Towing FAQ’s

Towing FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Find answers to common questions and inquiries made of the towing industry. Find answers to all your general questions as well as very specific questions.

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general Towing FAQs

Generalized questions about towing and towing services. Questions for All Roadside Towing FAQs.

Private Property Impound Questions

Questions about Private Property Impounds. Was your car impounded? Do you have a property that needs vehicles impounded?

Towing San Diego will jumpstart your vehicles dead battery.

Roadside Service Questions

Do you have questions regarding roadside assistance? Does your question pertain to dead battery jump starts, tire changes, locked doors (lockouts), fuel delivery, or winch outs.

Specialized Tow Flatbed / Wrecker Towing FAQs

These are specific questions that deal with more narrowly focused aspects of towing.

The Questions…

You can check here to see if we impounded your vehicle. You will need to provide either your License Plate Number or VIN Number. If your vehicle is not in our database, then we don’t have it. You can check the San Diego Police Department Impounds, by clicking here! Remember there are 100’s of towing companies San Diego CA.

If you didn’t find your vehicle in either database, then call your local law enforcement non-emergency number and file a missing (stolen) vehicle report.

There are 4 things you must bring, no excuses, and no exceptions… Please Don’t Ask!

  1. Government Issued I.D. – can be drivers license, military I.D., passport or passport card. If you do not have. a drivers license, you must bring a licensed driver with you.
  2. Current Registration in your name. If you do not have registration you may bring in the pink slip (title). We do not accept anything else.
  3. Proof of Insurance
  4. Payment – We accept Cash, Major Credit Cards, Zelle, Paypal, Venmo, and ApplePay. We prefer cash, if you use another form of payment there will be a 5% transaction fee.
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frequently Asked Questions, specific to All Roadside Towing FAQs San Diego

All Roadside Towing is a full service San Diego Towing Company and Roadside Assistance Provider for all your towing and roadside assistance needs.

On the Towing San Diego side we provide emergency towing, flatbed, wrecker, light duty, medium duty, private property impounds, fleet services, equipment relocation, vehicle transport, shipping container delivery, and more.

On the Roadside Assistance side we offer; vehicle recovery, winch-outs, dead battery jump start and replacement, lockouts, fuel delivery, flat tire changes, and emergency accident towing.   Contact All Roadside Towing FAQs for more details.

We are located at:
6215 Fairmount Avenue, San Diego CA 92120
Contact Information:
(619) 228-7888
[email protected]
Vehicle Release – Impounds:
8am-5pm – Monday – Friday
Towing Hours of Operations:
6am -11pm – 7 days per week

Yes, as a Towing Company San Diego, we are required by law to carry insurance. Legitimate companies will have full insurance coverage for everything with roadside towing. This includes the operation of machinery while undertaking the loading and unloading process. It includes impounded vehicle storage.  We also have complete public liability insurance.

Towing FAQs for All Roadside Towing
Towing FAQs for All Roadside Towing

Private Property Impound Towing FAQs

If you have any questions about private property impounds….?

No, the person requesting the tow does not get charged.

All Roadside Towing FAQs has only asked for a fee from the person calling in the tow a few times in our history. It was when we got called to pick up a vehicle that had been abandoned and stripped. No wheels and tires, no motor, all the glass broken, etc. Then I have to pay to lien it, store it for 30 days, and most likely pay to dispose of the vehicle.

That’s happened maybe 2-3 times in our 12 year history. Normally, only the registered owner is responsible for the towing and storage bill. However, you can be held liable, civilly, in court, if there is validity concerns. Of course, if there are any validity concerns we won’t tow the vehicle because we could be held liable as well. A towing company that removes a vehicle from private property in compliance with subdivision (l) is not responsible in a situation relating to the validity of the removal.

The driver tried to charge me to return my car… isn’t that illegal? It’s not illegal, this is commonly refereed to as a drop fee, but only if the vehicle being towed is already attached to the tow truck. This means that if it’s going to be loaded onto a flat bed tow truck the winch cable is attached to the hooks and the hooks are already set in place. There should be tension in the winch cable too.

If the tow truck faqs taking your car is a wheel lift tow truck that means the vehicle needs to be hooked with the claws and lifted off the ground. Be careful, while you’re there trying to convince the operator to drop your car.  He’s probably finishing the hookup so he can charge you the drop fee. Come armed with the camera ready and take a bunch of shots before you start arguing price or legitimacy of the tow. If you’re hooked, then they can charge you 1/2 of the tow rate.

In San Diego tow rates will be between $220-$330 – so expect to pay $110-$165. Some companies charge hourly for private property towing. It’s possible that while you’re yelling at the tow operator your price is going up.

Remember this… they cannot take your vehicle if you are present. You have to give them permission to take the vehicle. Whether that is stated, written, or implied… we can’t hook a car with the owner standing there. Per CVC 22658, a towing FAQs company may impose a charge of not more than one-half of the regular towing charge. For the towing of a vehicle at the request of the owner, the owner’s agent, or the person in lawful possession of the private property pursuant to this section. If the owner of the vehicle or the vehicle owner’s agent returns to the vehicle after the vehicle is coupled to the tow truck by means of… and before it is removed from the private property.

This is a grey area for Private Property Towing FAQs (PPT). CVC 22658(i)

(1) A charge for towing FAQs or storage, or both, of a vehicle under this section is excessive if the charge exceeds the greater of the following:

That which would have been charged for that towing FAQs or storage, or both, made at the request of a law enforcement agency under an agreement between a towing company and the law enforcement agency that exercises primary jurisdiction in the city in which is located the private property from which the vehicle was, or was attempted to be, removed,

(2) or if the private property is not located within a city, then the law enforcement agency that exercises primary jurisdiction in the county in which the private property is located. That which would have been charged for that towing or storage, or both, under the rate approved for that towing operator by the California Highway Patrol for the jurisdiction in which the private property is located and from which the vehicle was, or was attempted to be, removed. Exceeds the greater of the following This seems as if it were stating whichever is the highest of the two, would be the highest a tow company could charge.

The reality is that an impounded vehicle will cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $340-$500 to recover. Unfortunately, the San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriffs, and California Highway Patrol all have different rates. They even have multiple rates in the same area/region. So figuring out what is excessive will be difficult. But anything over $500 in a 24 hour period is excessive. Daily storage fees over $75 per day are excessive. Under an agreement between a towing FAQs company” This statement is vague.

What if the company does not tow for any law enforcement agencies? Because of this, many companies have chosen to conform to C.H.P. rates, or have followed similar tow companies rates. Unfortunately CHP does not disclose their towing rates This law is open to interpretation, and we recommend seeking council if you plan on pursuing a company for overcharging.

Yes and No – Yeås, if you’re multi-family property adheres to certain guidelines:

  • the property has approved signs posted at all of the entrances or,
  • a parking citation has been issued for at least 96 hours or,
  • the vehicle lacks certain components that would allow for safe passage on the highway (ie. broken windshield, missing tires, heavy accident damage, etc.)

or

  • it is not a multi-family property but rather a single family residence. With that said communities such as, apartment complexes, H.O.A.’s, commercial properties, etc. may very well have contracts with a tow company.

If you have towing signs posted, they’re will be a company name at the bottom with a direct number to a tow company. If that’s the case then call the company on the sign.

All Roadside Towing FAQs patrols a number of communities. Our agreements with these communities vary, some of the communities want us to respond to tenants / residents, some of the communities want us to only respond to calls from property managers, property owners, security, maintenance, etc. but not tenants. A quick call to the property manager or towing company will inform you of what the agreement is seIf there are no tow company names or no signs, then you should contact the property owner or managers. Most tow companies that operate with integrity, will not accept calls from a tenant/resident living on a property they do not have contracted. Chances are the requirements for towing have not been satisfied and they could be legally liable for the tow.

No, if the above requirements aren’t satisfied.

Commercial towing FAQs companies in California are required to carry several permits from multiple operating authorities. They are subject to laws and regulations specifically set by:

  • The Federal Government through the Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) The DOT has a subdivision the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (F.M.C.S.A.) that issues an operating permit which is reviewed annually and updated bi-annually. The permit # is required to be displayed on the tow truck as evidence that the tow operator has met all FMCSA requirements.
  • California Transportation Department (Caltrans) – also issues an authorization / permit which must be acquired from the California Highway Patrol. This permit number must also be displayed and is often called the CA #.
  • California Department of Motor Vehicles (D.M.V.) – will also issue a permit, known as the Motor Carrier Permit (M.C.P.) which allows you to be a carrier of commercial goods in California. This permit is issued once. If you cross state lines with your cargo you must also have a Motor Carrier permit (M.C.)
  • Local Jurisdictions may have additional requirements for tow trucks operating in their areas.
  • Insurance companies will also have requirements from their insured tow truck operations.

All complaints go through the local Police, Sheriff or CHP office. You should have received a notice. At the bottom of all our invoices and receipts is the number for local law enforcement in charge of our region. You should also contact the Better Business Bureau.

CVC 22658(L)(1)(c)(iii) The towing company shall also provide to the vehicle owner or the agent a separate notice that provides the telephone number of the appropriate local law enforcement or prosecuting agency by stating “If you believe that you have been wrongfully towed, please contact the local law enforcement or prosecuting agency at [insert appropriate telephone number].” The notice shall be in English and in the most populous language, other than English, that is spoken in the jurisdiction.

CVC 22658(f) …A towing company that removes a vehicle from private property in compliance with subdivision (l) is not responsible in a situation relating to the validity of the removal.

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Roadside Service & Towing FAQs:

Lockout Service

A car lockout service near me is when a person locks their keys in their vehicle. The car door locked out. They are essentially “locked out” of their car or truck. They may have a couple a few options, but the cheapest and quickest is to call a tow company like All Roadside Towing FAQs and Ask for Roadside Assistance.

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All Roadside Towing FAQs is fast. A traditional car lockout, takes about 5 minutes. Our highly trained professionals can open most cars quickly and easily. If your car has a more complex security system, it may take a few minutes longer.

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No. All Roadside Towing FAQs and most professionals take extra care and caution to prevent unnecessary damage to the vehicle.

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Very carefully! Tow Companies… Roadside Assistance providers have an assortment of tools to help unlock doors. The traditional method was to use a ”slim jim.” Slim Jim’s are thin strips of metal that slide between the window and door of your car. With a Slim Jim you can hook the locking mechanism with the thin metal strip, then lift it to release the lock.

More traditional methods nowadays involve a wedge, long reach tool, and inflatable bladder. The wedge is used to create some space (a gap) between your passenger door and the frame of your vehicle. The air bladder is inserted into that gap and partially inflated to keep the gap open. Then the long reach tool can be used through the gap to pull a door handle open, push the unlock button, or even lVery carefully! Tow Companies… Roadside Assistance providers have an assortment of tools to help unlock doors. The traditional method was to use a ”slim jim.” Slim Jim’s are thin strips of metal that slide between the window and door of your car. With a Slim Jim you can hook the locking mechanism with the thin metal strip, then lift it to release the lock.

More traditional methods nowadays involve a wedge, long reach tool, and inflatable bladder. The wedge is used to create some space (a gap) between your passenger door and the frame of your vehicle. The air bladder is inserted into that gap and partially inflated to keep the gap open. Then the long reach tool can be used through the gap to pull a door handle open, push the unlock button, or even lift the locking mechanism.

Most roadside assistance plans, motor clubs, and some insurances may cover car lockouts. The difficulty with those services is that you may wait a long time for the provider to show up. That’s one of the benefits of calling All Roadside Towing FAQs.

We have long standing relationships with all the motor clubs, roadside assistance programs, and insurance companies. They will reimburse you 100% for any invoice with our name on it.

Tire Change Service

  • Never change a tire in the roadway especially when there’s traffic. If there is a shoulder for the emergency lane move over to the shoulder as far as possible. Be careful if your flat is on the drivers side, you don’t want to have your back facing oncoming traffic. If there is no shoulder drive to the nearest exit and find a safe place to change your tire. The price to replace a tire or rim is worth less than your life should you be struck by a motorist. Some people may suggest staying in your vehicle buckled up is the safest thing to do. It depends on the situation. You should always try to get your vehicle to the side of the road. If the emergency lane is narrow, or your quite a ways from the next exit, you may have no choice but to stay buckled up in your car until help arrives.
  • Call a tow truck company and get flat tire help. Let them do the flat tire change. A tow truck company like All Roadside Towing FAQs will arrive in a tow truck. If you’re in a precarious position on the roadway, we can tow you to the next exit then do the tire change. All our trucks also have air compressors on board in case your spare tire is flat. We have commercial/industrial grade jacks to lift your car quickly and air ratchets to get the lug nuts on and off quickly. 
  • Never ignore the tire pressure sensor in your car. If your tire pressure indicator light comes on, check your tires immediately. Keeping your tires adequately filled with air minimizes the possibility of the tire going flat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), flat tires are a leading cause of traffic accidents.
  • Never leave your lug nuts too loose. Follow directions provided by your owners manual on how to properly loosen your lug nuts, buy more importantly how to tighten them. If they’re not tight enough you may hear strange noises or experience a “wobble” while driving. If they’re over tightened you run the risk of stripping the studs.
  • Never change a tire on unstable or sloped ground. The jack needs to lift the car high enough to get your flat tire off and the new tire on. If the jack is on sloped, uneven, or unstable ground, you run the risk of the jack slipping and the car falling off.
  • Never, never, never crawl under a car while it’s on a jack. What happens if the jack fails and you’re underneath the vehicle… squish? The jack may fail, slip, etc. You don’t want to have any part of your body underneath a jacked up car, just in case.
  • Never mistakenly put the jack on the plastic part of the frame. You need to make sure your jack is underneath structural steel of the vehicle (ie. the frame). Trying to jack the vehicle up when the jack is under plastic will crack, break, damage the plastic. Worse yet, you may be able to get the car jacked up, but then the plastic breaks when the vehicle is elevated.

Depends on the type of tire and the type of leak. Many newer vehicles do not come with a spare tire, because they ride on “run flat” tires. These tires are filled with different substances that allow them to maintain a certain amount of tire pressure even if the tire is damaged. With run flats you can definitely drive a few miles to the nearest tire shop. Run flat tires are not designed for highway speeds, so it’s best to take side streets to the tire shop.
If it’s a nail or something sharp that’s not piercing the side wall. You’re probably suffering a slow leak. Again the chances are pretty high you’ll be okay driving a few miles to the tire shop. The tire shop can repair tires with minor punctures as long as there are no holes in the side wall. The repairs will normally last for the lifetime of the tire. If the sidewall of the tire is damaged, the best thing to do is replace the tire.

Damage to your vehicle. It starts with the tire deteriorating and beginning to shred. Pieces of shredded tires will likely come off at higher speeds and will damage the quarter panel, fender, wheel well, etc. When the tire is completely shredded it will come off the rim and you’ll destroy your rim. It might also damage brake lines, rotors, suspension, etc. Bottom line, it’s not a good idea!

All Roadside Towing - Towing San Diego does flat tire change and replacement.
All Roadside Towing - Towing San Diego will change your flat fast.
All Roadside Towing Roadside Service tire change

Fuel Delivery Service

That’s a great question and a difficult one to answer. There are so many Roadside Assistance Providers and packages available from motor clubs, insurance companies, car manufacturers, and apps you can download. Who do you call? The easy answer is find a company / package that is 1. affordable, 2. reliable. 3. convenient, 4. offers the services you need.

Without going into all the dirty details there is a common truth among all these providers. None of them have their own fleets to provide gas when you run out. All of them subcontract to local service providers – namely tow truck companies.
The best provider of fuel delivery, when you run out is your local tow truck company, like All Roadside Towing FAQs in San Diego. Calling the tow truck company directly assures you much faster service. You are essentially cutting out the middle man. The motor clubs, insurance companies, etc. are going to call us anyway.
Trust me, it’s easier to call a local tow truck company, who is initimately familiar with the location you ran out of gas in, than it is to call your insurance company or motor club who probably outsourced their call centers over seas.
Plus, they will call us anyway, but there will be a gap between when you call and when they dispatch the service to us. A tow truck company will charge you for the service. But if you call a reputable tow company, they will provide you with an itemized invoice that you can supply to your motor club, insurance company, manufacturer, etc. for reimbursement.
When All Roadside Towing FAQs customers submit their invoices for reimbursement they almost always get 100% reimbursed, because we charge a fair rate and provide a quality service.

Not on a modern car. The design of most engines have built in safeties to prevent damage based on running out of gas. If you consistently run out of gas you may eventually cause damage to your engine. When you’re out of gas the vacuum pressure that normally draws fuel out of the gas tank may draw in debris that’s settled to the bottom of the tank. But that would take 10’s or even 100’s of running out of gas events before it became a problem.

The short answer is no! Local law enforcement has more important things to do than rescue stranded motorists. At the same time, if you feel that your safety is in immediate peril it may make sense. If you ran out of gas in the middle of the freeway and can’t get to the shoulder, by all means call local highway patrol. Perhaps you ran out of gas in what you believe is a dangerous neighborhood at night. It might make sense to call the local police department.

If your car runs out of gas on the highway there’s a couple of things you should do. First get your vehicle to the side of the road as quickly as possible. Get over on the emergency lane as far as you can go, so your vehicle is not in the way of traffic. Get somewhere safe and then call for help. You can always call a local tow truck company like All Roadside Towing FAQs who will generally provide you with a couple gallons of fuel to get you to the next gas station.
If you have Roadside Assistance fuel delivery, either through a motorclub, your car insurance, or vehicle manufacturer, you can call their number to get a tow company dispatched to you. If you have friends or family members nearby you can always call them. Ask them to bring you a container of gas, or pick you up to go buy a container of fuel.
As mentioned above it’s never a good idea to hitch hike to the nearest gas station. Walking along the side of the freeway is also not a good idea.

Most cars will start right up after you pour some fuel into the fuel tank. It might take a couple of seconds longer as the starter needs to build some pressure to start drawing fuel again… but this would only take a couple of seconds.
If you want to be on the safe side, you can turn the key to the accessory setting first, which will provide power to your starter to circulate some fuel through the engine. You can also step on the gas pedal a few times which will also circulate fuel through the engine.

Pointed questions Flatbed / Wrecker
towing FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some more direct questions about towing FAQs; the difference between flatbeds and wreckers, fleet vehicle towing, etc.

A rollback tow truck is the same as a flatbed tow truck. Technically a rollback allows the bed / deck to lower up and down to meet the vehicle on the ground, while a flatbed has a fixed bed. But in laymen terms and in terms of common vernacular in the industry, they are one and the same.

A flatbed tow truck is normally called a flatbed. Within the trucking / tow industry, it’s actually called a rollback. That’s because the deck / bed of the truck is hydraulically actuated and lowers or raises as well as extends via controls. It’s almost as if the deck is “rolling” of the chassis to the ground. This makes it easier on the winch to pull the vehicle onto the bed.

There are several reasons why using a flatbed tow truck is beneficial. Flatbeds reduce the risk of damage to towed vehicles. The towed vehicle is strapped to the bed of the flatbed and piggybacks on the flatbed. 
At no time during the tow do the wheels touch the ground. They do not obstruct vision while driving and they have a wider wheelbase than regular tow trucks allowing them to haul heavier weights.

Flatbed tow trucks can be used for any type of towing. There are instances when flatbeds are preferred if not required. Those instances would include;
– Accident tows – Car accidents, specifically ones that cause major front or rear damage, rip axles off, etc. may be difficult, if not impossible, to tow with a wheel lift and dollies.
– Low vehicles – Low or lowered vehicles that only have a couple inches ground clearance will are difficult to lift with a wheel lift, where the boom must slide under the vehicle and lift it by the tires. Lifting the front or back of a vehicle will lower the opposite side, bringing it closer to the ground.
– All wheel drive vehicles – All 4 tires need to be off the ground during the tow. A wheel lift requires additional equipment dollies that take extra time to install and create additional cost for the customer.
– Long distance tows – flatbed tow trucks get better fuel economy. They don’t take a significant hit on mileage when a vehicle is loaded on the deck.

Wheel lift tow trucks carry cars via the stinger or boom. Those are the retractable arms that will extend out to the vehicles front or rear tires and pick the vehicle up that way. Flatbed tow trucks take the whole vehicle on their bed. They do this by lowering the bed to the vehicle. Pulling the vehicle onto the bed via a winching mechanism. Then raising the bed back onto the tow truck with the disabled vehicle attached.
Wheel lift tow trucks are generally smaller and lighter than flatbeds, making them more maneuverable around town. But wheel lifts also come in larger sizes and can come in sizes much larger than flatbeds, meaning they will haul the heaviest loads as well.
Flatbeds have a wider wheelbase than traditional wheel lifts, allowing them to tow greater weights with less strain on their axles. 
They carry the weight on the bed, which distributes the weight across the entire frame making for a more efficient and easier drive. They also do not require extensive modification to the truck itself, making them more versatile.