Towing Issues: recovering a stolen vehicle, tow truck company, car thieves

Question
Hi, let me start by saying that i live in San Diego county in California. My car was stolen in Oct 2008, and was recovered in Jan 2009. It was found inside a storage unit and had "DNA" in the car, so they found the two people that had stolen it. My car was completely parted out, the only thing that was left in the car was the steering wheel and the gear shift, oh and 4 flat spare tires, no window or seats. Since there was no reason to get it back and I am currently going through court with the people who stole my car I "abandoned" (the tow companies word) the vehicle. My car was a 98 for escort and it blue books at $1450. I was wondering does the tow truck company have to have a cap on the prices they can charge after selling the car for parts? I don't really think that I should have to pay for a car someone else stole and had towed...While I am willing to pay I don't want to pay a huge fee over the value of the car. The car has been in there since Jan 5th (i think) of 2009.

thank you

Answer
I'm assuming you didn't have full coverage on the vehicle because if you did the insurance company would have taken care of it. You can sue the thieves for the additional cost of towing, storage and disposal. A lawyer or magistrate can help with the paperwork.

A lot of time has passed! Was there a impound or police hold? You should have received a certified letter or formal notification from the tow company about a week or two after the vehicle was towed. Most states have towing reimbursement to the owner or tow company when car thieves are caught but time is of the essence. Too much time may have passed because the paperwork must be completed once the vehicle is found.

Regardless, my suggestion is paying the debt before it is sent to collections. You can always try to get reimbursed later but storage will still occur daily. Contact the tow owner or manager directly and respectfully, intelligently explain your case and maybe the bill may be reduced and they can properly dispose of the vehicle. If they do work with you, always get receipts!