underneath, which in return will obviously snag on the bottom and basically bend or break things... But the other damages done to it, its just messed up, sloppy and unprofessional. I feel bad for you man, I would hate to be in your shoes right now.

 

[nelliott500]

I feel like the guy at least deserved a call from the tow company before they just dragged it by the FMIC onto the rollback. If he had given the 'okay', then fine, but this $100-200 repair turned into a whole lot more.

 

[jbeaton9292]

In all honesty, there isn't much he would of done different. Because the control arm snapped, its basically bottoming out, in order for him to pull it on his bed, he needs to grab from underneath, which in return will obviously snag on the bottom and basically bend or break things... But the other damages done to it, its just messed up, sloppy and unprofessional. I feel bad for you man, I would hate to be in your shoes right now.

They have them 4 wheeled carts they could have used a jack and lifted it and got it on there what if it was a new vet or seomthing similar they wouldnt have messed it up like this

 

[xxxSpetsnazxxx]

I guess you just have to be there watching them when they are loading and unloading your cars.. (baby sit them)

 

[smokeliss]

Ouch!! Ya I would definitely be asking for compensation for the damages.

 

[quickduc]

Has the car been lowered? If so, that factor alone creates a big problem for a towdriver.
A broken b-j is a BIG problem for a flatbed. It is exponentially worse if lowered. Most flatbeds will end up doing some sort of damage, due to the end of the bed not reaching the wheels before the front body/structure hits the bed surface. There are a few flatbeds with a folding tail end of the bed. This allows them to get a few feet of the bed surface nearly flat on the ground, to get a vehicle started onto the bed. These are rare, due to being more expensive to buy/maintain.

What the driver will (should) attempt to do is jack the front up enough to get his slider block under the lowest solid part near the broken wheel/suspension. It's a big hassle.
---------------
BTW, you should expect to pay more for a tow job with a broken b-j, or if it is lowered. Even more if combined. This is because it will take more time than normal.

Frankly, a towdriver should refuse this sort of tow if he/she is not experienced with this. Trust me, there are a LOT of them out there with very minimal training/experience. They do lots of damage, ESPECIALLY if they are in a rush. (time is money in the tow business)
------------
One of the problems in the business is the mindset of the driver that thinks just because the vehicle has been "crashed", any more damage he does is no big deal. This is really stupid, but common.
---------------
In your case, lowered or not, I would want a "conventional" towtruck, with dollies, to do the job.
The way it should have been done: floorjack, or other low profile jack to raise the bad corner of the car. (One time, with a lowered car that had been knocked off the oem jack while they were changing a flat, I had to use my Porta-Power with close tips to raise the right front frame off the ground a few inches. Then I could get my floorjack under there to get it high enough to get the spare mounted)

Position the wheel lift(stinger) as normal, and capture the good wheel. Then raise it to touch the frame on the bad side. May have to use a 4x4 wood length for spacing and to spread the load over uneven surfaces. Chain this end of the lift to the suspension mounts/frame. This HAS to be done since there is no wheel assembly to grab. Attach the normal safety chains and lights.

If FWD, and not lowered, raise the car some and take it away. And drive gently!

If AWD, or lowered, don't raise the front. Set up your dollies on the rear wheels as normal. If the car has been lowered, you will not be able to raise the front as high as you would normally do. Look at the back end, and check how much clearance the muffler/tailpipes/body has. Raise the front about 6" off the pavement at most. Check the rear clearance. You may have to lower the front a bit. Keep in mind what will drag in driveway entrances, etc. You may have to alter the height for some pavement angle changes. Stay away from speedbumps!

You will want a jackstand to prop the broken corner on, so you don't have to lay it on the ground again (time, remember?)
------------

Expect that there may be body damage, if the fender was actually resting the car on top of the wheel, as is shown in your photo on the freeway. And possibly more if the body hit the pavement also. This part depends on the vehicle, tire diameter, and if lowered.

 

[jbeaton9292]

Car wasnt lowered the car was bone stock when i bought it and has under 90k miles and i added greddy fmic and eq16g and bought injectors boost gauge and getting safc and 190 walbro soon and wideband of course

 

[nelliott500]

That's a lot of stuff for a first post...