Roadside Assistance
 

We have two 2015 Honda Fits that will be covered for another month. After that, I will have to select a company for a roadside assistance contract. I know from past experience that all the plans use the same local towing companies, so that's not a deciding factor. Any opinions on good or bad plans or options?

check with your insurance company. if it's one of the major ones they usually offer 24hr roadside service like AAA at a low rate.

I use AAA's Premier plan (1 free 200 mile tow, 3 free 100 mile tows)) since I do so much long distance driving. I haven't had to call them yet so I can't speak for their response time, etc. but my brother drives a PT Cruiser - need I say more. He also has AAA and he's already used up 3 of his 4 free yearly tows. They all came to his rescue in less than an hour so he's happy with their service. He finally wised up and bought himself a Toyota last week. :D

Here's a link to their plans:

https://autoclubsouth.aaa.com/Member...m_page=AAA.COM

Thanks. Good idea.

Thanks. The waiting time has more to do with how many people have car problems than the roadside company itself. There are several towing companies where I live, but if they are all busy, you have to wait. I once had to wait 24 hrs. Luckily, I was close to home.

I dont know what AAA is like, but in Canada CAA is fantastic. In the ten years I have been with them I have only ever had one problem. They usually arrive within 30 minutes for either battery assist, or tow. I broke down once over an hour away and the guy towed me to my garage, and even gave me a lift home on the other side of the city.

My only complaint was when I asked for battery assist to jump and I was sent a tow truck during rush hour. The driver entertained me by putting the jumper cables on and letting the car turn over but removing the cables right away allowing the vehicle to stall. I ended up having to cancel my evening job, to find out that there was nothing wrong other than it was cold. Talking to a customer who worked for CAA told me tow truck drivers don't get paid for jumping. I called the company and complained and was given a refund to equal 6 free months.

I have roadside for the next three years, and the manager at Honda told me to cancel CAA. I honestly don't think I will.

np, silverEX.

yah, AAA was a great back before internet evolved cause they will give u maps and stuff to plan out your trip. i remember being a member and got lots of paper maps from them.

Maybe I'll buy a new Fit every three years and roadside assistance for free! : )

Consider getting the coverage you want through your automobile accident insurance. My policy has towing coverage, but I've never had a reason to use it. I also have key lockout coverage on my policy. That I used once and they paid 100%.

Thanks. I'll call my insurance company on Monday. Looking online, they do offer a roadside option.

yah, and it's real economical too. i can't remember off hand but when i had my out of warranty period hobby car it was only like $25 for 6months in addition to the hobby car premium i had on her.

Read the fine print, AAA premium is the only one I found that wont insist that they will only tow you to the nearest garage,, Used my coverage through an insurance company one from a fairly remote part of Oregon, they would only tow me to the nearest town which had NOBODY that was a real mechanic to tangle with a bad diesel injector pump.. Of course the only shop belonged to the tow company..

Right. I remember that from a few years ago when we had AAA.

I told my Fit to never let me down. And, the Fit responded I won't. I think it would be cost effective if I pay for the tow in due time rather than to pay a premium every year. Plus, my credit cards cover part the cost, $70. If roadside assistance is extensive, I pay the difference. Fair enough, one less merchant to complain about.

Something to think about.

yah this day and age we all carry celphones so no big deal just finding a local tow truck when needed. and it's not like the car is so low you need to find a tow truck with a guy that knows how to load it up. the benefit of being in the roadside assistance program with insurance for me is just convenience.

IMO
Sure you can bank on reliability, and having a cell phone, and being able to pay IF a you need a tow BUT....
AAA or any roadside assistance coverage through your insurance is so cheap it's well worth it for peace of mind.
If for whatever reason, you end up using it once...it's going to pay for itself pretty easily. If you never use it? You're paying for peace of mind, and not paying much, IMO it's worth it.

Both of our cars are just off warranty and the Honda road service, so I'll have to find something.

My son just got a $95 reimbursement check from his auto insurance for a lockout charge he paid a year ago on a rented car. He mentioned it to me in passing and I encouraged him to contact his agent.

One thing about having AAA is they will tow you wherever you want to go within the range of the plan you have. My plan has a 200 mile range which I need since I mostly drive long distances. So if I break down and I want my car transported to my mechanic or dealership 200 miles away, they will tow it there. Other RA programs may just tow you to the nearest auto repair shop and you may not want that. Something to consider for long distance drivers.