Why You Should Never Tow a Car with Your Own Vehicle
Every year, the number of vehicles on Canadian roads increases by 1.8%. Though that may seem like an insignificant number, it translates to 33.8 million more vehicles every year. And the more cars on the road, the more breakdowns will occur.The most common reasons for cars to break down are dead batteries, a clogged fuel filter, a broken starter, etc. In such circumstances, you need to get your car towed to a repair service or at least to a safe location. Towing a car on your own is never a good idea. If you’re looking to help someone out of a sticky situation or someone is trying to help you, don’t!
Here are some reasons why you should never tow a car with another car:
Transmission damage
Most cars these days are fitted with automatic transmissions. These all share the same design features. The wheels of the vehicle are made to fit to the drive train spin, which engages the transmission. In order for the engine to power the wheels, hydraulic fluid is needed in the transmission. This fluid also keeps the transmission well lubricated at the same time.
This protection is only possible when an automatic transmission is running under its own control. If the engine isn’t running, there won’t be any hydraulic fluid in the interiors of the transmission. This basically means that if the wheels are turning without the transmission being well lubricated, it can sustain significant damage.
This damage can only be avoided if the ‘drive’ wheels aren’t in contact with the ground. A passenger vehicle isn’t able to tow a car in this manner.
Damage to the car towing the vehicle
Passenger vehicles like sedans, SUVs, passenger trucks, etc. are designed to carry a limited amount of weight. And while SUVs, trucks, and wagons can carry more load, such vehicles don’t have the capacity to take on the weight of another vehicle. Towing a car with another passenger vehicle will damage it in some way or the other.
Older vehicles tend to have mechanical problems, whether known or unknown, this makes towing highly risky too. Even newer vehicles aren’t as ‘broken in’ to engage such a high-risk task. Environmental conditions can make car towing more difficult too, e.g. rain, snow, and high temperatures will most likely damage your vehicle when towing. The strain of towing is known to significantly increase in warmer temperatures, high altitudes, and bumpy paths.
Noble Towing offers a number of services in the Vancouver area like towing services. We’ve also launched a scrap car removal program aims to recycle as much as possible from rundown cars. Contact us for more information; we’ll get back to you ASAP.