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SA Best Towing
Red Holden Commodore ute strapped on the SA Best Towing tilt tray outside a brick house with a red roller door

Breakdown towing in Adelaide

A flat battery in the driveway, or a temperature needle in the red halfway to work. We load the car onto the tilt tray and take it to the workshop you trust.

Call 0457 300 057
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In short

A broken-down car in Adelaide goes on a tilt tray and rides with its wheels off the road to the mechanic you choose, or back home. SA Best Towing does this from its yard in Angle Park, answers 0457 300 057 day and night, and agrees the price on the phone before booking.

Jobs we can take

Won’t start in the driveway

It clicks or does nothing at all. We winch it onto the tray from the driveway and drop it at your mechanic.

Overheated on the way to work

Steam from under the bonnet and a needle in the red. Switch off, wait somewhere safe and call us.

Dead on a main road

Stopped in a live lane or the breakdown lane. Hazards on, stand well clear of the traffic, and give us a cross street.

Clutch or gearbox gone

No drive, or stuck in one gear. The car rides with its wheels off the road, so nothing inside the gearbox turns.

Warning light and a bad noise

An oil pressure light or a knock from the engine. Another few kilometres can cost you an engine.

Flat batteries and engines that won’t fire

A lot of breakdowns start in a driveway or a work car park, with a car that clicks and won’t fire. A jump start might get it going, but a battery that won’t hold charge, or a dead alternator, leaves you stuck again a few streets later. On the tray, the car goes to the auto electrician in one trip.

Overheating is the other common breakdown. Once the needle climbs into the red, pull over and switch off. Driving on with no coolant can warp the cylinder head, and then you’re paying for a head gasket. Leave the radiator cap alone until the engine has gone cold.

Stopped on a main road

If the car dies on South Road or Port Wakefield Road, get it as far left as it will go and put the hazards on. Climb out on the kerb side and wait behind the barrier or well back from the traffic.

When you call, give us the direction you were heading and the nearest cross street. The driver parks in front of your car with the amber lights going, tilts the tray down and winches the car up. You stay off the road while that happens.

Dead clutches and stuck gearboxes

A failed automatic or a clutch that won’t disengage needs more care than a flat battery. Towed on a wheel lift, the driving wheels can end up turning on the road, which can finish off a gearbox that was half broken. On the tilt tray all four wheels sit on steel and nothing in the driveline moves.

If the car is stuck in gear, the handbrake has seized or a wheel is locked, tell us on the phone. The winch draws a car that won’t roll up the tray slowly.

Your choice of mechanic

We take the car to the workshop you already use, from the mechanic around the corner to a specialist on the other side of town. Ring them first to check they have room for it.

Breaking down after the workshop has shut is common. If you know where they want a car left when they’re closed, tell us when you call. Otherwise we can drop it at your place.

How the job runs

From the first call to the drop-off, in the order it happens.

  1. Call and describe the problem

    Tell us the make and model, the exact spot, where it’s going and whether it rolls and steers. If you can’t be with the car, say so.

  2. Agree the price before we book

    We give you the price on the phone and book the job once you say yes.

  3. Loading at the kerb

    The driver tilts the tray, winches the car up and straps the wheels to the deck. Grab your wallet and phone charger before it goes up.

  4. Drop-off at the workshop

    We unload the car where the workshop wants it and hand over the keys.

Red Ford Mustang GT strapped on the SA Best Towing tilt tray, parked side-on in a street of brick houses
Cruiser motorcycle strapped upright behind the headboard and a black Holden sedan on the same tray, gravel yard

What changes the price

Every job is priced on the phone before it’s booked. These are the things that move the number.

Get a priceRead the price guide
  • Distance from where the car stopped to where it’s going
  • Time of the call: late nights, weekends and public holidays
  • Whether the car rolls, steers and goes into neutral
  • Access, such as basement car parks, steep driveways and narrow lanes
  • Waiting time if the workshop isn’t ready to take the car

Common questions

Answers for people in the same spot as you. Anything else, call and ask.

Can you tow my car to my own mechanic?

Yes. We take it to the workshop you choose, from a local mechanic near Angle Park to a specialist in the southern suburbs. Ring the workshop before we arrive so they expect the car and know where they want it parked. If they can’t take it today, we can drop it at your place instead.

What should I do while I wait for a tow truck on a busy road?

Get yourself away from the traffic first. Put the hazards on, leave by the kerb-side door and wait behind a barrier or well back from the road. Stay out of the car if it’s sitting in a live lane. Keep your phone on so the driver can call you for the exact spot.

Can you tow a car that’s stuck in gear?

It can be done. A car stuck in gear or with a seized handbrake won’t roll, so the winch draws it up the tray slowly. Tell us about it when you call, because the driver plans the load around a car that can’t move on its own tyres.

Is it safe to drive an overheating car to the nearest servo?

Not once the temperature needle is in the red. Pull over, switch off and let the engine cool. Driving on can warp the cylinder head or blow the head gasket, and that repair costs far more than a tow. Don’t open the radiator cap while the engine is hot.

Should I call roadside assistance or a tow truck?

Roadside assistance suits problems a patrol can fix on the spot, like a flat battery or a punctured tyre with a good spare. Call a tow truck when the car isn’t safe to drive afterwards: smoke, a knocking engine, no drive or a fluid leak. If you already know it needs a workshop, call SA Best Towing on 0457 300 057.

Can I ride in the tow truck with my car?

You can ride in the cab with the driver, so you aren’t left at the roadside waiting for a lift once the car has gone. If more than one of you needs a seat, say so when you call. Bring your phone, wallet and anything else you need from the car, and hand the keys to the driver.

Vehicles we can carry for this job

Dark Mini raised on the rear lift behind the SA Best Towing tilt tray, a silver Pajero on a car trailer on the tray

Car towing

Sedans, hatches, sports cars, EVs and hybrids, carried on the tray with all four wheels off the road.

Red Holden Commodore ute with a tonneau cover strapped on the SA Best Towing tilt tray in a residential driveway

Ute towing

Dual cabs, single cabs, work utes with canopies and performance utes, strapped by the tyres on the tray.

Lifted white Toyota LandCruiser with a snorkel on the SA Best Towing tilt tray, a small flat-tray truck with a roll cage on the rear lift

4WD and SUV towing

Lifted 4WDs, family SUVs and all-wheel-drive wagons, carried on the tray so no wheel turns on the road.

Advice for this job