Englishmum

I joined the AAA just to get some of the discounts they offer via their affiliates (eg. hotels, car rentals, Amtrak tickets, car parts and accessories etc.) - my friend recommended this to me as she was a member and didn't even have a car!

I have the basic membership (as we have warranty with our car) and for emergency assistance it's a joke; with basic membership they will tow you up to three miles to the nearest repair facility, but if you upgrade then it's up to 100 miles. Pathetic, isn't it? When we were AA members back in England we used to use their 5* service if we took the car to mainland Europe and if your car broke down or was in an accident they would get you all the way home again - a "get you home" service doesn't seem to exist here, particularly if you want to drive over the border to Canada or Mexico.

From what I can tell the AAA don't even do basic roadside repairs here or have their own vans and repair guys and just use outside contractors, unlike the UK.

I had an excellent deal when I was in Hawaii last December; I'd booked rental cars for Kauai and Oahu (2 x 7 days) with Hertz via a Continental Airlines One Pass promotion where you got double airmiles and a guaranteed upgrade. When we got to the Hertz counter at Kauai the rep showed us the car we had been allocated....it was smaller than we expected. I called AAA on the spot and not only got a car at a much cheaper price, it was a much larger car too.

The next week on Oahu the deal was even better: the Hertz car was $150 cheaper by booking with AAA than the existing booking I had made using the Continental promotion codes. The AAA deal also included a free child seat and a Garmin navigation system. Also when you rent a Hertz car with AAA there is no charge for an additional driver (normally Hertz charge $10 per day to a max of $50 per week....this alone saved us $100).

robin1234

Replacement windshields can cause problems, so beware. I had a very nice 1991 Honda Civic, I bought it new, very trouble free & I was hoping I'd keep it for 15 years or more.. essentially it was destroyed as a result of windshield replacement.
This is what happened. The windshield had a little star shaped crack in the middle as a result of a stone. It was tiny and never got worse. Then one day I was at work, and the car was parked in hot sun with snow on one part of the windshield -- unfortunately this caused the little crack to spread right across the windshield. I called the insurer, and they sent a mobile glass replacement service. When I finished work, there was my car with a new windshield, paperwork on the seat, and they'd taken off and replaced my registration and parking stickers on the new windshield! That was easy.
Then, over the next few months, I started to notice water collecting on the floor. (It was a wet & miserable late winter and spring, so I thought it was coming in on my boots..)Then the electrics started going, battery malfunctioned... to cut a long story short, the new windshield was not quite sealed. Water was getting in and had destroyed the wiring. The car was more or less a write-off.
My local mechanic told me that replacements should ideally be done in the shop, where the car is protected from the weather and they can leave it for a few hours and then come back and check on the quality of the new seal.

Poppy girl

I went with AAA for the extra discounts like englishmum and plus one of thier main offices is the block behind where I live and much cheaper then Geico, but as you said Rete, I would of thought that I would be doing the same procedure,local glass place, but AAA insist that you use one of thier recommended ones, or they won't pay out for it.

Poppy girl

How long ago was this if the car was new in 91 that's a while back!!
Mines a 08 Mercury Milan I am a bit nervous about this I must say and I will be staying with the car while they do it, if its not right all hell will let lose

robin1234

This happened in early 2002, I think. So the car lasted me 11 years but I was hoping to go for 15 or more! We actually gave the car for free to a guy my wife works with. He had no money and needed a car... he still drives it, but I don't know what the state of the electrics are.. he's one of those salt-of-the-earth country types who can mend anything with baling twine and duct tape.
My mechanic (a good guy who really knows his stuff.) showed me the problem with the seal by puuting detergent on the outside, then blasting it on the inside with compressed air. It bubbled through a little in one place which presumably showed that the seal was not perfect.

Poppy girl

Bloody hell I would flip.

Lord Lionheart

I'd have thought you had a company car with all the miles you do

chicagojlo

We have roadside assistance from AAA, as well as having it on our insurance and on our warranty. And still when the motor went on our rear power window one night nobody could help us! The window was all the way down so the car was easily nickable and we didn't have a private garage as we lived in downtown Chicago! We ended up parking the car right up against the wall in our usual parking lot and sleeping with our fingers crossed until the dealership opened the next morning.
We got Hertz Gold membership for free via a promotional code we found on the internet, additional drivers always free, free child seats and navigation, and you collect points for free rentals. And you can still use the AAA rates. We always get free upgrades too, so we've taken to booking a Focus as they usually give us an SUV instead - bonus!

scrubbedexpat099

I have used both Mobile and Shop replacements, and have noticed no difference.

The think to avoid is doing it when its too cold, the glue has issues.

State Farm take about 10 seconds to confirm coverage.

We have Comp on the Truck despite its age and mileage as we seem to need a new windscreen once a year and it pays for the premium. Illogical but I do not set the rates.

Poppy girl

I am an independent contractor

Lord Lionheart

Oh okay. I'm sure that works too, maybe even better for tax purposes

Poppy girl

Oh yes indeed, and I work for the nicest folk possible they pay for everything and look after me very well.

Lord Lionheart

Are they hiring?!?!

Poppy girl

LOL Depends what industry you are in but Southern Cali yes.

lapin_windstar

The basic membership isn't comparable to AA 5*. But yeah, you're right, afaics in most places AAA just contracts out the calls to local towing companies, and all they're interested in doing is hauling you off to the nearest place. The truck guys only get paid something like $25 flat a tow so they're not going to kill themselves trying to fix your car on the spot! In the big cities, there are dedicated AAA trucks/vans, which might try to fix stuff, but I don't know how many of them there are.

On the money saving tip: you don't have to be an oldie to join the AARP and get their discounts.