Last weekend, I discovered the hard way that cars parked at metered spots on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood get towed after midnight (I have no idea what the public policy behind this is--other than to generate revenue from visitors). As I waited in the long line at the towing yard to get my GX (after paying a $159 towing fee plus the parking ticket), I noticed that cars were being brought in towed on their front axle.

I know the GX's owners manual recommends against towing (suggesting flatbedding). I don't seem to notice any harm done. Does towing really hurt the GX?

 

I'm not a lexus mechanic - but I'd say yes.

 

It has to do damage (maybe not noticeable at this time, but definitely). Most towing companies won't tow a SUV with AWD instead they'll flat bed it. No matter how you slice it, the entire drive train must spin against its will when towed with one axle on the ground.

 

Just a guess, but I would think yes since it is full-time 4WD. I have a friend that had some other full-time 4WD vehicle and single-axle towed it about 600 miles during a move. He had to have some major drivetrain repairs done (I think the entire tranny had to be replaced... I'll have to ask him about it again). His 4WD vehicle (others as well?) had a special "tow mode" that you need to be in that disengages stuff (... a highly technical automobile term). I haven't checked the GX manual to see what it says.

My guess is that if the distance was only a few miles then there probably isn't any significant damage. But it definitely is not good for it.

 

I guess the real question here should be.... Do they tow ALL vehicles on the front axle or was it simply that the only ones YOU PERSONALLY saw were being towed on the front axle? I'd ask them for the records of which vehicle towed your specific car that date (If they are doing service for the city they are suppose to retain such records. Once they identify the truck that towed yours, you can find out if it was a flat bed or via hook. I had a similar issue when they towed my old 740iL. I physically saw them put it on a flat bed but wasn't able to get there before they towed it off. I went to the tow company and asked how they had towed it and which truck was used. They could not provide the informationn so I asked to see the manager. When I pointed out the city code to him, he released my car to me for free (because he could not document it). This may have been a local city law, but I would expect that your city has similar ordanainces. Since you've already paid them, you probably wouldn't be able to get any cash back, but if they keep the records (as they are required to here), you would at least be able to tell what type of tow truck they used. If it's a flatbed, then you don't have any worries... Hope this helps!

 

Knock on wood, never been towed, so don't know what I'm talking about probably, but....

Do you mean they lifted the rear wheels off the ground and let it role on the front wheels?

 

I didn't see my truck being towed, so I don't know exactly how they towed it, but the cars I saw being towed all were lifted from the rear and being towed on their front wheels. I have never seen a car being towed on a flatbed when it's for a parking violation.

The parking brake works on the rear wheels, but when a car (2WD or 4WD) is in park, doesn't that lock the front wheels? If a car is front-wheel-drive with the parking brake on, doesn't that present the same problem as with my 4WD GX? So I don't know how they manage to tow cars without getting inside and disengaging either the transmission or the parking brake. Do they just drag the front wheels and overcome any resistance that the parked transmission has?

I could try to find out how exactly my truck was towed, but I don't think I will since it's really a moot point. They already did it, so I can't reverse anything they've done. Plus, I haven't noticed any damage, so I probably couldn't sue them or anything (fortunately it was only a couple of miles--Sunset/Havenhurst to Santa Monica/Fuller). But it would be nice to know what potential damage there could be, so potentially I could change my parking behavior in the future. E.g., maybe I'll always park without engaging the parking brake, so they could tow on the rear wheels (though on a 4WD truck, does the autotransmission also lock the rear wheels?). Or maybe park in neutral and engage the parking brake. Or don't do anything, if the damage potential isn't that big.

 

The wheels and axles of an AWD vehicle like the GX are connected together through the center differential down the drive shafts and to the axles. If you put the vehicle in Park, that locks the transmission and should lock all 4 wheels. If you place the parking brake on, that locks the rear wheels but because they are connected through the driveshaft, across the center differential, to the front driveshaft and front wheels, those wheels will want to remain fixed as well.

My only question is if the GX's Torsen differential somehow disengages when the vehicle is not on. I suspect it does not disengage.

 

I was reading the manual (I feel like a geek) and it says before towing the car (or moving it against its will) you MUST put the 4WD shifter into N (opposed to H which is for normal driving and L for apocolypse driving {LOL}). That is the lever to the right of the shifter. N is the middle position and otherwise, I assume, it will do some real damage to your GX . I hate the authority people have to tow our cars! And we are probably responsible if they ruin the car!

NOT COOL!

 

Your center diff can be unlocked by placing the shifter into neutral (i think..its the center selection between hi and low).

To answer your question, NEVER EVER TOW A 4X4 OR AWD vehicle w/out placing the wheels on dollies. That will destory the drivetrain. Most of the time, if they have to tow a truck, they will place the front tires on dollies and tow it that way.

It is never a good idea to tow anything bc most of those guys are pretty brutal on the cars and i've known some friends who had their alignment knocked out.

FWIW

 

I enjoy reading my Lexus Owners book from top to bottom when I first get the vehicle. Did it the first night I picked up the 06 GS. I don't catch everything, but I enjoy finding out things about
the car.

Most tow companies will avoid towing AWD vehicles. They can be responsible. Despite the signs, you can't destroy someone's personal property regardless of parking regulations. I guess it might depend on some state ordinances.

 

My wife got nabbed a couple years back in Ann Arbor when we had a RX300. The tow truck had hooked it by the back end and placed dolly wheels on the front end. Needless to say, when she saw that, she flipped out. It cost her $100 to have the driver drop it on the spot, so she was a luck, but still hot....

 

Well let's hope the West Hollywood towers used the dollies on the front wheels. I have to assume they did, otherwise, wouldn't it be hard to tow the GX...like wouldn't it leave skidmarks if they tried to tow with the front wheels on the ground and the car in Park?