Prius impounded

Well I am a former tow truck driver and here is what I would have done.

1. Flip my lights down
2. Lower my boom
*this makes it so I can fit in the ramp
3. back to the rear wheels with the wheel lift
4. Place half of a wheel dolly behind both front tires
5. Slightly lift the rear tires and pull the car backwards onto the dollies and until the Dollies flip up
6. Reassable the front dollies
7. Lift the rear just alittle more
8. Leave

Total time less than 10 Minutes

If it was a repo situation I would jump from step 3 to step 7 and be out of there in under a minute, Get to a safe spot and switch to the front wheels

I am glad not to be in this line of work anymore

 

efrench515's Is right,

Thats how Ive seen it done...

 

So there wasn't any kind of signage at the entrance to or inside the garage indicating who may and may not park there? I know parking can be tough to come by in many parts of LA and especially the Hollywood area, but I've found they are VERY enforcing of parking rules (ie: permit parking only, customer parking only, etc). They've gotten me a few times, once at UCLA and once near the Jerry's Deli on Beverly. I sure did learn my lesson about parking, although I only got tickets and thankfully not towed, and especially about paying attention to any signs at the parking lot or garage's entrance...glad to hear you got your car out safe and sound.

Edited to add:

Oops, nevermind my first sentence. I just reread your post and noticed that there was signage at the garage.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efrench515 @ Apr 20 2006, 07:30 PM) [snapback]242895[/snapback]</div>

The nice way takes too long and may lead to confrontations with the driver; even money says they just dragged it out. remaxmanager, did you check for skid marks at "your" parking spot?

 

I agree with efrench515, that is what they do to avoid liability claims that they damaged the car. It's what we used to do. All the repo's that I did were with the key for the car supplied by the dealer I worked for. Park truck on a side street with boom down ready to go, driver car on to boom, clamp tires, lift and hit the road. This was in the day's before alarms were prevelent. Only got shot at once.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(remaxmanager @ Apr 21 2006, 09:10 AM) [snapback]243155[/snapback]</div>

I would think that a "slim jim" would work on the Prius doors just like any other car.

 

why do they need to get into the car?

the front wheels are on a dolly. the rear wheels are off the ground. the car will roll. no key, no start, no taking it out of park.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(remaxmanager @ Apr 21 2006, 12:30 PM) [snapback]243172[/snapback]</div>

and was your briefcase with the $20,000 dollars in non-sequential $20 bills still there?

I've gotta agree with galaxee. There does not appear to be any reason to open the car, and yes, it can be slim-jimmed

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(remaxmanager @ Apr 21 2006, 12:30 PM) [snapback]243172[/snapback]</div>

Doesn't your 05 (8) have the alarm? Why didn't that go off when they unlocked the door? Check to see if it still works. Maybe you thought you locked it but didn't.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(remaxmanager @ Apr 21 2006, 03:50 PM) [snapback]243299[/snapback]</div>

I don't know about your area, but around here most people don't even look when a car alarm goes off. There are so damn many of them sounding all times of day and night everywhere I go that I would be real surprised if there is any deterrent effect at all.

- Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(remaxmanager @ Apr 21 2006, 04:18 PM) [snapback]243340[/snapback]</div>

Remax, why do you think they had to get in. It was explained in detail the most likely way it was towed, and there was no mention of having to get in to your car to do it.

They just towed it and did NOT get in to it at any point. I would think this is normally how it was done, and it was stated to us on here by a former tow truck driver so I would bet that is what happened with yours.

Would the alarm have gone off, yes, would anyone car, NO, so he would have just towed it with the alarm going, what does he care.

Phil

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(remaxmanager @ Apr 21 2006, 06:12 PM) [snapback]243374[/snapback]</div>

While I am not as quick as i used to be I can get into most cars with a "Slim Jim" in under 30 seconds and vehicles with power locks are usually the easiest, simply feel for the actuator and slide it. As for the alarm I'm driving a tow truck no one will give me a second thought and it only goes off for 3 minutes, also once out of the parking garage I can lift the back of the vehicle to a high angle engaging a "tow" mode on several alarms (not all). Additionally they probably did not get into your car at the garage, they probably did it at the inpound lot. The tow truck driver was trying to manuver your can into a spot had removed it from the dollies and was having problems because of the E brake and Park. Vehicles are verry tough to back up while on the dollies, so now when the alarm went off it was at his lot so who cares. Remember Locks and alarms only keep honest people honest Not to say tow truck drivers are not honest, they just know how to use the tools of the trade HONEST

 

But I thought the 'slim Jim' wouldn't work on a Prius. I remember stories from last summer - one in particular about a girl who lost her fob and had a tow truck driver try to get into the car. The story was that he was unable to do it as it kept relocking itself. They ended up having to tow the car to the lot from the park where it was and left there until her roommates could Fedex the spare fob to her.