AA roadside assistance

[x9200]

Anybody with some experience with the services offered within the membership of Automobile Association Singapore? I am looking for some basic roadside assistance, towing, punctured tyre replacement etc. I googled out some opinion and they are pretty mixed so I am a bit hesitant.

[ecureilx]

Anybody with some experience with the services offered within the membership of Automobile Association Singapore? I am looking for some basic roadside assistance, towing, punctured tyre replacement etc. I googled out some opinion and they are pretty mixed so I am a bit hesitant.

For the vehicles, that I was given or the one I owned, none of them were ever under AA "Care" .. all were tied up Care packages from the agents.

Though .. the case with all of them was, even if you have a puncture, they will engage a tow truck .. to tow it back to the service center, than to fix it on the spot.

Like the case of the Renault Kangoo - started engine, heard a noise like something getting hit .. opened the bonnet and saw that one of the fan belt had broken off .. now, the pulley had two redundant fan belts, so the break of one belt doesn't kill the system .. I started the engine and I double checked, and the fan belts are redundant and pulling out the broken one didn't kill anything ....

Called Eurokars, and when I started to describe the problem the guy was like "wait, we will send a tow truck .. " and I was like "well, I can see that i can drive it in .." and the guy was insistent that I stop the vehicle wherever it was and wait .. and oh, the tow truck service only cost 160 $ in 2000 and not covered under warranty and service.

killed the call, drove to their then service center in Ubi and the mechanic was like "oh, you don't need to tow the car, as long as this belt is broken - and if you have some mechanical knowledge, you can see that it is redundant for safety .. , don't worry, we will replace the belt .. "

And when my friend's car broke down, same story .. even though he had a space saver spare, he was told "DO NOT USE THE SPACE SAVER, WE MUST BRING YOUR CAR IN"

Maybe others had different experience ..

[taxico]

if you know basic vehicle maintenance or have basic know-how on what "sounds" wrong... usually AA is not necessary IMO.

most cars in singapore are in good condition. the signs of a failing batter/starter is easy to spot and doesn't happen over night. i see helpful (!) drivers helping others jumpstart cars from time to time.

if you break down on the highway there's EMAS vehicle recovery service which is free, whether for bike or car, to a nearby auto shop. they will move your vehicle to a quiet road for another tow truck (on your dime) to bring it to someplace farther.

a busted cam belt is not so good for most cars. a tow truck doesn't cost too much but their response time is usually longer than AA's. so if you're rushed for time...

for those without a spare or proper tools to change the tire or if no one helps jumpstart your car, the tow truck can usually take your car to a nearby battery/tire shop.

i guess what you're paying for is convenience and peace of mind IF your car does breaks down. nobody i know with AA has ever used their break down service. it seems like they all own pretty new cars...

...actually most cars in singapore are pretty reliable and/or new.

BUT if i owned a fussy/italian car (alfa, fiat, etc) or if i wanted to skimp on maintenance for a beater/older car (COE car?), i would probably pony up for AA.

(remember to service your car regularly and i don't think you'll have mechanical breakdowns. if a tow service company can't respond to you soon, you can google for the next one on the list until you get a one that can swing by now pronto.)

my 2c!