When your car finally gives up when you have not yet reached your destination, it’s a great feeling that there is someone just a telephone number away to take you safely out of the awful situation. While there were only a few options in the past for motorists to ask for roadside assistance, now there are several other businesses that offer the service. The programs offered by all these companies are more or less similar; however, they may include some breaches that may ultimately leave you stranded or you may face an unexpected bill. Professionals from https://www.roadsideresponse.com.au/road-side-assistance share here information on what to expect from roadside assistance programs and how to choose the most suitable one for you.
Services Included
The services offered by roadside assistance programs vary from towing service, tyre response and fuel response, to full service. Full service programsneed you to pay an annual charge and provide services like changing flat tyre, towing, locksmith services, fault repair, delivering coolant or fuel, and so on. They even offer maps and directions, discounts on travel and hotel accommodations, help in alternative transportation and locating hotels and trip-interruption insurance.
There are other programs too which don’t offer such extremes. These are programs run by car manufacturers on new cars and are free during the warranty period (Mercedes Benz offers this service throughout the life of the car).
Add-ons
Along with regular features, some roadside assistance programs also include some add-ons like:
- Providing assistance to bicyclers, hybrid cars as well as RVs, for a little extra cost
- Some other programs also offer re-repair if you had to get the repair done in an unknown shop and if it fails within six months or 6000 miles. The re-repair should be done in one of the authorised shops of the pro
- Some plans offer you protection against legal suit.
Know Your Coverage
Whether to go with a free program or choose to pay a bit extra to get the add-ons should be decided by checking what these different plans cover. For example, according to some plans, cover is provided only to insured vehicles, while in some other companies, any car can be covered.
Most programs offered by automakers provide roadside assistance to only new cars or certified used cars.
Some auto clubs offer programs according to which any vehicle of their members is covered, even a rental car. You can even add your family member to such coverage at an additional cost.
Some programs provide towing assistance only to the nearest dealer or repair shop, while some other plans allow you to choose the towing destination, but put a mileage limit, and if you cross that limit, you have to pay extra.
Many roadside assistance providers let you expand the limits or get other features added to the original plan by upgrading.
Some companies provide all types of information along with providing roadside assistance; for example, you can get car battery in Brisbane from Roadside Response.
How to Choose the Right Program?
Choosing only the most elaborate program that provides many types of coverage will only make you pay extra rather than benefitting you. Here are some points which may help you to choose the most suitable plan. Also remember to read any fine prints on the offer document before signing it.
- If you have more than one car or there are many drivers in your household and you want cover for all of them, only then choose a full-service plan
- If you own only one vehicle, it’s better to choose the automaker’s plan
- If you frequently travel away from your home, choose the most generous towing assistance and trip-interruption plan
Remember all these points to get the right type of road assistance plan that will really benefit you.