Can You Stop Your Car From Being Towed?

There are different reasons why cars get be towed in the first place. A common example is when a vehicle is severely damaged and has lost its tires such as in an accident.

Your car can also be towed if you abandon it at a place for too long if you park it wrongly or in cases where the repo man has been instructed to repossess it for the company. Well, having said all these, can you stop your car from being towed?

Yes, you can, but up to a certain extent. To start with, you can lock up your car in a secure garage and away from public glare. After all, you can’t take what you don’t see, right?

Furthermore, even if you know that the car you want to tow is in the garage, there is little you can do about it because you can’t just break into private property, can you? You can also stop it from being towed by chaining the front wheels to the rear ones, though this is quite a hilarious move.

Can you take your car back from a towing company?

Yes, you can always take your car back from a towing company, provided all outstanding fees are paid in full, though the company legally own the car while it is in their custody. Any action or behaviour that tempers with the car, while it is in their care, will be viewed and treated as trespassing on private property, so be warned.

How much does it cost to get your car back from towing

What you end up paying a towing company for their services is about two hundred and thirty-eight dollars, but what you may actually have to pay eventually is five dollars and seventeen cents added to the main fee,  if your car is towed for a distance of more than ten kilometres from the scene of an accident.

These extra charges vary from place to place and so, what is quoted here will only give you the general idea.

Can a tow company legally keep your car?

First and foremost, any tow company operates within the jurisdiction of the law as it applies to their services, and whatever they do with your car has a specific cost it attracts.

They have legal custody of your car until all charges owed by you, the owner of the car, are paid. Otherwise, they may choose not to release the vehicle, at least up to a certain specified period of time as is stipulated by law. So, yes, a tow company can legally keep your car.

How much can a tow company legally charge?

Legally speaking, the towing company can charge a maximum of two hundred and thirty-eight dollars for their services.

If your car was towed for a distance exceeding ten kilometres from the scene of an accident, you may incur additional charges of about five dollars and some cents in Sydney, Australia.

This additional fee is about four dollars and twenty-six cents in other places such as NSW. Generally, the additional fees vary from place to place, but the variation is not so wide as to make much difference.

How do you negotiate a towing fee?

You are permitted by law to negotiate the towing fees with the company in accordance with the prevailing laws in your state.

Should the towing company violate your right, you can request for a tow hearing at the peace court, dispute any unfriendly towing charges, or even get the tow company to compensate you for any damage caused while the vehicle is in their custody.

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Can you dispute towing charges?

Yes, you can indeed. First, visit the e-mail of the local authorities with any supporting evidence. Once you are logged into the e-mail, select an online dispute button, and promptly complete the online form.

Thereafter, attach any supporting documents, where applicable and promptly submit your dispute request. An example of such a dispute e-mail is Towing@transport.NSW.gov.ah.

How long will a towing company keep your car?

In cases where the owner of the vehicle does not turn up to claim it, the towing company is at liberty to take any final decision on the matter, but in accordance with the prevailing laws of the state in such matters. Usually, they are duty-bound to keep the vehicle with them for a period not exceeding thirty days( one month).

What happens if you can’t stop your car from being towed?

Should you fail to claim your towed car within a specified period, it is likely to be destroyed or sold at auction. If the proceeds generated from such an auction does not cover all the expenses of towing, storage and any auction fees, the last known registered owner of the vehicle can be held for all the unpaid debt.

Read Also: Can You Tow A Car With Handbrake On?

Can you stop your car from being towed legally?

It is almost impossible to continuously stop your car from being towed per-se since towing companies tow mainly vehicles that are heavily damaged and may not even have any wheels on them.

Regardless of all this,  there is only one way you can stop your car from being towed, which is to lock it up in a secure garage.

If the tow driver cannot see it, he or she cannot tow it, right?  Even when they know that the car is locked up in your garage, they can’t break in and get at it, lest they get slammed with charges of breaking into private property. Alternatively, you can stop your car from being towed by chaining both the front and rear wheels together.

FAQ

What happens if your car gets towed and you don’t pick it up?

A towing company cannot be found complicit in taking any property left in your car or even use the car while it remains in their custody.

Neither can they withhold your personal property or ask you to pay for getting it out of the car. Nevertheless, there is something else they can do if you refuse to pick it up.

The law in most places stipulates that the towing company can only keep your car in their custody for a specified length of time, which is usually one month.

After this period, they have the legal right to either destroy the car or sell it at auction. Where the proceeds generated from the auction cannot pay for the services rendered by the company, the last registered owner of the car will still have the excess fees to pay.

How do I get my car out of impound?

To start with, you cannot get your car out of impound without car insurance. Once the mandatory time passes, you can get your car out by paying the impound fees, but you must provide proof of ownership first, as well as proof of insurance, a valid identification card and any other required paperwork.

In any case, you will have to also pay for towing the car and the impound fees that cover the storage of the car while in police custody.

Can I get my belongings from my towed car?

Under normal circumstances, you can,  provided you seek the consent or approval of the company to do so and get it. If nothing sinister is suspected, the company is within its rights to allow you to pick what is yours in the car, whether with supervision or not.

What happens if a towing company damages your car?

The commonest damage that people always have to contend with during towing is damage to the bumper of the towed car.

Other objects that are also commonly damaged also are the windshield and the tires. If you suspect that the tow truck actually inflicted these damages, get good evidence to back up your suspicion.

If your claims are verified, the company has no option other than to pay or compensate you for them, but you must pay up all outstanding fees to the towing company first.

Read Also: Can a car be towed with the steering wheel locked?

How does one sue a towing company?

First, identify the court in which you can sue the company. If your claim isn’t particularly big, you can sue the company at a small claims court. To find such courts,  you may have to visit the Supreme Court Website in order to get the statutory minimum for all small claims. You also have the option of representing yourself in small claims court hearings.

Can you negotiate impound charges?

Most, if not all, towing companies have the maximum fee they charge for impounding your vehicle. Anything less than this maximum is just a bonus, so to say.

For this reason, there really isn’t anything to negotiate. If you don’t pay up immediately whenever you can, they have the option to continue charging you cumulatively for up to thirty days. After this period, they can then file a possessory lien on your car. That’s it really.

Can towing companies just charge whatever they want?

No, they cannot. In most states in the US, towing isn’t just some random or ordinary business or private enterprise where companies can just charge whatever they wish, not at all. Rather, it is an organized business whose charges are regulated by the authorities,  just like with other utilities, by your state governments.

Will my car get towed overnight?

 You should know that municipal councils do not permit overnight parking of vehicles on the roads or beside them. It costs a little more, but if you have an airport close by, and you need to leave your car for just a few days, you may park in the airport parking lot. Though you will pay a daily fee for this storage, you can rest assured that your car won’t get towed.

How can I avoid paying a towing fee?

To avoid paying towing fees, you should first take photos of the vehicle before you move it at all. Thereafter, report any damage to the storage facility before you leave the scene of the accident or breakdown.

You should also call the towing service always to enquire for proof that your vehicle was actually towed. If they fail to provide such proof, proceed to file a tow hearing in a peace court.

Read Also: What happens if you steal your car from a towing company?

How do I get my car out of impound without money?

To get your car out of impound without money, you should locate low-income car loans which can assist in paying for an impound release fee. However, doing this will require some or all of the following:

• Ensure to pay your car insurance on time.
• Never put off paying to park or speeding ticket and registration whenever necessary.
• You can also talk to an employer since maybe they can advance a paycheck or two.

What are my rights if my car is towed?

Should you return to your vehicle before it was towed. you have the right to get it promptly released from the tow truck. In case you must pay half the normal fees, you also have the right to contact the company that towed the car and schedule the car’s release at any time either at night or day.

Can You Stop Your Car From Being Towed – Conclusion

Towing of someone’s car happens only when certain conditions prevail such as parking it at a perilous place for a long period of time, when it is damaged severely in the case of an accident or when a car hiring firm wishes to repossess its vehicle and so on.

However, whatever may necessitate it, there are recommended ways to approach the matter in order to get an amicable resolution to the issues.

It is therefore important that you should know where and how to properly park it, how to negotiate any towing fees if your car eventually gets towed, what to do if you believe the towing company has treated you unfairly and so on.