parking while turning the steering wheel all the way to the left or right can make it harder for tow trucks to work with....
but i read that doing this can damage the power steering pump...is this true??

 

It can over time, it also puts more strain on your engine/battery when starting just like a/c, its an extra compontent trying to start at the same time as your engine.

 

What about cars without power stearing? Will it cause any damage? Does it really help against towing?

 

yes it causes wear to the pump overtime, just like doing ultra sharp u-turns. I don't think you'll damage it, its just that you'll wear it down faster than normal.

-Rage

 

they can still tow it w/ the wheels turned.. if they want it bad enough their going to take it... theres dollies or whatever their called that they can place under the wheels to tow.. my car's lowered and I needed to get it towed... the tow truck guy was trying to winch it onto a flatbed and he didn't want to scrape up the bumper or anything on the car and be held responsible for the damage so he put the wheels up on some wheel dollies to raise it up/more clearance.... and just towed it

I guess it will make the job a bit harder but still towable.. which leads to "if they really want it.. their going to take it.."