How many know about AAA's 1 tow per breakdown policy?

P

Puhdantic

Joined
May 3, 2022
Messages
118
Figured out about this the hard way. Apparently if you get your car towed one place and then try to get it towed another, they won't cover that second tow.

So let's say you get your car towed to one mechanic and then you decide you don't like how things are going. If you try to tow it from his shop to either another shop or even your house, it won't be covered.

I suppose without this exclusion, someone could technically triple or quadruple their allotted tow distance, but it ought to be rewritten. If you got 3 tows or whatever, it shouldn't matter how you wanna use em.

I wish I could go to another company, but this seems to be the only game in town that let's you tow any car you want.
 
This is why I use my insurance. Cheaper than AAA and I can tow as many times as I want.
 
Yep-It would be real ugly in the few who would abuse the "shop to shop" tow if it was applicable. However-you can push your vehicle in to the street in front of the mechanics and they will tow it.
 
vw7674 said:
didn't AAA also have 'approved' shops? (to tow to) So that would solve the 'bad mechanic' issue. ??
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You can tow it where ever you want as long as it's in the approved radius. There was a thing as AAA approved shops-I don't know if they still do that or not. Just had my Son's friend who broke down in Las Vegas-because she needed a new motor, and the shops gave her an (outrageous) "your out of town" price, she used multiple family relatives who also had AAA memberships numbers to have her car towed a certain amount of miles-then used another membership to have it towed another amount of miles, etc. She ended up paying some to have it towed back to So. Cal but not anywhere near what a commercial rate would have been.
 
I was vaguely aware. Had to call them once when the Midget vapor locked on me less than a mile from my house. Ended up getting it restarted before they arrived, so I called them back to say I didn't need the tow anymore, but was really hoping I wouldn't have to argue that the only approved shop is my garage.
 
CKN said:
Yea-try that and see how fast you get a "nasty gram". BTW-how much are you paying for emergency road service?
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$6/month. I've done it/had to do it a few times with my past 2 cars.
 
Puhdantic said:
Figured out about this the hard way. Apparently if you get your car towed one place and then try to get it towed another, they won't cover that second tow.

So let's say you get your car towed to one mechanic and then you decide you don't like how things are going. If you try to tow it from his shop to either another shop or even your house, it won't be covered.

I suppose without this exclusion, someone could technically triple or quadruple their allotted tow distance, but it ought to be rewritten. If you got 3 tows or whatever, it shouldn't matter how you wanna use em.

I wish I could go to another company, but this seems to be the only game in town that let's you tow any car you want.
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Will they tow it to my home instead of a shop? I do all my own repairs, so a tow to a shop is worthless to me.
 
toad said:
Will they tow it to my home instead of a shop? I do all my own repairs, so a tow to a shop is worthless to me.
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AAA of Northern New England will. Last time I did this they paid for the hookup and the first five miles. I paid the last three miles at $4 a mile. $12 for the tow!

I had the regular membership, they also offer a premier one with 100 free miles.
 
eljefino said:
AAA of Northern New England will. Last time I did this they paid for the hookup and the first five miles. I paid the last three miles at $4 a mile. $12 for the tow!

I had the regular membership, they also offer a premier one with 100 free miles.
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Thanks, that's good to know. I've had the 100 miles membership for twenty years. Never had to use it, but I always wondered if they would give me a hard time if I wanted it towed home.
 
toad said:
Will they tow it to my home instead of a shop? I do all my own repairs, so a tow to a shop is worthless to me.
Click to expand...
As long as it's the first place they're towing to, it's fine. I towed one of my cars home after a breakdown a couple months back and got it fixed right up.

Now if you got it towed somewhere and THEN tried to get it towed to your house, they wouldn't do it.
 
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I was not aware of it, but it is a FAIR policy. Someone could totally abuse what AAA does if they didn't. Just buy the Platinum and that covers a 200 mile tow, I'm good.

...and AAA has broken out even on me, had it for three years and only had to use it once(ran over road sign, hole in oil pan)
Had it for three years, used once. I've broke even on it, I am happy.

Before AAA I had a radiator drain plug pop off over an interstate overpass, pulled into Wal-Mart with all the lights on. That one tow (25 miles) from a tow company 30 miles out to my home, cost $330.
 
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