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Originally Posted by Rshrey22 As mentioned by Dr.Naren, they are not the same and the earlier one is much more costly!
If you don't agree, just watch any of the Moderator Anshuman's off roading videos on his Youtube channel. The way they tow out stuck cars (including Duster which is a competitor to the S Cross and not just body on frame SUVs) from tricky situations will clear my point.
The tow points are meant to be used and are not there just for show!
Laluks did the right thing, otherwise the only thing he could have tried at that point would be classic pedal to the metal practice, which could have either made the situation worse or burnt the clutch or maybe both. |
As you are quoting Dr.Naren, I would also like to post made by him earlier in this thread for your perusal.
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Originally Posted by Dr.Naren Hmm, so this type of towing and the particular incident on video would potentially affect any car. It would be wrong to assume build quality of S-Cross is poor and Suzuki engineers are stupid . |
I would surely like to hear from Anshuman sir too, his take on vehicle recovery during off-roading. I believe in many(not all) offroading recovery cases, the towed vehicle is running and providing power to the wheels and the pulling action helps in reducing amount of power/traction needed simultaneously helping the tyres to regain the lost traction.
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Originally Posted by Sheel So people up in the hills should not be towing their vehicles even if the need arises? |
No, they should tow and must be towing as we speak, BUT, I guess they must be employing proper techniques and equipment. Again quoting some fellow bhpians(their posts attached in the end), I suggest the questionable technique used for towing was a major contributor in the failure of the part.
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Originally Posted by AMG Power This situation cannot be blamed on the owner as he has used a tow hook for what it is intended for - towing. In situations that warrant towing, precautions would be overlooked and manufacturers would provide an additional margin of safety to cater to lapses and situations that would certainly happen - jerks, bad driving, hills, descents, getting stuck again and more.
Given the obvious "not fit for purpose" nature of the tow hook and its "not so obvious purpose" mentioned in a vague corner of the owners handbook, Maruti should have affixed a warning message in a visible location
Looking at the owners manual while one is in a situation such as this is probably the last thing on most owner's minds. |
As quoted by me in the posts of Dr.Naren, Dhanushs and others, the unpardonable jerk was in all possibility one of many, the tow hook was subjected to before it failed.
As for warning labels, my cousin's best friend fractured 4 of his fingers while closing the door of his R8, and I assure you, he is not suing Audi for not putting a sticker on the door for it being a potential hazard. The person accepted his mistake.
About reading the owner's manual, I may be the odd one here, very James May-ish
, but, I do read the owner's manual of any vehicle that I buy. Specially for DIY and must know stuff, like, location of fuse box, jacking points, washer fluids and anything and everything to do in emergency situations. My Ritz manual clearly states that this tow hook is NOT meant for towing or being towed.
About precautions to be overlooked in emergency situations, may I ask to what degree. After how much deviation from standard can the supposedly good towing technique be called bad?
Well AMG, your posts strongly suggests that precautions were overlooked and lapses like- jerks, bad driving, hills etc all happened here, BUT, the manufacturer should have thought about it and made provisions for the same. Correct? Also as this part is called a towing hook/eye then it should hold good in any and all towing conditions. Right again? My humble suggestion to any and all vehicle manufacturers, rename the towing hook/eye as winching hook/eye.
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Originally Posted by Lalvaz The video clearly shows that the damage was done inspite of being towed correctly. The brakes were applied post damage.
Request to be more observant before expressing your opinions. |
Sir, my being extra observant is the reason for my unpopular opinions.
With regards to the car being towed correctly, I again would like to quote a (not to be taken seriously) manufacturer's operating manual, in guise of a warning they suggest - "When towing, pull away slowly and smoothly. If the tractive power is too high the vehicles could be damaged." The same is also suggested in the S-Cross manual(attached below). But who reads the manuals, never a Clarkson, maybe a May.
I know it won't make any difference to your opinion but Dr.Naren, Dhanushs, Leoshahi, roy_libran, Sam_babushka had made the same observation of wrong towing technique, much earlier than I did.
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Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom I don't know that it is any comfort to know that Mercedes can be as bad as Maruti!
Whatever the name, elite or lowly, a tow hook should be good for towing. And it should be good for taking at least punishment too, because who knows what jerk it may have to put up with . |
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Originally Posted by Kosfactor Since Mercedes says not to Tow the vehicle using towing eyelet, it becomes a standard practice!
That is the message I am getting here unfortunately. Thankfully other brands have not read this manual except Maruti and they seem to have copy pasted it.
There is NO user error here at all Mr Owner of Scross.
it is a bad design and just because the user manual says Towing eyelet cannot be used for what it's there for in the first place, it does not make the company not liable for this stupid design. Make them pay for it. |
Mercedes Benz, hmm, I know they are old, make high end cars, won f1 titles for last 4 years and lead this year too. So should we pay heed to what they suggest, whatever said, we are definitely not following what the Maruti manual suggests(Clarkson rule applies, come what May).
Below are the observations by many BHPians that suggest the towing technique was wrong and far from what is practiced during off-roading
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Originally Posted by dhanushs I don't think the front tow hook for any car is designed for Jerky long distance tows. Read: You have to use a kinematic tow rope. Not the usual ones available here. The jerks while towing cause serious damage to the chassis and drivetrain. |
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Originally Posted by Leoshashi Sorry to say, but I strongly feel that the jerk was a brutal one. It should have been a gentle tug. It is the pickup and braking which makes towing a tricky business. As rightly pointed out by BHPian Audioholic, do check the apron and front cross-member's measurements. |
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Originally Posted by roy_libran I think that first brutal tug compromised the structural integrity.
However, if this repair work is still in progress, please take down the video else MSIL will be within their rights to deny you a warranty claim. |
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Originally Posted by dhanushs Sheel ideally you shouldn’t even tow a jeep or an Offroader like you said, let alone a poor car. First of all the S-Cross isn’t designed to run in mud or deep rut. If, by chance you ended up there, you should ‘winch’ the car slowly up. And if you have no winch you should be using a kinematic tow rope.
This kind of tugging and jerky pulling is a strict no-no. Not only is it harmful to the car, if something breaks,it’s outright dangerous too. |
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Originally Posted by sam_babushka Sorry, this was an incorrect towing method which caused the bumper to rip off. I have towed a Swift with my Bolero during my Mumbai-Leh-Mumbai driving trip, and although it was the first time for me, I knew that I had to ensure the line was taut before attempting to actually pull the Swift. Apologies if this is too direct, but it is the case here |