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Topic: Breakdown cover - alternatives to the AAA?
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 08-05-2014 05:24 AM
AAA has always been good to me. I have the upgraded coverage that gives 100 miles' worth of towing. I think I used it once, and they towed me for fifty miles with no problems.
Response time is usually an hour or so, but can be longer during bad snowstorms or other times when many people are having car issues.
But, as others have said, check with your insurance and credit-card companies, as they may offer similar services. AAA has other benefits (free/discounted passport photos, maps, discount coupons to attractions, travelers checks, etc.), but you may not need/want those extra servies.
Whatever you do, please avoid "Road Guard Motor Service" (I think that that is their name). They once mis-printed their emergency number as a number that belonged to my previous employer. We had people calling our sales line (for a software company) asking for tow trucks. They tended to become very upset when they found out that we could not help them.
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 08-05-2014 09:20 AM
Turns out that our insurance does actually include a barebones breakdown service, but reports on Yelp suggest that there could be very long waits on hold to speak to someone followed by very long waits for a truck to show up.
A co-worker of Olivia's suggested Good Sam Club, which looks promising, both on their own website and in online reviews we've seen. Furthermore, it's significantly cheaper than the "100 miles" level of AAA coverage, especially for a two-person household, so we've decided to give it a try.
Following Steve's point, I'm going to replace every remaining length of original 1999 coolant hose myself over the next couple of weeks. This isn't the first one to spring a leak: the bottom main hose developed a small drip-drip-drip back in May, and I changed that then. This second problem says to me that all the others are now on borrowed time. I'm also going to get the timing belt changed ASAP - there are another 12k miles until it theoretically needs a new one, according to the manufacturer's recommended interval (which people on Honda forums seem to think is overly cautious anyway), but it's not a risk I want to take.
quote: Scott Norwood
Response time is usually an hour or so, but can be longer during bad snowstorms or other times when many people are having car issues.
Sure, and if this had happened in the middle of the night on Thanksgiving on a mountain pass near Bumhole Creek, AK, then of course I would reasonably have expected a very long wait. But 11pm on a normal summer Saturday, less than two miles from City Hall in the second most populous city in the US? If they had that much trouble getting a truck to me there, I have a bad feeling about relying on them in future.
quote: Marcel Birgelen
And, the only thing they do is tow? They also don't have anybody that can do small roadside repairs?
The AAA said emphatically that no, they don't do repairs by the roadside, even minor ones. In contrast, when I got my first theater job in Britain in 1990, one of the two big breakdown services (can't remember whether it was the AA or the RAC, but it was one of them) was running a series of ads featuring people who broke down in unusual and/or difficult situations (including one that was a spoof of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with a car hanging off a cliff, which was playing on the first projection shifts I ever worked) the punchline of which was the claim that they could fix 90% of breakdowns by the roadside.
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Steve Matz
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 672
From: Billings, Montana, USA
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 08-05-2014 10:32 AM
While I mentioned in my post about not needing the best brand tools,tirepump,etc in your Emergency Kit; I didn't mean that for the replacement parts you will need. As far as Serpentine Belts/Fan Belts and Hoses;Only one brand I have complete trust in "GATES"
You may see a bargain brand SERPENTINE Belt/Hoses from some other
Mfger at half the price. They will more than likely be half the Quality also.GATES has been around forever and has always had a reputation for Quality products. People may take for Granted that a Belt or Hose,etc.,is rated to go at least 50,000 mile or so but that isn't always the case.Obviously the biggest Culprit to premature Failure in these Rubberized Components is extreme heat. Some Vehicles depending on Engine Size,Accessory Layout,etc.run hotter under the Hood than others.
Most people also take for Granted that the reliability of their Car/Truck especially if it's newer is pretty much intact.They believe that
until their stranded somewhere with a Part that failed 20,000 miles before the Manual said it should. I never take anything for Granted on Cars/Trucks; When you see the number of Recalls by THE BIG THREE and even HONDA,TOYOTA,NISSAN in just the last few years for Numerous reasons, you can't expect 100% reliability on even the best Brands anymore...
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