Blowouts, breakdowns and AAA insurance

[jatroberg]

So, my wife and I are on I-90 near Billings, MT and the tent trailer has an explosive blowout, almost nothing left by the time I get stopped. I have a jack and a spare, but the wife wants to call AAA since we have that coverage, have for years. A few minutes into the call we are informed that AAA won't help us because the blowout is on the TRAILER, not the tow vehicle. If we want roadside assistance on the TRAILER, we would have had to buy additional coverage, which has a 72 hour waiting period.

So be forewarned!

John

[f5moab]

Yep....

[mzbrandi]

Yep times 2. Sorry to hear your troubles. I have AAA/RV just for that kind of problem, plus I have GS road service as it came with the trailer. Looking to go with CN as soon as the other expires.


Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

[Ford Idaho]

Added RV plus right after we bought the Chappy, used it the first time this June past it was well worth the money we have paid.

[jatroberg]

Gentlemen, thanks for your replies!

John

[Telstar]

AAA Premiym RV coverage is what I have. I had a bad experience with the Good Sam roadside policy refusing to tow my 5th wheel because we were in a RV park.

[mtnlvr]

I had a similar problem last night. All the tire shops in town had closed. I got a flat tire on my RV and called AAA. They said my rv wasn't covered.They told me it would take 7 days for the rv addition to kick in. I was only 25 miles from home at the time and knew who the only tow business in the area is, just a couple miles away, so I called them myself. The guy had a heck of a time getting the spare tire loose under my Solara. It took him over an hour to change the tire. I was really tired at the time and a little frazzled. While we were parked next to the Main St. a suspicious looking guy who was in front of us got questioned by a police car who had stopped. Soon my rv was surrounded by five police cars....
This morning when I woke up refreshed, I suddenly realized that I carry Good Sam roadside assistance also. Duh, what a dummy, I must have been having a senior moment......

[eromenok]

SO glad I read your post.....leaving upstate NY for SC in eight days. TXS.

[OldBob]

Originally Posted by jatroberg

So, my wife and I are on I-90 near Billings, MT and the tent trailer has an explosive blowout, almost nothing left by the time I get stopped. I have a jack and a spare, but the wife wants to call AAA since we have that coverage, have for years. A few minutes into the call we are informed that AAA won't help us because the blowout is on the TRAILER, not the tow vehicle. If we want roadside assistance on the TRAILER, we would have had to buy additional coverage, which has a 72 hour waiting period.

So be forewarned!

John

It cost a very small amount to add our 27' Wildwood to our AAA and we've used their service many times over the years of towing. They have changed countless trailer tires for us and even have come into the campground to inspect and change out a tire. I can't say enough good things about our experiences with AAA while towing. A very good way to go in our opinion.

[MCTroy]

Be careful on AAA roadside. They may cover an RV but not boat trailers. Since we own both, we choose Good Sam roadside coverage. They cover all trailers. I have used their services and it was ok. I wasn't crazy about the nearest shop they wanted to tow a dead car too but we figured out something that time. The service was quick and professional.

[KyDan]

We had AAA when my father in law was in a nursing home. He had a
wheel chair van. One clear sunny Sunday noonish we went after church
to take him to lunch. The van had a flat. I called AAA and got the recording-your call is very important to us. please stay on the line.....
I waited 10 minutes with no answer on a pay as you go cell phone! I hung up
and called back and got the same. I changed the tire myself. When I called the local office to complain - you guessed it- I had to wait on hold a long
time again. When they finally got on the phone they offered no explanation but they do have upgrade service that answers sooner??? I cancelled them.

Most all roadside assistance companies are going to be good and bad depending
on the location, time of day, and mood of the driver at that time.

I figured if AAA Louisville wouldn't answer the phone on a clear Sunday how bad will they be on a stormy rush hour when I'm sitting on the side of
a busy expressway???

I called Good sam to get some routing help and was told they basically punch in my destination and print a Google type trip tic.
At least AAA still has state by state Tour Books which are great. We miss those
but not much else as my wife prefers Google or Bing home printed trip tics better
than AAA.

Sometimes I like to sit and study a PAPER map over my coffee in the morning. For that reason I often stop at state welcome centers and grab a free DOT map.

[timfromma]

AAA doesn't offer RV coverage here in New England. I had to join Good Sam.

[Freds342]

In California AAA costs $21.75 per year on top of your regular AAA membership.

[pmsherman]

Another caution about roadside service is that NONE of them is likely to be allowed to provide service to you if you are on a toll road. Most toll roads have exclusive contracts with specific towing companies and they are the only ones allowed to assist you on the turnpikes. I believe that their service only includes towing a vehicle to service at the nearest exit and they will not help you change a tire.

I discovered this when my car had a tire problem on a toll portion of I-80 and both Good Sam and AAA told me that they were not allowed to perform roadside services on the toll road.

Phil

[blwnsmoke]

x3 or x4.. we have AAA plus RV as well and used it Labor Day for 2 screws in 1 of my tires. I believe it was $30 more a year which is well worth it.

[blwnsmoke]

Originally Posted by timfromma

AAA doesn't offer RV coverage here in New England. I had to join Good Sam.

Yes they do. I'm in NH and I have RV coverage and used it Labor Day weekend to change out a tire on our 40ft 5th wheel. They were at my campground in 45 minutes after the call.