Kaz'sCLS6

And because i signed the release, they will not honor any claims. The fact is, the car didn't have a dent (round, knee cap sized) on it before it was towed, and being 2am i didn't see the dent when i picked it up that night, even with a flash light. The very next day i noticed the dent...and i called them and they said that they can't do anything for me. Anyone have any experience with these situations? Do we have any attorneys on the board with some words of advice?
The car has 4000 miles on it...this is seriously maddening.

I think you know how i feel.....any help would be appreciated.

civic4982

take it to small claims court.. it's a brand new car and they obviously messed with it...

Slimey

Was it towed under the Acura TLC program? If so I would not only bitch at the towing company but also Acura. From there I would contact the towing company's insurer, then my insurer, then an attorney (if it's still worth it at that point).

Why was your 4000 mile '03 Acura towed in the first place? Did they use a flat bed carrier or an old fashioned tow truck? Or, did you park your car in a tow away zone and now are dealing with that trauma? I would guess if is the latter you may be SOL, but I would also call the city's claim dept as well and file a police report.

Good luck.

Kaz'sCLS6

It was in a tow away zone. I don't see how if it was illegally parked that it means i'm powerless. That doesn't give them the right or ability to mistreat those cars that are parked illegally right? Another question is, is it even worht the hassle and the money to go to court wih this, or should i just bite the bullet and get it fixed on my own.

Nitin

iTrader: (1)

If there's no paint damage and the dent has no crease, just take it to one of those paintless dent repair shops. They'll be able to take care of it and it shouldn't cost too much either. Because if you want to fight it out with the city or towing company, it's going to take a while for everything to get settled. But I've got a feeling it'll be impossible to get any money from them since you already signed off for the car.

Slimey

I agree with what Nitin said.

You are not powerless if the city towed you, however it will be a arduous process. You may have to deal with the towing company, the towing company's insurer, the city claim desk, and probably a ton of bureaucracy. You will (likely) need a police report to start the process and document the problem.

I had a city vehicle hit and ding my last car and ultimately got no money from it even though the city claims officer empathized with me. I had filed the police report within an hour of the incident. The cops took pictures. I had the license plate and the serial number of the car that bumped me. But...since the person that actually dinged the car denied that it happened (!!) I ultimately had no 'open and shut case' and would have had to pursue it throught the courts. It was not worth it for a small ding on a 12 year old car with a gazillion miles. Unfortunately, I think the city knew that.

For your brand new CL-S it may be worth it, but it will be a long process.

Your alternatives would be to either have your insurance company deal with it (it'll cost you the price of your deductable), or hire an attorney (that will probably cost more then your deductable!).

In the end it may be easier to have it fixed yourself (as Nitin said).


...and don't park in a tow-away zone. I can only imagine the tender loving care some city hired tow slob gave your precious vehicle.

For a tutorial in parking your precious check out this fun old thread that is indexed in the FAQ: http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...ght=%2Apark%2A

Rescuer

can you prove that they did it considering that you also signed for it before you noticed?

kensteele

I wouldn't bother about whether you can prove anything. These things happen and every knows they do, the point was the towing company negligent, did they use ordinary care when they towed you. It would be a very expensive business if during your day to day operations, you had to treat everyone's property carefully. If they were not careless and they didn't hook up anything wrong, etc. doubtful you will win a small claims court. But you might as well try since it is very inexpensive (probably under $25), you only have to prove whatever you're saying to one person and what you say has to weigh more than what the defendant says (not reasonable doubt) and maybe no lawyers are involved at all (depending on your state); this is in small claims court. If you were parked illegally, alll they have to say is they had to do this or do that to get at your car in order to tow it for the safety of others. And that is certainly reasonable. No you are not powerless, your windows shouldn't be all shattered and your roof caved in, but a blown tire or a fender bender or the hook made a scratch....who knows, insurance company just might pay up.

KavexTrax

Well, as I have been in a tow yard before
and happened to come across a farmers insurance agent taking some photos, I asked what would happen if during the tow the car was damaged. And he said that the insurance company would handle it and would take care of matters with the tow yard.
Of course, its up to you to decide if its worth pursuing a claim given your deductible.

And before signing for your vehicle, make sure they have descriptions of your car down thoroughly. E.g. scracthes before and after etc.

Pappy

Get it fixed, then take the bill and file in small claims court. Make sure you get the police report as well.

TypeSKid

Kaz'sCLS6

thanks everyone for your responses. The car was only parked in my parking space after the car got towed, but again, i have no hard evidence that they did it. At any rate, it looks like i might go to small claims court or have my insurance chase them down. Then again, i may just for go the headache of dealing with resistant people like this, and just get it fixed.....I'm still kind of debating what to do. Your advice is much appreciated. I'll keep you all posted.