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Had the car towed on a flatbed truck, but it was improperly secured. Did not know that the hauler was not doing it right at that time or else I would have intervened.
It was only through reading up about flatbed towing afterwards that I realized just how wrong the hauler was.
I am seeking any advice now on what could be potentially damaged, or just generally, out of whack now in the car as a result of this tow.
Photos of the towing set up:
The car was driven, not winched, up the flatbed platform. It had one fully flat, punctured rear left tyre. The tyre got punctured while driving on the freeway, which resulted in the car needing to be towed out. You might be able to spot that punctured tyre in the first photo.
None of the 4 wheels on the car were strapped down to the platform. There was just the winch-line being hooked to the front right wheel using a strap as per the second photo.
When the hauler raised up the flatbed platform, the car actually slid backwards a little but it stopped sliding further due to the front right wheel being held by the winch line.
The gap in the wheel well of the front right tyre looks unusually large and I cannot tell if it is due to this wrong setup or the rear left tyre being flat and letting the suspension on the front right extend a little.
The ride on the flatbed truck was extremely bumpy due to poor road conditions, and the Hauler was not gentle when crossing speed bumps, so the car was subjected to a lot of shocks and vibrations.
Although I would be bringing the car in to the dealer's workshop for a check, I would like to hear your thoughts on this first.
I'm particularly concerned about any weakening of the components that may not manifest as any problems now, but could lead to some major break down later on.
As it turns out, having your own knowledge about these things is so important as you never know when you would find yourself in a sticky situation.
Last edited by lcman; Oct 28, 2024 at 02:10 PM.
Reason: to Furnish the details directly in the post rather than making viewers click on the link, to promote discussion within here
Cars are designed to withstand shock and vibrations. That's what the suspension is for. I'd be more concerned about the metal C clamp rubbing against the bumper and ruining the paint.
While its true that car designs would accommodate these shocks and vibrations, don't think the car is designed to take any strain from any potential displacement or movement on just only one of its front wheels.
The sloppy set up by the hauler on the back of his flatbed truck was putting the car in such a situation, subjecting just one of the front wheels to potential large strain.
So I'm really concerned about the mechanical integrity of the components linked to that front wheel after that stress.
Yes, I'm worried about the bumper too but after the tow, it seems like it is fine.
Mechanically anything that would be present as damage in the suspension should be visible upon inspection and alignment. I would suggest you have a shop for a 4 wheel laser alignment and ask them to inspect the suspension for any bent or excessively worn parts (bushings, etc.). Anything that is damaged will be readily apparent, I don't think anything would be stressed from that moment that will show up later as opposed to immediately. I suspect you'll be fine since the vehicle was simply moved along dry ground using the wheel as the anchor point, so at most it may have thrown the alignment for a loop. It's not like your car was winched out of a foot of mud from the wheel.
Perhaps the wheel bearing may be the only area of future concern. You will hear that if it starts to go, but inspecting the bearing now would be additional cost as they'll have to pull the hub to do it.
Damages to an LC500 being improperly secured on a flatbed truck
