jdmitr03

Unfortunately my 07 TL-S got towed from school yesterday due to my ignorance. Long story short, I parked somewhere where my permit wasn't allowed.

I had my e-brake on and parked with the front end facing the bushes. I am assuming they pulled it out from the rear then hooked it on from the front since it's a FWD.

I am concerned that the rear breaks might be f****d or other components.

Fortunately I left the car in neutral(manual transmission). Should I be worried that something else could have been damaged with the tow? I scheduled an appointment for Monday at my local Acura dealer for them inspect the car for any damage. I did look over the car when I picked it up and didn't notice any significant damage to the body and drove fine. I just know wreckers aren't nice and gentle to your vehicle when taking it.

Any advice/input is greatly appreciated!

huff87

Hey man. That sucks, but I wouldn't worry about it. If it wasn't in gear then the front wheels weren't locked, and therefore they picked it up by the rear and towed it that way. Almost perfect for the guy towing it lol. Anyway, I wouldn't waste your money going to the dealer if it drives fine then you're good. Just be glad your car isn't automatic!!

champaned_out

iTrader: (2)

how do you know it wasnt towed on a flat bed? most tow truck drivers usually have a pair of go-jacks so it shouldnt be a problem

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

some tow companies also have portable dollies to prop up all 4 wheels. Not sure if your tow company used this, but I've seen them tow AWD vehicles this way

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

sheesh, don't they just give you a ticket for parking in the wrong lot?

usdmJON

At my local college that I attended they purposefully sell more parking passes than spots available. My last 2 years they were doing construction and had closed off two parking lots. Some students that worked for the college offices found the number of sold passes that year. They informed others who literally counted all the spots and found out my last 2 years during the construction that they sold more than twice the number of parking spots available.

They however dont tow. Just slap you with a huge ass fine because they really never cared for people to find parking; it's just a source of income for them.

jdmitr03

Never seen a flatbed on campus. Most vehicles towed are with a regular wrecker. They're contracted by the school so nothing fancy lol. I'm sure they have a way to tow your car regardless of your drivetrain.

You would think that would be the case and make the most sense, but apparently not.

jdmitr03

I was hoping this would be the case but when I picked up the car the rear was backed into against the fence side of the lot. So they would have had to backed it in. I'm just OCD about the car, I feel like she's been violated now.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

Why would you leave it in neutral when parked?

jdmitr03

It's on leveled ground so I just pull the e-brake as a precaution. Normally I'll leave it in 2nd, but I get paranoid I'll start the car one day and forget I have it engaged and hit an object in front of me lol

Jackass

Always leave it in gear and e-brake....always. How to not hit something in front of you? Easy.

1.) Get in car
2.) Put foot on brake pedal
3.) Grab shifter, take out of gear, verify in neutral
4.) Push clutch and start car.
5.) Jiggle shifter before letting clutch out

I always wiggle the shifter before I start the car and/or before I let the clutch pedal out. Just habit I started years ago and always do. I make my wife go through the exact same routine when she drives my car. I have forgotten in the past and caused the car to jump forward. Lucky for me I was already against the parking block and it just stalled the engine out. Learned my lesson and now it is just habit to always jiggle the shifter.

I know way back when I was in school, they ticketed your car when you were in a general lot without a pass....but if in one of the closer special lots, they towed. Too many students were just racking up tickets and still parking in the faculty lots. Or they didn't care about tickets since the car wasn't titled in their name and just never paid....ever.

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

Always put it in gear. When I was growing up my mom parked a truck at our house and only used the ebrake and 10 min we came out later and the truck had rolled backwards down a slight hill and smashed into a utility box. Could have been much worse

Hope your car is ok!

042

But not everyone goes to class at the same time. If they sell 2x the amount of permits compared to parking spaces available you wouldn't expect every single person to be on campus at the same time. There will usually be plenty of parking outside of peak class hours (usually 8 AM - 1 PM).

The only situation we might tow something is if it was blocking an area we needed access to and we couldn't locate the owner in a timely manner. But for parking in the wrong lot you just get a fine...of which our department gets nothing.

Take it from someone who works security...no one enjoys enforcing parking regulations, and if they do they need to kill themselves. It's just that people who think they are important and have some letters behind their name get really butthurt when someone takes their precious spot so we have to go do their bidding.

Sorry for OT rant. I can't wait to quit this fucking job.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

I'm wondering if an automatic would suit you better.

AcuraIntegTL

OP,

Unfortunately, my 3G TL was towed too and for similar reasons, however, my car was an automatic. Regardless of transmission the tow company likely opened your car from the passenger side and then released the emergency break. I found out by asking the tow technician how he got my car without the alarm going off; turns out stock alarm doesn't have a sensor for passenger side door. Anyways, point is, your transmission and e-break are probably fine and I would worry more about body damage.

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

Yes, this is correct.

I had to get on a long waiting list because they "sold out" the permits for my lot.
I have the permit now, but it's NEVER full, maybe 3/4 full. The back of the lot is always empty, maybe 50 spots.

Right on the dot for the towing, too.
They won't tow unless you're blocking someone/something or if they need to do snow removal between 1AM -7AM.

tk2k6

Unfortunately this car is very easy to slimjim with a plastic band or string or you name it. In 30 seconds tops you can have one of the front doors unlocked using the door poppers, yank the hood open and disconnect the ground terminal from the battery. That's why I installed a bike anti-theft cable with a key underneath the hood. You can barely lift the hood enough to insert the key in the lock to unlock the cable but I like that.

Aman

Last time my car got towed, it was in the same situation. Parked forward-facing, handbrake on, in neutral.

I was surprised to find the tow company kept a record of exactly how my car was towed. Which end was picked up, if dollies were used, etc.

Was annoyed they towed it with the front wheels on the ground.

Jackass

Mine goes off if the passenger door is opened. Locked keys in car, AAA came out and opened via passenger door. That horn is f'ing loud when in your garage.

Exadoraso

Dude that's sucks. My friend one time drove my car without releasing the e brake for couple mins and a small amount of smoke came out from the rear brake

jdmitr03

Just started driving a manual car again a few months ago after going 5-6 years on driving an auto. I just got this car last October, and don't daily drive it to school. Just so happens the one week I decide to take it I get towed

Anywho..

I took in the car to Acura today. No damage was found to the body or brakes. However, they did find a slight oil seepage coming from the oil pump seal which is not relevant to this topic, but I went ahead and told them to replace it. They calibrated my e-brake back to specs at no charge so all in all I'm pretty content.

Lesson learned.

Thanks again for you all's input