With what the dealer charges for repairs, and the amount of damage, I would think that it is close to being totaled. Most likely they didn't use a flat bed, so there goes the tranny. Oil, antifreeze and power steering issues, damn. I would make their insurance pay.

Also, since there is oil and coolant everywhere and the front bumper off, how did you know that it wasn't running right? Did you actually try to drive it in this condition? If so, there goes the engine as well.

those tow guys in nyc are animals...they just hook it with a regular tow truck sometimes not even with a wheel lift type and just drag it away..being the x is an awd tranny thats how come the tranny got all f@@@ed up..those guys are savages..one time when i was in manhattan i saw a car being towed sideways with because the tow guy hooked the rear and the front wheels were turned to one side...rob

i don't understand how ppl can say it's his fault. its not your fault for all the damage they did. That's complete BS. I admit you should not neglect tickets because procrastination is a mutha****

hope you get what you need.

Yes NYC blows as far as that's concerned. I'd say the VAST majority of the time I've seen tow trucks, they were not flat beds. As far as causing his own problems go, well his problem was not paying his tickets. The punishment for that is a fine or towed car, NOT a destroyed car.

Here is a case to make my point. Cars can typically be parked for a week without having to move. However, some UN event was going to take place in one neighborhood and so the cops posted signs on Monday on the posts regarding parking restrictions for the event to be held on Wednesday. Typically you could park in that area until Friday. So if you parked your car there last Friday, you would normally expect not to have to move it until the following Friday. However, event was on Wednesday. They towed all the cars on Wednesday and I watched as some got bumped, pulled, scraped, etc. It was a total f-ing joke. I asked one of the cops about the situation and his only reply was .. see the signs posted. Great. So do those owner's deserve destroyed cars?

At the end of the day, it is the OP's fault the car got towed. I hate it for him. It does suck, but you have to realize that this is the sort of crap that can happen when you put your vehicle in the situation of being towed. It is common knowledge that a lot of tow companies don't care about the cars that are being towed in this manor. They just hook them as fast as possible and drive away without caring of the stresses it puts on your vehicle. It isn't necessarily right, but very common and could have been avoided by paying the tickets. Whay take the chance of letting your car get towed in the first place?

I care about all of my cars to the point where I would pay the tickets because I would be afraid that something like this could happen.

well thanks guys. it is my fault to an extent. getting a ticket for expired meter that was at 9:59pm. when the meter is off at 10pm. 1 min off for 65$. piece of ISH! NYC. this is another reason im LEAVING nyc. florida has ticket for 15 $, 35$. these are all fine. for stupid things. double parking in nyc, 165!??!? what a crock of ish. im done complaining thou, soon nyc will be behind me!

how do i know if the drivetrain is messed up? how do i point it out the mech and the insur company?

Do your research and find out how to file a claim against your city. Good luck.

This link might be helpful:

http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/burea...mage_claim.pdf

Take it to the dealer for a thorough inspection or a shop that the dealer recommends/works with.

Seems to be some over-reaction here. Lots of emotion. I know you guys hate tow truck drivers, but as an ex tow truck driver, give us a break. We aren't all animals. I used slings, and wheel lifts, as appropriate. I used dollies when necessary. I used a trailer for special vehicles that required it (we didn't have a flatdeck). The company paid for any damage to a vehicle that I did. I don't recall them paying on my behalf, but it might have happened, not sure, it was years ago.

The shop I worked at didn't have an impound lot, and we tried to avoid any situation that involved impounding the vehicle. I recall locking at least one inside the shop after it was involved in an accident, at the request of the RCMP.

I said above that it was self-inflicted. I also said that I felt bad for the poster. The fact is, as FSETH said, none of this would have happened if the tickets hadn't been delinquent. (Was it ticket, or tickets?) No, he doesn't deserve this. But he might have expected that there was a chance it could have happened, given all the stories relayed above. Seems to be common knowledge in NYC.

First step is to find out what the damage is. All the discussion about driveline damage is premature. We don't know what year the X is because it isn't in the OP's profile. If it isn't a 2004 or later (x drive) then flat towing or wheel lift on one end was endorsed by BMW. The manual states "Transmission selector in N, maximum 45 mph for a maximum of 95 miles" with the wheels turning. There is no need to use a flatdeck, although it is a nice idea if you are paying and want to front the extra premium for a specialty tow. All that said, without a key it is difficult to put it in N (unless you disconnect the shifter). So, it is more likely that the tow truck driver used a dolly because that is faster, and what the tow truck driver really wants to do is leave before the owner comes back and creates a confrontation. (I can imagine how this one would have gone, lol)

If they used a sling to lift it, that could have pulled the bumper off. However, it sounds more like the rad is damaged (fluid leaks) so that sounds more like a frontal impact to me. Perhaps they picked it up at the rear with a wheel lift, and backed it into a wall or another vehicle due to carelessness. If so, the damage is exactly the same as if a car reversed into it while it was parked, and it just as easily could have happened while it was parked.

Yes, it is unfortunate, but let's keep it in perspective. My nickel's up, as MD would say.

I don't think anybody is arguing that he deserved to have his car abused, or that the tow company/impound lot isn't at fault for the damage they caused.

The point is the entire situation was easily avoidable.

Sh!t, even in his last post he states that a $165 ticket for double parking in NYC is outrageous, but that the $15, $35, and $50 tickets in Florida are acceptable. Why is any ticket that is easily avoidable "acceptable".