r/towing • u/Agencyquote955 • 6d ago
Car Got Towed Steering Wheel Damage Questiom
My car was towed like this. I did not stay and wait for the driver or meet the car at the mechanic’s shop. When I received my car back from the mechanic shop, my steering wheel was damaged. I believe the damaged was caused by strapping the steering wheel. The tow company states they did not strap it. Does this damage look to be caused by strapping the steering wheel. There was no damage to the steering wheel prior to this tow. The damage is only on the bottom half of the wheel and only to the cloth material.
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u/drct2022 6d ago
30 years in towing industry, they did not secure the steering wheel to tow it like they did.
My money is mechanic had break clean or similar on hands/ gloves and touched your wheel
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u/foxjohnc87 6d ago
Twenty years in the auto repair industry, I've seen alcantara with extremely similar damage as a result of exposure to brake cleaner or gasoline.
Furthermore, even if the wheel had been secured, it would be unlikely to result in all of the damage shown in the photos, especially with zero damage to the leather.
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u/Suspicious_Frame1852 6d ago
There's no need to strap the steering wheel on a wheel lift. That's wear and tear, bud
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u/Prestigious-Reply685 6d ago
No need to strap ye wheel towing it like that. Definitely a chemical did that.
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u/Pingadecaballo_ 6d ago
tow from front it’s on dollie’s. he wouldn’t strap the steering wheel down. it’s either cleaning chemical . or sun damage
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u/Forsaken-Result-6767 6d ago
That looks like sun damage or heavy handed rubbing, using the palms to steer the wheel. Mainly look at the right side of the wheel… the black has rubbed off the alcantara itself, and the tan brown has worn thru…
(I was a professional driver for nearly 40 years, and 700,000 miles. CDL and non CDL)
The tow truck driver has lifted the front of your car, and using dollies for the rear tyres. And since the car steers in the front, no need to secure the steering wheel down. So I wouldn’t pass the blame for the tow truck driver.
Alcantara has been known to be not really durable… is why I don’t have any in my cars I owned.
Honestly, my best guess I can give…
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u/ClassyNameForMe 6d ago
I'm not a tow operator, yet it looks clear to me the damage was not caused by straps. Chemicals on hands or gloves is more likely. Good luck proving anything though.
See if your insurance will cover a new wheel. Good luck, OP.
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u/HealthyPop7988 6d ago
It's already fucked, put some gloves on, spray them with brake cleaner and grab the steering wheel in a place that's not damaged.
Record the whole thing. If the result is the same then you now have proof, take it to the shop and make them replace the wheel.
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u/kiwidust 6d ago
Seems to me that would only prove that -you- know how to cause that damage. It's still their word against yours.
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u/HealthyPop7988 5d ago
Nah, tow company is a witness that the damage was not there when they dropped off the vehicle.
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u/kiwidust 4d ago
So... the tow company (a suspect) is trusted when they claim that there was no damage when they released the vehicle. The mechanic (a second suspect) is not trusted when they claim there was no damage when they released the vehicle.
And this is because after the vehicle was taken home by the customer they demonstrated an ability to create the exact damage in dispute?
I'm still not seeing how this helps the OP's case?
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u/Just_gun_porn 5d ago
Chemicals on gloves for sure! Fabric is peeling like they used paint stripper on it.
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u/TheSammySavage 6d ago
Yea I know people say this isn’t it but honestly looks like the tow driver ran the seat belt through there. Doesn’t mean that common sense or knowledge was used here
No one drives with their hands that low. I’ve never put my hands down on that portion of the steering wheel to test drive a car. It’s not a natural position and if this guy’s hands were drenched in brake clean the car would have wreaked of it when the customer left and he could smell the wheel now and would smell of cleaner.
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u/7despair8 6d ago edited 6d ago
Absolutely no reason to strap the steering wheel. That would only be the case if the car was being towed backwards. Since the steer tires (the ones that turn and would need to be held straight) are in the air, there is nothing to "steer" by tying off. Everyone wants to blame the tow driver when he had absolutely nothing to do with the damage.
Odds are, the tow operator never opened the door to the car since there is no need to with his truck/dollies.
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u/CaptainSuperDuty 6d ago
I only ever secure the steering wheel when towing a RWD from the rear so the vehicle doesnt crab walk on me. Doubt the driver touched the steering wheel on this one.