[thehighwayman]

Thank you all for your responses. The problem is that may friend's swift refuses to start and is stuck at his farmhouse which is pretty far from the city and the the towing companies are quoting an exorbitant figure . There is a small garage on the highway but it doesn't have any vehicle to tow the car. The mechanic said if someone can bring the swift to his garage , he can fix the problem.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by thehighwayman

Thank you all for your responses. The problem is that may friend's swift refuses to start and is stuck at his farmhouse which is pretty far from the city and the the towing companies are quoting an exorbitant figure . There is a small garage on the highway but it doesn't have any vehicle to tow the car. The mechanic said if someone can bring the swift to his garage , he can fix the problem.

Refuses to start is pretty vague. Does it crank? Is the battery ok? Can you hear the fuel pump whine when you switch on ignition. There are a lot of things that can be done to diagnose the problem and try to get the vehicle started.

Another option I would recommend is that try and get the mechanic to come to the Swift to do an initial diagnosis even if you have to maybe pay him a little more.

Towing with an i10 is no problem but with the Swift's engine shut down, the brakes on it will be useless and if you have no prior towing experience then you may end up damaging both vehicles. So I would recommend that you first try the 2 options that I have suggested.

[sudev]

Hopefully the farm house has "pucca" road surface. Towing over "kutchcha" surface will put more load on the towing vehicle.

[Vid6639]

A polo in my office campus had broken down. VW sent this to tow the polo:

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

A polo in my office campus had broken down. VW sent this to tow the polo:

Probably they wanted to escape your prying eyes to avoid being posted in this thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...rman-cars.html

Hence, they chose to tow away...but still you got a place for it too! So mean

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by saket77

Probably they wanted to escape your prying eyes to avoid being posted in this thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...rman-cars.html

Hence, they chose to tow away...but still you got a place for it too! So mean

Actually that photo is from that same thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3264625

They can run but they can't hide. hehehehe

[bigben]

Since a diesel engine produces more torque, it is relatively easier for a diesel engine to perform a tow.
In this case your car is a petrol and it does not produce much torque. You will have to rev the engne a lot in the begining to get the other vehicle in momentum. One the other car begins moving there will not be a problem. So, yes there will be damage to your clutch.
My advice would be to see if there is another diesel to tow the car.

[roy_libran]

Hahaha.
I once had my Logan Diesel (now sold) tow my Gurkha (Inter-cooler tube busted) to the Service Station (a good 15 kms or so). No sweat!
I was driving the Logan and my mechanic was in the Gurkha. He just had a hell of a time, applying brakes without the engine On.
The only precaution I took, was to release the Logan very gradually to avoid any jerks, and drive below 20 kph all the way.

Clearly a case of being TOO cautious.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Hahaha.
I once had my Logan Diesel (now sold) tow my Gurkha (Inter-cooler tube busted) to the Service Station (a good 15 kms or so). No sweat!
I was driving the Logan and my mechanic was in the Gurkha. He just had a hell of a time, applying brakes without the engine On.
The only precaution I took, was to release the Logan very gradually to avoid any jerks, and drive below 20 kph all the way.

Clearly a case of being TOO cautious.

You have to be cautious here

If the mechanic in your Gurkha doesn't apply the brakes on time then the Logan will have a reduced boot by the time it reaches the ASC for repairs.

Since the Logan was a diesel the Torque has counteracted for the weight of the Gurkha so the towing would not have been difficult.

Anurag.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by thehighwayman

The problem is that may friend's swift refuses to start and is stuck at his farmhouse which is pretty far from the city and the the towing companies are quoting an exorbitant figure .

Everyone else has pretty much covered it. A Grand i10 can certainly do the job; that said, if someone in your circle has a torque'y diesel UV (e.g. Innova, Scorpio), use that instead.

Deploy a really good tow strap. Make sure it's hooked on right on BOTH the cars

Don't slip the i10's clutch anymore than the minimum required. Be patient, else you'll wear it out immediately

Keep the Swift's ignition in ON mode (to prevent the steering from locking up)

Make sure there's an expert behind the Swift's wheel. Since the car doesn't start, the steering & brakes will be very hard

Switch the hazard lights of the Swift on

Drive smooth & slow. No sudden movements

[roy_libran]

Just one more thing, especially for busy Indian roads...

Don't keep a very long tow strap else people and vehicles WILL come between the towing and the towed vehicle leading to accidents.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Don't keep a very long tow strap else people and vehicles WILL come between the towing and the towed vehicle leading to accidents.

Cannot imagine this happening! Have people gone so dumb to understand that the vehicle being towed away will not be able to stop on it's own for vehicles coming between the towing vehicle and itself?

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by saket77

Cannot imagine this happening! Have people gone so dumb to understand that the vehicle being towed away will not be able to stop on it's own for vehicles coming between the towing vehicle and itself?

This IS INDIA. It DOES happen. It has happened to me lots of times. People tried to step in between, motorcyclists tried to dash across. It' absolutely crazy!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by saket77

Cannot imagine this happening! Have people gone so dumb to understand that the vehicle being towed away will not be able to stop on it's own for vehicles coming between the towing vehicle and itself?

He is right, I have seen that happening many times in Hyderabad.

Here I have seen bus (RTC) towing another bus and people fail to understand that a rope exists in between and try cut lanes.

Since the buses travel at hardly any speed they manage to stop in time else it is a run-over.

It is India my dear, Anything can happen.

Anurag.

[addyhemmige]

A couple of years back my friend towed my cousin's Swift Diesel in his petrol i20 for over a 100 kms in the middle of the night and this was with a makeshift tow rope. So yes, it is definitely possible