Flooded cars 101: Tow truck tips and how to find your vehicle

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A stormy morning often means tow trucks are much busier than usual. Just ask wrecker driver Rudy Meraz of FM 1960 Wrecker Service.

"Maybe 10 fold, maybe 20 fold," Meraz said.

Meraz arrived to help Carlos Sanchez, who like so many other drivers, saw a car make it underneath the North Freeway at West Mount Houston, and thought he could too.

"We went through and a truck passed by and put water on top of us," said Sanchez. "Then the car wouldn't turn on."

Sanchez and his passenger called Meraz to pick them up, so they knew he'd do a good job, but that's not the case for everyone who needs a tow.

"They just want to get home. A lot of people are not really worried about their car, they just want to get out of the water," said Meraz.

WATCH: Good Samaritan helps drivers stranded by flood

However, with that rush comes risk, according to the Better Business Bureau's Leah Napoliello.

"They ask you to sign something there on the spot. If you do that you could be signing up for them to do additional repairs on the car that you didn't intend to, so you don't want to sign anything on the scene of any type of incident like flooding," said Napoliello.

She says it's common practice to receive a receipt for the tow, but you should not have to sign a lot of paperwork.

If you're not even there when your vehicle is towed, you can locate it in Houston using www.findmytowedcar.com or call the Harris County Tow Line at 713-755-6042.

For both, you'll need to give a license plate or VIN number.

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