Summary: My recent towing experiences have convinced me that AAA is not the best choice for me.
In three months I have had to call a tow truck three times. This is more times than the previous 30 years combined.
I want to share some things I learned about roadside assistance — especially from AAA — and how you might prepare for a potential break-down.
Three Tows in Three Months
Here are the three towing events I experienced since July:
I. A long, expensive tow
We broke down just after crossing the coastal mountain range. Various warning lights had started flashing, the car was losing power, and unsettling noises were emanating from the engine.
We were white knuckling it while I was driving. There was no shoulder or safe place to pull off. I kept the car limping forward until we finally found a safe place. We had thankfully made it out of the cellphone dead zone — we had a single bar of coverage.
I called AAA and we waited. And waited…
Every thirty minutes we’d receive an automated call from AAA assuring us that they were still looking for a tow truck. After a couple hours with no indication a tow truck was coming, we began calling various towing companies ourselves.
We found a tow truck that was available — and was covered by AAA towing. We called AAA asking the dispatcher to assign them to us but was told they could not do so.
After several more phone calls, the last person we spoke with at AAA suggested we order the tow, pay out of pocket, then ask for reimbursement. We had been waiting for nearly four hours and it was starting to get dark, so that is what we did.
While our tow truck was on the way, we finally received a call from a AAA tow truck driver. We responded that we didn’t need him and stuck with the tow truck we had already ordered.
We needed to towed 32 miles (51km) and the towing bill was over US$400.
I submitted a reimbursement form to AAA, but initially they only were willing to reimburse us “at the contracted rate” (which was under $150). We were told, “Had you waited for a AAA truck, your tow would have been covered in full.”
We protested, pointing out how long we had to wait, how we had found an available AAA tow truck, and how we requested AAA dispatch that available tow truck but was told by AAA they couldn’t do that. After several more back-and-forth messages, AAA relented and reimbursed us for the entire amount.
II. Getting towed a day after an oil change
The day after I got my car back from an oil change and multi-point inspection, I broke down on an exit ramp within Portland. I was able to push my car to the shoulder to allow others to pass.
I was not far from a major shopping center (Washington Square) and it was midday on a weekday, so I didn’t expect to have to wait very long.
I called AAA. Even though I was within the city, I still had to wait two hours for a tow truck to show up.
As before, I received automated phone calls from AAA telling me to wait and that they were searching for an available tow truck. My wife at home started making phone calls to AAA and searching the internet for tips and tricks as well as reviews of AAA towing.
My tow truck finally arrived and my car was towed to the mechanic.
III. A second tow within a week.
However, the day after getting my car back, I was driving when I noticed the oil light flicker. I was driving on a major 4-lane road, and as I got into a left-turn lane, my car died again. Fortunately, a Good Samaritan helped me push my car to a safe space.
Having had two less-than-optimal experiences with AAA, I decided to order roadside assistance offered through my auto insurance. I fired up my smartphone app, answered a quick series of questions, and I received a text confirming a tow truck was on the way. The tow truck arrived within 20 minutes!
Has AAA Service Declined?
One thing we learned online (but cannot confirm) is that AAA has changed its dispatch service to a more rideshare-like model. They will post jobs for potential tow truck operators to pick. Since their reimbursement is allegedly on the low side, it may be that available tow truck operators choose to pass up potential jobs — which may have explained my long waits.
We have no way to confirm whether this is true, and it may vary from state to state.
Conclusion
I have three recent towing experiences, two with AAA, one through my auto insurance carrier. It can be argued that my experiences do not provide sufficient data from which to draw solid conclusions. But my experience has persuaded me to drop AAA when my annual membership is up for renewal.
Beyond that, familiarize yourself with your car, where your spare tire is located (if you have one), your tow bar (if you have one), and how to safely jump start a car with a dead battery.
Epilogue
There are things you can learn and prepare yourself before you have a break down.
Being informed and getting a few provisions may keep you safer if you should break down.
Here are some suggestions:
a. Check to see whether your auto insurance provides roadside assistance including towing
Some may only cover towing you if you have been in an accident. Verify if they will provide a jump if your battery is dead, lockout assistance, fuel delivery, or help you if you get a flat (assuming you need assistance). If so, unless there are other AAA services you really value (e.g. travel planning, member discounts on dining, lodging, insurance coverage, etc.), it may not make sense to pay for it.
b. Familiarize yourself with your tow bar
Some cars have a tow bar; a bolt that screws into your bumper that flatbed trucks may use when pulling your car onto the flatbed. Find out if your car has one. If so, where is it and how do you attach it? You could save yourself and the tow truck driver a lot of time and trouble.
c. Get a rechargeable hazard flasher
Most people know to turn on their four-way hazard flashers when they are broken down. But I recommend getting a rechargeable hazard flasher. Mine is the size of a large hocky puck and flashes bright red LED lights in various patterns. It really catches the eye better than your regular hazard flashers.
d. Get good jumper cables and know how to use them — or a portable jump start kit
Although many people may have jumper cables, regrettably, many do not know how to use them safely. Almost no one wears eye protection or gloves, many people have cheap cables and/or cables that are too short, and few people know the proper order to connect each cable – and that you shouldn’t connect every clamp to a battery terminal.
Kelly Blue Book has a good instructions on the correct order to connect cables, although they omit the importance of wearing eye protection and gloves before starting the process:
Jump Start Kit
Because of the complexity and potential risks of using jumper cables, many recommend instead getting a jump starter. A jump starter is a device that connect to your dead battery to get your car started. The benefit is that they are much easier to use, often come with reverse polarity protection (in case you mistakenly connect the clamps incorrectly), and don’t require long cables or repositioning a vehicle to connect. Just remember to periodically plug the jump starter in to have the fully charged and ready.
