Make Your Car Hard to Be Towed
If you feel like your car may be in danger of being towed, for whatever reason, then here are some steps that will help make it harder for your car to be towed.
Contents
Steps
- Park against a full curb in back or front of the vehicle, if possible. This makes one less side that can be accessed to tow your vehicle.
- Turn your wheels to the side as much as possible. This makes it nearly impossible to tow your vehicle from the back end unless it is put on a flat bed tow truck. In this case, it will at least make it more difficult to get onto the bed of the tow truck.
- Set your parking or emergency brake as hard as you can. While this doesn't keep your vehicle from being towed, it will make it more difficult.
- Utilize the 'club' or some steering wheel locking device.
- If you have a 4-Wheel-Drive system on your vehicle, select the 4-HI setting, or if you really want to take the extra time and make it as absolutely difficult as possible, enable the 4-LO mode. By enabling the 4-wheel-drive system (automatic 4-wheel-drive doesn't count, you have to select a full-time mode), the drivetrain is all locked together, and requires all four wheels to move together. By selecting 4-LO, the low gearing will undoubtedly hold the vehicle where you parked it. Don't forget to disable 4WD when you decide to leave, otherwise damage may occur to the drivetrain when operating 4WD on pavement.
- You can also park between two cars, one in front of you and one in back of you. This makes it almost impossible for your vehicle to be towed.
- You can use wheel lock to make it immobilized.
Tips
- Placing a "Pressurized non-flammable gas" hazchem warning symbol on the back of your car may prevent them from towing your car, as tow vehicle insurance often doesn't cover this additional hazard. It may not prevent your car from being towed completely, but it may buy you some more time.
- All of these steps will slow down the new or inexperienced tow truck driver but will hardly cause a hiccup to salty veteran. With use of a wheel lift and dolly equipped truck (most impound and rope trucks), these tricks are minor inconveniences.
Your best bet is only park where you are permitted to park.
Warnings
- This might not keep your vehicle from being towed, but you will know that you put up a good fight.
- Setting your brakes could potentially ruin them if the tow truck doesn't realize that they are applied and tows your vehicle anyway.
- With all of this said, the safest bet is to park your car in authorized parking spaces.
