Any value in keeping AAA

[Naonak]

Yes.
Its the 2nd time I've had RA come curbside, and replace my wheel or in the first case wheels (2 blowouts) on the spot. I drive long distances and often with long days at the office. I couldn't feel any safe than having Tesla RA at my side. They always try avoid a tow unless you are very remote or have aftermarkets.

Wow... must be nice. When I had a blowout in Denver, I had to wait until the next day for them to service my tire. And they were rude a hell. The Denver service center sucks.

 

[idealsol]

With new Tesla Dec 2016 we kept AAA - 40 year member
Kinda confused as to who I might call if I have a problem !!
- I have 3 options now, AAA, Tesla road assistance, and Geico
( Our car insurance for the Tesla was much better thru Geico VS AAA, so put the Tesla with Geico, (ICE/Homeowners still with AAA ) who talked me into their road assistance which was virtually free )

Any thoughts on who should be my 1st call? Maybe call em all and go with first to arrive !!!

 

[Az_Rael]

With new Tesla Dec 2016 we kept AAA - 40 year member
Kinda confused as to who I might call if I have a problem !!
- I have 3 options now, AAA, Tesla road assistance, and Geico
( Our car insurance for the Tesla was much better thru Geico VS AAA, so put the Tesla with Geico, (ICE/Homeowners still with AAA ) who talked me into their road assistance which was virtually free )

Any thoughts on who should be my 1st call? Maybe call em all and go with first to arrive !!!

My experience with insurance company roadside assistance has been very poor. We used to have it on our State Farm policy, so we cancelled AAA. My husband's car broke down in a very bad part of Dallas late one night, so I noted the freeway exit number that we pulled off and called them. They could not send a truck out unless we had a ZIP code. Mind you, this was before smart phones. Their instructions for us to obtain our ZIP code was to hang up with them and call 911. In the past, all I have needed with AAA was a state, city, freeway and exit number, so I was angry they wanted us to call 911 and use their resources.

I refused to call 911 to get my ZIP code, and they refused to send a truck out without one. So we hung up and called a friend to come get us. The next day, we called and complained, and the answer was that was standard procedure. We cancelled the service immediately and signed back up for AAA. Been happy ever since.

 

[grichard]

If you need in-person DMV transactions (registration, lost stickers, titles, etc) you can do them at the AAA office in CA. The waits are MUCH shorter at least around here where you will spend several hours at the DMV.

That's interesting. In Missouri, most (all?) DMV offices are franchised--usually to nonprofits. The AAA office that I've been to has among the longest lines of any DMV office that I've used. They're pleasant and competent, but the wait is atrocious.

 

[Az_Rael]

That's interesting. In Missouri, most (all?) DMV offices are franchised--usually to nonprofits. The AAA office that I've been to has among the longest lines of any DMV office that I've used. They're pleasant and competent, but the wait is atrocious.

Guess that just shows how much DMV's vary by state. So YMMV on the value of AAA to avoid a DMV trip.

 

[sdorn]

My experience with insurance company roadside assistance has been very poor. We used to have it on our State Farm policy, so we cancelled AAA. My husband's car broke down in a very bad part of Dallas late one night, so I noted the freeway exit number that we pulled off and called them. They could not send a truck out unless we had a ZIP code. Mind you, this was before smart phones. Their instructions for us to obtain our ZIP code was to hang up with them and call 911. In the past, all I have needed with AAA was a state, city, freeway and exit number, so I was angry they wanted us to call 911 and use their resources.

I refused to call 911 to get my ZIP code, and they refused to send a truck out without one. So we hung up and called a friend to come get us. The next day, we called and complained, and the answer was that was standard procedure. We cancelled the service immediately and signed back up for AAA. Been happy ever since.

I had a bad experience with State Farm roadside assistance as well. My mother is on my car insurance (I bought her car for her so it is titled in my name) and she had a breakdown one night in Atlanta (not a bad part of town either). They said they couldn't send anyone to help her but recommended she call someone on her own and then submit the invoice for reimbursement. I called my agent and she said State Farm has a really weak program and will often just tell you to find your own tow truck, etc. and they will reimburse you. I immediately cancelled and got AAA for my family and my mother and sister.

 

[krazineurons]

recently got a premium Chase credit card that gives me a 33% discount on hotels when booked through their reward portal

Is it the chase sapphire reserve?

 

[Barry]

Is it the chase sapphire reserve?

Yes, it is.

Sorry for the delayed response. Guess I missed the notification of a response. I'm here now reviewing the thread because it's AAA renewal time. This time, I'm finally going to drop it. I really haven't used it for anything and their tour books and maps are dinosaurs now.

 

[ggr]

A year ago, we hit a mega-pothole that took out both passenger-side tires and wheels. It was bucketing down rain, and we had an 85-year-old friend in the right seat on a freeway entrance that Uber and taxis wouldn't pick up on. Tesla couldn't get us a towtruck for 3 hours, but AAA came in about half an hour. I'm keeping it.

 

[boaterva]

A year ago, we hit a mega-pothole that took out both passenger-side tires and wheels. It was bucketing down rain, and we had an 85-year-old friend in the right seat on a freeway entrance that Uber and taxis wouldn't pick up on. Tesla couldn't get us a towtruck for 3 hours, but AAA came in about half an hour. I'm keeping it.

I think the AAA response is always completely variable, as all they do is call the local service station. I've used them a couple of times and it varies from 15 minutes to hours, as it depends what the tow truck is doing. And I don't know where the AAA call rates compares to a 'phone call from someone else that isn't dispatched from AAA'. (The reimbursement compared to someone that calls them directly.)

 

[Barry]

I think the AAA response is always completely variable

Despite being an AAA member for years, I can only recall calling a tow truck once, getting stuck during a snowstorm. It took about 4 hours.

If it's a random event, like hitting a pot hole, it's not likely to be too bad. However, if many cars need service, such as during bad weather, you are likely to wait a very long time because AAA pays the towing service a deeply discounted rate, so they are going to do all their private/full-pay calls first. Pardon my physician perspective, but using AAA's towing service is like having HMO coverage.

 

[boaterva]

Despite being an AAA member for years, I can only recall calling a tow truck once, getting stuck during a snowstorm. It took about 4 hours.

If it's a random event, like hitting a pot hole, it's not likely to be too bad. However, if many cars need service, such as during bad weather, you are likely to wait a very long time because AAA pays the towing service a deeply discounted rate, so they are going to do all their private/full-pay calls first. Pardon my physician perspective, but using AAA's towing service is like having HMO coverage.

Right, during an event, all bets are off. I wasn’t talking about a random flat tire. If you call during an ice storm, forget it.

 

[EVChris]

I'm definitely keeping AAA. My one suggestion is that when you call them make sure they send a flatbed.

 

[David.85D]

Just curious, given how hit or miss tire shops are about lifting Teslas, are the AAA tow trucks always willing to tow a Tesla when asked? Has anyone been refused a tow?

Anyone actually get a roadside charge from the special truck?

 

[EVChris]

The AAA roadside chargers are CHAdeMO and apparently some with L2 but that'll be really slow. If you have the adapters you might be in luck. There aren't many of these trucks.

I refused a AAA tow in my Leaf. They were very good about it and then sent a flatbed. Yeah, that cost an hour in the middle of the night. It was annoying but AAA didn't even flinch about it. My lesson is make it very clear if you're using AAA when you're on the phone ahead of time with the dispatcher that you want a flatbed. It is what Tesla mandates.

 

[murphyS90D]

A flat bed is always required. There is no way to disconnect the wheels from the motor(s) so a wheels on the ground tow is going to be turning the motor(s).

 

[Barry]

wheels on the ground tow is going to be turning the motor(s).

Is that necessarily a bad thing? It's just the rotor spinning. Is that any different from regen when going down a hill?

 

[ahkahn]

With new Tesla Dec 2016 we kept AAA - 40 year member
Kinda confused as to who I might call if I have a problem !!
- I have 3 options now, AAA, Tesla road assistance, and Geico
( Our car insurance for the Tesla was much better thru Geico VS AAA, so put the Tesla with Geico, (ICE/Homeowners still with AAA ) who talked me into their road assistance which was virtually free )

Any thoughts on who should be my 1st call? Maybe call em all and go with first to arrive !!!

You can have Geico cancel off the roadside assistance... you ARE paying extra for it whether you know it or not.

The AAA roadside chargers are CHAdeMO and apparently some with L2 but that'll be really slow. If you have the adapters you might be in luck. There aren't many of these trucks.

I refused a AAA tow in my Leaf. They were very good about it and then sent a flatbed. Yeah, that cost an hour in the middle of the night. It was annoying but AAA didn't even flinch about it. My lesson is make it very clear if you're using AAA when you're on the phone ahead of time with the dispatcher that you want a flatbed. It is what Tesla mandates.

I've had my Tesla towed with the new-style wheel lifts. They basically put the wheels into little skateboards and tow the car that way.