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-   -   PICS : How flatbed tow trucks would run out of business without German cars! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/90409-pics-how-flatbed-tow-trucks-would-run-out-business-without-german-cars-18.html)

Well, AFAIK TP insurance is the least that one has to opt for while buying insurance - meaning one can either opt for the costlier full-cover insurance (own car damage + 3rd party)
or the cheaper 3rd party (no cover for own car). I don't think one can opt for own-car, but not buy 3rd party - I believe it is legally required to have 3rd party insurance.
So to me it looks like the BMW guy did not have any insurance - own or 3rd party - which is shocking given that a hit to his costly car would cost a packet. :Shockked:

Which is why this was a 'revelation', since I thought it was illegal to do so. It is also possible that he had not 'renewed' his insurance or something like that. I was more concerned about my friends' car right then, and conducting the flatbed guy on phone sitting 25 km away so it is possible that me (or my friend) got that detail wrong.

Spotted at Worli. No accident damage, hence I'm inclined to think it's definitely a breakdown.

While i agree that german cars do break down more often than their japanese counterparts, i think to assume every time its on a truck, its "broken down" is a bit hasty.

I say this because, sometimes in BLR, we see X6/3/5/Z4 etc on a flatbed truck being transported for the customer from the electronic city showroom to the millers rd one. The truck will however read 'roadside assist'. But these are just new cars.
Its a safer way to transport something like an R8 or the like for service on a flatbed rather than have someone drive it all the way.

After reading the following thread on the supercar crashes, it does make more sense transporting these cars, like from yard => dealership <=> dealership.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super-...-india-41.html

I wish that instead of driving my Yeti to the service centre for its regular servicing jobs, they would shift it along there in a Flatbed truck!
I for one, would feel much better given the sort of creep-o-logists that the service centres employ as chauffeurs these days!

You are right, but it is not the least to opt for, 3rd party insurance is mandatory according to the M.V Act, every other insurance is your choice.

On the same note, it is interesting to note that 3rd party insurance which was a measly few hundred rupees those days are now actually a measly few hundreds less than comprehensive.

This may be OT but fits into the overall theme of this thread. If the Germans do breakdown and have parts replaced under warranty. Does it make them even less reliable than TML vehicles?

As far as I have seen on threads, TML vehicles suffer from irritating niggles but very rarely breakdown that they need a flatbed to transport them. IMO, I would prefer this scenario than be stuck with the issues with the Germans.

The way I see it,

1. Germans spend more time in the garage to replace parts
2. TML A.S.S has the issue of Taxi owners rubbing shoulders with private cars. This puts off many people
3. The Germans are more pricier given their badge status

If not for the badge value, would you still rate the germans higher than TML vehicles or if the Germans were subjected to the same battering that TML vehicles get on our roads, would there be a difference in the amount of time they spent at the garage?

What do the others think?


Disclaimer - I have owned and used TML vehicles extensively over the past 10 years and hence tend to have a soft corner for them.

Now there was a thread somewhere about Japanese Vs German cars as your next car. I voted for Japanese and here's another reason as to why -

Spotted a VW Jetta on DND flyway ready to be towed into a flat bed. Car looked new (couldn't be older than 1-2 years anyway) with a reasonably well dressed man waiting standing the by side - most likely the owner.

Peace of mind over FTD/gizmos.

Anyday , I would prefer my car to be taken away in a flat bed truck rather than towed away given the condition of our roads and also the way the tows drive. The flat beds are costly but at least the operators seem well trained and they harness the cars properly . Towing can lead to chassis damage ( in many cases the cars front is lifted up) and at the very least cause damage to the front plastics.
Having followed this thread for a while, i find quite amusing when people relate the fact that flat bed trucks are recommended by Germans/European cars to reliability issues. Maybe its time to recognise the fact that they treat their machines more respectfully than we do and does not like our el cheapo makeshift Tata 207 tow whatevers

^^ agree with souravc

few months back I drove my FIL's new i10 to nearby city (from Delhi to Muzaffarnagar) and when we reached home he noticed some fluid dripping under the engine (it was actually A/C water but we had no idea about it:Frustrati). We called Hyundai service and they sent a towing vehicle that came in about 3 hours. Do you know what turned up to tow our car - a 100 year old Maruti Esteem in worse shape than the worst/oldest truck you've ever seen!!!

Good thing was, we had called a nearby mechanic in the meantime and he allayed all our fears about the fluid leak - it was condensed water and normal thing in summers.

Here's my unusual contribution to this thread. A Verna spotted in Prabhadevi last month:

A ford ikon, which came to the planet ford workshop late in the evening. No accident damage. It looks like apart from germans, others ones have also started making use of these trucks on a much more frequent basis!

my ford fiesta 1.6 had an alternator issue and i contacted ford who dispatched a flatbed tow truck to get it to the service centre.

no charges for the serviceclap:

the whole process of towing the vehicle was real interesting.looked secure and a royal ride for the ford!
only issue with these trucks are they wont fit in small spaces.i had mine not starting at home and had to use a secondary battery to get the car into main road where it was towed and transported.

if they could drive the car till main road using the secondary battery, then why not drive till the service station on the same secondary battery?