Tow Insurance

I had a traffic accident once on my motorcycle (hit a washing machine that fell off the truck in front of me on the freeway!) and the insurance that came with the new bike towed me the 5 miles to my house. Called AAA and they came and towed the bike to the repair shop 30 miles away, no questions. But it was pretty obvious that the bike wasn't going anywhere on its own.

I can see both sides of this. On the one hand, you are paying for towing insurance and it should not matter why you need the tow. On the other hand, if using it for "convenience" towing (as opposed to breakdown on the road) where that's not what was intended, then the rates will go up for all of us. And remember that AAA isn't in business to tow, it's in business to collect premiums while dispensing out the minimum it can get away with. I don't feel too sorry for them.
 
Ya know a full service insurance company may do themselves a favor by towing a car. Lets say a person buys a car at auction. They call the insurance company before driving home to start the coverage. Then on the way home the brakes fail, a tire blows out, whatever... Isn't a tow in certain circumstances cheaper.
 
Gene F said:
Ya know a full service insurance company may do themselves a favor by towing a car. Lets say a person buys a car at auction. They call the insurance company before driving home to start the coverage. Then on the way home the brakes fail, a tire blows out, whatever... Isn't a tow in certain circumstances cheaper.
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Long term thinking, not a noted aspect of insurance companies. Years ago I asked my home insurance company if it would help direct costs or reduce my insurance premiums if I removed the likely asbestos-containing popcorn ceiling from my house. Nope, they'd take a chance on a way more expensive recovery if it burned or flooded.
 
All of my AAA drivers have thought that the Model As were the "coolest" cars and were always happy to help.

I think the best route is just to find a club member with a trailer. I know I'd be happy to do it around here if it's just a short hop.
 
Banditorama said:
I'd probably be sick if I added up how much I've paid my insurance company over my lifetime. I've never seen a dime of it back, no claims and no accidents (knock on wood). The least they could do is tow my car if I really needed it to be towed regardless of the circumstance.

They've never seemed to consider the morals/ethics of raising my rates despite my perfect driving record.
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Interesting thoughts you have on this.

While I cannot speak for your situation, I use Hagerty to cover all 5 of my collector cars, -which I have stated values between $25k - $60k with a total aggregate value of $185k when values for all 5 cars are added. My annual premium for 2024 is $719.00. Even if I had a claim on my 1915Model-T speedster which is only valued at $25k, I would need to pay my current annual premium for over 34 years before my insurance company would have received enough premiums to break even. On one of my cars valued at $60k, that would be a total of 83 years of me paying annual premiums of $719.00. I would venture a guess that in the 25 years +/- I have been paying premiums, I have not paid anywhere close to what my exposure was with them.

And, ...if we were considering morals/ethics regarding me covering someone else (-such as myself which I too have a perfect driving record) I'm quite sure I would be raising that person's annual premium rate at a much higher percentage than what my insurance company does. :eek: ;)
 
The Automobile Club of Southern California is the AAA Affiliate where I live. They have never refused to tow my vehicles whenever I’ve called them. They have never asked what’s wrong with the vehicle, they just ask “where do you want it towed”. I have the hundred mile towing and I also have towing as part part of my insurance. Some credit cards like American Express also provide towing as a benefit.

David Serrano
 
I sort of get the idea you are trying to solve a problem that really doesn’t exist. I can think of 2 responses. Self insure; put $100 in a coffee can every year and in 3 years you will be fully insured. Personally, I put the money into a tow dolly so I can tow most any car if need be. I also have a flatbed trailer that I loan to anybody in our club that needs it, I’m sure that there are club guys near you that would do the same for you (if they don’t have a suitable tow vehicle I do it for them)
 
rfitzpatrick said:
jeepguy1948 said:
I sort of get the idea you are trying to solve a problem that really doesn’t exist.


Well, it does really exist (for me. That's why I posted.
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If the problem exists now, and you really are taking it to a Model-A repair shop, have you asked them for recommendations?? Maybe they have someone, -or a towing company who they routinely work with that understands transporting collector cars.
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I have to agree that for you the problem exists for you. I think that my self insurance plan is still the best possible solution. I would bet that in 10 years there would be $1,000 in that coffee can. The idea that you want insurance for something that is not very likely at all to even happen, but you don’t like the $300 dollar option, yet you are willing to pay a yearly insurance premium? This makes no sense at all (to me at least). Also, based on my experience with AAA they would tow it for you (your results may vary). I would have absolutely no problem with pushing it out into the street if required but that’s me. On a slightly different note about AAA, I originally got AAA insurance because my wife and daughter were taking annual “road trips” and I wanted a solution available should they have a problem. For 10 years we never needed it. But then, we used it 4 or 5 times in 2 years, ya just never know. A guy in our local club had his roadster at a car show and it would not start to go home (later it was discovered that the problem was a short behind the instrument panel). I asked him if he had AAA and he said “I had it for years and never used it so when the premium was due TWO WEEKS AGO I let it lapse LoL. I am truly sorry that I said that the problem doesn’t exist, my thinking was that the problem is so easily fixed that it wasn’t really a problem. I still recommend the coffe can plan.
 
I have a tilt bed aluminum trailer with a 10,000# winch and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve helped pickup a dead car and take it somewhere. Don’t ask to borrow it though! I quit loaning my trailers a long time ago. BTW don’t discount the use of a tow bar.
 

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I dropped AAA after they refused a tow because I was on an unpaved road. Ridiculous. Added tow to my Hagerty policy. Cheaper than 3A and no problems.
 
I dropped AAA also after they delayed for months on paying a tow I needed.

I find getting a tow is much easier to find on your cell phone than going thru AAA.
 
You might want to contact
American Collectors Insurance
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002-0343
1-800-360-2277
I have used them for a long time. I had only one tow. I paid the driver send them the bill and the paid me.
 
rfitzpatrick said:
Does anyone offer tow service for your A when your broken down in your garage? This is not about road service which I have with Triple A. And I'm not wanting to drive a block or two and then call in. Just someone to help me out if I screw up a repair and needed a shop.

TKS Guys
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If I understand you correctly …

You want a free tow if you screw up
working on your vehicle in your own
garage to a mechanic or somewhere
else other that your garage ?

Why should anyone do that for you ?

If you decide to work on your own
vehicle in your own garage and screw
it up - pay for a tow to somewhere else …


Jim
 
American Collector's Insurance tow coverage.

"We will pay towing and labor costs incurred each time "your covered auto" or any "non-owned auto" is disabled, up to the amount shown in the Schedule or in the Declarations as applicable to that vehicle but in no event less than $25 per disablement. If a "non-owned auto" is disabled, we will provide the broadest towing and labor costs coverage
applicable to any "your covered auto" shown in the Schedule or in the Declarations. We will only pay for labor per-formed at the place of disablement."
 
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