Hey guys! i need some proffesional opinion how to handle this matter.
I own a Honda Civic EX 98 that was towed a week ago. A receipt states that the car was towed by the front wheels. I picked it up the next day to find out that motor oil was leaking out pretty strong. I contacted the towing company and went to visit my mechanic. The area by the screw in the oil pan was damaged and of course the towing place denied any involvement. I had no leaks previously so i am almost 100% sure they caused it, plus it would have been imposibble for me to drive with such an extensive damage. i filed a claim against the towing company in the small claims court. Iam looking for some proffesioanl advise how i can present my claim better, what proofs i need what to say, e.t.c.
Thaks for your help in advance!!!
Oil pan damage is fairly common with certain wheel lift trucks and certian car combinations. thats why I run a rollback flatbed! Sounds to me like the oil pan came in contact with the wheel lift. Good luck! They should have owned up to it!
Hi Honda,
Welcome to ITOW Talk.
As Transporter mentioned, oil pan damage is possible with a wheel-lift type tow such yours. It's generally caused by the operator not closing the wheel-lift openings enough thereby carrying the car too low, and too close to crossbar to allow for suspension travel.
This damage can readily be identified by a lateral crease or dent across the entire bottom of the oil pan where the cars suspension allowed it to come down and impact the crossbar.
As far as proving the case, I would first ask the towing company to hook your vehicle up again and see if the crossbar is directly below the damaged area, and take pictures.
If that's not possible, I would get good clear pictures of the damage so you can articulate your theory of how it happened to the judge.
This type of damage is so prevalent that manufactures have made changes on new wheel-lifts to help prevent it, and there are even add-on products. http://www.panpillow.com/index.htm
Good luck.