Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 20:07:29 -0800
Reply-To: David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: AAA coverage...worth it?
In-Reply-To: <ECC1D31A-9B0B-4C94-893F-01C6CA9795AB@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Is it worth it? Well, that, as shown by the above two posts, is that it
depends. On what? On to whom the question is being addressed.
For me, AAA membership (or your favorite, but it has to be equal in
quality, roadside assistance company) is essential for peace of mind. I am
old, you might say bordering on decrepit, but I still have lots of go, go,
go. But if AAA can do it, I don't have to. Things happen, though I keep up
my tires, keep up with maintenance, and on and on and on. Has a deer ever
run in front of you without warning? Has me, and I had to have a tow,
believe it or not. That wasn't the camper, probably would not have pushed
a quarter panel into and cut a tire if it had been. Batteries are
guaranteed, but sometimes fail prematurely. In fact in 13 years of Vanagon
ownership I've had one do that, at roadside campground tens of miles from a
town, but AAA came through. In 60 years of driving, I've had more than one
battery fail prematurely.
AAA will even respond if you are driving a rental, much, much faster than
the rental company will. And yes, new cars do fail. How do I know?
My wife is not even as adept mechanically and physically as I am. She
drives. AAA gives peace of mind.
I have paid the annual membership for AAA Premium by checking for discounts
on numerous products, including auto maintenance. But it doesn't work for
hotels. If the hotel quotes a price, and you then ask for the AAA
discount, you'll just get told that that price IS with the AAA discount.
Not true (otherwise, it isn't a discount, because it was offered to you
without the clerk knowing you had AAA), but don't bother to try to argue,
or to let AAA know. Back when I stayed in Motel 6, they did offer a AAA
discount, posted on the wall, regular price, and AAA price. But nowhere
else.
Well, sorry for the length. Like I said, it depends.
On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 6:03 PM Erin Daniels <eirejammer@gmail.com> wrote:
> For me having AAA is an absolute must. I travel a lot, in fact I
> ‘vanlifed’ it for six years in my vanagon. Best case scenario is that I
> don’t need to use it
>
> > On Mar 10, 2021, at 5:25 PM, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
> wrote:
> >
> > I recently posted about wondering about condition and life of spare tire
> in your clamshell. Many great tips and experiences posted, thank you.
> >
> > So...what about AAA? Many people recommend. I got a 1 year membership
> gifted to me a few years back; I loved it! Never used it. Except for
> their excellent paper maps! I picked up gobs of them.
> >
> >
> > I think a 1 year membership is about $100. I've owned my Vanagon 30+
> years. So doing the math, that's like $3000. Wow...that sure buys a LOT
> of batteries. And wire brushes and grease to treat electrical terminals
> throughout Vanagon. And, I keep my eye on the fuel gauge and estimate
> travel ahead. Flat tires? Sure, having a reliable spare tire and even a
> crummy stock Vanagon jack to lift, and spending a few bucks for a better
> lug wrench works wonders. So far, we are way more money ahead! Not to
> mention the downtime of waiting for the truck to arrive.
> >
> > But, twice in my experience, bad things happen. Once blown out front
> wheel bearings; another time was a snapped ring terminal on big red wire to
> starter motor. Okay, bummer. So then you pay the big bucks for the
> flatbed ride of shame.
> >
> > That's the thing, though. Instead of paying over and over each year for
> something like AAA, you do your maintenance, and in the worst case scenario
> you bring out the cellphone and the credit card for the tow. Still, way
> more money ahead. Yes, they will have the fuel; yes, they can do the jump
> to battery; yes, they can tow if that is the only alternative. All the
> independent tow guys got this stuff.
> >
> >
> > Thoughts and opinions?
> >
> > Rich
> > San Diego
>
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