How fast can you use AAA tow benefits? Experiences?

Hey folks,

Against better judgement (isn't that how it always works?) I'm going to be making a 400 mile trip to a car show about a week after I get my GTI back on the road. Yes it's a stupid idea, but I set the goal of finishing the car to drive it to this show, so I want to carry through with it. It will have gotten all new brake hard lines, new brakes and MC, new struts, coilover sleeves, etc. a new fuel tank, fuel pump, and a timing belt. In short, lots of stuff could leak, some stuff could break. I'm going to try and do a bunch of short shake down trips within the 50 mile radius of my Hagerty Ins. policy towing range this weekend to make sure everything is good to go, but I'm still nervous.

So that brings me to AAA. A couple years ago I signed up hoping I could get my POS daily driver at the time which was having frequent problems towed to a mechanic. I was told there was a wait before I could. I sucked it up and paid for the tow.

Now I'm thinking that it's worth it again to sign up for the Premier Membership that would cover a single 200 mile tow and 3 x 100 mi. tows. 200 miles would be the half way point to get me home or to the show destination.

I'm leaving for the show on the 15th of April, so I have 10 days before I go. In reading the AAA member benefits I see the fine print:

** AAA Plus and AAA Premier Members are eligible to receive AAA Plus and AAA Premier benefits seven (7) days after receipt of payment. AAA Premier members receive all AAA Classic and all AAA Plus benefits as enhanced by the AAA Premier benefits. The chart shows just some of the AAA Classic, AAA Plus and AAA Premier benefits.

This was taken from: AAA Membership Benefits

So technically I would be safe if I paid up today.

Has anyone tested the rules of this by signing up and cutting it as close as I am?

Did you have any resistance from AAA?

Are they true to their word or could they shaft me on it somehow if it's that soon after the 7 day wait?

I don't want to spend $123 and be told tough E36 M3 if I do need it.

I have a friend who broke down, pulled over to the side of the road, signed up for AAA with his mobile phone, and then had AAA tow him home.

I don't know if he was just able to sweet talk them into doing it, but I know that it happened.

I have personally successfully called AAA while broken down on the side of the road, signed up for a membership and then, without even having to hang up and call back, have them dispatch a tow truck. Once we had already been members for a while, my wife called to get a tow and found out that our level didn't include enough towing distance. The operator asked her if she wanted to upgrade to whatever the bigger level is, she did, and a tow truck was dispatched immediately to tow the disabled car 50-75 miles. Neither one of those situations required any sweet-talking.

One time that AAA totally let me down, though, is when I was taking the Neon to get it tagged for the first time and it ate an axle on the way to the courthouse. Because it didn't have a license plate attached at that moment, AAA would not sent a wrecker.

i got AAA for Christmas a few years ago. within a week, I used it to get towed home 75 miles.

AAA has been a great experience every time ive used it. no complaints. I even had a failure 175 miles from home. wrecker driver pulled over at 75, had me call AAA, request him, and use another tow to get it the rest of the way home. never even unloaded the car.

only thing ill add is to tip the AAA drivers. they don't get paid jack.

Michael

Hummmmm This is very different from the AAA I got. I had AAA for somthing liek 20 years and accidently let it laps due to me moving and not getting teh bill. When back to renew and they said nope sorry no renew you start from scratch and you only get a free 1 or 2 mile tow for the first 2 years. Kind of pissed me off but they have the market cornered in this area.

A side benefit here in MA is that AAA has registry services for AAA members only. This in its self makes the worth the membership. No 4 hour waits at the DMV any more for all basic registration and licence services. Just got to the AAA office and you are in and out in 10 min.

@ the OP I think you should call AAA an ask.

I used to have the basic AAA coverage, until I broke down one time and called for a tow. The operator noted that the distance I wanted to get towed was beyond the basic level coverage, and was able to upgrade me to AAA Plus right there on the phone.

So basically, it depends on the state.

I had my water pump die at an autocross last summer, called them thinking I was still on my parents policy - nope, they had let it lapse.

So I signed up for RV Plus that day and got a free 10 mile tow that day - enough to get the car to a random import repair shop that had good yelp reviews (and actually was a really good guy). This was in Illinois.

I tend to let my membership lapse, and am reminded of this when I call for a tow. ;-). So I renew from the side of the road and the truck shows up about an hour later.

I have never, EVER had anyone ask for my membership number when I called in, and no one has ever asked to see my card when they showed up to tow me home. (I have been flat-towed 3 times, once almost 50 miles from a race track, hook towed 4 times, a few jump starts, a few gas refills, a few pulls out of the sand...and never once showed a card and gave my number maybe twice.)

I bought a 320i parts car years ago, somewhere between 70 and 90 miles away, and did the "plus" membership (4x100 mi tows) - I did have to wait the prescribed time, but they then towed it from that distant land to home with no issues.

Never any issues of note with AAA, had them for years.

It was worth it to have AAA just for the discount at Sprint for our cell plane.

Thanks guys. After looking into it some more I decided to increase my Roadside Assistance Coverage from Hagerty. I was already paying $60 a year for the Premium 60 mile tow plan, and it was $150 for a the High Octane Plan with 150 mile towing range. It's more expensive then AAA Premier yearly ($123), but I figure it's $90 more then what I'm already accustomed to paying vs. $123 out of pocket now. They also said it will take effect in 24 hrs. so there's no ambiguity about will they or won't they cover me.

In reading up on AAA and getting some feedback from an actual tow truck driver it sounds as if enforcement of the 7 day rule (and one person even said it takes 90 days to be eligible for the 200 mi distance!) can vary depending on which Club (state or region) you belong to. He said he could drive 10 miles South over a state line and it would be WAY more strict for the rules with that AAA Club. Hence the reason that some might tell you you can renew or upgrade with a phone call on the side of the road, and some give you a waiting period.

I figure the bump in Hagerty Roadside makes more sense for that reason.