About two weeks ago, I had to get my EVO towed to an auto body shop after I got a flat that tore up my passenger side front fender, side skirt, and bumper as well as the rim. The tow truck guy came with a normal truck, not a flat bed. I thought to myself, "Okay, he will just put the bars across the back and lift it up so the rear wheels don't move." He introduced himself and we talked for a few about how I destroyed my front passer side and as he was lifting the front, I asked him about lifting the rear and would it be fine for the 20 mile tow to the auto body shop. He told me that only Subaru's need to have all four wheels lifted and not engaged. I then asked him," are you sure, my car is full-time all-wheel-drive?" and he said, "Once you put it in neutral, the all-wheel-drive is disengaged." I didn't think that was right so I told him that I would prefer if he would lift it to so no wheels are in contact with the ground. I then went inside to get my insurance information and call to tell them that I was towing it since I had already established my claim and by the time I came out, the car was gone so I figured that he was already gone to the body shop. My neighbor drove me to the shop and we had beaten the tow-truck there. He showed up about 5 minutes after we had got there and what did I see, the rear wheels in contact with the ground and rolling. I was pissed as well as my neighbor who also drives an EVO. Once he got there, I asked him why he didn't lift the rear and he told me that he didn't have to because of the same reason he stated before about the Subaru's. I drove it into the parking lot of the body shop and didn't hear anything but my neighbor was still giving the guy a ration of $#it for not knowing what the EEF he's doing and he left. I called a good friend of mine who knows a lot about EVO's and he told me that was pretty much the worst thing I could do to my EVO. So, I called my insurance company the following Monday to ask them what I should do and the claim rep told me that once the body shop is done, to get it to a dealership to have it inspected in order to see if there is a problem and if there is, they would cover it and then go after the tow-truck guy.

So, my question is what specifically happens when they tow it like that so that I know what to look for/hear for once I get it back next week from the body shop? Thanks for reading and any advice will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

 

If im not mistaken from what I've read above, then your screw. All four wheels should turn at the same time. So if ur 2 front is in the air but your 2 rear is moving, think about what happens, lol. Stress on the TC, I would only recommend a flat bed truck. Get your evo inspected and good luck.

 

Also your owners manual should tell u to use a flatbed truck only for future reference.

 

wish you luck ^^

 

Sorry to hi-jack but I actually had my car towed recently and when I picked it up everything was fine. The towing company did say they put it on a flatbed when I asked but who knows, they always lie. Is there any way to know if they did happen to not put it on a flatbed?

 

I believe it should only be on a flatbed..

Good luck.

 

darn that sux, if your going to have problems it might not show rite away

 

Yea... sorry to hear it man, but you got effed up. Hopefully you'll be able to sue the tow company for any damages or costs incurred by their mishap even if by some random luck the tcase is alright and it's only for the cost of inspection to get it torn apart and checked out (if insurance covers it, I'd want to pay them back to cover that claim and let the guy learn his lesson-- they should've at least checked the owner's manual after you said something). Heck, I hope you somehow end up with a Shep upgraded tcase after this.. Good luck getting this all sorted out.

 

Thanx everyone for the info. I am definately going to get it inspected and go after the guy.

 

Stupidest thing I've ever heard.


They need to spin at close to the same speed. Furthermore, whenever it is towed you need a flatbed. I used to have a lowered car before my evo and it needed a flatbed even though it was front wheel drive because the back bumper would scrape if it wasn't a flatbed. For modified cars flatbeds usually cost an extra $30 or so, but since AWD cars require them I have yet to see a company that charges extra for a flatbed for an AWD car.

 

Once you put it in neutral, the all-wheel-drive is disengaged."


ill second the fact that he clearly spends 16 hours of his day beating off and knows absolutely nothing about how AWD works

 

Did one of his arms appear much larger than the other?


Putting it in into neutral simply disengages the engine from the drivetrain. That doesn't disengage the drivetrain's front-to-rear connection. You'd have to remove the driveshaft to do that. When you anchor either end and roll the other, you're forcing the F&R limited slip units to turn against their friction surfaces, which generates a large about of heat and will damage the clutch packs. It's just as if you drove down the road slipping your clutch the entire way. I'd recommend checking/changing the oil in both the transfer case and rear diff ASAP. If the oil appears burnt, that's bad news. Explain what happened to the dealer, and let them make the assessment.

FYI

 

get a lawyer, it should be an easy win for you. hope everything goes well

 

Flatbed only.

 

T-case will be damaged. File a claim. Good luck.