Author Topic: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?  (Read 28055 times)

Overseas Stache

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #50 on: January 22, 2015, 11:47:21 PM »
I'm a proud 16 year member of AAA and have always had the basic service.  The only times I've ever had flats or dead batteries have been when I'm a dozen miles away from a potential DIY fix (and have you ever tried to lug a car battery a few miles on foot?)

A benefit I've not seen anyone mention: with AAA you are covered as a driver AND as a passenger.  So if you're equally Mustachian friend's beater dies, your AAA coverage will cover their towing, jump start, tire change, etc, if you're riding along.

Why was your spare tire miles away? Get a manual transmission car and then you jump start it anywhere.

sunshine

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #51 on: January 23, 2015, 05:18:27 AM »
We've never had AAA. Our auto insurance offers full roadside assistance for $1/month. Our car dealer also provides it while the car is in warranty. We don't do long distance auto trips, but if we did, trip planning can now be done online.

AAA will be going the way of Blockbuster Video unless it can figure out how to reinvent itself.


I'm going to disagree with you here. Do you realize they are also a huge insurance company, travel planner etc  with great rates and service too? The  towing insurance is just a part of the company. 
« Last Edit: January 23, 2015, 05:26:32 AM by sunshine »

Rural

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #52 on: January 23, 2015, 05:43:46 AM »
Over the last 10 years, I think she has called them like 4 times for roadside assistance (3 flats, 1 dead battery).

Jumper cables - $20
Teach wife to change tire - $free (or is that "priceless"?)


I am with Frankies Girl on this - I am not getting out of the car and changing a flat in speeding traffic on a highway!  I am generally pretty self-sufficient but I will gladly pay for someone else to handle this for me ;-)

Ditto

I'm not trolling here... this is a real question:  How many flats have you actually had on busy highways?  I've had one in 34 driving years.  I just carefully drove on that flat until I was in a safe area.  Yes, a risk of damaging wheel/tire -- but weighed against getting smacked I found it acceptable risk.  (Tire/wheel were undamaged, btw.)

I'm not saying "OMG, DON'T PAY FOR IT!" ... just ... saying to weigh the expenses of both options here and how often you have used it.


Once, in a certain number of years of driving. :-)


I had, not a flat, but a true blowout at speed on a busy interstate in traffic. Believe me, controlling the spin and getting the car to the shoulder were much more exciting than changing the tire on that shoulder, but I did both myself.


I've never carried any roadside assistance. I've needed a tow I think twice in a situation other than someone else hitting me in an accident (thus their insurance was on the hook for the tow eventually). One cost me $80 (broken timing belt, so the tow was the least of my worries), and for the other, my husband came and loaded the car on our trailer and took it home.


I keep belts and a spare tire in the car, and that fixes most problems. I'm also not strong enough to break loose machined-on lug nuts by hand (petite woman), but a foot on the "down" side and a pull on the "up" side will do it.


 A dead battery will not cause a car to die if it's already running, and alternators don't die that fast in my experience - I have had a number of them die over the years, and the charge light comes on, but you've got 20-30 miles on the battery. Usually, though, there's an intermittent stage where the charge light is on sometimes; this is the proper time to troubleshoot and fix.


In cases of a dead battery in a parked car, jumper cables generally work, but for those who are hesitant to ask for a jump, one of these will start the car, or for that matter put air in a tire, for half the cost of AAA for a year:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-J5C09-Starter-Built-Compressor/dp/B002X6VXL4/ref=lp_318336011_1_1/183-3836447-8138013?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1422015886&sr=1-1
« Last Edit: January 23, 2015, 05:46:48 AM by Rural »

thurston howell iv

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #53 on: January 23, 2015, 06:34:03 AM »
Had it for years and let it cancel after never using it. A few days later wife locked keys in the car at the gas station. It cost more than the membership. Purchased it again and have never looked back.

I've used it to tow cars home, ran out of gas once in the middle of nowhere PA, used it when a friends car broke... Lots of help with limited expense. Also, I use AAA Insurance for home and cars... They've saved me a ton of money.

Pigeon

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #54 on: January 23, 2015, 06:47:04 AM »
I've had it for years and have used it several times.  I've been very happy with the service they provide.  I've used the discounts enough that the cost for the service has been pretty much a wash.  My mechanic gives a 10% discount on labor and Payless Shoes, where I get dance shoes and tights for my kids, also gives 10%. 

For us, it's worth it for the peace of mind. 

mrsggrowsveg

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #55 on: January 23, 2015, 07:24:21 AM »
I have had a membership since I started driving.  At 26, my parents still put me on their plan as a gift because they think it is so helpful.  I drive older cars and have had to use it on several occasions.  The tow service is also really great.

kimmarg

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #56 on: January 23, 2015, 07:30:34 AM »
Pro tip: if you just want it for roadside assistance.... Wait until you breakdown!

Then call up, renew/get a membership and they will send the tow truck. I discovered this accidentally when my car broke down and it turned out my membership had lapsed. Since then I went 4 years without one until I broke down and voila renewed it again.

Also don't fall for the "premium" membership which tows over 5 miles (10 miles?)  if you breakdown more than 10 miles from anywhere basic AAA will tow you 5 miles OR to the nearest service station, even if that is like 40 miles away. Premium would only help if you wanted to get towed to a specific service station that is far away, the closest is always available.

I've possibly had too much experience with AAA and breakdowns! :)

choppingwood

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #57 on: January 23, 2015, 07:56:27 AM »
We've never had AAA. Our auto insurance offers full roadside assistance for $1/month. Our car dealer also provides it while the car is in warranty. We don't do long distance auto trips, but if we did, trip planning can now be done online.

AAA will be going the way of Blockbuster Video unless it can figure out how to reinvent itself.


I'm going to disagree with you here. Do you realize they are also a huge insurance company, travel planner etc  with great rates and service too? The  towing insurance is just a part of the company.

In Alberta, they also act as a registry agent for renewing car and drivers' licenses and paying traffic tickets,and they are really active in drivers' ed (for seniors and winter driving, not just for people learning the first time). They are very big here.

frugalnacho

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #58 on: January 23, 2015, 08:20:59 AM »
Pro tip: if you just want it for roadside assistance.... Wait until you breakdown!

Then call up, renew/get a membership and they will send the tow truck. I discovered this accidentally when my car broke down and it turned out my membership had lapsed. Since then I went 4 years without one until I broke down and voila renewed it again.

Also don't fall for the "premium" membership which tows over 5 miles (10 miles?)  if you breakdown more than 10 miles from anywhere basic AAA will tow you 5 miles OR to the nearest service station, even if that is like 40 miles away. Premium would only help if you wanted to get towed to a specific service station that is far away, the closest is always available.

I've possibly had too much experience with AAA and breakdowns! :)

That is dead wrong.  There is a waiting period before the service goes into effect (I believe it's 7 days), precisely to stop people from not getting a membership, and then calling from the side of the road in an emergency.  So if your car is broke down in your driveway, or at work, and you can afford to let it sit for 7 days then this plan would be fine.  Otherwise it won't work.  Not sure how you pulled it off.

Spork

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #59 on: January 23, 2015, 08:25:21 AM »
I'm also not strong enough to break loose machined-on lug nuts by hand (petite woman), but a foot on the "down" side and a pull on the "up" side will do it.

You just need a longer wrench.  I'm not being snarky here.   Leverage is everything.   Start with an 18 inch breaker bar and a socket.  If that isn't enough, you can slide a pipe over the bar and turn it into more foot-lbs than the bolt itself is designed to handle.

Rural

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #60 on: January 23, 2015, 08:32:46 AM »
I'm also not strong enough to break loose machined-on lug nuts by hand (petite woman), but a foot on the "down" side and a pull on the "up" side will do it.

You just need a longer wrench.  I'm not being snarky here.   Leverage is everything.   Start with an 18 inch breaker bar and a socket.  If that isn't enough, you can slide a pipe over the bar and turn it into more foot-lbs than the bolt itself is designed to handle.


Actually, the foot-pounds on the bolt is why I'm always careful to have the hand pulling up rather than just stomping/ jumping on it, which will work at least once. :-)


 But you make a good point; I'm not getting younger. It wouldn't be a bad idea to put in a pipe for just such occasions (talking about using an X-style tire iron here rather than a socket wrench with or without breaker bar - with which I stand no chance at all).


Off topic: do they call breakers "cheater bars" everywhere or just here?

frugalnacho

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #61 on: January 23, 2015, 08:38:14 AM »
I'm also not strong enough to break loose machined-on lug nuts by hand (petite woman), but a foot on the "down" side and a pull on the "up" side will do it.

You just need a longer wrench.  I'm not being snarky here.   Leverage is everything.   Start with an 18 inch breaker bar and a socket.  If that isn't enough, you can slide a pipe over the bar and turn it into more foot-lbs than the bolt itself is designed to handle.

This.  A pipe small enough to fit inside any trunk and you will have the leverage to remove any lug nut no matter how tightly it is put on.   

Spork

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #62 on: January 23, 2015, 08:39:41 AM »

Off topic: do they call breakers "cheater bars" everywhere or just here?

It probably varies... but I always called the pipe I put over the breaker bar "the cheater".


Reyes01

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #63 on: January 23, 2015, 12:05:42 PM »
I have it and it is worth it to me. I have a 1982 VW camping van the needs at least one tow yearly:-) The membership cost is far less than the tow charges.

Leanthree

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #64 on: January 23, 2015, 12:43:53 PM »
I use a better alternative called Better World Club. Same service as AAA, which I had long ago, but more socially aligned with my values. Wife got two flats at the same time a month ago, so we used the tow service.

Here are the differences compared with AAA from their website:

BWC is NOT part of the Highway Lobby -- the conglomerate of automobile, oil, tire, and cement interests that advocates for more and larger road building and against the development of infrastructure and safety protections for other modes of transportation, including mass transit, bicycling, and walking. AAA is part of the Highway Lobby.

BWC supports state efforts to regulate automobile emissions as we face the challenges of Climate Change.

BWC consistently supports the funding and development of bike lanes. National and Regional AAAs have fought against bike lanes and public transit funding. Changes in AAA suport have been inconsistent.

BWC supports the use of highway tax dollars used to fund mass transit development and maintenance.

BWC supports a broad enforcement of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.   

BWC Donates 1% of our yearly revenue to environmental cleanup and advocacy. AAA does not.

BWC created the first and only nationwide, 24/7 bicycle roadside assistance program. AAA has bicycle roadside assistance only in certain cities and states.

BWC maintains a carbon-neutral headquarters and fleet service program. AAA does not.

BWC stands against Corporate Personhood. We are a company of individuals, well caffeinated from the finest, sustainably-farmed coffee grounds, roasted locally and delivered by bicycle courier.

Well said. My feeling is a lot of people who have AAA membership don't understand all the harm AAA lobbying does to their neighborhood in the form of opposing bike infrastructure and transit spending. Nearly every good thing happening for cyclists in my area is opposed by AAA.

JoJo

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #65 on: January 23, 2015, 01:02:49 PM »
I don't have AAA now, but when I did I took advantage of their free trip books and maps. 

MillenialMustache

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #66 on: January 23, 2015, 01:25:10 PM »
I am surprised by the number of people here who have AAA. In the five years I have been taking care of my own car, I would have only used it three, maybe four, times.

1. Locked my keys in my car once - paid someone $40 to come out and open it. Less than half the cost of AAA for that year.
2. DH ran out of gas while driving my car and his car. (and I was with him both times and it was before we were married). Once we walked to a gas station, once we knocked on someone's door and got a gallon of their lawn mower gas. He has not done it again, going on four years. I think he learned his lesson.
3. Car did not start at work - dead battery. Got a jump from a coworker - wouldn't have called AAA then even if I had it, as that would have taken much longer.

So why pay $100+ per year for something I rarely use? I don't have new cars either - before my car was totaled in an accident (not my fault) it was nine years old with 162,000. My DH's truck is 13 years old.

We just take care of our cars and generally replace the batteries before they died, replace the tires before they get a flat, etc. I know things still happen, but it should be infrequent enough to not warrant the service. And, nearly all of the discounts can be obtained another way - I get such good rental rates through my alma mater's alumni association, even the rental car attendant was surprised.

Note: If you are paying $1/month through your car insurance, I get that, and I think that is a great deal.

OSUBearCub

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #67 on: January 23, 2015, 02:03:24 PM »
I'm a proud 16 year member of AAA and have always had the basic service.  The only times I've ever had flats or dead batteries have been when I'm a dozen miles away from a potential DIY fix (and have you ever tried to lug a car battery a few miles on foot?)

A benefit I've not seen anyone mention: with AAA you are covered as a driver AND as a passenger.  So if you're equally Mustachian friend's beater dies, your AAA coverage will cover their towing, jump start, tire change, etc, if you're riding along.

Why was your spare tire miles away? Get a manual transmission car and then you jump start it anywhere.

I'd inherited a car from my older sisters.  At some point along the way, one of them had used the spare and managed to lose it outside a college apartment because they were too lazy to put it back in the stow-away area on the car.

But you bring up an excellent point that I didn't think of - here in Florida, the climate dry-rots rubber quite a bit faster than the rest of the US.  It would super suck to be driving on a 10 year old spare tire only to have it blow out too. :-)  Hence, I'll be keeping my AAA.

caliq

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #68 on: January 23, 2015, 02:14:21 PM »
Pro tip: if you just want it for roadside assistance.... Wait until you breakdown!

Then call up, renew/get a membership and they will send the tow truck. I discovered this accidentally when my car broke down and it turned out my membership had lapsed. Since then I went 4 years without one until I broke down and voila renewed it again.

Also don't fall for the "premium" membership which tows over 5 miles (10 miles?)  if you breakdown more than 10 miles from anywhere basic AAA will tow you 5 miles OR to the nearest service station, even if that is like 40 miles away. Premium would only help if you wanted to get towed to a specific service station that is far away, the closest is always available.

I've possibly had too much experience with AAA and breakdowns! :)

That is dead wrong.  There is a waiting period before the service goes into effect (I believe it's 7 days), precisely to stop people from not getting a membership, and then calling from the side of the road in an emergency.  So if your car is broke down in your driveway, or at work, and you can afford to let it sit for 7 days then this plan would be fine.  Otherwise it won't work.  Not sure how you pulled it off.

I have done the exact same thing -- renewed lapsed service when I needed the roadside assistance.  Maybe you're only allowed to do it if you're renewing vs. getting a completely new membership?

frugalnacho

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #69 on: January 23, 2015, 10:08:43 PM »
Pro tip: if you just want it for roadside assistance.... Wait until you breakdown!

Then call up, renew/get a membership and they will send the tow truck. I discovered this accidentally when my car broke down and it turned out my membership had lapsed. Since then I went 4 years without one until I broke down and voila renewed it again.

Also don't fall for the "premium" membership which tows over 5 miles (10 miles?)  if you breakdown more than 10 miles from anywhere basic AAA will tow you 5 miles OR to the nearest service station, even if that is like 40 miles away. Premium would only help if you wanted to get towed to a specific service station that is far away, the closest is always available.

I've possibly had too much experience with AAA and breakdowns! :)

That is dead wrong.  There is a waiting period before the service goes into effect (I believe it's 7 days), precisely to stop people from not getting a membership, and then calling from the side of the road in an emergency.  So if your car is broke down in your driveway, or at work, and you can afford to let it sit for 7 days then this plan would be fine.  Otherwise it won't work.  Not sure how you pulled it off.

I have done the exact same thing -- renewed lapsed service when I needed the roadside assistance.  Maybe you're only allowed to do it if you're renewing vs. getting a completely new membership?

Perhaps.  I could also have been fed incorrect information.  It seemed to make sense though.

Returnoftheyeti

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #70 on: January 23, 2015, 11:02:29 PM »
I well make up the 47$ or so in car rental and hotel discounts.

davisgang90

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #71 on: January 24, 2015, 03:59:26 AM »
I well make up the 47$ or so in car rental and hotel discounts.
This, I use the discount for hotels and others and I like the peace of mind.

BlueMR2

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #72 on: January 24, 2015, 07:02:21 AM »
We've got the high-end AAA towing service, so we don't manage to make it pay for itself each year.  However, I do road rallyes out in BFE, in old cars that spare parts are not so easily found, so I want the long range towing.  1 phone number to call no matter what when you're totally out of your home area is very nice.  I've been broken down without AAA before.  Trying to find someone to call that can lookup a towing place, etc, is very awkward.

If you just tool around in town or on certain high traffic long distance routes, I can see doing without it though.

caliq

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #73 on: January 24, 2015, 08:06:53 AM »
Pro tip: if you just want it for roadside assistance.... Wait until you breakdown!

Then call up, renew/get a membership and they will send the tow truck. I discovered this accidentally when my car broke down and it turned out my membership had lapsed. Since then I went 4 years without one until I broke down and voila renewed it again.

Also don't fall for the "premium" membership which tows over 5 miles (10 miles?)  if you breakdown more than 10 miles from anywhere basic AAA will tow you 5 miles OR to the nearest service station, even if that is like 40 miles away. Premium would only help if you wanted to get towed to a specific service station that is far away, the closest is always available.

I've possibly had too much experience with AAA and breakdowns! :)

That is dead wrong.  There is a waiting period before the service goes into effect (I believe it's 7 days), precisely to stop people from not getting a membership, and then calling from the side of the road in an emergency.  So if your car is broke down in your driveway, or at work, and you can afford to let it sit for 7 days then this plan would be fine.  Otherwise it won't work.  Not sure how you pulled it off.

I have done the exact same thing -- renewed lapsed service when I needed the roadside assistance.  Maybe you're only allowed to do it if you're renewing vs. getting a completely new membership?

Perhaps.  I could also have been fed incorrect information.  It seemed to make sense though.

I should add that it had lapsed very recently -- like within the week of when I needed it.  And my dad had to upgrade it to the premium plan that tows over 250 miles.  That might have altered the situation.

A brake line ruptured and I rear ended someone very lightly, causing zero damage or injuries; it was actually a foreign photographer in a rental and all he did was take pictures of the cars & my insurance info -- said he'd only use them if the rental company noticed the damage and we never heard anything about it again. Got lucky there! Of course, I was two states away from home heading to visit a friend in Philly for the weekend and got stranded at night in New Jersey for like 8 hours waiting for AAA & then my cousin (who also luckily lives in Philly) to get off of work and come pick me up.  I'm female, was 21, and very very grateful for the AAA driver who went out of his way to wait around for a local cop to pick me up and bring me to the station so I wasn't waiting for my cousin outside a closed gas station after midnight.  Car got towed home to CT, and dad replaced all the brake lines himself.  It was cheaper to renew and upgrade the membership than it would have been to pay for a tow out of pocket and have a shop do the work in NJ.  Plus I'm pretty sure my dad just didn't trust me to get the right stuff done at the shop. 

I was also very grateful for AAA when I blew a tire at night (like 10 pm) on the highway driving my little sister's car and had no idea how to change it (apparently foreign cars are different? -- plus it turns out the spare didn't actually match the car; she'd only owned it for a few months at that point and it was close enough that no one had bothered to actually check).  A state cop showed up and forced me to drive a mile on the flat and get off the highway at the closest exit, which happened to be the worst part of town in the small city I ended up in.  He didn't know the area and just left me there (22 at this point, alone, female).  I didn't realize how sketchy of an area it was -- I knew it wasn't great and that I should have told the cop hell no, but he was cranky and intimidating, so ultimately I went along with it and wasn't all that worried.  After calling my parents and attempting to change the tire multiple times on my own, I called AAA -- the guy was local and told me to get my ass back in the car and lock the doors to wait for him.  While I was waiting, a city cop showed up and thought I was waiting for a drug deal.  He was livid at the state cop after I explained things and proceeded to park his car next to mine and wait for AAA with me.  The AAA guy ended up needing to call another AAA guy with an actual tow truck because of the incorrect spare tire situation.  As they loaded the car up they were in disbelief at the state cop who'd made me sit alone at night in this area of town. 

All I can say is that the few times I have used AAA, I have been incredibly, immensely grateful for their services and employees.  And that I realize this sounds like I'm selling their product, lol.  I don't know if we even have it anymore, but I'm driving a much newer car now (2010, 43k miles) and have gotten a bit more mature -- I like to think I'd be able to handle that state cop these days :)

darkadams00

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #74 on: January 24, 2015, 03:26:01 PM »
Either folks have had car issues and needed assistance or they haven't. Those who have will try to plan for that possibility in the future. Those who haven't don't tend to see the need. In my experience, the need for AAA/roadside assists are highly correlated with the age/experience of the person, the annual miles driven, the average age of one's cars, the availability of family/friends to help, the resourcefulness of the driver, familiarity with cars/issues, and general risk tolerance. If any or many of these factors are lacking, then the person tends to buy insurance for assurance.

One-car family, distant relatives, dislike for calling on friends, dislike with dealing with car issues on the fly, and frequent business travel--all of this pretty much makes roadside assistance a given for us. And we save on hotels 3-4 times as well as 6-8 train trips annually. I include AAA as an expense when figuring the "how much do I save by not owning a second car."

netskyblue

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #75 on: January 24, 2015, 03:43:43 PM »
I kind of don't get the point of AAA.  Sure, I've had tons of flats over the years.  I know how to change a tire, and I carry a spare.  Doesn't EVERYBODY?  That's part of drivers' ed.

11 years ago, I locked my key in my car (didn't have a spare key) so I called a locksmith.  Ever since then, I've had a spare set.

I've had the car battery die, but I have jumper cables.  Somebody's always willing to give a jump.

And even if I had a complete breakdown, somebody would always be willing to pick me up, and I could arrange a tow truck.

gimp

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #76 on: January 24, 2015, 04:59:49 PM »
I kind of don't get the point of AAA.  Sure, I've had tons of flats over the years.  I know how to change a tire, and I carry a spare.  Doesn't EVERYBODY?  That's part of drivers' ed.

11 years ago, I locked my key in my car (didn't have a spare key) so I called a locksmith.  Ever since then, I've had a spare set.

I've had the car battery die, but I have jumper cables.  Somebody's always willing to give a jump.

And even if I had a complete breakdown, somebody would always be willing to pick me up, and I could arrange a tow truck.

Are you being contrarian, or do you want someone to explain the point of AAA to you?

Greg

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #77 on: January 26, 2015, 11:11:12 AM »
I kind of don't get the point of AAA.  Sure, I've had tons of flats over the years.  I know how to change a tire, and I carry a spare.  Doesn't EVERYBODY?  That's part of drivers' ed.
11 years ago, I locked my key in my car (didn't have a spare key) so I called a locksmith.  Ever since then, I've had a spare set.
I've had the car battery die, but I have jumper cables.  Somebody's always willing to give a jump.
And even if I had a complete breakdown, somebody would always be willing to pick me up, and I could arrange a tow truck.

I'll bite; the point is that one year of membership is often cheaper than a tow base rate.  100 or 200 mile for "free" is very nice when your rig breaks down (not just a flat but an engine or other system failure) 100 miles from home.

oldtoyota

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Re: AAA membership - worth it? Do you have it?
« Reply #78 on: January 26, 2015, 11:33:05 AM »
When I really needed AAA--car broke down in a blizzard in a dangerous part of IN--they did not come. The police sent a tow truck, and that tow truck guy saved our butts.

Needles to say, we have not bothered to use AAA service in many years and have done just fine.