A bloke I know — Pete, mechanic by trade, so he actually knows cars — had his BMW towed after a breakdown in Deer Park two years ago.

Not by Westend. By some random company he found in a panic on Google.

The tow truck driver hooked up to the front of the car and dragged it onto the flatbed using the wrong attachment points. Pete didn't notice until he got the car to his workshop and crawled underneath it the next morning.

The front subframe was Broken . Both lower control arm mounts were bent. What was a $400 repair from the original breakdown turned into $3,200 worth of chassis damage — damage that wasn't there before the tow.

The towing company denied everything. No proof, no cameras, no witnesses. Pete ate the cost.

And Pete is a mechanic. If it happened to him it can absolutely happen to anyone.

Most People Have No Idea How Their Car Should Be Towed

And why would they? Nobody teaches you this. You learn to drive, you learn road rules, and then you just assume that if something goes wrong someone professional will handle it correctly.

The reality is that vehicle towing is more technical than most people realise. Different vehicles have completely different requirements for how they need to be moved — and getting it wrong doesn't just scratch the paint. It can destroy drivetrain components, Broken frame components , damage suspension, and in some cases make the car completely unroadworthy.

The damage often isn't visible from the outside either. Which is exactly why dodgy operators get away with it. By the time you find out something is wrong the tow truck is long gone.

The Biggest Mistakes That Cause Towing Damage

Wrong attachment points. Every car has specific jacking and towing points built into the chassis. Hook up anywhere else — to the bumper, random body panels, or the wrong subframe locations — and you're putting stress on parts that were never designed to take it.

All wheel drive vehicles towed incorrectly. This one is genuinely serious. AWD and 4WD vehicles cannot be towed with just two wheels on the ground in most cases — it forces the drivetrain to operate in a way it's not designed for and can destroy the transfer case and differentials. The repair bill for that is not small. We're talking thousands of dollars in some cases.

Automatic transmission cars towed in the wrong gear or too far. Many automatic vehicles have a limit on how far they can be towed with the driven wheels on the ground before transmission damage occurs. Some can't be towed that way at all. A driver who doesn't know this — or doesn't care — can ruin a perfectly good gearbox on a car that had nothing wrong with it in the first place.

Flatbed used incorrectly. A flatbed or tilt tray is generally the safest option for most vehicles because all four wheels are off the ground. But even flatbeds cause damage if the car is winched up using the wrong points or if it's not secured properly and shifts in transit.

How to Protect Yourself Before the Tow Truck Touches Your Car

Ask the driver directly — "where are you attaching to and how are you loading it?" A driver who knows what they're doing will answer that question without hesitation. A driver who gets annoyed or vague about it is telling you something important.

If you know your car is AWD or 4WD — tell the driver immediately and specifically ask how they plan to handle that. Don't assume they already know or that they'll figure it out.

Photograph your car before the tow. Walk around it, get the whole car, get close ups of the bumpers, the underbody if you can, all four corners. This takes three minutes and gives you evidence if something goes wrong during transport.

Ask where the car is going to be stored if it's going to a yard overnight and whether it'll be inside or outside. A secure vehicle holding yard matters more than people think — cars left outside unsecured overnight have been damaged, stripped, and in some cases stolen.

Why Experience Matters More Than Price Here

This is exactly the situation where going with the cheapest option on Google costs you the most money in the end.

A towing company that's been operating for twenty years in Melbourne's west has towed thousands of vehicles. They know which cars need flatbeds. They know how AWD vehicles need to be handled. They know the attachment points on common Australian cars without having to guess. That knowledge is built from doing the job properly over and over again — not from a website claiming they can handle anything.

Westend Towing has been doing exactly this across Taylors Hill, Deer Park, Sunshine, Werribee, Caroline Springs and everywhere in between for over two decades. When they hook up to your car they know what they're doing. Find them on Google Maps and you'll see they're right in the heart of Melbourne's west — not some operator based an hour away who doesn't know the area.

What To Do If Your Car Was Damaged During a Tow

First — document everything the moment you notice it. Photographs, written notes, exact description of what's damaged and where.

Contact the towing company in writing — email is better than phone because it creates a paper trail. State what you found, when you found it, and that you believe it occurred during the tow.

If they deny it or go quiet, contact Consumer Affairs Victoria and your insurer. If the damage is significant, get an independent assessment from a qualified mechanic in writing — something like what Pete should have done from the start.

It's a harder fight than it should be. Which is why the best move is choosing a company you trust before the tow happens rather than trying to chase compensation after.

Pete drives a Subaru now. Still a nice car. He also has Westend Towing's number saved in his phone and has told everyone at his workshop to do the same.

Cost him $3,200 to learn something he wishes someone had told him for free.

Consider this that conversation.