This evening we watched a brand new Town Car towed away by a Chevy tow truck. Yes, a Chevy...aarrrgghhh. The Town Car was locked so the tow truck driver slipped a slim jim down the passenger side window. After about 5 minutes he popped the door open and slid into the Town Car. At this point the alarm went off but I assume the owner was not in the neighborhood. The front wheels of the Town Car were turned so it looked like towing would be difficult. However, once inside the tow driver slid into the driver's seat and somehow straightened out the wheels. Next, he backed up the truck and lifted the Town Car out and it was on its way down the street with the rear wheels in the air.

I saw this and I immediately had a few questions:

Is it possible to prevent a vehicle from being towed?
If yes, what does it take?
Or, are tow truck drivers so good at their trade that they will get your car no matter what you do?

 

Illegal parking or repo? What you described almost sounds like a repossession, although the drivers usually have a set of keys. On the newer Fords, PATS makes them code a key with a computer programmer and the car there- so having a key isn't worth much. Any of my lot attendants can pop a lock in about 30 seconds or less generally.

 

Wouldn't they had to have the key to turn the wheel? The PATS only keeps the electronics from activating, not the key from turning. So did he pop the ignition since he used a slim jim?

 

we can assume he did not have a key for it cause he used a slimjim on the door. he most likely punched the column if he straightened the wheel and front towed it. a bank will gladly pay $100 for a new lock assembly for the column if they can recover a $ 30,000 car.

 

The only way's I can think of to prevent towing is:
1. Park the car inside a locked garage. If the driver tows anyway, he can be arrested for breaking and entering. Even on a repo.

2. Don't park in tow-away zones.

 

Ya, that sounds like a repo job. I work with a guy that used to do that and man, the stories he has. Recovery is not always that smooth.


I think the only way to really make a vehicle "Un-Towable" is to have airbag or hydraulic suspension that allows the frame to lay on the ground with the wheels tucked. There is no way the vehicle could be put on a flatbed without destroying the sheet metal.

 

It was not a repo. The car was parked on the street but it was blocking a driveway.

 

I can think of a couple of ways right off the top of my head.

1: Secret underground cave system cleverly disguised as a regular underground cave system(ala Batman).

2: Complex air-transport and mid-air refueling setup that only lands when you need your car. The rest of the time the car is airborne. (Towing companies have infrequent blimp access and won't be able to tow you out of the air.)

3: Make your car payment every month.

 

[QUOTE=76supercab2]The only way's I can think of to prevent towing is:
1. Park the car inside a locked garage. If the driver tows anyway, he can be arrested for breaking and entering. Even on a repo.
QUOTE]

You would think so, but its not even safe in a garage. About a 6 months ago, I was outside around 2 am when I noticed a repo truck in front of one of my neighbors' garage. The repo guy looked around for a while, then he went back to his truck and whipped out a fairly large console-looking device, pushed a few buttons and about 30 seconds later, my neighbor's garage opened. He opened the SUV, pushed it out and towed it away, just like that.

 

Now how can that not be break and entering? I would think a person should have the right to not have their property violated, even if they are getting something repoed!!

 

Repo laws probably vary from state to state. I would be a little concerned about getting shot if I were going into a garage to repo something, those are some brave guys. On the other hand, if you are a deadbeat, I think you sacrifice some of your rights.

 

True, but to what extent of a deadbeat should a person sacrafice what rights? It would be easier if people just paid their bills and had all the same laws and whatnot, but it does vary from person to person!

 

That's illegal, and would make for an interesting lawsuit. Not that you'd get the vehicle back, mind you- that's a separate issue.

 

[QUOTE=n578md]Good reason to have a kill switch on the door opener. I don't actually have an opener yet. But when I do, the outlets will be wired to wall switches so I can simply shut them off when the cars are all home.

 

I worked as a repo guy for a while. Trust me, the only way to prevent it being towed is to physically block the car so that it can not be moved in any direction. We will pull it sideways if we have to. Go-jacks, dollies, drag it what ever. If it's accessible we'll get it. Here in Oregon, inside the garage is off limits, the guy mentioned above would have certainly been busted.