anyone have any experience with caa ? . I got the 200km tow package ( caa plus) so my car can be towed home in case of a failure. Someone told me however they will only tow you to a service/repair facility regardless of your package. this makes caa useless to me as I do all my own work.

does anyone have experience with this ?

Thank s

 

If your home address is your repair facility and within the 200km tow. You should be good to go. I didn't see any where in the agreement it has to be a caa recognized repair facility and at the end of the day a tow is a tow, no body is going worry about it.

 

I have been a CAA member for about 15 years and only once had a problem with a tow, but it was with the tow driver and CAA even backed me up on it. They have towed my cars to my house, my brothers house, and anywhere I have asked without question. Even towed my cousins car from one shop outside of Whitby to my father-in-laws in Brampton without question under my membership.

My only issue was when I blew out a tire on my M3 on the DVP at 1:30am. Didn't feel like changing the tire, so I called CAA to come get me and flatbed me home, less than 20 kms away. They said they were dispatching someone immediately, and 5 mins later a cop pulls up behind me. I tell him my situation, tell him CAA is on the way and we see a CAA truck pull up behind me. Cops sees the driver, tells the driver to get me hooked up and leaves. Guys hooks me up, I get in and we go to my condo. I tell him to drop in the front visitor lot and I will deal with the tire in the morning. He asks me how I'm going to pay, and I tell him I have my CAA card. He tells me that the cop told him to hook me up and that he was not originally dispatched for me, so I gotta pay for the tow. I tell him that there must be some confusion, as I called for CAA and he came in a CAA truck and he hooked me up. Long story short, I call CAA to ask what's going on, they get the driver on the phone, he says, "nope not going to release me until he gets paid", CAA tells me to be patient they are going to call his company. 2 mins later the guys gets a call, short argument and then begins to lower and unhook my car. CAA calls me back, apologizes for the confusion and tells me that they called his company, told them either he releases my car or they will cancel their agreement and they will no longer be able to tow for CAA. Apologizes again for any hassle and tells me its all been taken care of.

 

I use CAA frequently, had one bad experience but many good one's...tow wherever you want it to go...PM me if you have any questions about my use/experience
In short, it pays for itself...

 

great , thanks guys .... I feel a little better now.

 

They'll tow you anywhere you want. I've had I think 4 or 5 CAA tows over the years. I've been towed home, to a shop, up to the lake, wherever I've wanted, so long as it's within the 200km (or you pay extra). Only one bad experience, but that was the tow company, not CAA (young kid winched the car down by the control arm and broke it). At $100/year, it's more than paid for itself over the years. Plus you get coverage in the US and discounts on lots of things (albeit a pretty small discount). I don't understand why anyone with an old car wouldn't have coverage. Break-downs are inevitable, no matter how good care we take of these cars.

 

I had CAA for 15 years until the in-laws stopped giving it to me for Cbristmas. Towed all kinds of projects cars to my house or to anywhere else (within the 200km limit). The only thing that started to happen was that they started checking the plates for vid stickers, then checked the ownership against the plates. They were cracking down on tows that was against the agreement. Never had a problem with where the car was towed. The reason I don't have it anymore is because I don't get it for free..... and know people that have trailers. The only thing better than CAA is a buddy with a trailer.

 

There's a good point above, though, about confirming who the tow truck driver is, even if the truck says CAA. They monitor the police radio and will automatically show up to any accident or breakdown - they're the guys you see at the side of the highway just waiting for a job. My wife had an engine overheat, smoke everywhere, and another driver called the police. A tow truck was there in minutes and towed her just around the corner to get her off the highway. $100 for less than 500m. This was before I even got there. Told him to get lost, called CAA to get us home. He was basically a vulture waiting for prey.

 

My first car 91 MR2 Turbo my father got my a CAA package for a couple years. MR2 being less than reliable I used every single tow the package had. They towed it where ever I needed the car to go.

 

I've had CAA for a few years now. I'm lucky that I've only used the CAA card for discounts on Hotels and merchandise in the US.

 

I have the CAA Premium membership and my son and i have used their service with full satisfaction so far, it's always good to know that they're available in case of emergency !

 

I have had CAA for 25+ years. I do believe that they have made out better than me. My cars are now more reliable, thus less towing. Last tow? Hmm, 8 years ago? I wasn't driving. Last service call? Battery replacement. They came, tested it in my driveway, dropped a new one in. Same or less than the dealer. But at the same time, the battery went again. It had a dead cell. Not covered under the warranty? What else goes wrong with a battery???

 

used them many times. Towed to houses shops etc. plates must be valid but they have never checked the ownership. tip; I give the driver $20 and they take extra care with the car. I have even used it to get cars to mechanic when it was inconvenient to drop off and get a ride home.
very good insurance. They give a discount for multi family members. Great valentine gift for Ice boy.

 

I have the Costco roadside assistance package. 8 services a year and towing up to 250km each time for 100$ a year.. My bro in law has used it to tow his car from LCMT back to my shop without issue although the driver was moaning about it being a Sunday afternoon. I suggest it to clients with less than reliable vehicles *cough* Range Rover *cough* that decided to have an air suspension fault on level 3 of an under ground packing garage.

In many cases it's been CAA itself or a contractor. The tow trucks and drivers that work directly for CAA are good to deal with and pretty professional. The contractors are a bit of a pain as they get paid a flat rate, these are the guys that will most likely damage a car. I will be using one of my tows this weekend to bring back a Mercedes W124 from Ottawa to the shop. 220kms. I've already called and booked the pick up. The lady on the phone told me they need to make an attempt to "Verify it's not starting" I've been told by a friend who is a director at CAA Quebec that in some cases the driver can ask to see the registration or insurance card to see if A)The car is actually yours B) If it's currently valid to be on the road C) If the car actually has an engine in it.. C) I was told goes against the policy and a car without an engine is considered "General Transport" which CAA will not do.

http://www.costco.ca/SOS-Roadside-Se...100149314.html

 

I have also had a CAA driver try and tow my car, while I was insistent that they flat bed my car. "oh it should be fine?" Was not what I was looking for. I waited and insisted on a flat bed.
Flat bed people, flat bed.