Car Towed - not good but could have been worse

[2moretrees]

It could have been a lot worse.

I drove to the store this morning and my car wouldn't start when I came out. Luckily I was at the store that was only a 20 minute walk from the house.

No I didn't have AAA or any other roadside service. I got home and started calling towing services. They wanted $50 - $75 just to visit the car and then another $4 - $12 a mile for towing. I thought I was going to have to pay over $100 just to get my car towed.

I decided I needed to get AAA even in case this happened again. I went online and signed up which cost $50 and a $17 sign up fee. But as soon as I entered everything in, it said my membership was valid to use. I felt a little bad, but I called up the company I had asked to come (they said there would be a 2 hour wait) and cancelled. I then called AAA and said I needed my car towed.

The lady tried putting my number in and nothing came up. I explained that I had just signed up and she said she wasn't sure if I could use the service on the same day I signed up and went to talk to her manager. I explained that the website said I could use it immediately.

When she came back she said all was fine and sent a tow truck to pick up my car. The tow was free (within 5 miles of the pick-up). So the tow only cost me $67 and I have a year membership still.

That isn't great for the pocket book (especially waiting to see what a new starter is going to cost), but it could have been a lot worse.

[34saving]

Cool that you get a discount and the extra bonus of AAA protection for a year!! To others "out there" check you insurance policy to see if you have towing coverage. I had it and didn't even know it! Mine only pays $50, but it still helps a little.

2moretrees -- good luck with the starter!

[Russell]

You can also get AAA+ and AAA premier if you have been a member for some period of time in good standing. You can get up to 100 or even 200 miles free towing and last I checked it didn't cost a whole lot more than the regular account.

I overheated my car a few days ago and because there was no shoulder I didn't want to pull over with the 8 mo old in the back seat. The car was sounding pretty bad when I finally pulled over after about a mile. I was pretty sure I had blown the head gasket.

The radiator cracked and lost almost all the coolant. The car was smarter than I and shut down all but 2 cylinders and after changing the radiator and the waterpump etc so far so good. I guess it was my lucky day because these cars are notrious for blowing the head gaskets and I don't have the room to undertake such a massive surgery on my own (costs about $1500 to fix elsewhere)

Goodluck with the starter.

[mom-from-missouri]

AAA is good, but there are a lot of others that are much cheaper out there. I have a Cingular cell phone, and believe it or not the cell company has an auto club for around $3 a month. No sign up fee. I have used it several times, in several states, so it has good coverage. It covers me in any vehicle, providing I have my phone with me--which means if I am with you, and you break down, I can get a tow-for your car. I have used it for a tow, flat tire, and a lockout. When I was locked out, it was running and I also ran out of gas at the same time-so that time they sent the guy to slim jim the vehicle and bring me 5 gallons of gas.