"LJ909" (lj909) 07/27/2019 at 21:34 • Filed to: Lexus, Tow trucks

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For some reason, wheel lift tow trucks have an inherent dislike by people. For those of you not familiar, a wheel lift tow truck is a standard tow truck. One that would pop in your head if you thought of what tow truck would look like:

Anyway a member called in to check on the status of their tow truck for his ‘93 ES300 , and to also request a flat bed. “ I just wanna make sure its a flatbed” they say. Firstly, our system alerts us as to whether or not a vehicle requires a flatbed. Vehicles like the Dodge Charger, VW Beetle and the Dodge Dart are a few ones where a flatbed requirement alert would pop up. I inquire as to why it needs a flatbed, because not every one of our contractors has flat beds just readily available like that. He says “ well you know, its a sports car and I just don’ t wanna take any chances with anything being damaged. I got the stripes on it ( its white with beige stripes apparently ) and everything and just, you know, its a classic.” I didn’ t know what to say to that.

WilliamsSW > LJ909 07/27/2019 at 22:29

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Ladies and gentlemen- I give you Lexus’ target market!!!!

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > LJ909 07/27/2019 at 22:30

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If you have a competent tech it’s fine. I got the area supervisor for my tow just a little while ago when my Z linkage broke. I was always told flatbed only, but he said he will prove it to me, he did a great job and it basically lifts you car right up and he said it’s the same as a flatbed to the car if the tech is good. 

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > LJ909 07/27/2019 at 22:33

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[pushes glasses up bridge of nose]

Well, technically it is a classic because it’s over 25 years old and —

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > LJ909 07/27/2019 at 22:38

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I know most tow companies around here are switching to almost all flatbeds, mostly because of the increased amount of AWD crossovers. I’m not complaining, as it means less wait time for me if my car would ever need a tow.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > LJ909 07/27/2019 at 22:44

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I had one of these as my first car and it was great at being a ‘reliable’ (yet the only car to ever leave me stranded) Camry with some luxury options, and the 1MZ-FE V6 had some pretty sweet induction/VVT noise for what it was. Imo the XV20 was the best looking Camry this side of the 80's

LJ909 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 07/27/2019 at 22:57

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Oh yea if you have the right person who knows what they are doing a wheel lift can be fine. In fact, a lot of the damage claims I have had to put in have been for flatbed tow trucks . So it pretty much comes down to whether or not the driver knows what the hell they are doing.

LJ909 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 07/27/2019 at 23:02

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This person would be one of those people on Craigslist who’d post this with a firm offer and will truly  think its a classic and use that to justify its price.

LJ909 > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 07/27/2019 at 23:09

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I never understood why all tow trucks aren’ t flatbeds now. Its probably a money issue.

LJ909 > MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) 07/27/2019 at 23:19

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I can say that the design of these has held up well being as old as they are now. Surprisingly I still see these things all the time.

fintail > LJ909 07/28/2019 at 00:50

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And those wheels (assuming it still has them), sporty indeed.

I believe Hagerty sends a flatbed for anything, ask how I know:

Urambo Tauro > LJ909 07/28/2019 at 07:18

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Is the vehicle list for flatbedding available publicly?

I wonder w hat kind of mechanical considerations go into those lists. For example, y ou’d think that maybe putting a RWD transmission into neutral would be enough fora  2-wheel tow , but some actually need the (automatic trans) pump running to provide lubrication to the output shaft bearing.

LJ909 > Urambo Tauro 07/28/2019 at 11:56

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Nah its an algorithm in the system based off of vehicle information I assume came directly from the manufacturer. I’ m going to start making a list of which ones it is because its so random. Like the for the Charger it comes up as requiring a flatbed, but not its 300 platform mate, same thing for the Dart, but not the 200. Its weird and sometimes I wonder how accurate it is. I’ve even had tows on supercars like McLaren’s and Ferrari’s that didn’ t come up as requiring a flatbed while other mainstream cars did.

Future Heap Owner > LJ909 07/28/2019 at 12:23

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Do vehicles with a haldex part-time AWD system (say an Audi with Quattro) need a flatbed tow?

LJ909 > Future Heap Owner 07/28/2019 at 18:30

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Yea any vehicle with 4 or AWD require a flatbed. I just have to document it so the tow company knows to specifically send one. 

Future Heap Owner > LJ909 07/28/2019 at 18:41

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Oh, my understanding was that with the Haldex there is no link at all between the front and rear wheels if the car is off (so the AWD system can’t engage), so I thought that they’d be fine to tow with the rear two on the ground. I must not understand how the Haldex system works.

LJ909 > Future Heap Owner 07/28/2019 at 19:45

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Nah you’re correct. It’s just that with AAA, like I’ve mentioned before, they don’t want to take any chances with having a members vehicle being damaged, so it’s just a flatbed in general for AWD.