Car towing in Romania: when to call and what to ask first

When to call a tow truck#

• The car won't start and a jump start doesn't help. The signs of a dying battery are in the guide on car batteries.
• A red warning light for which the car's handbook tells you to stop, such as oil pressure or engine temperature.
• The brakes, steering or a wheel aren't behaving normally. Don't carry on driving with a fault like that, not even to the nearest garage.
• After an accident, if the car is leaking fluids, its lights or wheels are damaged, or it can no longer be driven.
• A flat tyre you can't deal with safely, with no spare wheel or in a dangerous spot.

The first minutes: staying safe while you wait#

1. 1

   Switch on the hazard lights

   If you can, get the car off the carriageway: onto the hard shoulder, the emergency lane or into a car park.

2. 2

   Put out the warning triangles

   If the car has broken down on the carriageway, the implementing regulation of the road traffic code (HG 1391/2006) requires hazard lights and triangles in front of and behind the car, at least 30 m away. In town, when traffic is heavy, you can place them closer or even on the car.

3. 3

   Get out on the side away from traffic

   Wait off the road, on the pavement or behind the crash barrier, never between the car and the traffic.

4. 4

   Call for help

   If anyone is hurt or the car is stuck somewhere dangerous, call 112. Then call the assistance on your policy or a towing company for the tow.

First: the roadside assistance on your policy#

RCA is liability insurance: it pays for the damage you cause to others. Roadside assistance is an extra service: some RCA policies include it, and with others you buy it separately. CASCO policies can include roadside assistance too. What exactly is covered is in the policy terms, so read them now, not on the side of the road.

• The phone number for assistance, printed on the policy or on the card from your insurer.
• Which situations it covers: only after an accident, or also a breakdown, a flat tyre or a flat battery.
• How far they'll tow you and where to: the nearest garage, a garage you choose, or home.
• How many times a year you can use it and whether it also covers getting the passengers home.

What to tell the operator#

1. Where you are, as precisely as possible: the road, the direction of travel, the kilometre marker or a landmark. Your phone's location helps a lot.
2. What happened: won't start, broke down while driving, flat tyre or accident.
3. The car: make, model, registration number and whether it's an automatic, electric or four-wheel drive. Some cars can only be carried on a flatbed with all wheels off the ground; the handbook says so.
4. How many people are with you and whether you need a lift.
5. Your policy number, if you're calling your insurer's assistance, and a phone number where you can be reached.

Where to take the car#

Decide before the car goes on the truck: a second tow costs again. The usual options are your regular garage, the brand's dealer, a garage near where you broke down, or home, if the repair can wait.

• Call the garage first and ask whether they'll take the car and when they can look at it, especially in the evening or at the weekend.
• After an accident, notify your insurer. On an RCA claim, the damage is assessed by the insurer's claims assessor. The steps are in the guide on what to do after an accident.
• On a long trip, ask whether it's better to take it to a local garage for a diagnosis first and decide after that.

What to ask about the price before loading#

Prices differ between companies and with distance, time of day and the situation. With no assistance on your policy, or if it only covers part of the way, settle these first:

1. The total price to the agreed address, not just the rate per kilometre.
2. Whether anything is added at night, at the weekend or on the motorway.
3. Whether recovering the car from a ditch or an underground car park, or waiting time, is charged separately.
4. How you pay and whether you get an invoice or a receipt.
5. If the assistance on your policy covers only part, how much you pay for the difference.

Get the price in writing, in a message, before loading. Keep the invoice: after an accident that wasn't your fault, ask the insurer whether it can go into the claim.

The car goes on the truck only once you know where it's going and what you'll pay in total. Settled afterwards, the price is hard to argue about.

What to take with you and what to leave with the car#

• The car's papers and keys: the registration certificate (talon) and the RCA policy. Ask whether the driver of the truck needs the keys.
• Your valuables, because the car may spend the night in the garage's yard.
• Photos of the car from every side before loading and the mileage on the dashboard, so you have a record of its condition at handover.
• The towing company's details and the exact address where they left the car.

How CariX helps when you break down#

In the free driver account you get ready now for the moment you're stuck:

• "Roadside assistance phone": add the assistance number from your RCA or CASCO policy and it sits on the car's page, ready to call.
• Your RCA and CASCO policies with the car's documents, with the policy number, insurer and a photo or PDF, plus a reminder by email 30, 14 and 7 days and 1 day before each expires.
• "I had an accident" opens a step-by-step guide and a private report, with photos and the other driver's details, that you can download as a PDF.
• Search by service and city: find towing companies and garages, and a booking request needs only a name and a phone number. Businesses are being added city by city, starting with Bucharest.