do you use a roadside assistance service?

[rh71]

My wife has AAA and we had to use it once when I was in her brother's '97 Civic and the exhaust pipe broke off on 1 end (fourth time in 3 different Hondas - W T F)... it had already been making a loud noise (same as the other ones) and we were going to fix it the next day at a shop (hence driving it home)... but it broke off in the middle of the highway (LIE this time, as opposed to NJ Turnpike the last - that was horrific).

Anyway, we called AAA and they came within 5-10 minutes. The response time was ridiculous - probably better than an ambulance. Paid like $15 from the "extra mileage" to get back to our house since no shops were open that late. Satisfied with AAA, especially necessary when you have an older car... I drive a '95 Rodeo still.

Speaking of which... I used to leave my fog lights on all the time and drained the battery, my Isuzu roadside assistance plan took care of that a handful of times.

 

[Colt45]

I keep a toolbox in the trunk

 

[mrSHEiK124]

AAA FTW

 

[ch33zw1z]

AAA rocks. I have the premium package, AAA tows my car anywhere up to 100 miles...up to 4 times per year. It doesn't have to be your car either, just a car you are in. It's worth the money...it's saved me more than a couple times, I can thank the in-laws for my xmas gift every year

 

[Aikouka]

My Nissan came with Nissan's roadside service.

 

[iamwiz82]

I have never had to use it.

 

[aphex]

This was one of the articles I was looking for - http://www.consumerreports.org...side-assistance_ov.htm

did you know?

A tow could boost your car insurance premium

Using an insurance company?s roadside assistance or towing benefits too often could affect your rates (and not in a nice way) or even your eligibility for coverage. Some auto insurers consider your calls for roadside assistance to be negatives, just like accident claims. State Farm, the nation?s largest insurer, says the use of roadside assistance is a very small factor in calculating rates or considering a driver?s insurability. Some insurers report roadside assistance calls made under their policies to ChoicePoint, an Alpharetta, Ga., company that compiles claims information for the insurance industry. Nationwide Insurance and Geico say they report the information but don?t use it in their policy decisions. Allstate says it doesn?t report usage by members of the Allstate Motor Club, but it does report towing claims made under its insurance policies.

That just sucks... They offer a service but if you actually use it, it hurts you.


EDIT: Here is another - http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/2...ng_insurance/index.htm

 

[krunchykrome]

I have roadside assistance through American Express, although I've never used it.