OEM spare tire, and AAA pays for itself!

[elwesso]

So this weekend was fairly eventful for me.. I had the first flat tire I've ever had in the Q... I'll post a picture of it tomorrow, I have a hole on the inside sidewall where you could almost fit your fist through..

So to make a long story short, I have the top plan with AAA.. The one that includes all the roadside assistance, 100 miles of free towing, etc etc.. I was on the side of the highway when my tire decided to blow.. Called them up to have them change the tire for me, since I didnt have the tire iron with me...

So the guy was really nice and helpful, we changed the tire and that was just the start of my problems... We first realized that the valve stem core in the spare was bad, so even if the tire wasn't flat we couldn't put air in it.. Lovely..

I was about 40 miles from where I was going.. So the guy from AAA that came out called a tow truck, and they were out there in about 20 mins of the guy leaving, which was awesome.. They flat-bedded the Q back to where I was going which was great, all of this with no cost to me..

So the next morning when I went to fix the car, I got a new valve stem core from the autoparts store, and realized that since the spare had been flat for so long, the bead had come partially unseated from the rim, so it would need to be re-seated.. In the process of taking the wheel off, i noticed that the caliper was rubbing against the inside of the wheel..

Note that I have Z32 brake calipers.. I am also running running factory 15s during the winter time with 10mm spacers on the front only.. So I ended up having to switch the wheels from front to back, so the OEM spare went onto the back axle..

I took the spare to walmart, and was nice that they aired the tire up for free...

All of this happened literally 2 days before I was gonna put my summer wheels and tires back on.. Fortunately once I put my summer wheels on I can worry about my other set later.

Moral of the story: Every oil change, check your spare tire.. And if you are considering AAA, if you have to use it 1 time a year, it usually pays for itself.. In this case, the $200 a year we pay easily paid for the 40 mile tow I got for free..

[qship96]

AAA for $200/year is alot of money, considering my insurance company {State Farm} charges $ 2, yes TWO DOLLARS per 6 months coverage of "roadside emergency coverage" that includes flat tire changing,out of gasoline coverage, and towing!

[BadQ45t]

Good luck with you State Farm, that is only for their "registered" people, not an exhaustive network of people like AAA....AAA is totally worth it. I have 200 miles of free towing. I had my first blow-out this summer, I didn't even hesitate for 1 second to have the car towed to my mechanic (20 or so miles away) for free. State Farm tows for 2-3 miles and than you start to pay. If you never drive too far away from your house than not worth it, but i drive back and forth to LA from SF all the time. Just once I need to break down and it pays for it self.

I have had my membership since 1977 when I was on my parents policy, it isn't quite $200 for two people for the Super-Deluxe with 200 miles of free towing, if you need that once every 5 years it is worth it.

[elwesso]

I agree with jeff. Before this ive used aaa for locked car keys. My Q sometimes (rarely) likes to lock itself with the keys in the ignition. Both times this happened was in my driveway when i was washing it. AAA came and got the car open within a few mins. Definitely nice to have.

[qship96]

Good luck with you State Farm, that is only for their "registered" people, not an exhaustive network of people like AAA....AAA is totally worth it. I have 200 miles of free towing. I had my first blow-out this summer, I didn't even hesitate for 1 second to have the car towed to my mechanic (20 or so miles away) for free. State Farm tows for 2-3 miles and than you start to pay. If you never drive too far away from your house than not worth it, but i drive back and forth to LA from SF all the time. Just once I need to break down and it pays for it self.

I have had my membership since 1977 when I was on my parents policy, it isn't quite $200 for two people for the Super-Deluxe with 200 miles of free towing, if you need that once every 5 years it is worth it.

Might want to check your facts to be sure they are current, as my agent allows me to just call whomever I want to come out, and I submit the bill to him for reimbursement.....all for FOUR DOLLARS per year......your 5 year costs are $1000, mine $20 I can do ALOT with that $980 savings, couldnt you?

PS in the over 10 years and over 250,000 miles of having this coverage, I have used it ONCE, last winter when I ignored the noisy fuel pump for a little too long and car died on highway- I called the tower of my choice to drop at shop of my choice, submitted bill to state Farm and received reimbursement 4 days later.

[BadQ45t]

I only pay $129 a year for both the wife and I, check your facts, you really think your going to get paid back for a $500 tow???? Totally worth it for me. It only takes one. Since I am out on I5 many miles away from anything pretty often it is my peace of mind. there is no paying me back. Hey for each his own.

[qship96]

Peace of mind costs, how much peace one needs to feel secure is an individual choice we all must make. Personally, if I get to the point I feel I can not depend on my vehicle, it gets replaced.

[maxnix]

I have USAA, towing insurance, and, in the case of my BMW, their customer assistance plan.