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I live in the Denver-Boulder metro area, and my family and I are driving to the mountains on each Saturday, for our routine weekly hike - within 30-50 miles range one way, from our location in Lafayette.
So far, we haven't had major car incidents with our 70k+ miles sedan, other than two flat tires (which I could replace myself and drive to a nearest tire shop), and getting stuck in the snow once (but another car was able to help).
In an attempt at being more proactive going forwards, I'm trying to decide whether a Roadside Assistance Service like the one that AAA offers, is worth the money. Is AAA good with tow dispatching in Colorado, especially when stuck in mountain locations, between Denver Metro and say, Idaho Springs as max distance from home?
Or are there better prepaid services than AAA for dealing Colorado incidents?
Or it's just better to go directly with a towing service? Could anyone suggest one that can cover the area which I've referred to above, and which s/he can vouch for in terms of price/wait time ratio, ethics and honesty?
My wife and I both carry one of these. We used it twice on her car and once or twice on a stranded stranger’s car.
I would have this in my car before I would pay a monthly fee. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/noco...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
Depending on the types of trailheads you're driving to (and how often you go), it may be worth considering getting better tires with thicker sidewalls or perhaps even upgrading to a more capable vehicle with higher ground clearance, AWD/4WD, etc if that is an option for your family. However, if you're sticking to pavement I would say that neither of the above ideas are really necessary. Snow chains maybe, but that's about it.
I can't speak to particular roadside services as I've only ever used local towing services once in the 9 years I've lived in CO. I carry tow coverage through my auto insurance and it worked well the one time I used it in Chaffee County. But as someone who spends the vast majority of their weekends in remote and often extremely rugged hiking locales, I can say that investing in your vehicle itself to make it work for your intended purpose is incredibly valuable and absolutely worth it for your peace of mind. Happy to provide tips on tires / vehicles, etc if you have any questions about that.
My wife and I both carry one of these. We used it twice on her car and once or twice on a stranded stranger’s car.
I would have this in my car before I would pay a monthly fee. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/noco...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
Thank you for the tip on the jump starter. Was thinking about that, too. What about the power source needed to charge it? If you always make sure to have it fully charged right before beginning your, say, 1-hr trip one-way (and with say, 2hr trail hiking, and then starting to drive back at 3rd-hour time mark), will it keep enough charge? Would an additional cell phone "power bank" (of the beefy kind ) be helpful to have in such circumstance?
Will also think about buying some jump-start cables, as backup. Any brand/model of preference?
I also heard from someone else about a "car battery charger" (not jump starter). Does such device exist and how effective is in bringing an acid car battery back to close-to-normal functioning condition?
Or it's just better to go directly with a towing service?
yes, roadside services (such as AAA) are ususally a very low priority, if you call them directly (i.e. "cash" customer), you will get a much better response time (could be measured in hours at times). check with your insurance company, you may have towing reimbursement on your policy, and if you don't, it's typically dirt cheap to add it on.
any questions feel free to ask, I have over 10 years in the industry (not in CO, but I can answer general questions)
Depending on the types of trailheads you're driving to (and how often you go),...
Trailhead examples - most are along the I-70 to West, or can be around Lyons:
- Deer Creek Canyon (Grizzly Dr)
- Reynolds Park (S Foxton Rd)
- Genesee Park (Golden)
- Alennspark or the free trails network close to Estes Park
- Corwina Park
- Three Sisters park near Evergreen
- Maxwell Falls in Evergreen
- Golden Gate canyon and other State parks (sometimes, mostly on the day when they have free entrance )
- Maryland Hidden Treasure, near Black Hawk
- Sometimes those reachable by dirt roads: Hessie Trailhead near Nederland, Moffat Tunnel in Rollinsville, or between Boulder and Nederland on Magnolia Rd, etc.
- And many others. We rotate between a large set, so that we don't get bored
Quote:
Originally Posted by interloper1138
... it may be worth considering getting better tires with thicker sidewalls
I don't use winter tires, nor tire chains. I typically stick to reasonable all-season tire brands like Hankook Kinergy PT (was a "believer", but the last batch is really bad, and no longer recommended - already have 2 out of 4 tires punctured and patched).
Quote:
Originally Posted by interloper1138
... or perhaps even upgrading to a more capable vehicle with higher ground clearance, AWD/4WD, etc if that is an option for your family.
The car we use for those weekly Saturday outgoings is a 2014 Mazda3.
We also have a 2012 Honda CR-V EX-LN (with 17'' wheels and "AWD"), but we use this one exclusively for daily-commuting 2 kids to schools. Because it's a gas guzzler (23-26 MPG and that's only in city and on flat surface) and it already reached 100k miles on it. So we kind of wish to preserve it's "value" more.
The Mazda3 has only 70k miles and it can easily average 35-37 in city and 30-33 in the mountains, on big inclines. And honestly, the Honda CR-V's "AWD" capabilities did not impress me. At all (hence the use of quotes).
Quote:
Originally Posted by interloper1138
However, if you're sticking to pavement I would say that neither of the above ideas are really necessary. Snow chains maybe, but that's about it.
The subject of snow chains is foreign to me, and kind of scares me . Are they safe to mount on sedans? The 2014 Mazda3 is not a very low profile.
Quote:
Originally Posted by interloper1138
I can't speak to particular roadside services as I've only ever used local towing services once in the 9 years I've lived in CO. I carry tow coverage through my auto insurance and it worked well the one time I used it in Chaffee County. But as someone who spends the vast majority of their weekends in remote and often extremely rugged hiking locales, I can say that investing in your vehicle itself to make it work for your intended purpose is incredibly valuable and absolutely worth it for your peace of mind. Happy to provide tips on tires / vehicles, etc if you have any questions about that.
I've heard that adding a "roadside assistance" rider on one's insurance policy (I'm currently with Progressive, and had Geico in the past) isn't ideal? Because in a roadside emergency situation, it's considered a claim, and you end up in some special C.L.U.E. database and then the next insurance policy renewals become costly, and no matter if you change insurers, due to that CLUE database being shared between them all.
yes, roadside services (such as AAA) are ususally a very low priority, if you call them directly (i.e. "cash" customer), you will get a much better response time (could be measured in hours at times). check with your insurance company, you may have towing reimbursement on your policy, and if you don't, it's typically dirt cheap to add it on.
any questions feel free to ask, I have over 10 years in the industry (not in CO, but I can answer general questions)
I've heard about the same - the fact that AAA, along with other automobile "clubs" are routed low-priority by the actual towing companies, due to those pre-negotiated rates being on the low side.
Good tip about calling towing companies directly. I never had to call them (knock on wood). But on this subject, maybe you can help on other questions, such as:
1. Is there some kind of reputable network of towing companies (i.e just their own network, without a middleman like AAA or car insurer), or is this an "everyone for himself" type of industry and economics?
2. You have mentioned "cash customer". I typically use credit card, for convenience (never carrying a balance/interest). Are the towing companies accepting credit cards, and without additional fees?
3. Is it wise to call multiple local towing companies, and have some sort of bidding / negotiation process?
4. Is it wise to get road assistance through car insurance? I know it's much cheaper than all the other solutions, but wouldn't that increase the premiums, when you make use of such - due to being considered a "claim"?
5. What would you typically classify as a "fair rate"? Like that "hook-up fee" plus mileage rate.
6. Is it better to get a "flat bed" instead of a "wrecker" (or what's it called)? Is there a significant price differential? Or more often than not, one doesn't have a choice?
I've heard about the same - the fact that AAA, along with other automobile "clubs" are routed low-priority by the actual towing companies, due to those pre-negotiated rates being on the low side.
Good tip about calling towing companies directly. I never had to call them (knock on wood). But on this subject, maybe you can help on other questions, such as:
1. Is there some kind of reputable network of towing companies (i.e just their own network, without a middleman like AAA or car insurer), or is this an "everyone for himself" type of industry and economics?
everyone for themselves is a fair way to put it, generally speaking though, the bigger the company the more likely they are to be on the "up and up" so to speak. if you look up (I forget the excact name) the Colorado Professional Towers Association, I would use one of them first.
2. You have mentioned "cash customer". I typically use credit card, for convenience (never carrying a balance/interest). Are the towing companies accepting credit cards, and without additional fees?
by cash, I mean not a roadside, account (repair shops and such), or called by law enforcement, pretty much everyone takes a credit card now, and if they don't... huge red flag IMO
3. Is it wise to call multiple local towing companies, and have some sort of bidding / negotiation process?
companies won't "bid" against each other, but you WILL get what you pay for (again, generally speaking)
4. Is it wise to get road assistance through car insurance? I know it's much cheaper than all the other solutions, but wouldn't that increase the premiums, when you make use of such - due to being considered a "claim"?
as far as I know, it's not a claim, it's just a "feature" (for lack of a better word) you are paying for, your agent would know the best of course
5. What would you typically classify as a "fair rate"? Like that "hook-up fee" plus mileage rate.
I live in central MN so out there (I come to the CO page because I am looking to move there) I'm not sure what the rates would be. I would expect in the area of $100 hook and $3-$5 a mile for towing, roadside service (tire change/unlock/jumpstart) are usually less than the hook up rate. recoveries are way to broad to even guess a price
6. Is it better to get a "flat bed" instead of a "wrecker" (or what's it called)? Is there a significant price differential? Or more often than not, one doesn't have a choice?
some companies run only flatbeds, some wreckers, some a mix of the two, it very much depends on what you drive and what's wrong with the vehicle and the distance it's going (way too much to get into here to explain that)
Thank you.
you're very welcome
as a general note to everyone, please keep in mind when you see the price of a tow, the truck alone can cost $100k, not to mention the costs to equip it, fuel it, insure it, maintain it, and put an operator in it... all of which needs to be ready to go 24/7
That's great advice - especially the one about getting a shortlist from "Towing & Recovery Professionals of Colorado". Didn't know that there is an industry association.
Thank you for the tip on the jump starter. Was thinking about that, too. What about the power source needed to charge it? If you always make sure to have it fully charged right before beginning your, say, 1-hr trip one-way (and with say, 2hr trail hiking, and then starting to drive back at 3rd-hour time mark), will it keep enough charge? Would an additional cell phone "power bank" (of the beefy kind ) be helpful to have in such circumstance?
Will also think about buying some jump-start cables, as backup. Any brand/model of preference?
I also heard from someone else about a "car battery charger" (not jump starter). Does such device exist and how effective is in bringing an acid car battery back to close-to-normal functioning condition?
It holds a charge, enough for 20 jumps, for months. The ones we have also can be used to charge cell phones and it has a flashlight.
Jumper cables are useless without another car and sometimes that isn’t an option or you can’t get it nose to nose. I threw mine out after I bought the jumper box.
We have NOCO GB 70’s
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) be helpful to have in such circumstance?
