When not to tow your car or, at least, when to get it out of the storage lot

I see too many cars being totaled, towed away from crashes when they could be driven and a number of other things you should know about the automotive towing system. I have examples, I know what these places do, and I know how much we are all being screwed. Insurance companies have even started to put into their polices coverage limits for towing and storage that can really hurt your pocketbook if you are not paying attention. And, lets face it, our own insurance companies are doing their best not to let us know what they are up to.

This is not conspiracy theories. This is a day in the life of the collision world: something 99 percent of you may have barely experienced in the course of your lives. Let us shine the light on some things here you may appreciate knowing...

My sister "totaled" her car according to the tow truck driver. A $20k lexus with cosmetic damage. She jumped on her insurance app, took a bunch of pictures and was told "do not drive this vehicle!" I guess one of her dogs was in the passenger seat and it set off the A pillar side air bag when she got hit in the quarter panel causing a mostly cosmetic situation with no glass damage. Of course it got towed to Joe Blows shop and luckily they were able to make up so much damage the car got totalled. Its an easy $1000-$10,000+ profit for a towing compnay on the tow/storage job depending on the situation. A car she could have driven home.

Tow company facts: they can get up to a grand in fees from the insurance company just for loading up the car and driving back to their location. That is above and beyond almost 200 dollars a day in storage costs for the vehicle while it sits in their empty lot. With state laws requiring them to pay within certain times and forcing them not to abandon the vehicle. Granted, the cost of flat bed tow trucks new is 6 figures depending on the options, the on call resource expensve, and the fact that it is only an essential business when things go wrong for someone or someones. If you can find someone who even wants to work to earn money they tend to ask for insane wages (up to and including 30+ dollars). If you are an owner operator who does not mind living life based on when the phone rings - it can be lucrative. With employees its probably a toss up versus the headaches but I digress.

It should be worth nothing that most major insurance companies will tow a vehicle up to 2 times before they decide to total it. If the accident happens local you would be crazy not to have it brough to your local garage. If you have any sort of relationship with a place outside the dealership it could net you some extra money just for deciding to have your car towed there. Hint. Vehicle values now a days do give a respectable payout but it was not always the case. Get whatever you can when that is what everyone else is doing, I say. Life lesson number 185,201.

I totaled a Toyota I just finished paying off ten years and they decided it was only worth 9 grand. They even provided a list of places I could buy the same car with the same mileage the same day. After calling all of them and being laughed off the phone for trying to low ball 16,000 dollars cars... I tried to fight it. Without lawyers or a second car you are almost always going to come out the worse for wear in a situation like that.

I really should make some "Tow to here" stickers to put on my customers vehicles. There are too many people out there looking to get rich quick.

Coming soon