Towing a Prius?

[timwalsh300]

I searched around a little bit but haven't found an answer to this yet...

I keep reading that the only way to steal a Prius is with a flatbed truck because of the immobilizer. So does that mean that nobody could have my car towed if I parked it somewhere illegally? What kind of damage would a tow company cause if they tried?

Tim

[rigormortis]

they can damage the rear end if the angle of the tow is too high (towing from front)
or they can damage the transmission (all four wheels on the ground) by dragging it

in order not to damage the vehicle you need to either tow it with the front wheels on dollies (towing from front or rear) or with the front wheels off the ground, or by towing it on a flatbed (most safest)

stealing a prius with a flat bed is another hot topic as far as i am concerned, i thought about it, and i thought of 7 other ways to steal one.

i really do not want to start another thread going arguing this flat bed myth.

if your worried about parking illegally, then do not, heh. maybe the city parking enforcement will realize you have a prius and just boot it!

[timwalsh300]

I am not worried about getting towed. I only park in 3 places around the city (one near my apartment and two around my place of work) and I have a permit for each of them.

But the rebellious side of me almost wants to try this (or see someone else try this) someday... park in some private lot just to see the look on the tow-truck driver's face when he realizes that there is nothing he can do.

There is just something about tow-truck drivers, kind of like tax collectors, that makes me want to stick it to them.

...I swear I'm not a bad person...

Tim

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by timwalsh300

...But the rebellious side of me almost wants to try this (or see someone else try this) someday... park in some private lot just to see the look on the tow-truck driver's face when he realizes that there is nothing he can do.

Hi Tim,

The rebellious side of you should contemplate whether a typical tow truck driver would care about any damage inflicted on your Prius...

[timwalsh300]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

Hi Tim,

The rebellious side of you should contemplate whether a typical tow truck driver would care about any damage inflicted on your Prius...

I was hoping that it was totally impossible as some others have made it sound (saying that a flatbed truck was the ONLY way), unless the tow company was willing to drag it away with brute force (that's the kind of damage I had in mind).

But these posts make it sound like it really wouldn't be that difficult given a little bit of effort.

Has anyone here actually had their Prius towed against their will?

Tim

[rigormortis]

if you are parked in a way that prevents the tow truck guy from hitching your car up, he will drag it a short distance no problem so he can hitch you up properly.

ive seen this on those repo tv shows!

[Ogo]

Here in Slovenia, towing companies, who need to tow cars because of parking or other traffic violations, use flat bed towing exclusively. And it was not due to hybrids.
Here they also photograph your car before towing it out. It is easy anyway - digital cameras are cheap nowadays and pohotograph is very good evidence of parking violation.

Ogo

[jayman]

I was parked near the Convention Centre about two years ago to attend a Home Show. It's sneaky parking on one-way Winnipeg streets, some restrictions are stricter than others.

According to the sign when I turned off onto the street, I was good until 6pm. I parked behind a large moving van, put in enough change to have a couple of hours, and wandered around the Convention Centre for awhile

I came out around 4:45 to NO Prius! And next to where the big moving truck had been parked, apparently directly across from the Convention Centre, parking was restricted much sooner. I knew what had happened, called Dr Hook to confirm, and got a taxi - yes a Prius taxi! - to pick up my car

They had remarked on the tow bill that the parking brake had been set, so they had used dollies on the rear wheels. No evidence of damage. Apparently their tow trucks are equipped with trolley jacks, so they can quickly jack up a corner and slip the dolly underneath

[rigormortis]

your supposed to dolly the front wheels!

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by rigormortis

your supposed to dolly the front wheels!

Jay's post refers to the foot-operated parking brake, which operates on the rear wheels. Perhaps you are thinking of the Park function on the transaxle, which locks the front wheels.

It doesn't really matter which axle the dolly is placed on...