okay so its bad to tow an AWD car with 2 wheels on the ground

jasona · 12-08-2002, 04:55 AM

but is it okay if you leave the car running and in neutral?

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HndaTch627 · 12-08-2002, 05:23 AM

no, not unless all 4 wheels are on the ground.

jeremy

rckdya · 12-08-2002, 05:30 AM

NEVER tow an AWD with only two wheels on ground. Will burn out drive train in a heartbeat.

jasona · 12-08-2002, 05:48 AM

yeah thats what i thought, but they guy running the tow truck REFUSED to believe me. so what all do you think is damaged, and how do i make sure he has to pay for it, considering i tried to tell him like 6 times.

rckdya · 12-08-2002, 05:57 AM

Don't know why your car was towed. But if it were towed to Subaru, I would let them know what happened and have them check it out. Or call your local dealer and see what could have happened. It is in your owner’s manual on the proper towing procedure. I would contact the owner of the tow truck company, make a copy of the procedure and show it to him, have Subaru check your car and have the expense of checking your car covered by the tow truck company. The tow truck company might come back at you and say why didn't you show us the documentation in the first place. Were you there when he picked the car up or was it over the phone. If over the phone then you’re OK because you cant show him the owners manual through the phone. If you were at the car when they picked it up it could be a different story. But who says your owner’s manual was in the car

jasona · 12-08-2002, 06:07 AM

i was there in person, but my owners manual was at home. it was towed because the cops thought my license was suspended, but its not

they said they couldnt confirm whether it was suspended or not, so instead of taking me to jail (they had me cuffed in the back of the cop car for a while) they were just gonna write me a ticket for driving with a suspended license and tow the car. i always thought you were innocent until proven guilty, so if they cant confirm my license was suspended they should assume it wasnt. i also got a ticket for racing on the highway (i didnt race, i was parked on the side of the road when the cops got there, NOBODY was racing when they got there, yet 9 racing tickets were issued) and one for fleeing (if one cop pulls one other person over, never made an attempt to tell me to stop, and i drove off, then pull over immediately when another cop finally does decide to turn his lights on and come after me and the 6 others driving away, how were we fleeing? we cant be fleeing if there is nobody pursuing us

)

jasona · 12-08-2002, 06:09 AM

the thing is, there was a fargin flatbed truck RIGHT THERE towing away somebodys mustang. they could have just as easily put my car on the flatbed and towed the mustang with 2 wheels down.

rckdya · 12-08-2002, 06:20 AM

I would say it's the popo's fault for towing the car on a two wheel after you requested it be towed by a flat bed. The mustang is a rwd and can be towed safely. You might have a good case about the racing ticket since you wern't actually racing. But depending on local ordinances you could have looked you awere going to race. A bs loophole in the racing law. They could turn around and get you for loitering too. For fleeing if a cop made no notion of stopping you then it's not fleeing. A car beside me ran a red light and I rolled into the intersection thinking it was green. There was a cop behind the oter car and I had the option to take a hard right turn and go down a side street but the cop rolled down his window and motioned me to follow him. He said I would have got a fleeing ticket if I turned. Another stupid ticket to go along with my other 27 tickets. Try postponing your court date as much as possible and maybe the cop wont show up.

Kazushi · 12-08-2002, 10:03 AM

jeezus, how hard is this for tow truck operators to learn?

I know it's a demanding science and all, but sweet god you'd think they'd be able to remember this little bit of knowledge.

rckdya · 12-08-2002, 10:24 AM

Manual Transmission: All Wheel drive vehicles can be towed with all four wheels on the ground or with all four wheels off the ground on a trailer but towing an AWD vehicle must never be attempted with only two wheels on the ground or two wheels on a dolly.

Manual Transmission Front Wheel Drive vehicles can be towed with all four wheels on the ground in neutral or with the two front wheels off the ground.

Automatic Transmission AWD vehicles cannot be towed with any wheels on the ground. The vehicle can only be towed on a trailer with all 4 wheels off the ground and the transmission in park.

HndaTch627 · 12-08-2002, 01:11 PM

call you insurance company, they may pay it then go after the towing company, you'll need a center diff and rear diff most likely.

jeremy

RebelINS · 12-08-2002, 02:49 PM

The towing company should know not to tow an AWD vehicle with any wheels touching the ground. Every time I have had my car towed they always knew this and ordered a flat bed. I never had to say anything.

-Wes

ciper · 12-09-2002, 01:36 PM

Id suggest doing all your homework and document EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. Then just take the tow company to small claims and get your parts replaced. Even if the car still works you have put a huge amount of wear on it. How do you know what will happen at 100k miles?

HndaTch627 · 12-09-2002, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ciper
Id suggest doing all your homework and document EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. Then just take the tow company to small claims and get your parts replaced. Even if the car still works you have put a huge amount of wear on it. How do you know what will happen at 100k miles?

why waste all that time, call your insurnace company and let them fight the battle for you, well that's given that you HAVE insurance.

jeremy

jasona · 12-10-2002, 09:19 AM

yes i have insurance. i got the car back and drove it to college yesterday and it ran fine the entire day, but youre right theres no way in telling what it will do down the road.

captainchris13 · 12-11-2002, 02:04 AM

Well, one a%^hole tow driver did that to mine to for about a quater mile with me chasing and screaming at him (he claims i was illegally parked infront of my house and he had permission from the homeowners to tow things at will!)... so i called an associate i know who is a local shop foreman for subaru and he said check to see that all 4 tires move, jack up the whole car and see if all 4 wheels turn. He told me the subaru's are designed to be front wheel drive if it all goes to hell-in-a-handbasket. I used some wet pavement, a few friends, and a clutch dump. 4 nice marks. The other test he said is to turn tight left and right circles (tight) and see if there is any binding. I have a 01 RS and mine seems to be fine but it wasnt far. Also, on a wierd note, my usually chattery-when-cold clutch suddenly got smooth like brand new for the few weeks afetr the incident. PAst this i dunno... could be some sort of latent damage.

chris

12-08-2002, 04:55 AM	#1
jasona Scooby Specialist Member#: 11786 Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Arkansas Vehicle: 02 TS Black on White	okay so its bad to tow an AWD car with 2 wheels on the ground... but is it okay if you leave the car running and in neutral? * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

12-08-2002, 10:24 AM	#10
rckdya Scooby Newbie Member#: 27320 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Greenwood / Missouri Vehicle: 2003 WRX Sonic Yellow	from subaru Manual Transmission: All Wheel drive vehicles can be towed with all four wheels on the ground or with all four wheels off the ground on a trailer but towing an AWD vehicle must never be attempted with only two wheels on the ground or two wheels on a dolly. Manual Transmission Front Wheel Drive vehicles can be towed with all four wheels on the ground in neutral or with the two front wheels off the ground. Automatic Transmission AWD vehicles cannot be towed with any wheels on the ground. The vehicle can only be towed on a trailer with all 4 wheels off the ground and the transmission in park.

12-11-2002, 02:04 AM	#16
captainchris13 Scooby Newbie Member#: 30651 Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: fremont CA Vehicle: 01 RS blue	it might still be broke.... Well, one a%^hole tow driver did that to mine to for about a quater mile with me chasing and screaming at him (he claims i was illegally parked infront of my house and he had permission from the homeowners to tow things at will!)... so i called an associate i know who is a local shop foreman for subaru and he said check to see that all 4 tires move, jack up the whole car and see if all 4 wheels turn. He told me the subaru's are designed to be front wheel drive if it all goes to hell-in-a-handbasket. I used some wet pavement, a few friends, and a clutch dump. 4 nice marks. The other test he said is to turn tight left and right circles (tight) and see if there is any binding. I have a 01 RS and mine seems to be fine but it wasnt far. Also, on a wierd note, my usually chattery-when-cold clutch suddenly got smooth like brand new for the few weeks afetr the incident. PAst this i dunno... could be some sort of latent damage. chris

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12-08-2002, 05:23 AM	#2
HndaTch627 Scooby Guru Member#: 6551 Join Date: May 2001 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Carol Stream, IL Vehicle: '01 GC8 Dinged STM '09 Concours 14 ABS Black	no, not unless all 4 wheels are on the ground. jeremy

12-08-2002, 05:30 AM	#3
rckdya Scooby Newbie Member#: 27320 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Greenwood / Missouri Vehicle: 2003 WRX Sonic Yellow	NEVER tow an AWD with only two wheels on ground. Will burn out drive train in a heartbeat.

12-08-2002, 05:48 AM	#4
jasona Scooby Specialist Member#: 11786 Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Arkansas Vehicle: 02 TS Black on White	yeah thats what i thought, but they guy running the tow truck REFUSED to believe me. so what all do you think is damaged, and how do i make sure he has to pay for it, considering i tried to tell him like 6 times.

12-08-2002, 05:57 AM	#5
rckdya Scooby Newbie Member#: 27320 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Greenwood / Missouri Vehicle: 2003 WRX Sonic Yellow	Don't know why your car was towed. But if it were towed to Subaru, I would let them know what happened and have them check it out. Or call your local dealer and see what could have happened. It is in your owner’s manual on the proper towing procedure. I would contact the owner of the tow truck company, make a copy of the procedure and show it to him, have Subaru check your car and have the expense of checking your car covered by the tow truck company. The tow truck company might come back at you and say why didn't you show us the documentation in the first place. Were you there when he picked the car up or was it over the phone. If over the phone then you’re OK because you cant show him the owners manual through the phone. If you were at the car when they picked it up it could be a different story. But who says your owner’s manual was in the car

12-08-2002, 06:07 AM	#6
jasona Scooby Specialist Member#: 11786 Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Arkansas Vehicle: 02 TS Black on White	i was there in person, but my owners manual was at home. it was towed because the cops thought my license was suspended, but its not they said they couldnt confirm whether it was suspended or not, so instead of taking me to jail (they had me cuffed in the back of the cop car for a while) they were just gonna write me a ticket for driving with a suspended license and tow the car. i always thought you were innocent until proven guilty, so if they cant confirm my license was suspended they should assume it wasnt. i also got a ticket for racing on the highway (i didnt race, i was parked on the side of the road when the cops got there, NOBODY was racing when they got there, yet 9 racing tickets were issued) and one for fleeing (if one cop pulls one other person over, never made an attempt to tell me to stop, and i drove off, then pull over immediately when another cop finally does decide to turn his lights on and come after me and the 6 others driving away, how were we fleeing? we cant be fleeing if there is nobody pursuing us )

12-08-2002, 06:09 AM	#7
jasona Scooby Specialist Member#: 11786 Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Arkansas Vehicle: 02 TS Black on White	the thing is, there was a fargin flatbed truck RIGHT THERE towing away somebodys mustang. they could have just as easily put my car on the flatbed and towed the mustang with 2 wheels down.

12-08-2002, 06:20 AM	#8
rckdya Scooby Newbie Member#: 27320 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Greenwood / Missouri Vehicle: 2003 WRX Sonic Yellow	I would say it's the popo's fault for towing the car on a two wheel after you requested it be towed by a flat bed. The mustang is a rwd and can be towed safely. You might have a good case about the racing ticket since you wern't actually racing. But depending on local ordinances you could have looked you awere going to race. A bs loophole in the racing law. They could turn around and get you for loitering too. For fleeing if a cop made no notion of stopping you then it's not fleeing. A car beside me ran a red light and I rolled into the intersection thinking it was green. There was a cop behind the oter car and I had the option to take a hard right turn and go down a side street but the cop rolled down his window and motioned me to follow him. He said I would have got a fleeing ticket if I turned. Another stupid ticket to go along with my other 27 tickets. Try postponing your court date as much as possible and maybe the cop wont show up.

12-08-2002, 10:03 AM	#9
Kazushi Scooby Newbie Member#: 30550 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Ottawa, ON Vehicle: 02 2.5RS platinum silver	jeezus, how hard is this for tow truck operators to learn? I know it's a demanding science and all, but sweet god you'd think they'd be able to remember this little bit of knowledge.

12-08-2002, 01:11 PM	#11
HndaTch627 Scooby Guru Member#: 6551 Join Date: May 2001 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Carol Stream, IL Vehicle: '01 GC8 Dinged STM '09 Concours 14 ABS Black	call you insurance company, they may pay it then go after the towing company, you'll need a center diff and rear diff most likely. jeremy

12-08-2002, 02:49 PM	#12
RebelINS Scooby Specialist Member#: 2953 Join Date: Nov 2000 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Rochester, MI, USA Vehicle: 2000 Impreza 2.5RS 2005 Impreza WRX STi	The towing company should know not to tow an AWD vehicle with any wheels touching the ground. Every time I have had my car towed they always knew this and ordered a flat bed. I never had to say anything. -Wes

12-09-2002, 01:36 PM	#13
ciper Scooby Guru Member#: 15543 Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: san francisco, ca Vehicle: 90BJ Legacy LS ABS AWD 946 Rio Red Jpn built	Id suggest doing all your homework and document EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING. Then just take the tow company to small claims and get your parts replaced. Even if the car still works you have put a huge amount of wear on it. How do you know what will happen at 100k miles?

12-10-2002, 09:19 AM	#15
jasona Scooby Specialist Member#: 11786 Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Arkansas Vehicle: 02 TS Black on White	yes i have insurance. i got the car back and drove it to college yesterday and it ran fine the entire day, but youre right theres no way in telling what it will do down the road.