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
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!
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. :evil: 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
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
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!
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
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
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...
It's really very simple. Tow trucks have two wheel "dollies" that connect together. They put them under the rear wheels, and lift the front off the ground and are gone! -With- your car. Just because it's a Prius doesn't make it hard to tow. -ANY- FWD car left in park with the e-brake on is exactly like a Prius.
so... if a guy arrives with a flat bed truck, and you're parked in an area you're not supposed to be.... he'll pull it onto the flatbed while your tires screech and whine about being dragged onto the flatbed. in the process your parking pin may be destroyed... end of story. on the other hand, most winch cables will not support pulling a vehicle being pulled while the wheels are in a solid locked state. (requiring a larger tow rig) while most truckers don't care... seeing they'll attach cables however possible... even by attacking the hooks to your cars front control arms.. or rear beam.. which can destroy both.
i think if he felt he could not tow the car he would call for another truck with a dolly and just hook the car up hopefully they would be considerate first, and just boot it, have you ever watched that parking wars show? in philly you need several unpaid parking tickets before they tow your car, and before they tow it, they always immobolize the car with a big boot until the tow truck comes maybe we can write the producers of a&e's parking wars tv show and ask them to do a prius episode in season 2
