Honda Roadside Assistance vs AAA?

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by Kathy, Oct 26, 2018.

To remove this ad click here.

  1. Kathy

    Kathy New Member

    I bought my Honda Clarity a few months ago, and my AAA Roadside Assistance is now up for renewal. I know the Clarity comes with free Roadside Assistance. Does anyone have any opinion on Honda Roadside Assistance vs. AAA? How long is the Roadside Assistance good for?
     
  2. To remove this ad click here.

  3. bigbug

    bigbug Member

    I think they contract it out to AAA, at least that's the case in Canada (CAA)
     
  4. petteyg359

    petteyg359 Well-Known Member

    It's good for as long as your warranty. In my case, eight years. They also cover any other Honda vehicles you may have for that period, so my ancient CR-V is included. Haven't had a use for it yet, but I won't be renewing my other-company roadside assistance for the next several years :p

    It's contracted through Cross Country Motor Club here.
     
  5. Atul Thakkar

    Atul Thakkar Active Member

    Do NOT relay on Honda road side assistance due to following reasons. I was in same boat as you and now I have opted with CAA/AAA and decided for peace of mind.
    1) Honda road side assistance will only take to nearest Honda dealer v/s AAA will take up to 250km where you want.
    2) What to do for other cars in the house ?
    These two reasons were good enough for my peace of mind to spend extra 135 per year.
     
  6. petteyg359

    petteyg359 Well-Known Member

    1) If it's a non-collision service call, I'd rather trust the Honda dealer with Honda service while I have a Honda warranty.
    2) If they're Hondas, the CCMC thing covers them. If they're not Hondas, replace them with Hondas :p (or pay for some other company's RA plan)

    If there's actually a collision, I'm not calling roadside assistance, I'm calling the insurance company, and collision insurance covers towing to whatever shop.
     
    4sallypat likes this.
  7. To remove this ad click here.

  8. Mariner91

    Mariner91 Member

    YMMV, but my annual AAA roadside is $150ish for myself and my wife. Pretty low fee for something I've had in my wallet for 20+ yrs.
     
  9. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    Just to throw another in the mix.....I use Good Sam roadside assistance because I tow a RV a large part of every summer. They cover all vehicles in the household as well as all trailers. If you have any unusual needs for your overall driving life, you might consider something besides the standard AAA or manufacturer assistance.
     
  10. lessismore

    lessismore Member

    I used Honda roadside assistance recently when my daughter's rear passenger side tire was punctured. I was told that if I tow it home I'd pay $80 but nothing if I have it towed to a dealer nearby. in the end, other than the tip to the tow truck driver I paid nothing out of pocket. pick up was quick (i requested a flatbed). Honda charged me about $256 for a tire, which is not bad (I am used to BMW's run flat extortion). The entire experience is very pleasant with Honda Roadside assistance (I like their mobile locator and website incidence tracking tools). I could be lucky, so this is just one data point
     
    petteyg359, VTSAX and Remarksman like this.
  11. Candice

    Candice Active Member

    AAA has covered me when I was a passenger in a vehicle that was not on the AAA plan so it gives me piece of mind to keep the membership.
     
    Jleighda, LegoZ and MPower like this.
  12. To remove this ad click here.

  13. ClarityPHEVer

    ClarityPHEVer Member

    I got a sidewall flat this summer and originally called Honda Roadside. When they told me that they had to tow to Honda (nearest was 20 miles away), I cancelled and had AAA tow to the tire place two miles away that had the same tire in stock. I got my flat in the parking lot bringing my kids to their swim lesson, and my friend kindly agreed to stay with them at the pool. I was back in 40 minutes.
     
    MPower likes this.
  14. su_A_ve

    su_A_ve Active Member

    Same here - sidewall flat after a week of having the car. Called Honda and they towed it to the dealer for a $250 tire... Unfortunately was in a rush and could not shop around for another tire. Else I would have called AAA.
     
  15. Texas22Step

    Texas22Step Well-Known Member

    I haven't had the need yet (thank goodness!) to use the Honda Roadside Assistance. Like others commenting here, I am also a long-term member of AAA and had considered cancelling that until I realized that I made fairly frequent use of other features of AAA membership, such as hotel/motel discounted rates, easy access to International Driver Licenses issuance, etc., so I will continue the AAA membership regardless of the roadside assistance overlap with Honda.
     
  16. ozy

    ozy Active Member

    They also provide free jump starts, 2 free gallons of gas if you run out of gas, help get you in the car if you're locked out etc. Towing is only to a dealership.
     
  17. craze1cars

    craze1cars Well-Known Member

    I am a HUGE proponent of self-insuring for roadside issues and not paying a 3rd party company to take their profit on top of it.

    So I use my phone, and a credit card. I have needed one tow in the past 25 years and it was a whopper...I paid almost $600 to get my truck and trailer out of a ditch in a serious stuck situation in the middle of the wilderness, hours from the nearest tow company. He spent a solid 2 hours prying my truck and trailer from the woods with his $400,000 truck, damage free, and he drove 70 miles one way to reach me. And I paid his asking price for that service out of pocket, and happily.

    Get in a bind? Clear your head, stay calm, Google a local tow company, tell them you'll pay on the spot with a card or better yet cash, and they will rush to your assistance...because the low rates they get from AAA and HondaCare and whoever, are less profitable than private tows. While they service you, the AAA and other subscribers can wait. I dealt heavily with this in my insurance career (many insurance companies offer this service also for a fee) -- this prioritization of private payers is very real. Private payers almost always get first service over any other subscription/contract tows...which is important during big ice storms and such when the network is overwhelmed. Money talks, and AAA and others are always trying to beat down prices. But when I'm in a bind, I won't negotiate. I'll pay.

    So in 25 years I've paid $600 for one nasty incident. $24/year. Beats AAA!

    I'd give Honda Roadside assistance a shot if it would benefit me, cuz under warranty it's free. But it is so incredibly easy to handle this stuff yourself with today's cell phones and coverage, I'm surprised so many people still use AAA and other such services in the modern world.

    Lockouts, lost key coverage, gas deliveries, all that stuff...no use for me cuz I'm not that flaky lol! And if I DO flake someday...cuz I'm not perfect? I'll pay someone to bail me out ONE time...and I'll save money over the long haul.
     
  18. petteyg359

    petteyg359 Well-Known Member

    I drive through areas sometimes with pitiful cell coverage. One is most of Arkansas, and one is just a few dozen miles north of where I live in Texas. With little phone service and definitely no data, Googling for a local tow company is not an option. In parts of Arkansas, even basic phone calls are not an option, so hopefully if **** happens there, it'll be in good weather with plenty of traffic to flag down and ask to for help. Having one known number to call is nice insurance, and the cost over time is really no more than it would be to buy individual services when I lock my keys inside the CR-V. Now, though, it's free for the next decade, so you can't even argue the cost issue.
     
  19. I like my AAA, and have used its towing, but for the three years of the warranty I'm likely to drop it (I live in a City and have one car). I'm also going to figure the 5 years of additional savings into the question of getting an 8 year extended with Honda, since you get roadside for the entire period.
     
  20. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    And for those driving a Clarity Electric:

    upload_2019-1-15_18-31-4.png
     
  21. petteyg359

    petteyg359 Well-Known Member

    I hope that's level 3 and not stupid AC (wall)>DC (truck battery)>AC(J1772 cable)>DC(clarity battery)...

    Mostly why I'm hesitant to buy batteries for my solar panels is the idiotic double conversion most battery systems seem to end up with. Let them sit behind the same inverter on the same DC input please...
     
  22. MPower

    MPower Well-Known Member

    I am not toooooo flaky myself, but seem to be surrounded by flakes. There was the druggie who stole my handbag from my cousin's three hours from home. No car keys or cash. AAA got a locksmith to come and open my car and cut a new key so I could leave. Grandchild left dome light on in daylight when we were leaving for 6 weeks away. AAA came and jump started car in my garage when I returned to dead battery. I seem to get my money's worth from them every year.
     
    craze1cars likes this.
  23. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    I’m with you on that!
    I just got my solar PV system up and have a Storedge inverter so when batteries get affordable I can install one or two packs. It’s set up for a Tesla Powerwall or LG Chem battery.
     

Share This Page