San Diego weather is beautiful for the most part of the year, that’s the reason so many people come visit from everywhere in the United States.
Sunday comes around and you get ready to take your kids for a ride. The day is beautiful with bright sunshine and a wide-open road. The wind blows from the ocean through the open on your windshield as you cruise down the highway at 65 miles an hour. Then, out in the middle of nowhere, your engine sputters to a stop. You have plenty of gas and you are not sure why the engine quit running.
Hopefully you have a friend who operates a tow truck whom you have used in the past and you feel confident about. That’s always the best option in my opinion, I always save the phone number and contact information for my favorite service providers. For years I have always used the same computer repair shop, tailor, mechanic, insurance and the number for my towing company.
More than 70% of the people who have an accident or need roadside assistance are not subscribed to a service like AAA or know whom to call when they need help.
Luckily, nowadays having access to the internet on the go is not a problem at all, you just pull out your cellphone and google roadside assistance with the push of a button. The issue is knowing what to do with all those results. Not all tow trucks are equipped the same or can deal with every kind of car. I’m going to break it down for you so that hopefully you know exactly what to do the next time you need towing.
1-Hire a tow truck that is equipped to deal with your vehicle.
There are 3 main types of tow trucks: Flatbed, Hook and Chain and Wheel-Lift.
Say you are driving a German made automobile like a Mercedes, BMW, VW. A flatbed truck will be your best option. Flatbed is actually one of the widest methods used for towing modern cars ?, motorcycles, electric cars like Tesla. The flatbed trucks have a long flat rear bed which lowers and you can drive your car upwards easily, afterwards they use a hydraulic system to raise the bed again. This is a very safe option for most cars and even RVs and boats ?.
Hook and Chain trucks have been around for much longer than flatbed trucks. You can use them for pretty much anything that you need towed or hauled. This method can put a lot of pressure on your vehicle and the chain may also cause scratches.
The Wheel-Lift truck is a little safer than the Hook and Chain, they have a metal arm that’s used to lift you car from the rear or front wheels. This method is still broadly used but it can cause damage to the body of you car, particularly if it’s low to the ground.
2-Ask the operator what kind of services he/she offers.
There are hundreds if not thousands of cars on the road every day, many of them requiring towing services. The following are a few of the various types of services usually offered by different towing companies.
- Light to Medium Towing – Almost every company provides towing services for light and medium duty vehicles. These services include jumpstarts, opening locked doors, providing gas and other types of assistance. If you have been involved in a collision, they can help you get to a nearby service station or mechanic.
- Off Road Services – There may be a situation where you were forced off the road by a snowstorm, animal or another vehicle and you become mired in mud or snow.
- Car Unlocking – Ask the person or business you call if they can handle car unlocking and also what kind of tools they use for this service. From using the slim jim to many different inside tools, long reach lockout tools, and having air bladder wedges, Combine this with an operator that’s been unlocking all cars since 1992. You can trust Mission Valley Towing to get your car door open.
-
Battery Jump Start – One of the most light repairs drivers need on a frequent basis.
- There are recovery specialists with special equipment to handle that situation but you need to let them know. The majority of towing companies out there have specialists on board to handle these types of situations and they can get you safely back on the road again without damaging your vehicle.
- Winches – These may be a towing operator’s best friend. It is never easy to push your vehicle out of mud, snow or a ditch as the car rolls back into you. Most tow trucks of any size come equipped with winches just to handle such a job.
Hire a Towing Company with the correct equipment for the job.
With all the different varieties of vehicles on the road today, it is important that you pick the right towing company with the correct equipment for the job. For instance, if you have a lifted Ford 350 with huge tires and perhaps a camper shell on the back, you will need something that will be able to handle this large of a job. If you have driven off the road into a snow bank or ditch, you need to explain this to dispatch so once again they can send the proper truck out to do the job.
Regardless of your type of vehicle or situation there is going to be equipment to do the job. Your job is to let the towing company know what that job is before they arrive to help. Mission Valley Towing is a Flatbed towing company in San Diego offering 24/7 Roadside Assistance, Car & Truck Towing services since 1992 at Competitive Rates. Call our office 24/7 at (858) 278 1247.
