BORG Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 Yesterday Morning I saw a Montego being hoisted on a flatbed on Rochester Road. There was no damage, but the emergency flashers were on. This is the 2nd time I've seen one of these cars broken down. The first one was a 500 on M-59 in Troy. So what's going on with these things? It's not a good sign when the cars are breaking down on the side of the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Stabb Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 They've been pretty reliable up to this point. Except for the fuel tank strap recall, brake and suspension noises, they are running well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted February 19, 2006 Author Share Posted February 19, 2006 (edited) Initial statistics from JD Power, and the lack of recalls, suggest the 500 is a very solid offering. But when I see two of them dead on the roadside, I can't help buy wonder if this is more than just anecodtal evidence of serious quality problems. There is nothing more humiliating then seeing your new car dead on the back of a tow truck. I saw such a phenomenon again on Friday when a neighbors VERY clean Rendezvous was towed away from their house because it wouldn't start. My guess is that they got it washed down the street, didn't drive it long enough, parked it in the garage, and the lingering moisture made a contact that drained the battery. This happened to my LS once and to my parent's vehicles several times. I'm learning to be careful since I like to wash my car VERY frequently . Edited February 19, 2006 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Who's to say it was anything mechanical-related? Maybe it was out of gas. Maybe it was out of coolant and the owner drove it until it overheated? Maybe the driver pulled over to the shoulder with chest pains and keeled over dead from a heart attack? I've seen plenty of "reliable" cars on shoulders of our highways and on the backs of flatbeds...I'm sure a good number of them weren't there because of manufacturer defects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 Who's to say it was anything mechanical-related? Maybe it was out of gas. Maybe it was out of coolant and the owner drove it until it overheated? Maybe the driver pulled over to the shoulder with chest pains and keeled over dead from a heart attack? I've seen plenty of "reliable" cars on shoulders of our highways and on the backs of flatbeds...I'm sure a good number of them weren't there because of manufacturer defects. In any of those cases, towing would not have been neccessary. Your car has to be really dead before people are going to pay for it to be hoisted on a flatbed and carted around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 In any of those cases, towing would not have been neccessary. Your car has to be really dead before people are going to pay for it to be hoisted on a flatbed and carted around Not really. I see people having their cars towed simply for a flat tire. You still can't assume that every car on a flatbed is there because of some catastrophic mechanical failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Maybe it got Re-Po'ed. Back up claims with facts, not guesses. "I saw one on a flat baed, therefore these cars must be junk"?? Not enough data, do some more homework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 I believe I did mention this was happening on the side of a busy roadway? I can't imagine it's legal to repo a car while still on the road . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Okay...so you saw one being loaded on to a flatbed. Did you ask the owner if he ever changed the oil? Maybe it was 30,000 miles from his last change. Again...you can't assume it was broken down due to some fault by the manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 In any of those cases, towing would not have been neccessary. Your car has to be really dead before people are going to pay for it to be hoisted on a flatbed and carted around AAA my friend. "I need a tow" with no questions asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 Okay...so you saw one being loaded on to a flatbed. Did you ask the owner if he ever changed the oil? Maybe it was 30,000 miles from his last change. Again...you can't assume it was broken down due to some fault by the manufacturer. Now you're really reaching. I'm talking about two fairly new vehicles here. I rarely see brokedown vehicles by the roadside, let alone new ones. In Detroit it's common to see the odd jalopy abandoned on the roadside with the familiar orange tag on the window. But these are new cars in the burbs. It's not hard to deduce that both suffered mechancial failures that could not be easily fixed on the roadside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRODMOTORS Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 There are many metropolitan cities where if a vehicle is broken down, or on the side of the road for more than an hour it's open game for impounding. There are many reasons as to why the vehicle was on the tow. Shit, I saw a brand new Civic about ready to be hoisted into the bed of a tow truck on I-75 a few months ago. It even had the window sticker on it. :happy feet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 There are tons of internet posts of "I saw X car on tow truck, thus they are all junk" :boring: And many such generalizations are posted by 'Mr B.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomcat68 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 It could have been towed away because of a parking violation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrGarabaldi Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I had talked to some of the people that tow cars for a living and they like to use a flatbed because it causes no damage to a car while transporting, whereas the older chain&strap would damage componants under the car. Most towing and recovery companies have gone over to flatbeds for that reason so to see a car towed on a flatbed can be for a myriad of reasons from broke, out of gas,flat and no spare, ete,ete. Y'all have a good one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Most tow truck drivers I've talked to said they tow Jeep Cherokee's and Chrysler minivans the most. But they also say they have towed just about everything, even Camry's & Accords! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 Did anyone take into consideration Ford's 1-year guarantee with the offer of free towing and all? I could run my Fusion out of gas and have it towed any time I want, if I was really that bored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 What do you think happen to them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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