‘Almost Heaven’: Free Roadside Assistance in the Shenandoah Valley

One of my sons decided to celebrate Labor Day weekend by going tubing and losing his car keys in the Shenandoah River. So I took the opportunity to teach my son about the business of roadside assistance.

Most drivers are completely unaware of the wealth of options available to them in the event of a vehicle disabling event. Losing one’s car keys is just such an event and every driver should be aware of his or her options.

Losing his car keys is a new spin for my son. His previous adventures were characterized by at least two occasions when he locked his keys in a car with the engine running. Let’s just say my son can be a bit absentminded.

If one is driving a new car there is undoubtedly a wallet-sized card located in the glove compartment with a 1-800 number providing usually up to three years of free roadside assistance. Cross Country Automotive Services, or Cross Country Motor Club, is the dominant provider of this service to car makers.

Other providers of roadside assistance include AAA, the U.S. auto club, and Allstate Roadside Services, a division of the Allstate Insurance company. AAA is the largest service provider claiming 50M members in the U.S. and Canada.

Most auto insurance companies in the U.S. provide roadside assistance as part of their policies, though some charge for this service. Geico, for example, wanted my son to pay $20/month for roadside assistance, an offer that he turned down.

Car companies that offer embedded telematics systems – GM, Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Acura, Volkswagen, Volvo and a few others in the U.S. – usually include up to a year of free roadside assistance accessible via the built-in telecom module. Audi and Tesla are unique in not offering a direct connection to a call center in this way.

When my son discovered he had no means to access or operate his car he may have regretted his fairly recent decision to not take Geico’s roadside assistance offer. I am pretty sure I detected regret in his voice when he called me for help.

My son’s plan was for me to call AAA and renew his AAA Plus subscription for him so that he might get an immediate tow via AAA. AAA Plus is a great service since it includes free towing up to 100 miles.

I have long been a member of AAA Plus and 20 years ago made ample use of the towing services during a period of employment when I had a horrendous commute (Route 22-Pulaski Skyway - Holland Tunnel – Canal Street – Manhattan Bridge – BQE – LIE) and an unreliable car (Hyundai Excel). When my sons began driving I added them and my wife to my AAA Plus plan.

The annual bill for all that potential roadside assistance finally peaked at $338 this past January and I finally balked. It was just too much. Now I was regretting that decision.

So my son wanted to reactivate the plan. But that reactivation was going to be expensive. The AAA operator said I could reactivate my subscription for about $118 and add my son for $73, but to get a same day tow would cost $75 more and that tow would only be free for three miles – the cost beyond three miles being $4/mile.

I quickly surmised that this was not the most prudent alternative. I got off the phone with AAA and told my son to call his dealer to find out the number to call for the free roadside assistance to which he is entitled as the owner of a new car.

Cross Country Motor Club provides three years of free roadside assistance to owners of new Ford cars. Services include warranty towing, non-warranty towing, collision towing, battery jump-start, fuel delivery, lock-out assistance, flat tire change and winch out.

When my son didn’t call back, I realized that I had found the least expensive solution to his problem. I drove him out to his car this morning after picking up the back-up key owed to him by his dealer and he is back on the road.

I also availed him of the fact that his Ford Focus comes with access to MyAssist concierge service via his mobile phone. He'll be sorting that out Monday.

So, don’t take your keys out on the water unless you have a pocket that zips shut. And don’t forget the free roadside assistance wallet card in your glove box. In fact, get that card and put it in your wallet – and enjoy the rest of your Labor Day Weekend.