#notacommercial #notaaasponsored #raidshadowlegendscallme · 8:48pm Nov 15th, 2021
Earlier today, in the Discord server, while preparing to go out, I said it was nice. Just being able to use the car with a little less fear.
...right. You can see it coming. I should have seen it coming. But this isn't that kind of story, at least not for how it ends. I'm going to say that in advance, because I don't want anyone running off to look for links. It's... not necessary. Not this time.
Just let me talk for a bit.
I got about three miles before the Check Charge System message flashed on my one-line display.
Hello, blood pressure spike. Right along with instant headache, churning stomach, and that happy feeling of waiting for the first punch to land. I had the car fine-combed before the state inspection, and the shop missed a charge system problem...?
...okay. When it's the charge system, there are two major possibilities. The minor odds land on 'wiring' and I didn't want to think about taking the car apart to look for a loose connection or frayed line. But beyond that? If it's not the alternator, it's the battery.
I replaced the alternator a few months ago. It's still under warranty. So if the part had failed, repair cost would be low. And with the battery... well, you kind of have to replace a dying battery...
I tried driving a few more miles. The message didn't come back. But I couldn't afford to have it return at a bad moment. Like Sunday, because that's when my mother's headstone is being unveiled. I'm supposed to make a short speech. Literally phoning it in from the side of the road felt like a bad idea.
...and to the repair shop we go. The same one where I had the alternator replaced, as I need them to access that record.
It's an AAA shop. For those outside the States (and a few within), that stands for the American Automobile Association. They bill themselves as a sort of driver's club, but it's closer to having an extra insurance policy. Among other things, AAA members can access certain roadside services, regardless of their car model. Jumpstarts, having someone else put on your spare tire, getting the car open when you've locked the keys inside. You pay by the year, and then you hope you don't need it. And when you have an older car -- remember: I'm driving a 2005 model -- having that card can feel like a comfort.
Back in August, I was debating whether to renew. There are three tiers of membership, and I was at the most expensive one. (Cost varies by region. Some states pay less than others.) It is not a casual payout. And it wasn't exactly like I was driving all that much in my then-illegal car. Certainly not for long distances.
But here we are at the shop. Again.
Some of the people there say hello by name now...
I dropped the car off, was told they would get to it in about an hour, and promptly took a walk. I'd originally left to do some quick banking. The bank was a two-mile walk and putting money on my debit card suddenly felt very important.
Four minutes after I got back, they delivered the diagnosis. Dying battery.
...okay. And how much is that going to be?
Well... six-year battery, three years of replacement coverage, installation, then there's disposing of the old one and the diagnosis cost for having discovered it was the battery, plus sales tax...
$214.31.
(I would like to repeat the part about not looking for links now.)
...are there any coupons? AAA shops offer coupons...
Nope. Not for batteries. The profit margin is too thin.
Not even 'take $20 off any procedure of $200 or more'? Anything?
Sorry. Again, not on batteries, at least not for this brand. Really, it's a pity you aren't a Premier member.
*blink*
...your pardon?
It's a pity you --
-- I am a Premier member.
AAA membership comes in three tiers: Classic, Plus, and Premier. (Again, costs vary by region.) You get a little more at each level. And as a caregiver, I had to go with Premier.
Why? Two words: towing range. AAA memberships always come with a few tows included. You call the AAA hotline, they send the truck, and the towing company bills them instead of you. But the base level of membership has three tows a year -- of up to five miles each. I was running all over the state to bring her into the right medical practices, and if that One Psych Center had been used -- the one at the southern tip of the border...
A car made in 2005 and fear of having something go wrong on a long trip. So I went Premier. At Premier (and this standard is national), you get five tows per year. Four of them can be up to 100 miles each. The fifth gives you 200 miles. That's a little more safety.
And in August...
...I was still driving, here and there. Emergency situations, like running the ad prosequendum forms to the attorney. AAA only cares if your membership is current.
I still would have felt really stupid if I'd renewed and Medicaid Estate Recovery had taken the car.
I'm not a caregiver any more. But -- five miles isn't much. If I was going to bite the bullet, it might as well be the armor-piercing version.
At Premier, you get the tows. A limited degree of travel insurance. Discounted windshield replacement after cracks. And one free battery per year.
I know what I just said. I was also aware that the battery was part of the package. But I thought it was for roadside service. Car won't start, battery can't be jumped, they bring you a new one. And I was wrong. It's one battery, once a year, anywhere AAA can reach you -- which very much includes one of their own repair shops.
They asked for the card. I handed it over, they checked to make sure I was current, then called the central hotline and authorized the perk.
Total shop cost for battery: $214.31
Cost paid by me: $0.00
...yes, the battery cost more than my AAA membership. With all of the repairs I've had to do this year, I've also been invoking a number of their coupons at the shop: that's been three digits off already. But the battery, all by itself, negates everything I paid to renew.
I know my readership is international. The Americans are the only ones who have this form of AAA. (Other countries might have their own clubs.) And this isn't a sponsored blog on the corporate level, nor is it a commercial. I just wanted to say the following: if you're in the States, and you think you might need a tow any time ever... even the five-mile range can save your bank account. A typical five-mile tow can run from $50 to $125. Forty miles could be $250. Try to imagine what two hundred miles is going to cost.
I can't give you a link for AAA. Costs are regionalized, and so are their websites. Cookies mean that when I try to access them, I get the Northeast page, with appropriate pricing. But I'm confident in your ability to find them on your own.
If you have an older car, your dealer and/or insurance company doesn't provide roadside service, and you're worried...
It only takes one problem to do a lot of damage.
Today, being a Premier member saved me.
(No promises about tomorrow.)
Think about it.
Woohoo!
How very helpful. Thanks for the post.
Glad something turned out right for you this time, even if you had to sorta fight for this one, too.
The mechanic's boss is even now berating him. "You idiot! We had that two hundred bucks in cash in our hand, and you had to open your mouth!" I think my last battery was about a hundred bucks. I had the luck to have the Civic expire about two stores over from the Firestone store. Walked over, bought the battery, installed it myself, brought the dud back for them to recycle, about an hour, some minor wrench work, and a wasted scrap t-shirt I always keep in the car for just such occasions.
Now I have to wonder if getting you a quality Craftsman-type car tool kit for Christmas would be a good idea, or something on the mistake scale of buying Sweetie Belle a pressure cooker. Hm....
Whew, I was expecting this to go in the complete opposite direction. I can't drive due to seizures, and thus don't have a car, so these issues have never applied to me, but I'm glad it helped you out this time.
Glad everything worked out for you!
Great!
IMO, you have used up your good luck quota for God knows how long but you deserved a break.
I’ve driven old vehicles all my life but when my beloved 1990 TownAce rusted out this summer I had to ‘upgrade’ to a 2000 Vitara. (one of the last decent Suzuki jeeps!) My ‘roadside assistance’ has always been a pretty extensive emergency toolkit and seeing these things more as an adventure rather then necessarily a disaster. You’ve got me thinking though; I’m getting older, the engines are getting newer, I might not still have the mechanical mojo to make these new computer cars do what I need them to do right then and there…
Glad it worked out for you though!
(Checks my AAA card.)
Huh. Good to know. Hopefully it won't come up, but if it ever does, I'm already prepared.
5607624
Just to make sure, call your AAA agent and make sure you have the battery option enabled. Apparently it's possible to get Premier without it.
Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I know the tow service alone tends to pay for itself
It’s great to hear that this worked to your advantage. Estee. You deserve it!
Good thing that mechanic tried to up-sell you into a spot you already were. From now on you may want to <i>specifically</i> ask about Premier benefits instead of just asking about catch-alls and coupons.
And maybe go in once a year for a free battery just because you can, just in case... . I mean, you're already paying for it.
Ah, a good turn of luck.
5607590
Eh, given how many readers Estee has, the good testimonial will probably be worth more to them than $200.
5607679 Shhh!!! The universe will hear you.
5607686
The Universe hasn't listened to me, nor I the Universe, in a very long time... why would she start today?
Karma, however... well, she has big teeth and a nasty habit of chewing on me when the mood strikes her.
wow, holy crap :O
5607679
Knock on wood, right now!
Ah, glad that worked out! :)
👍
Once in a while, you score a win for the good guys.
Pity it doesn't help with most other repairs. I'd sign up in a heartbeat if it knocked my upcoming bills down a ways myself. As it is, that's still better than my roadside coverage, which has me considering....
The "beg your pardon" reminded me of Rarity. Any chance of a fic about a young Rarity trotting to an early fashion show, her cart breaks down, and she's short on funds; saved by a kind older colt who checks her AAA card and finds that Rarity's father upgraded her membership without telling her?
Estee when being pitied for not being a premium member: