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Emergency Towing... AAA?
What are people using for breakdown situations? Naturally I hope I never need it, but I think it would be smart to have some kind of service incase of breakdown. I sold my trailer a few months back, so if I break down somewhere, I can't even get my car home myself. I was thinking AAA, but would like to hear from some local people who have experiance with this issue. Thanks!
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I have AAA and have had my Cobra brought home. They used the flatbed and straps for tiedown. Worked fine.
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Emergency Towing
I do a lot of rural trips out through open country. So, I carry a cell phone and the telephone number of a towing service. I thought I'd never use it, but one day in the middle of nowhere I had a breakdown. I called the friend with the rollback and got my car home. It can happen -- be prepared.
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AAA, if you tell them it's a Shelby Cobra when they plug it in it should come up in their database as a flatbed only item.
Bill S. |
AAA for 10 years and never had to use them. Knock on wood.
Pay attention - flatbed only. And they will probably need some wood for ramps so they do not damage the body (by the oil cooler). |
From my experience with my '67 Mustang I have found AAA to be better than some of the other options including the Hagerty Roadside Assistance, etc. AAA made sure to send only a flatbed when I called the other program sent whoever was in the area and made the wait longer for the proper equipment to finally dispatch (it also cost more).
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If you go with AAA, go with the the "Plus" option which allows you to choose where they tow the car up to 100 miles away, otherwise, with the basic, you have fewer options and have to pay for the extra miles over the closest service station. Over the years, it has been well worth the extra money. With AAA, you can use the service (up to a limit) on any car, doesn't have to be yours or even you driving it.
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Luckily I have only been stranded where I needed a tow once, but we used a Taurus and a tow strap.
I now keep a tow strap in the trunk just in case ! :eek: %/ |
Hey I use AAA a couple times a year. It's great when I've been out drinking and don't want to chance it. I just call AAA and tell them I'm in my cobra and they send a flatbed. My date and I ride home in the cab of the truck. No DUI and my car is home when I wake up.........
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I would go one step further and carry a a 4" wide, 6'-8' long wide tow strap so the tow driver isn't attempting to attach big nasty hooks to your chassis to drag it onto the truck bed. Some of the guys can be brutal with chains & hooks.
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Another towing tip (while we're on the subject), is to grab the car from behind when pulling it up on the flat bed. If using 4"x4" and 2"x4" boards appropriately, you can form a step (truck bed to 4x4 to 2x4 to ground) for the rear wheels so that any hooks/chains can grab the bottom half of the car without tearing up the body work. You can't do this effectively from the front (with low oil cooler location, etc.). Just the voice of experience speaking.
Also, the 100 mile upgrade on AAA is a no-brainer. And if you drive around without your cell phone, then you have big brass ones that clank. :D |
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as was stated already, get the PLUS RV option on your AAA card for 100 mi free flat bed towing ( might be more miles now, don't know ). the first time ya need it for more than the few miles the regular AAA card allows teh extra cost pays for itself.
also, on the flatbed, make sure someone stands on the cable when yanking the car onto the bed nose first so that the cable does not dig into the lower oil cooler body shroud . the cable then stays close to the bed and does not touch the car, is easy to do. or as was posted, yank it up back end first. SPFs have tow hooks front and rear which makes tie down easy and tow/winch cable easy to hook too. Actually the hooks are welded to the frame for shipment from S Africa but works great for trailer tie downs or ramp winching . Also, put a rag around the cable where it is close to the oil cooler body snout. Bill |
Well, I joined AAA. It wasn't quite was I was hoping for, but it's better than nothing. It only covers up to three miles of towing, after that you have to pay per mile. The AAA Plus is only available to people who have been members for over 3 years. :(
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Sal:
I was offered the Plus package the first year I joined. I've had it now for quite a while. Only needed it once for my focus. Bob |
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Sal,
Get AAA Plus as the others have stated. I've used AAA NY (NYS thruway this past spring) and never had an issue. Bill S. |
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If they tried to tow mine a hundred miles they would have to make TWO laps around the Island to do it. :D
I've got AAA, actually used it once, they called a flat bed. |
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