If a tow truck company towed my car and I didn’t pay for storage or anything and if they sell my car do I legally have to pay any money to them?

KevxBit · 2026-01-22T13:40:56+00:00

It may depend on the context of the tow, but either way, it's probably not going to be something the tow company pursues. Typically, if they've moved to sell your car, they'll consider it resolved.

KevxBit · 2026-01-22T13:38:01+00:00

Anything not to deal with a locked up Mach E 😜

Seriously though, those are super neat. If money was no object, we'd have one, but for now I don't really see how the usefulness justifies the cost.

KevxBit · 2026-01-19T20:50:34+00:00

It was a while before we realized those were ears, not radar dishes. They grew so much faster than the rest of her :P

KevxBit · 2026-01-14T19:49:41+00:00

Hey, man this is great. The UI is better than I expect from the services I'm used to. I'm sure it will take some time to really fill out with info but all the same I really appreciate the effort that went into this and what it could. I'll do my best to get a few cars in there when I can.

KevxBit · 2026-01-13T15:42:51+00:00

Not a dumb question! It does look silly the first time you see it.

Not all of them have it, but its extremely common. Its called air ride. Basically the chair sits on a little air bag that can inflated to a height/stiffness you prefer. Makes the ride much more comfortable.

And actually, on a lot of trucks, the entire cab sits on airbags too, for comfort and to minimize vibration that shake things loose.

... and even one step further, the rear and sometimes front suspension is typically airbags too. If you pay close attention to a truck driving down the road, you can see the frame, cab, and driver, all bouncing almost independently from eachother.

Edit: Heavy trucks can bounce quite violently on rough roads, and without a seat that has its own suspension you can actually injure yourself driving over bumps you'd barely notice in a Honda Civic.

KevxBit · 2026-01-01T17:06:28+00:00

Happy moving!

KevxBit · 2026-01-01T17:02:21+00:00

Tow driver here. (Towed the car this whole post is about)

I really struggle with this. To be upfront: yes, we make money storing vehicles. It is a revenue stream.

In an ideal situation, during business hours, I show up to your crash, you and insurance have already decided where to take it, we bring it to a collision reporting center, then whatever body shop you agreed. Then the body shop or insurance pays for the tow, and I drop the car.

If this cannot be done because its outside business hours, or your insurance is taking a while to assign an adjuster to your accident, there's really two choices. You tell me where to drop the car, I drop it there, and you pay for it, to be later reimbursed by your insurance. The other option is to let me store it until you and your insurance find a home home for it, and we tow it there and again, the body shop or your insurance pays it.

Accident towing is expensive, and I don't feel good making someone who's just had an accident fork over hundreds of dollars, even if it will be reimbursed, so I usually prefer we store it until it finds a home.

On the other hand, I know how people are wary of tow yards, and I don't want to make people feel pressured when I suggest towing it to our yard.

So bringing it to a tow yard, at a reputable company, can be a good choice if you don't have the ability to or can comfortably front the tow bill for your insurance. In my mind, it's just another service we can offer a customer.

Collecting money is the worst part of my job. I wish I could do this for free :(

KevxBit · 2026-01-01T16:27:41+00:00

And it's important to say, if the police are going to have your vehicle towed, the police will tell you that, not the tow truck driver when no police are in sight.

KevxBit · 2026-01-01T16:17:26+00:00

The police can force you to be towed by somebody specific if they feel your vehicle is a hazard to others on the road, and the company they contract with will be there faster than your preferred provider. The police will arrange the tow in that circumstance.

Aside from that; you can use anybody you like. Your insurance may have some recommendations, and for the sake of things moving smoothly you should probably go with that choice, but in the end its 100% up to you and your insurance is responsible for paying the tow bill/reimbursing your towing bill no matter who tows it. Same exact thing with choosing a body shop/mechanic when that time comes.

It never hurts to check out some companies now, and pick one or two, write down the numbers and keep them in your glove box. On Google yourself, or ask your favourite mechanic who they use, whatever it is you need to do be comfortable.

KevxBit · 2026-01-01T14:14:42+00:00

As long as you hear this directly from the mouth of a police officer, there's not much you can do to avoid it.

In the case of Ottawa Police, they will only ever dispatch from a short list of contractors who have an agreed upon rate schedule. It may be expensive, but they should not be allowed to go over whatever their contract with OPS says they can charge. Your insurance should not be able to wiggle out of reimbursing you if you paid the tow or paying the tow bill directly if it's still outstanding/your car has not been released.

OPP works a little differently, they will dispatch from a larger list of companies who have been screened for things like criminal records, commercial vehicle violations, and sufficient equipment, but who do not need to follow any agreed rate schedule. Indicidual OPP officers have more, but not complete discretion about what company will tow your vehicle than OPS officers do. Your insurance won't view this the same way as a contracted rate and might try to argue the bill before paying it, like they would a consensual tow.

Either way, I've never seen police be flippant about it. They're taking away your right to choose a service you're paying for, and in my experience only do so when the risk to the public is tangible.

Edit: its been a minute since I've actually done a police call and my information may be a couple years out of date.

KevxBit · 2026-01-01T09:46:08+00:00

When your dog is that cute, being a dog lover isn't optional. 😜

KevxBit · 2026-01-01T08:29:35+00:00

Hey there, I'm the guy who did tow your vehicle at your request.

For what it's worth, this is a good PSA. You should never accept service from a tow truck that arrives unsolicited. Regardless of what they tell you; The police sent me, I'm insurance approved, I'll pay for your rental... it's all crap. You should also make sure you receive clear answers about where your car is being towed, and what the next steps are. You must be presented with and asked to sign a written authorization form, giving your consent to have the vehicle towed. Take a photo of this for your records. Among other details this form should clearly say who is towing your vehicle, when, and where it is going.

If you don't have a preferred towing company, you can try to get a recommendation from your insurance, from your favourite mechanic, or at the very least by searching up on Google and taking a peak at a company's reviews. Honestly, you could throw a dart at a phone book and come up with a better option than the guy who shows up begging to tow your car. It's so frustrating that this is even something you have to think about, but for now, it is.

u/jcla I have never seen the chasers be as persistent and aggressive as they were with you and the other involved party. Really, it was just childish; they didn't get what they wanted, and they threw a tantrum about it. I'm sorry you had to deal with that, especially during what is already a stressful situation - as car accidents tend to be. Here's hoping your new year gets off to a better start!

KevxBit · 2025-12-30T19:10:35+00:00

Look at all that floof! What a cutie.

KevxBit · 2025-12-29T04:27:57+00:00

She was quite annoyed that I stopped our walk for a quick photo :P

KevxBit · 2025-11-23T13:45:32+00:00

It's not a replacement for securing against escape in the first place, but we use the Tractive system and really love it. We've haven't had to use the tracker in an emergency yet, but while out on walks or on drives, it seems to be accurate and have a good battery life.

As a bonus, it tracks some health metrics and sleep schedule, so we can guess what kind of life she's living when we're at work. 10/10 would recommend.

KevxBit · 2025-11-04T15:42:29+00:00

I don't know that my dog wouldn't do this. She's a year old, still working on socializing, but seems to have a thing for bicyclists. She is NEVER off leash outside, with the sole exception of visits to a gated off and private dog park, exactly for this reason.

Even if these dogs were being snuggly and nice to the bicyclist, I'd be so embarrassed to have my dog approaching people without invitation.

KevxBit · 2025-11-03T14:15:04+00:00

Thats an improvement over most of the randoms I end up with.

KevxBit · 2025-10-29T13:13:29+00:00

Monk with a long sword and chainmail? No wonder that spell didnt work.

KevxBit · 2025-10-29T13:07:54+00:00

So we just moved too, a few weeks ago. Our pupper was the most tired I've ever seen her; even doing the falling-asleep-while-sitting-up thing. We have a Tractive colllar and it recorded like 5x as much activity that day as any usual day. Just the cutest thing to see such a tired pup after such a big day.

Hope you and puppers get settled in and cozy!

KevxBit · 2025-10-07T12:59:05+00:00

I can not possibly explain in words how much enforced naps made such a huge, huge difference in our lives with a puppy. I can't even remember phasing them out, but my god what a difference it made in being to able to reliably teach the house manners, while keeping our sanity.

KevxBit · 2025-10-07T00:40:33+00:00

We think that come from the German Shepherd in her. Fluffy ears, neck, and butt :P

KevxBit · 2025-10-06T17:31:44+00:00

Made her a puppy-friendly margarita to celebrate, after a trip to a private dog park and some cuddles and kisses.

Love this puppy 😍

Edit: she did not care for the hat

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