BERLIN: The quickest way to ruin a car with an automatic gearbox is to allow the vehicle to be towed away over a longer distance with the wheels still down.
If the wheels touch the road when the car is being recovered the results can be catastrophic.
The transmission will continue to turn but the mechanism inside will get too hot since the flow of pressurised hydraulic fluid to cool and lubricate the parts is interrupted. Costly repairs can result.
Automatics with front-wheel drive are the simplest to tow since the drive wheels just need to be elevated during a trip to the repair shop. An old-style tow truck with a jib will cope easily with this job.
With a rear-wheel drive automatic the vehicle is towed backwards with the wheels on a raised dolly so they do not touch the road. The front wheels remain on the road. The steering wheel will need to be fixed in a straight-ahead position so that the front wheels do not turn during the towing procedure.
Four-wheel drive vehicles like pick-ups and SUVs are best winched onto a flatbed breakdown lorry for any trip to the workshop.
In an emergency, or if the stricken car only has to be moved a few hundred metres to a garage forecourt, you can call a friend or summon a roadside patrol for a conventional tow using a rope.
Place the car in N for neutral and ensure the engine is running. If it's dark, don't forget to switch on both headlamps and hazard warning lights.
