is AAA roadside service worth the cost to you???

[Stopsignhank]

My wife and I were in Germany and I locked the keys in the car. The rental car place said they could mail us the keys, it should just be a couple of days. The guy at the hotel said that someone from their auto club could come out and unlock the car, only if we were a member with their club or one affiliated with it. I knew that AAA was affiliated with their club. I gave him my AAA card and went out to dinner and when we came back he had the keys. The only thing it cost me was the 10 Mark tip I gave him.

 

[who?]

If you drive for vacation it's nice to have a nationwide 800 number if you need a tow.

 

[OverVolt]

Oh yes.

If you get roadside assistance through insurance guess who knows you banged your car on the curb or something? Hmmm :hmm:

Its also great in that it applies no matter what car you are driving or where you happen to be. You never know when you'll need it and its not that expensive. Its a huge peace of mind knowing you just have to call one number if you break down somewhere. Instead of frantically searching for the nearest tow place on your phone as your car sits disabled in the road, as happened to me...

 

[Humpy]

It was well worth it for a buddy of mine.

He pulled into my driveway with a nearly flat tire and AAA came and put the spare on while we sat inside and drank. Really a life saver.

 

[Miramonti]

I'm paying $2.70/mo for state farm roadside service.

However I have two cars, so that makes it $5.40/mo, or $64.80/yr. (/edit: that's $2.70 for six months, $5.40 for both cars, and a total of $10.80 per year. No reason to get AAA with this.)

This coverage pays the reasonable expense for the following emergency services for your car:

Mechanical labor up to one hour at the place of its breakdown.

Towing to the nearest place where repairs can be made during regular business hours.

Towing the car if it is stuck on or next to a public highway.

Delivery of gas, oil, loaned battery, or change of tire, but no the cost of such items.

Locksmith labor for up to one hour if you lose your key or lick it in your car.

I'd have to look up the actual policy to find the exact limitations. Does AAA cover these things, and does an annual membership cover all one's cars (and anything the member is driving at the time?)

 

[Brovane]

I have had it for 2+ Decades now. I also use AAA for my house and auto insurance.

 

[shortylickens]

Yes, used it several times.

Nowadays I carry more emergency gear in my car, just in case I cant get AAA service right away. But its still nice to have.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Yes for two reasons:

1. I view it as inexpensive roadside "insurance,"
2. AAA's paper maps & Tour Books are an excellent reference for when one is on vacation.

 

[BudAshes]

I had a pretty nasty experience with AAA a few years ago. Definitely won't be using them again and I would never trust them at all for an urgent situation. Their call centers are horrendous, particularly for California.

 

[lxskllr]

Not for me. I handle all my own problems, and the few I can't handle, I pay for in cash. Over a lifetime, I've spent far less money than a AAA membership.

 

[chin311]

I have roadside / lockout / battery jump etc coverage with my Geico policy and its only about $25 a year so I roll with that for now, used it once.

 

[xaeniac]

not worth it unless you are elderly or just plain lazy.

 

[bruceb]

You can get coverage through most cell phone contracts also. Either way, the cost is minimal and can be a big help when something does go wrong with the car. I myself do not have AAA, but the small fee mentioned of $52 per year is dirt cheap (comes out to $1 per week) which anyone can afford.

 

[mmntech]

I've known a couple people where it's come in handy, especially in the winter time. Cops hate CAA though because they take forever to come out to accidents or breakdowns, and their idiot members refuse to take the tow that's already there. Even though CAA is supposed to reimburse them.

Only time I've ever been close to needing roadside was when my alternator fried. I managed to limp it home on reserve power. CAA keeps sending me membership packages but I've never signed up.

 

[Mixolydian]

I have "roadside assistance" either through my insurance, or through the dealer/mfg when I bought my truck. Can't remember which, or maybe it's both. Never needed to use it though. (knock on wood)

 

[alzan]

For the most part; we've had AAA + for years and I'd say we're at break even on dues vs. services rendered. They have good to great response times and the contractors have all been polite & knowledgeable .

 

[DrPizza]

Personally, I feel it's a huge waste of money. I'm not an idiot, so I don't lock my keys in my vehicle. I'm not an idiot, so I don't drive until I run out of gas. And, I'm not an idiot, I can change my own flat tire, even wearing a suit, without getting that suit dirty. (But I'm about equally as likely to put in a plug and re-inflate the tire, if possible. It's quicker.)

I cannot conceive how unlucky people must be with vehicles to even come close to breaking even in the long run. (And, AAA makes a good profit and pays a lot of salaries, so this is obviously true in general.)


Either the dealer or my insurance, or someone provides roadside assistance if I need it. I haven't got a clue who it is, because I've never needed it, and likely never will.

 

[JamesV]

When you look at everything you get for a AAA membership, it is definitely worth it.

One tow a year costs more than the membership, and I use my card to get discounts on lodging, food, and other things. I figure my $60 a year results in a few hundred dollars of savings just by using my card at places that give discounts to AAA members.

 

[ThinClient]

My insurance comes with free roadside, so AAA is kinda moot.

 

[bruceb]

My insurance also provides towing coverage (part of the comprehensive coverage)

 

[Thump553]

It's way, way cheaper to get roadside assistance through your insurance company. I've had to use that twice and they came far quicker than AAA ever did.

Never going back to AAA in this lifetime.

 

[Pulsar]

not worth it unless you are elderly or just plain lazy.

Ahhh, I was wondering when the first moron post would show up. ATOT never disappoints in that regard.

Very much worth it, especially if you have kids and/or live in a rural area. We were having problems with the van, and twice it died while my wife was driving the kids different places. It was a good feeling knowing that even though we live out in the middle of nowhere, AAA towing showed up quickly.

We ended up finding a broken ground wire that was draining the battery by arcing. What a headache.

 

[alkemyst]

People rear end our state troopers while they have their lights on here on the shoulder. Many sports cars don't even come with spare tires anymore. Just have roadside show up with a flatbed and handle it that way.

There is no where I really need to be that bad that is worth risking my life to change a tire or a repair of my vehicle.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

As others have mentioned, most insurance plans include, or can include, Emergency Road Service. I think I pay $4/year for it and have used it twice in the past three or four years.

Edit>> I pay $6.14/year for this coverage.

 

[mikeford]

Many people with project cars use AAA for free flatbed trips back and forth to the shop as the project progresses. This can be a number of trips during a restoration, or even when working out issues keeping a car from passing smog inspection so it can be registered and driven on the street.

AAA understands their customers, provides a set of services that many of us find a very good fit for our needs.

Travel is kind of odd, the industry is changing, but AAA is very knowledgeable about many travel issues, cruise lines, but actually using them for booking is hit or miss if lowest cost is priority one.

Once you get used to them, there is just no way I would give up the services etc for the cost. AAA doesn't just do some dmv services, many offices have a few people that really understand how DMV works and what is possible vs easy to do.