Undoubtedly, having our car towed can be annoying, to say the least, and an expense we did not expect. Nothing is worse than finding out after a day’s work that our car has been taken to a towing facility.
This means expenses and loss of time, something that not everyone can afford. But have no fear; there are some ways to get your vehicle back without having to pay the fines. Although they are not always 100% successful, they’re always worth a try.
Can I get my car back without paying? Ways to recover the towed car without paying
In the worst-case scenario, depending on the impounding company and the state and its laws, you could be charged up to $600, something not everyone can afford.
It is possible to recover your vehicle without paying or paying less, but as we have already said, it is unlikely.
In any case, this process will take some time and activism on your part. So if you want to save time, perhaps your best option is to pay towing fees. However, here are some steps that might work for you to remove your vehicle without paying these costly fees.
Was your vehicle towed in compliance with the law?
The first step is to verify why your vehicle was towed, as this could directly affect how you get it back. If you want to get it back without paying, you need to know exactly why it was towed and whether it was beyond what is allowed by law.
Among the most common reasons for towing a vehicle, you can find illegal parking, failure to pay the insurance, and not having paid the parking ticket.
Or, the most complicated of all, that the vehicle is under criminal investigation. In this last case, there will be no way to recover it until the police process is finished.
Also, knowing the motives, you will be able to check if it was done in compliance with the law or if there was an error in the towing. In any case, investigating your violation and having proof of non-compliance may help you to recover it without paying.
In case you are not in violation of the law, contact the police
If you have the intuition and, above all, the evidence that your car has been towed without a clear legal reason.
Either because no signs prohibited parking a vehicle in the area or because you paid for the tickets. Depending on the state, police non-emergency contact lines may be a solution for you.
By contacting these lines, you will be able to find out if your vehicle was towed for a criminal matter. Likewise, if it was towed for an unpaid ticket or for being parked incorrectly, you have proof that this was not the case. They will offer a solution to this problem.
Remember that the most advisable thing to do in this type of situation is to act immediately. This is because the longer your vehicle is in the tow truck, the more you could be charged.
Contact the towing company
Often, towing companies are external to the police with a business of their own. So it is always good to contact them and learn about their payment plans to find a solution to your problem.
In this case, as long as you have not broken the law in any way or considered that the vehicle was improperly towed, the police could serve as an intermediary. It isn’t easy to reach a plan without paying, but you can never give up hope of trying.
Following this, in many cities, there are plans to help in these cases. The city may intervene if you can prove that your vehicle has been improperly towed. For this, you will have to fill out forms on the web and wait for a response.
Church or charity help
Some churches or charity companies have different assistance plans for people who cannot afford to pay towing fees. These assistance programs are intended to help people who truly cannot afford to pay to get their cars back and get on with their daily lives.
This will also depend on the financial availability of the church and its charity program. Often, you will have to work on the premises to match the payment for your vehicle. This may vary depending on the church’s policies.
Free Legal Assistance
You can always seek free legal assistance from a government-appointed attorney. Through a trial process, you can reach a middle ground with the municipality in terms of payments. As in previous points, this will depend on your evidence of whether your vehicle was towed properly.
A complicated but possible process
As you may have noticed, applying for your vehicle to be towed without payment is not at all simple. It is a process that can take days; in any case, it is never 100% certain that you will not have to pay any fees.
So as long as you have the money, making payments as imposed by law, or something of the like, you will not have any problems with the towing company.