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  • PaulKersey

    Marksman
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    22   0   0
    Sep 16, 2012
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    Evansville
    I am currently driving a vehicle with higher mileage than I normally would. I have to occasionally travel down south (Georgia/Florida/South Carolina) for family events and vacations. I am looking to sign up with a roadside assistance program as a precaution. I have previously been a AAA member, but I don't think I ever used it. I am not really concerned with the fringe benefits - hotel discounts, etc. I am more interested in anyone's experience actually using one of these companies when you have been stranded on the side of the road. Any recommendations? Thanks.
     

    Cameramonkey

    www.thechosen.tv
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    35   0   0
    May 12, 2013
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    AAA Platinum (high mile tow option) rocks. Boss has it. Riding with her on a business trip and she blew a transaxle down toward Seymour on 65. They towed us all the way back to Indy at no cost. Most of these (including AAA standard) will only tow you 20 miles or the nearest facility.

    But I think the cost is pretty salty.
     

    PaulKersey

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    Sep 16, 2012
    209
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    Evansville
    AAA Platinum (high mile tow option) rocks. Boss has it. Riding with her on a business trip and she blew a transaxle down toward Seymour on 65. They towed us all the way back to Indy at no cost. Most of these (including AAA standard) will only tow you 20 miles or the nearest facility.

    But I think the cost is pretty salty.

    Thanks for the experience. I am leaning in the AAA direction. I had never thought of this until recently, but if you break down with 5 people in a vehicle and they have to tow your vehicle, how do you get the rest of the family off the side of the road and to safety? Do you have to call a cab, assuming one is available? I assume only a couple of people could ride in the cab with the wrecker driver.
     

    Cameramonkey

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    Some of the tow trucks these days have might big cabs. Ive seen crew cab trucks.

    And good luck getting a tow without some type of plan like this or police intervention.

    in 2012 I blew a transmission cooling line on 65. I rolled to a stop at the 71st street exit in Indy. Not at a populated exit, but not far by any means. That saturday morning, I couldnt get a tow by calling a company directly to save my life. They either didnt work weekends, or only worked police contracts. Perioud. I was able to get it towed only because the transmission shop offered "free" tows as a service and they were about 5 miles away. (I ended up just writing the check to the transmission shop for the tow because I traded the car in on a new one)

    That opened my eyes to how towing works.
     

    MCgrease08

    Grandmaster
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    37   0   0
    Mar 14, 2013
    14,374
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    Earth
    The wife and I have used AAA a few times, most recently when my serpentine belt gave up the ghost and ended up twisted up in the engine on my way to work.

    I literally coasted into the office parking lot so time wasn't a major factor. I arranged for them to come pick up the car over my lunch break and tow it to my mechanic.

    The time that made me a customer for life was when I locked the keys in the car in Cincinnati. It was 8:00 p.m. and the wife and I had concert tickets and the show was about to start. It was an old car, and while putting away the tailgate gear I manually locked the door ... while it was running.

    We called AAA and they had a guy out there and the door open in less than 20 minutes. We only missed 1 song.
     

    Cameramonkey

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    I have mine as a rider on my auto insurance. And I do use it. 2 high mileage vehicles.


    Reminds me that State Farm includes it as an option for like $10/year. (check your policy)
    In my case it only covers you to the nearest repair facility (good luck on what that means) . The other downside is that it is a reimbursement, not a plan per-se. So you call the tow truck, have it towed the 5-10 miles to the nearest shop, pay the truck, then turn in the receipt to your agent and they cut you a check for it. Not the worst option (unless you are short on funds, dont have a credit card, etc) but not the best either.
     

    PaulKersey

    Marksman
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    22   0   0
    Sep 16, 2012
    209
    18
    Evansville
    The wife and I have used AAA a few times, most recently when my serpentine belt gave up the ghost and ended up twisted up in the engine on my way to work.

    I literally coasted into the office parking lot so time wasn't a major factor. I arranged for them to come pick up the car over my lunch break and tow it to my mechanic.

    The time that made me a customer for life was when I locked the keys in the car in Cincinnati. It was 8:00 p.m. and the wife and I had concert tickets and the show was about to start. It was an old car, and while putting away the tailgate gear I manually locked the door ... while it was running.

    We called AAA and they had a guy out there and the door open in less than 20 minutes. We only missed 1 song.

    That's exactly the type of feedback I was looking for. Much appreciated. Sounds like AAA is the way to go.
     

    PaulKersey

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    Sep 16, 2012
    209
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    Evansville
    Reminds me that State Farm includes it as an option for like $10/year. (check your policy)
    In my case it only covers you to the nearest repair facility (good luck on what that means) . The other downside is that it is a reimbursement, not a plan per-se. So you call the tow truck, have it towed the 5-10 miles to the nearest shop, pay the truck, then turn in the receipt to your agent and they cut you a check for it. Not the worst option (unless you are short on funds, dont have a credit card, etc) but not the best either.

    Using an existing auto policy to get this coverage would be a great idea - even with the plan's limitations. Unfortunately, my insurer doesn't offer it. I received a solicitation from AAA recently with an offer to get a year of basic coverage for $44.
     

    indykid

    Grandmaster
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    4   0   0
    Jan 27, 2008
    11,859
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    Westfield
    I too have AAA and have had very good experiences with them. Although the primary use is dead batteries, my worst nightmare was my daughter on her way home from Chicago calling to tell me she had a flat somewhere on I65 somewhere near Remington. Too far for me to travel, but was thrilled when she called back 15 minutes later to tell me the AAA guy had the spare on and she was heading back home.

    As for batteries, I checked the local stores and AAA was only a couple of dollars more expensive but they came to my house and replaced the battery without me having to get dirty or worrying about returning the old battery for refund. Was literally only a couple of dollars so it was well worth it.
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
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    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
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    Btown Rural
    AAA sucks, but may still be your best option? They have some seriously screwed up policies that finally caused me to drop them after many years of paying for their service. The expensive plans with the longest towing coverage.

    1. You HAVE to stay with the vehicle. Regardless of conditions, they will not pick up vehicle without customer on sight.

    2. There are times and places where their coverage is thin. I stood in 106 degrees in the sun for three hours on an otherwise calm day. All the while, AAA is lying that they would have a wrecker there in an hour. Eventually after numerous calls and threatening to abandon me (for my profanity) they called a local non AAA outfit that was right around the corner. :xmad:

    ---------------------------

    I'm curious to hear more about the limitations of the State Farm roadside assistance. I'm currently paying them $5 per year per vehicle.

    I did not understand the nearest repair facility thing. My vehicle needs to come home as this IS the repair facility.

    Thanks for the thread. Upon review, it appears that I'm NOT paying for the State Farm roadside assistance I thought I was on the motorcycle.
     

    churchmouse

    I still care....Really
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    187   0   0
    Dec 7, 2011
    191,809
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    Speedway area
    Some of the tow trucks these days have might big cabs. Ive seen crew cab trucks.

    And good luck getting a tow without some type of plan like this or police intervention.

    in 2012 I blew a transmission cooling line on 65. I rolled to a stop at the 71st street exit in Indy. Not at a populated exit, but not far by any means. That saturday morning, I couldnt get a tow by calling a company directly to save my life. They either didnt work weekends, or only worked police contracts. Perioud. I was able to get it towed only because the transmission shop offered "free" tows as a service and they were about 5 miles away. (I ended up just writing the check to the transmission shop for the tow because I traded the car in on a new one)

    That opened my eyes to how towing works.

    I have known the Zore family for years. My son has worked for them in many capacity's for a long time as well. I have known them to respond directly to personal tows when they get the calls. they respond as soon as possible. Not the cheapest but they are a full service outfit.
    24/7/365
     

    Bfish

    Grandmaster
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    13   0   0
    Feb 24, 2013
    5,801
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    I had AAA for a little while, I think I got it for free for a couple of years (I don't remember how) and I no longer have it. I used it twice, once when I had a battery die on me, and another time when I locked my keys in my car somehow and they came and opened it for me. I was happy with the service especially since I didn't pay for it, and if it wasn't terribly expensive it would most certainly be worth it. It made things much less stressful for sure! Fingers crossed while I used it twice when I had it, in the past 3 or 4 years I haven't had a need, but traveling like you are going to be doing I could see the benefit.
     

    Nojoy621

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    Aug 10, 2016
    390
    18
    Crown point
    If you have a vehicle that is equipped with Onstar I'd highly recommend that. Their Mobile app lets you locate your vehicle, unlock the doors, set off the alarm, remote start and check fluids from your phone. if you lock the phone and keys in the car, you can call from any phone, give them your password and they will open the locks over the air, again depends on the vehicle. I have also used Onstar for "Good Samaritan" calls for other people broke down or needing assistance. I've never used them for a broke down vehicle, but the feedback I've received from others is pretty top notch.
     

    foszoe

    Grandmaster
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    24   0   0
    Jun 2, 2011
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    Reminds me that State Farm includes it as an option for like $10/year. (check your policy)
    In my case it only covers you to the nearest repair facility (good luck on what that means) . The other downside is that it is a reimbursement, not a plan per-se. So you call the tow truck, have it towed the 5-10 miles to the nearest shop, pay the truck, then turn in the receipt to your agent and they cut you a check for it. Not the worst option (unless you are short on funds, dont have a credit card, etc) but not the best either.

    Not sure what version of State Farm I have, but it costs me nothing out of pocket
     

    BehindBlueI's

    Grandmaster
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    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
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    Using an existing auto policy to get this coverage would be a great idea - even with the plan's limitations. Unfortunately, my insurer doesn't offer it. I received a solicitation from AAA recently with an offer to get a year of basic coverage for $44.

    Maybe time to shop insurers are well, then. If you are a vet, USAA is generally lower cost than most of the market, has great service, and their road side assist is about $1/mo.
     

    PaulKersey

    Marksman
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    22   0   0
    Sep 16, 2012
    209
    18
    Evansville
    If you have a vehicle that is equipped with Onstar I'd highly recommend that. Their Mobile app lets you locate your vehicle, unlock the doors, set off the alarm, remote start and check fluids from your phone. if you lock the phone and keys in the car, you can call from any phone, give them your password and they will open the locks over the air, again depends on the vehicle. I have also used Onstar for "Good Samaritan" calls for other people broke down or needing assistance. I've never used them for a broke down vehicle, but the feedback I've received from others is pretty top notch.

    I think you're right that Onstar would be a good option, if available. I might be mistaken, but isn't that only for GM products? My van is a Toyota. Also, I indicated in the original post that it has high mileage, I know that opinions vary widely on what is considered high mileage on a vehicle. For many people high mileage is 250 or 300k miles. My van is a 2013, currently with about 98.5k miles on the clock. I bought it about 1.5 years ago, and it had about 54k on it then. Odds are, this van will go at least another 100k without major issues. My concern is not a total engine/trans failure. I am more concerned with the water pump going out, alternator going down, etc. It seems like it doesn't take much to leave you stranded, and as the miles increase, the odds of a component failing go up.
     

    littletommy

    Grandmaster
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    0   0   0
    Aug 29, 2009
    13,015
    113
    A holler in Kentucky
    We have one of the premium AAA plans and love it. Our youngest son left his keys in the school on a Friday afternoon, had an away baseball game and didn't realize his keys were behind locked doors for the weekend until his team got back to the school around 8:00 pm. We didn't want to leave his car at the school all weekend, and he needed the car for work, so we decided to call AAA to see if they could do anything. Within 30 minutes, a locksmith was on site and cut a new key, even had a laptop to program the thing. We were told up front that there may be a charge for that particular service, but when the guy was done, he looked at some paperwork, told us we were good to go, and went on his way.
     

    PaulKersey

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    22   0   0
    Sep 16, 2012
    209
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    Evansville
    Maybe time to shop insurers are well, then. If you are a vet, USAA is generally lower cost than most of the market, has great service, and their road side assist is about $1/mo.

    That's a good suggestion. I qualify for USAA, but I generally like my current agent. However, it might not hurt to check the rates - it seems there might be a significant savings. I recently had an encounter with USAA customer service. My daughter was recently involved in an accident - her car was hit by another driver. The at fault driver had USAA coverage, and they were very helpful, promptly approved the body shop that I had chosen, and I received payment for the repairs to give to the body shop very quickly. That's a sample size of one experience, but I thought they were quite efficient.
     

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