TCKeyz

Hi all, so the title pretty much explains everything. My car just got into an accident (first time ever letting others drive my car), I will go into the accident later. But it was around 12 midnight, and after the accident the right front wheel came off and the car was towed to the shop with the rear wheels dragging on the ground with no dollies.

Needless to say I was furius when i found out about it! I wasnt at the scene and it was too late when I found out, the car was already on its way. Anyways it's a GS450h and it has the CVT transmission, I am concerned that it may have put too much strain on the transmission and may cause problems.

So for all you experts, what's your thought on this? And what should I tell the person at the shop to look at / check?

Thanks! And everyone is fine so that's the most important!

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

Not sure, sounds like the tow company screwed your rear wheels up, not sure what the damage would be, you may need to have Lexus check that. Since its a CVT not sure there is much worry as its just a belt transferring over in two gears. What year is it. So they dragged the tires rubber rubbing not even in neutral even though the traction battery doesn't like that it would have been better.

TCKeyz

I will need to check but I am quite sure they did put the car in neutral, or else they wouldn't have been able to reach the destination (40ish km) driving on highway speed. It's a 2007. I just heard that the wheels with the power going into shouldn't be rolling on the ground since it puts too much strain on the drive shaft and transmission. But what I'm not this car has CVT, so not sure if that makes the situation better or worst.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

Yes this is true but most likely you will have to get it checked at a dealership, it should be good. The traction battery doesn't like it. Next time make sure they flatbed it.

chuckGS350

For your RWD, since the front wheels are not available they should have put your rear wheels on the dolly.
For AWD, all 4 wheels must be off the ground.
Your manual should show how to tow your car. My GS430/350 manual says "Never two this vehicle from the front with the rear wheels on the ground or serious damage to the transmission".
Your GS450h could be different. Check your maunal.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5868902_tow-...drive-car.html

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

I would send an email to the tow yard manager, stating your situation and that if your vehicle has any driveline damage they are at fault. Can you prove the car was towed with the rear wheels on the ground?

TCKeyz

Thanks everyone! I made sure they flatbed it when they towed it from their yard to the shop.

I checked the online Lexus manual and it stated "The GS450h is a rear drive vehicle and it must be towed with the rear wheels off the ground. Failure to do so may cause serious damage to the Hybrid Synergy Drive system" and "If a tow truck is not available, in an emergency the vehicle may be temporarily towed using a cable or chain secured to the emergency towing eyelet. This should only be attempted on hard, paved roads for SHORT distances at LOW speeds"

Other than that, it does not mention anything else with the rear wheels on the ground, so I guess I'll have to get it checked out once the damage from the accident is fixed from the shop. "Fingers crossed".

I did have pics of the car getting put onto the tow truck, but it only got the front half. Not sure if that could prove anything.

lucasb7

Unfortunately your transmission was very likely damaged. At the very least it was taken outside of its design specifications and limitations.

The planetary gearbox that acts as the eCVT in the GS450h is not actually able to decouple the engine from the wheels. What it does instead is turn MG1 backwards as MG2 goes forwards to keep the engine from turning. The problem is that the way it is geared the car cannot perform this beyond ~42 miles per hour. Above this range MG1 goes past its speed limitation because the car isn't able to start the engine voluntarily in neutral. You can visually see what is happening by moving the left (MG2, directly connected to the wheels) slider up as far as you can with the ICE at 0 RPM until the line turns red. http://eahart.com/prius/psd/

With any luck they didn't go over 40 or it wasn't actually damaged but was likely taken outside of its design limitations. Hope that helps and the towing company does the right thing here.

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

Either way I wouldn't stress things over until the vehicle is repaired, I woudn't worry about it unless you see damages.

TCKeyz

Thanks again guys! I have contacted the insurance and the towing company, there is nothing I can do as of right now until the car gets fixed, then I will bring it to Lexus to get it checked out.

On a side note, the estimated repair will be $14,000 and 3 weeks the driver at the time walked out like nothing happened, so glad that this car is made to save lives! Again, could've been worst.

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

Important thing is you are alright!

hacker_720

Why is Lexus not fixing it? They should be the only people working on a GS450h. Just take it to them and let them fix anything that is not prefect.

anthrax144

Lexus dealerships are not typically body shops. I can't imagine Lexus would do anything other than contract most of the work out anyhow. None of the Lexus dealerships around me have paint booths so obviously that's out of the question. Personally, I'd rather take my car to a reputable body shop where they deal with these things on a daily basis. As the OP said, if there are still issues, you can always take it to Lexus to investigate and it should be covered under the original insurance claim.

Stormforge

Sorry to hear about the accident Terry! PM me to discuss if you want.