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After Market Alarm system failed - could not start car.
Broken Strut.
Brake lines blew out.
Flat tire and could not remove lugnuts
Overheated (turned out to be head gasket)
Engine seized up and burst into flames.
Flat tire and it was cold out (she did not want to change it in -10 degrees), plus she was wearing nice clothes.
Aside from a handful of jump starts, key locked in the car, or gasoline ran out, those are the ones I can remember. Most of them were towed home and I or my son fixed the problem. Some were not worth repairing and the car went to eh scrap yard.
Or they just need to take better care of them. Anyone with ears can tell when their bearings are going bad. The first time your temperature gauge goes above normal the car should be taken in and looked at. People who let their cars run out of gas shouldn't be allowed to even have a license, much less own a car.
Insurers have said that one claim won't matter but multiple claims could have an effect. And that's precisely why insurers can offer roadside assistance for a fraction of the cost of AAA - your premium isn't covering those who abuse the service with repeated claims due to poor maintenance or ID 10 T errors. Stuff happens and anyone can need a tow now and then. That's what the insurance is intended to cover.
That's why I advocate "spreading the wealth" a bit. For example if you go to colleg or other environment where there are likely to be calls, all of them should not go to AAA. In the summer of 1985, when I had a "share" in a Hamptons house by the beach I had a few calls to be dug out of sand. I had to remind AAA that I had been a member since 1974, ith only one call during the period other than the summer of 1985 calls.
It buys you piece of mind, which is why my wife had it, but there is no way you can justify the cost. When you consider the cost of a tow is the yearly expense at the lowest AAA rate you have to ask yourself if you really see yourself breaking down twice a year every year. Of course at $122/year you need to use them 3 times to justify the expense. That is simply crazy, especially with newer cars that just isn't going to happen.
Use your cell phone and call the closest gas station if you break down, it's not that hard.
While you can go on and on about what you would think or would expect, do you have any data that an AAA contract wrecker is limited to contracts with AAA? Or that it is even commonplace? Everything I've read indicate wreckers typically have contracts with multiple clubs, and typically grumble that AAA pays the lowest rates and gets serviced last.
Originally Posted by 2sleepy View Post
Here too, but AAA doesn't own the trucks, they contract with individual tow drivers, my nephew owns a tow company and he negotiates several contracts every year, including AAA. If he doesn't get the AAA contract he would have to take the decals off of his trucks
Use your cell phone and call the closest gas station if you break down, it's not that hard.
I know this may vary by region, but in my area, gas stations with service bays have all but disappeared. Like maybe less than a half-dozen in a metro with a population of 2+ million. If it's after 6 PM, forget it.
Without a roadside assistance plan, you're at the mercy of available area towing operators that are interested and able to respond to an individual request.
I know this may vary by region, but in my area, gas stations with service bays have all but disappeared. Like maybe less than a half-dozen in a metro with a population of 2+ million. If it's after 6 PM, forget it.
Without a roadside assistance plan, you're at the mercy of available area towing operators that are interested and able to respond to an individual request.
While the first part is true I'm not sure I follow the second line of thinking. Are you saying the local guy will charge you $300 because he can or maybe you will not find a tow truck driver willing to come help? I'm not sure about that. But yes the peace of mind of simply calling an 800 number when you stuck in the middle of nowhere and getting help is huge, and again we had it for years and now have a basic plan through AARP. But from a cost analysis it's a complete waste of money in nearly all cases. I have literally never needed to call roadside assistance in my entire life. But my wife has.
While the first part is true I'm not sure I follow the second line of thinking. Are you saying the local guy will charge you $300 because he can or maybe you will not find a tow truck driver willing to come help? I'm not sure about that.
Yes, that's what I'm saying. Without some type of roadside assistance plan, you just have to find somebody on your own that is available and willing make your location. If you are near home, maybe you know of a reliable roadside responder you can call right off the bat. If you are travelling outside your home base, it could be more of a crapshoot to try to find someone, and they might charge whatever the market will bear.
Not speaking specifically about roadside response/towing, but I've learned from past experience that businesses that proclaim 24-7 service, don't always guarantee availability.
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