tow truck Arlington VA     If you are having to have your car towed, then you understand that it is a situation that is not much fun. A car that needs to be towed away by a professional tow truck company, means that the vehicle is completely out of service for a while, which can be very inconvenient for you. Although having to call a tow truck and having your car towed away is troublesome, the situation could be worse if you do not take special precautions to protect your car during the towing process.

Most tow truck operators will inform you of precautions that you need to take, but it is a good idea for you to have some understanding of towing problems, before they arise, as well. For example, if your car is being towed on a flatbed truck, then it is important for you to release the park brake on your car before the car is placed onto the flat bed. Once the car has been hoisted onto the truck, then you may be asked to put the park brake back in the ‘on’ position.

tow truck Arlington    If your car is being towed behind a tow truck, then it is important that the park brake is off, in order to prevent damage from occurring to your braking system. As mentioned earlier, the tow truck operator knows this information, but just in case he/she forgets to mention it to you, it will behoove you to know the answer ahead of time. Tow truck operators have a lot of things on their mind when they are arranging for your vehicle to be towed, so it may be understandable if they fail to mention this bit of knowledge to you.

Another thing that you may want to do, is take photos of your car before the towing service occurs, once the car is attached to the tow truck, and after the car has been towed, as well. This is a simple and quick way to ensure the condition of your vehicle before and after the towing treatment. It is best to avoid a “he said/she said” type of interaction, so visual photographs will be your best form of evidence, should excessive damage occur to your vehicle during the towing process.

Lastly, it is also beneficial if you remember to put all of the windows up on your car during a towing service. If your windows are closed, you will prevent anything from flying into, or out of, your vehicle. If you have things in your car, such as papers, books, clothes, or anything else that can fly through an open window, then keeping the windows closed is the best thing to do, in order to not lose your interior possessions. You can also keep things such as dirt, dust, and other flying debris from flying into your car during a towing service, if your windows are closed on the vehicle.

A tow truck can be very useful for you if you have a car that will not start or cannot move; however, by following just a couple of these simple recommendations, you can prevent your car from acquiring more damage that it already has with it.

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