[Stewie]

I noticed that our manuals say that we should not tow our cars, then how are we supposed to move the car in case of an accident?

Telekinesis? :cursing 1::cursing 1:

 

[alextheGOAT]

I'd imagine loading it on a flatbed. Usually, they say that when the vehicle is AWD, so that it doesn't mess up the transaxle.

To pull it out of a ditch, I'm sure you could put the car in neutral and pull it out via the tow hook on the front or back.

They just don't want you dragging the axle(s) that the transmission is connected to across the ground.

 

[Bamboomanage]

This is probably a stupid question, but wanted to ask anyway. Do all tow hooks have the same thread count? More of what I am asking, are all tow hooks the same? This leads to the last question, do most tow trucks carry the potential universal tow hook?
I know most cars that I have seen in PA do not have a tow hook. I have heard that most of them get removed when the vehicles are imported. I do not know any of this for certain, just what I have heard.

 

[arathol]

Nowhere does it say that you can't tow the car. 7-21 outlines the proper way to tow the car if needed.
The so called " tow hooks" are not tow hooks, thats why most cars don't come with them. They are tie downs used to secure the car during transport. Using the hook to tow the car can damage the car. RTFM......
The towing that Mazda says you are not supposed to do -

• Flat towing - don't tow the car with all four wheels on the ground
• towing a trailer- The manual says "Never tow a trailer with your Mazda"

 

[Stewie]

Nowhere does it say that you can't tow the car. 7-21 outlines the proper way to tow the car if needed.
The so called " tow hooks" are not tow hooks, thats why most cars don't come with them. They are tie downs used to secure the car during transport. Using the hook to tow the car can damage the car. RTFM......
The towing that Mazda says you are not supposed to do -

• Flat towing - don't tow the car with all four wheels on the ground
• towing a trailer- The manual says "Never tow a trailer with your Mazda"

Haven't answered the question, how do you get it out of the ditch without making use of the "tow hook".

How will you get it on the truck with a dead engine? COMMON SENSE ISN'T VERY COMMON...

 

[arathol]

Haven't answered the question, how do you get it out of the ditch without making use of the "tow hook".

How will you get it on the truck with a dead engine? COMMON SENSE ISN'T VERY COMMON...

Almost every tow truck I have seen has at least one very long cable, means to attach the cable to the car, a winch that the cable is attached to, and some even have arms that extend for use as a crane. Common sense says the tow truck operator should know how to do it.
Flat bed trucks have winches too, thats common sense, and the operator should know how to winch it up onto the truck. Its not a hard thing to figure out.

 

[M3Nitro]

I noticed that our manuals say that we should not tow our cars, then how are we supposed to move the car in case of an accident?

Telekinesis? :cursing 1::cursing 1:

Well not really Telekinesis....but there is another way!

:laugh2:

 

[MeteorGray]

How do I get those 24 seconds back? :=)

 

[BRashland]

(I purchased my car used) So what's with the tow-hook indentation in the styrofoam (bottom right)? Did they not originally come with them? What am I missing on the left indention?

 

[rtware923]

(I purchased my car used) So what's with the tow-hook indentation in the styrofoam (bottom right)? Did they not originally come with them? What am I missing on the left indention?

IIRC this is meant to be a tie down hook not a tow hook

The difference being a tie down hook should not have a live load stressed on it by pulling it out of a ditch. The threads are not designed for that. It is designed to simply help hold the car in place while traveling with it on a trailer.

 

[BRashland]

(edited)

 

[rtware923]

@BRashland IIRC that is where my lug wrench is? Are you missing yours? Might want to check before you need it!!