If your vehicle is waterlogged after experiencing heavy rain or flood, you don’t need to drive it until its engine is examined and cleaned. If you try to push start your flooded vehicle, it may cause expensive damage to your engine depending on how much water got it.
Besides, flooded water can damage a car’s electronics, mechanical systems, safety features, and lubricants. Your vehicle may work for some time, however, it will stop working in the long run if ample water has gone into its engine. So, what should you do then?
Calling a tow truck company for help is best if your vehicle is flooded. Before discussing how a towing company can help, look at some important tips for a flooded personal vehicle during or after a wet weather event.
Tips to Save a Flooded Vehicle
Here are some quick tips to follow after a flood or copious rainfall:
- The first thing you need to do is to avoid the flooded area.
- In case you are in a heavy flood, prioritize your personal safety. Leave your car immediately and go to a higher, safer place to prevent potential injury or life loss.
- Don’t push start your car if it is waterlogged or you are retrieving it from a watery surface. Flood water can add up the damage with debris and corrosive material. You may save your vehicle after drying it out, but starting it when it’s in flood water can aggravate the damage as running water can be more harmful to its system where standing water may not go.
- If your car is not affected by water, never try to drive it on a path that is water-covered. Instead, find a dry route to save it from water.
- When the flood water recedes, call a reliable tow truck company to transport your vehicle to a mechanic for repair. Try to get prompt help as delay may cause damage to your vehicle’s interior. Check out if anything else is damaged because of flooded water. Ventilate and dry your car to prevent odors, mold, and mildew.
- When the situation is normalized, take photos of your car as evidence for your insurance provider.
- Call your insurance provider to claim coverage, repair, and other needs.
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How Tow Truck Company Can Help?
We know that nobody likes to call a tow truck for help. You may call a tow truck when you find yourself in an extremely inconvenient situation. But when your vehicle breaks down because of a flood and you are stranded on the side of the road, a tow truck is the best option to transport your vehicle to a safer location.
Some towing companies offer basic repair services, along with roadside assistance, to help you get back on the road as soon as possible. They employ a team of technicians to sort out car-related issues.
Let’s see what things to consider before calling a tow truck company.
What Things to Consider Before Calling a Tow Truck Service?
If your vehicle is flooded or waterlogged, you first need to determine the reason behind its breakdown. If you cannot find out the issue with your vehicle, you may tell the towing company about it. You then have to see what types of towing or roadside assistance help you need for your car. Typically, these are the basic things you need to do before calling a tow truck service.
Know about Your Location
You need to know about your location and the situation where you are caught in. If you are somewhere near your home or a friend’s home, there’s nothing much to worry about. However, if you are stuck in the middle of a highway, you’ll need to get prompt help.
Deciding between Roadside Assistance Company or Towing Company
If you are insured and you are provided with roadside assistance from your insurance company, you may consider it a good idea. However, if it’s not free, you may end up paying more for roadside assistance. And getting limited roadside assistance services is good for roadside emergencies. So in breakdowns, it is better to call a towing company than a roadside assistance service.
Turn on Your Hazard Lights
Whenever you are stuck in a dangerous spot like a highway, prioritize your safety first. Turn on your hazard light, use the emergency brake and get out of the vehicle. Find a safe place to call someone for help.
Take Pictures
After finding a safe place, make pictures of your vehicle if it had an accident, or you encountered a breakdown. If there’s a collision with another vehicle, take pictures of other vehicle too. These pictures will be a great help to make a claim from your insurance provider and deal with other legal duties in the future.
Call Your Insurance Provider
Inform your insurance company about the situation, your insurance provider might cover the cost of towing. They may work with specific towing providers, so make sure who to call for help.
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Call a Towing Company
If you do not get enough information from your insurance company, you’ll need to do a bit of research. The best way to find a nearest tow truck company is to search for the company nearby your vicinity to cut down your per-mile charges. You can skim through their review section to check if a company is a good fit.
Get a Quote
Before hiring a tow truck company, ask about their charges. It will be based on your distance, location, and the type of vehicle you own.
Ask About the Towing Method
There are different towing methods, so you need to ask about the towing method that your company offers. The most common methods are wheel lift tow trucks and flatbed tow trucks. Flatbed towing is much safer where the vehicle is driven onto the flat surface off the ground.
Decide Where You Want to Get Your Car Towed
You need to arrange the place where you want your car to be taken. For a flooded car, you need to go to the nearest auto shop to have it examined by a mechanic. Besides, you can also get help from the towing provider for recommendations for a mechanic. Some towing companies also provide basic repair services.
Save Your Valuables
If there’re some documents or valuables in your car, you need to remove them. Most towing companies are trustworthy, however, it is not recommended to keep your valuables within the car.
Get a Receipt
After dropping off your vehicle, you need to get a receipt from the towing company, showing the time, charges, and service provided. This receipt will be helpful to get cover from your insurance provider. Have a copy of the receipt as a backup.
By following the above guidelines, you can avoid a lot of problems that you may face with a towing company.
What to Expect When Calling Tow Truck Company?
Getting stranded on the side of the road can be frustrating and threatening sometimes. But knowing who to call for help and what you can expect from the towing company will reduce your stress and frustration.
1st Step – Calling
Whenever you call a tow truck, there’re a few common questions that a dispatcher will ask you to provide some information for a tow truck service. After greetings, they might ask a few questions before sending the tow truck driver your way.
Typically, these questions include:
- What’s your location?
- What is the make and model of the vehicle you drive?
- Whether there’s an emergency.
- Do you know the reason behind your vehicle’s breakdown?
- Have you encountered an accident?
2nd Step – Sending the Tow Truck Driver Your Way
Once the dispatcher received the information from you, they’ll ask you to hold to check whether tow truck drivers are available at the location where you are stranded. They will contact them and tell them to assist you.
3rd Step – Waiting for Assistance
After discussing with the driver, you’ll be provided with the approximate time you need to wait to get assistance from the tow truck driver along with any other instructions they may have for you. All you need to do is to sit and wait for the tow truck to come. You’ll be provided with the estimated time of arrival so that you know when the tow truck driver will arrive at your location.
4th Step – Paying the Company
Remember, if you are not already a member of a roadside assistance company, you are required to pay for the service upfront or after providing the service. You may pay either via a credit card or on the phone.
Flooded Vehicle? Get Help From Tow Service USA!
If your vehicle is flooded, call Tow Service USA. It is one of the best networks of tow truck affiliates for immediate help whenever your vehicle breaks down in a flood or you are involved in an accident. Our providers are trained, experienced, and well-equipped with the tools and equipment to transport your car from a flooded area with utmost safety and care.
Instead of making piles of money, we believe that towing and roadside assistance services are all about helping motorists get out of the troublesome situation. That’s the reason, we charge a reasonable fee for all our services. We go beyond our customers’ expectations by offering reliable, fast, and affordable towing services for them.