Agreed.

Yeah sorry about that , appears they're still looking for the Pings .

I've got AMA, I think the premium packages are pointless though.

Only used them once for a jump, showed up quickly so no complaints really.

Worth being a member of the CAA/AMA just because of all the discounts you get on everything imo. Pays for itself.

We pay for gold membership for the towing distance and the extra tows, we have older cars that are more likely to have issues and we like to have them towed home as OH repairs them. For us its well worth it.

You get extra tows? I think I get 4 tows or service calls amd 140 km on my CAA gold card but the regular was 4 tows. 140 km covers me going fishing locally and if I buy my Provincial Park Pass at CAA I get $5 off next year's membership. I tell people it's the only German organisation I belong to; the Otto Club.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the 'feral tow trucks' in the GTA. I see them wait for prey near highway junctions, ominously idling their Vulcan Intruders and V-8-powered Ratlers while monitoring police frequencies.

The towing profession in Ontario is entirely unregulated, and if you are unlucky enough to encounter the wrong kind of truck, you might end up with a $1000+ bill for a 10km tow. There are even reports of $450 bills for 60 metres (not kilometres) towing. All perfectly legal.

This is what the Globe & Mail has to say:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle11262744/

A year after the big crash in the Beetle the insurance company contacted me to ask about the tow, how far it had been, did we stop on the way, did I influence the choice of towing company, odd questions like that. Apparently it had cost several thousand dollars and made some audit list. It was about a twenty minute drive with the car rolling on the back wheels so the sort of thing the CAA does all the time. The police had called the tow truck company, I don't know how they decide who to call.

Ah, no, i was wrong, soz, CAA plus is 5 tows, 160kms and covers motorbikes too, didn't realise it covered passport pics, wondering if they are the same as citizen photos? I'll loom later.

No rose tinted glasses, that's the cover I had, use to drive to Spain about 6 times a year.

The comments to the Globe & Mail article seem to suggest some police officers may choose to call the 'most grateful' tow trucks.

From Canada?

It so happens that I've heard of a database assembled from data supplied by auto insurers in Ontario which is used for claim matching. They look for claims which have common features such as the same witnesses or attending police officers with a view to fraud detection. Technically it's not startling but procedurally I think it is as it depends on the companies supplying data one might think would be subject to confidentiality rules (if Canada had any).

I have heard there there are credit cards that offer free Roadside Asssistance for members. Does anyone know of any particular cards that do?

http://bit.ly/1rpc88C

That is amazing!!