Towing in Chula Vista, CA

If you are stuck right now

Safety comes before the tow. If the vehicle will still roll, get it out of traffic — onto the shoulder, an exit ramp or a parking lot. Turn on the hazard lights. On a freeway, stay in the vehicle with your seat belt on unless there is smoke, fire or a risk of being struck where it sits; if you must get out, exit on the side away from traffic and stand well clear, behind a barrier if there is one.

If you are in a traffic lane and cannot move, or anyone is hurt, call 911. On San Diego County freeways, the Freeway Service Patrol provides free help during weekday commute hours — a jump start, a gallon of fuel, a flat changed, or a tow off the freeway to a safe spot. Dial 511 and say "Roadside Assistance" (SANDAG runs the program with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol, Monday to Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.). It will not take you to a repair shop; for that you need a towing company.

How tow pricing works

A tow bill is built from a few standard pieces. There is a hook-up or base fee for sending the truck and loading the vehicle, and a per-mile rate for the distance towed. On top of those come charges for circumstances: nights, weekends and holidays; a flatbed where one is required; winching a vehicle out of mud, sand or a ditch; dollies or skates for a car that will not roll; and storage by the day if the vehicle goes to the tow yard instead of straight to a shop.

Rates are set by each company, so the way to avoid surprises is to ask before the truck is dispatched. Get the base fee, the per-mile rate, any after-hours charge and the total estimate to your destination, and ask whether a card is accepted. A 32-mile tow, for instance, is the base fee plus 32 times the per-mile rate, less any miles included in the base. If you have roadside coverage through an auto club, your insurer, your vehicle's manufacturer or a credit card, check it first — it may cover the tow or a set number of miles.

• Exact location: street and cross street, freeway and direction, nearest exit or mile marker
• Vehicle year, make and model, and whether it is all-wheel drive, lowered or electric
• What is wrong: will not start, flat tire, accident damage, stuck, keys locked in
• Whether the wheels turn and the vehicle can be put in neutral
• Where it needs to go — and whether that place is open to receive it

When your car can be towed from private property

California Vehicle Code § 22658 sets the rules for towing from private property such as apartment complexes, shopping centers and private lots. The property must have a sign at every entrance, at least 17 by 22 inches with lettering at least one inch high, stating that public parking is prohibited and that vehicles will be removed at the owner's expense, and giving the telephone number of the local traffic law enforcement agency and the name and telephone number of each towing company used. The property owner or their agent must notify local police within one hour of authorizing the tow.

The law is on the driver's side in two important ways. If the vehicle's owner returns before the tow truck has left the property with it, the vehicle must be released; when it has already been hooked up, the tow company may charge no more than half its regular towing fee. And a property owner who has a vehicle removed without meeting the signage and notice requirements is liable to the vehicle's owner for double the towing and storage charges.

On public streets, a different rule applies: California law lets cities remove vehicles left parked in one place for 72 hours or more, and Chula Vista, like most cities in the state, enforces that limit. This is a summary of the law, not legal advice.

Finding and recovering a towed vehicle

If your car is not where you left it, do not assume it was stolen. Call the Chula Vista Police Department's non-emergency line; because private-property tows must be reported to police within an hour, the department can usually tell you whether the vehicle was towed and by whom. If it was taken from within the City of San Diego, that city offers an online search for towed vehicles.

To get the vehicle back you will generally need a valid driver's license, proof of ownership or current registration, and payment of the towing and storage charges. A vehicle impounded by police — for example for expired registration or an unlicensed driver — usually needs a release from the police department before the tow yard can hand it over, and some impounds carry a mandatory hold. Storage is charged by the day, so collect the vehicle as soon as you can. California requires tow yards to accept payment by credit card as well as cash.

• Photograph the vehicle at the yard before you move it and note any new damage
• Ask for an itemized invoice
• You are entitled to retrieve personal belongings from the vehicle even if you cannot yet pay to release it
• If you believe the tow did not comply with the law, pay to recover the vehicle first and dispute afterward, so storage does not keep accruing

Lockouts, flat tires and other roadside calls

Not every call needs a tow. For keys locked in the car, a roadside technician or locksmith opens the door with tools made for the purpose, without damaging the lock or the weather seal. If a child or a pet is locked inside on a warm day, call 911 — do not wait for a service truck.

For a flat tire, a technician can fit your spare if you have one in usable condition. Many newer vehicles carry no spare at all, only a sealant kit, in which case the options are a mobile tire repair or a tow to a tire shop. Running out of fuel is solved by a delivery of a couple of gallons, enough to reach a station.

Long-distance, heavy-duty and junk-car towing

A tow of more than about fifty miles is usually quoted as a flat price instead of by the mile, and it is worth comparing quotes, because a truck making the trip has to drive back empty. For moves of several hundred miles, an auto transport carrier is often cheaper than a tow truck.

Heavy-duty towing — box trucks, motorhomes, buses, tractor-trailers — needs larger wreckers and operators with the appropriate licensing. Say what the vehicle weighs when you call.

A junk car that does not run can usually be removed at no charge by a dismantler or junk-car buyer, who is paid by the scrap value. You will need the title, or to complete the Department of Motor Vehicles paperwork for a vehicle without one, and you should file a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability with the DMV once it is gone.