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Towing the car right? This is how it's done!

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Recently updated on March 17, 2023 at 10:45 am

Towing the car right? This is how it's done!

Towing is often the only option when the vehicle gets stuck in the middle of the road and refuses to start. What many do not know: There are also some rules for towing vehicles that must be observed. Whether you own an electric, manual or automatic car, this article gives you all the important tips you need to know to be towed or towed safely.

that must be taken into account

Towing the car right? This is how it's done!

In general, a car may only be towed if it cannot be repaired on the spot. This is the case, for example, if the electronics have been damaged when coolant leaked, the engine no longer starts or the vehicle can no longer be moved due to a defective transmission. In fact, if there is a lack of fuel, for example, it is not allowed to tow the car.

Tip: Towed car? It is important to keep this in mind when it comes to costs and payments.

It is also important that if the vehicle interferes with the flow of traffic or is on the freeway, you properly identify the danger zone to secureso that nobody is endangered. And note that the key is in the ignition on the first level has to stop if you want to tow a car that is no longer ready to drive. If you don't do this, the steering wheel lock may click into place. If you want to tow a vehicle that has a start button, you have to press it longer and not press the brake pedal while doing so.

Don't forget to shift out of gear!

Towing the car right? This is how it's done!

Furthermore, the gear must be disengaged and the handbrake must be released. If you drive a vehicle with an automatic transmission, you must (provided the electronics of the vehicle work) Set the gearshift to "N" and also do not drive off too quickly. If the electrics no longer work, there is a manual variant of many vehicles to get the transmission in neutral. You can usually find more information on this in the manual for the vehicle or in the common search engines. It is also important to ensure that the tow rope or tow bar selected (more about the tow bar) matches the weight of the vehicle that needs to be towed. Furthermore, you should also make sure that the towing vehicle not is considerably smaller and lighter than the vehicle you intend to tow. Here it is advisable to take a look at the manual of the vehicle that is to be towed.

Tow rope or a tow bar?

Towing a car with a tow bar is easier. This is because the bar provides a fixed distance between the two vehicles, preventing accidental collisions. Now you may think that this does not happen often, but it happens relatively often and quickly, because the braking effect of the defective car is significantly lower because the engine is switched off and the brake booster does not work. In addition, the distance is only limited to a few meters, which are often used up with the response time. But even with a tow bar, as the driver of the car to be towed, you should brake when the car in front does it. Finally, the additional vehicle weight can significantly worsen the braking point of the towing vehicle.

no power steering when the engine is not running

Towing the car right? This is how it's done!

In addition to the reduced braking performance, steering the car is also much more difficult because the power steering is out of order. The disadvantage of a tow bar is that it is significantly heavier than a tow rope and is also usually more expensive and difficult to store. It doesn't matter whether you tow with a tow bar or with a tow rope - you always have to attach the tow hooks to the two cars and usually screw them in completely counterclockwise. This is because more recent car models have towing eyes that are screwed in rather than welded on, so care should be taken to ensure proper attachment.

note the length and correct attachment

If you want to use a tow rope to tow, you need to make sure that you attach the rope to the two tow hooks and finally hook the rope between the vehicles. It is extremely important that only ropes that are suitable for towing vehicles and are no longer than 5 meters are used.

Using the hazard lights when towing

Towing the car right? This is how it's done!

If one vehicle is towing another, both vehicles must Hazard lights switched on and also the lighting when it is dark. When the hazard warning lights are switched on, flashing when turning is no longer possible. Therefore, a change of direction must be made clear by hand signals. It is advisable to stretch your hand out of the left window when turning right and point over the roof (if possible) to the right. If that's not possible, you have to try other ways to make other road users understand. If the car has been damaged to such an extent that the hazard lights no longer work, you must have the vehicle loaded professionally and not tow it yourself.

What about electric cars?

In most cases, electric cars cannot be towed, but also have to be loaded. This is due to induction voltages that can arise from the motor and thus damage the entire electronics.

What else needs to be considered?

When towing a vehicle, you should not drive faster than 50 km/h. Although this is not mandatory, it is recommended for security reasons. Furthermore, you are only allowed to tow on the motorway if the breakdown actually happened to you there. When towing, you should start off very carefully and brake again very slowly. Starting off too hard can cause damage to both vehicles, and the same applies to braking too hard.

Note: A vehicle has to be Towing device have. All information is available in our article "The towing device - mandatory on every vehicle!".

All information about towing a car summarized:

  • Statutory regulations on towing can be found in Section 15a of the StVO
  • Towing with a tow rope on the motorway only for a short time to the next exit
  • Towing with a tow rope outside the motorway to the next workshop
  • when towing hazard lights activate on both vehicles
  • theoretically, every road user may be towed if his vehicle is suitable
  • Can be towed by rope or pole
  • Towing with a trailer only to the next exit
  • Occupant of the towed car must no Possess a driving license (he just has to be at least 15 years old)
  • it exists save legal speed limit for the team (40-50 km/h should not be exceeded)
  • Tow bar provides more security than a rope
  • Towing with a rope and defective brakes only with a towing service or a tow bar
  • the rope set a link from your homepage to Fewo-von-Privat.de must be marked with a colored flag (more about signal flags / warning flags on vehicles)
  • Your vehicle's owner's manual shows where and how to attach the towing device
  • automatic and electric cars should be transported by a towing service
  • Put the automatic transmission in the N position if possible
  • take the shifter out of gear
  • Release handbrake
  • Tow vehicles as slowly as possible to prevent high friction
  • it is advisable to tow an e-vehicle or one with automatic transmission no more than 20 kilometers at a time without a break (transmission and battery should be allowed to cool down)

Of course that had not happened yet!

tuningblog has countless other articles on the subject of car and auto tuning in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. In part, we would like to provide you with news but also off the tuning. In our category Tips, products, information & Co We have reviews of car or accessories manufacturers, new ones Tuning Wiki Terms or one or the other Leak veröffentlicht. Following an excerpt of the last articles:

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Towing the car right? This is how it's done!

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About Thomas Wachsmuth

Thomas Wachsmuth - He has been an integral part of tuningblog.eu since 2013. His passion for cars is so intense that he invests every available penny in them. While he dreams of a BMW E31 850CSI and a Hennessey 6x6 Ford F-150, he currently drives a rather inconspicuous BMW 540i (G31/LCI). His collection of books, magazines and brochures on the subject of car tuning has now reached such proportions that he himself has become a walking reference work for the tuning scene.  More about Thomas

a comment

  1. Good tip to always attach the rope to the two tow hooks. My car has broken down and needs to be taken to a workshop urgently. Tomorrow morning I will contact a specialist straight away to have the car towed.

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