Roadside Assistance

[novaraptor]

Who has it? Who's used it? Good reviews, bad reviews wanted.
I know that the best assistance is good preventative maintenance, carrying a properly outfitted tool kit, and having the knowledge to use said tools. But there are times when you perhaps hit that piece of debris in the road that makes the tire simply unrepairable, or when you drop it to the point that your ride simply cannot continue. So, anybody have the good or the bad on the various programs out there?

TIA

[Pat Conlon]

 I have AAA roadside on my 2 vehicles and for a couple of dollars a year more, I added coverage for my 2 motorcycles.
My wife has used this service to replace the battery in her Yukon, very handy. It is common for batteries to suddenly, without warning, fail out here in the desert.

One one occasion when riding solo, I have had to have my bike towed (via flat bed) for a electrical problem I could not fix roadside. IIRC, AAA has a 40 mile limit on towing, or the closest service station, any further you have to pay per mile.

If you do consider this option be sure you tuck away some soft ties under your seat. These are the nylon straps that wrap around the lower triple clamp and provide a tie down point for the heavy tow straps that the tow truck carries. Without the soft ties, the heavy tow straps/hooks warped around lower triple *will* damage your forks or fairing or both.
Every FJ owner should have a pair of soft ties tucked away under their seats. They take up no room.

If you ride solo a lot, I recommend AAA. You never know..... Hope this helps.  Pat

[markmartin]

I've got AAA for my wife's car and my daughter's car.  They've never needed it, but I've used that account twice for my truck and they honored both, no charge, no questions. One was a simple tow to the garage from the parking lot at my work.

The other was last winter at 5 am, in the middle of a windy, blinding snowstorm that was dumping huge amounts of snow/hour.  My alternator died while I was plowing driveways. I called two towing services but was not getting the answers I needed.  I called AAA.  They said they'd have someone call me.  10 minutes later the phone rang, and a tow truck was there within the hour.  The driving that the tow truck operator did to get me hitched up and out of where I was, was just fantastic. He hauled me to the garage as they were opening, unhitched and pushed me into the empty (heated) bay. I was back to plowing snow by mid morning.  AAA paid for the tow. (Yes I cash tipped the driver)

This is as much a testament to the tow truck driver as it is to the AAA, however, they had drivers available to get me.  Well worth the $75 / year.  And I have peace of mind for the when the wife and kids are out on the road with out me.

[Joe Sull]

My wife and I had Allstate for a number of years. We started up with them from an offer that I got from a case of oil. It works good when it's $9.95 a year. Never needed to use the service. The price went up every year about $10. I finally needed the help after about our tenth year. By that time we were paying $110 a year. They got a tow truck to come from 60 miles away to tow my car 3 miles down the road. It took 3 hours for him to get there. After that I thought I'd keep my money in my pocket and call someone local and pay $40 for a tow.
They have a list of tow truck services but non in my area. It might pay to check that. I didn't pay for the tow. The guy never asked for a penny. I did give him a tip cause I felt kinda bad for the driver.

[FJmonkey]

I have AAA and used it once for the bike. 60 mile tow back to home. The AAA add-on for RV & MC gives you additional tows and 100 miles per tow.

[spsmith_fj1200]

My Progressive motorcycle insurance includes towing, which I had to use when I broke the clutch cable on one of my bikes.  I also have the AAA RV package which is needed for motorcycle coverage.