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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Auto Clubs and Roadside Assistance Programs

A Brief List Of Auto Clubs and Roadside Assistance Programs

Auto Clubs and Roadside Assistance Programs
Auto Clubs and Roadside Assistance Programs
In an earlier article, “Ways To Save Money On Auto Repair”, I suggested a few ideas on how to save. Shopping around to find a roadside assistance program or auto club made the list. Whichever you prefer, be sure to find one that suits your budget and household needs, Meaning you'll want to select a roadside assistance program or auto club that will give you the most service and perks for your money.

Points you might want to check when searching are:

- What is the fee for membership? Some memberships are as low as a few dollars but don’t be so eager to jump on the band wagon until you have made sure that you are not lacking in any service you think you may need or even anticipate needing. For example, one roadside assistance program covers bicycles, while a few also offer coverage for travel if you wind up stranded and need lodging. Another will even cover your vacation up to a certain dollar limit.

- Who is covered under the program or plan? Will only one person be given assistance or the household? If you have teenagers or college students you want to have included make sure to ask about them as well.

- Is there a limit to how many times you can use the service per year? Several plans have a limit on the number of times you can call for help per year, including towing. You should also ask how many miles are covered when a tow is required.

- Ask where their service technicians are based. There’s nothing like thinking you have found the perfect plan only to find that when you need emergency assistance, they are located so far from you it takes them several hours to arrive.

- Will your call for emergency assistance be recorded as a claim? If you are using roadside assistance offered through your insurance company, you should ask if your roadside assistance call would be handled as a claim. Imagine never having an auto accident but your insurance rates go up because you had a flat tire or your vehicle’s battery died and you used your insurance company’s roadside assistance.

You know AAA provides the best in emergency roadside assistance. Now check out the other great services and benefits that come with a AAA Membership, like travel planning, car rentals, discounts, insurance and more.



Not a mistake. They offer roadside assistance with some p

Offers 24 hour/365 day per year sign and drive service AutoRoadService.com is the industry's leading Roadside Service Provider.

Auto Knight Motor Club 24 hour emergency roadside assistance


BMW CCA News and Discussions

Roadside assistance plans, service plans and auto club programs nationwide in United States and Canada

With our Roadside Assistance Service, Better World Club is out to change more than just tires. We are the only roadside assistance and travel club that strives to balance your transportation needs with your desire to protect the environment.

Our membership is not just for major breakdowns, either, if you lock your keys in the car or get a flat we will be there, day or night throughout the US. If your trouble is a failed battery, we will be there to offer a tow or a jump-start.

Operates an international chain of membership warehouses, carrying brand name merchandise at substantially lower prices than typical retail.

Cross Country Automotive Services provides roadside assistance, motor clubs, telematics, vehicle management services, technology and marketing services, and more...


Learn more about GEICO's insurance products, the variety of insurance discounts available, payment options for your insurance policy, safety information, car buying resources, and more in our information center.

Get more information on the Lexus roadside assistance. Also find out about extended warranties!

A key service in HUGHES Telematics' safety and security offerings, Roadside Assistance provides customers with a means to summon help in non-emergency situations, such as a breakdown.

The National Automobile Club provides reliable emergency roadside assistance including towing, tire change, jump starts, fuel & water delivery, and lockout service to individuals, groups, small businesses, insurance companies & corporations

NMC (National Motor Club) provides 24/7 Roadside Assistance for RV and auto.


Paragon Motor Club offers affordable extended vehicle warranty and roadside assistance for automobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, and recreational vehicles.

Get help with Progressive's Emergency Roadside Assistance. Our roadside assistance provides towing, lockout, battery jump-starts and flat tire change services.

State Farm Insurance offers coverage for auto insurance, life, home, health, and more. State Farm also offers mutual funds, banking, loans, and credit cards.

Toyota Certified Used Vehicles program passes a 160-point inspection and is backed with a 7-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. | Find Toyota Certified Used Cars & Used Trucks - Toyota Certified Dealers

Official Site of Toyota Motor Sales - Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Hybrids, Accessories & Motorsports.

Union Plus benefits offered by the AFL-CIOs Union Privilege provides consumer savings, discounts, benefits, and education resources to active and retired labor union members.


There are so many auto clubs and roadside assistance programs that I could not list them all. Here, at least, you have somewhere to start your search. Good luck and thanks for stopping by. I hope this helps with your search.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Ways To Save Money On Auto Repair

Some Simple Ways To Save Money On Car Repair

In an effort to save money in today’s economy, a lot of us have opted to hang on to our present vehicles and maintain them instead of purchasing new vehicles. If you’re like me, a check engine light ranks right up there with finding out you need a root canal – a big pain and expensive.

While I don’t know any way of minimizing the pain of a root canal, short of taking better care of your teeth, I do know some ways to take some of the sting out of your next auto repair bill.

Join an auto club. Some of the advantages of becoming a member of an auto club are obvious. Flat tire changes, battery jump-starts and towing are usually the first services that come to mind, but did you know some auto clubs offer discounts for repair at designated auto repair shops? Quite a few also offer extended warranty plans. You should compare auto club benefits to see which is more suited to your needs and budget before becoming a member.

Purchase an extended warranty. Whether the current warranty on your vehicle is ten years or thirty days, sooner or later it will expire. You should start checking out extended warranties before your current plan runs out. This will allow you to choose a plan that fits within your budget and covers as much of your vehicle as possible without being rushed into a decision you may regret later.


Buy an OBD Reader. OBD (On Board Diagnostic) Readers or Scanners are electronic gadgets that plug into an appointed outlet in your vehicle and give you the codes responsible for the warning lights on your dashboard. OBD Readers range in price from $25 and up. The advantages of having a OBD Reader at your disposal are priceless. Having an idea of what is going on with your vehicle before you take it to an auto repair shop can save you money and peace of mind. It also helps protect you from auto repair shops that are less than honest about your vehicle's problem or repair shops looking to pad your auto bill with unnecessary repairs.

Do you need to know what your codes are and don’t have a OBD Reader? Some auto parts stores, such as Auto Zone, will read your codes, and give you a printout to take to your mechanic for free.

Auto mechanic works on rally car
Ask up front about deductibles and discounts. It is no secret that times are tough. A lot of auto repair shops; especially franchises, offer coupons on their websites. Check websites for coupons. If you don’t see any coupons, don’t feel ashamed to ask the repair shop if they offer any kind of discounts. You’ll find that more than a few repair shops provide discounts but they don’t volunteer that information.

A word of advice, if your auto repair shop insists that they must do a diagnostic of their own to see what’s wrong with your vehicle, make sure that the cost of the diagnostic is deducted from the cost of the repairs. Be sure to ask before the diagnostic is done. If the cost is not deducted, maybe it's time to look elsewhere.

Buy your own auto parts. What is the breakdown for the costs of an auto repair? Parts plus labor. Labor costs are usually regulated by the state, but an auto shop can mark up the price of auto parts anywhere from twenty to fifty percent. I don’t know about you but I’d rather keep that money in my pocket and not put it in my mechanic’s. Another plus factor in purchasing your own parts is that many come with rebates, warranties and some even give you money back when you return the used part for recycling.

Auto parts stores, salvage yards, dealerships and the internet make it easy for you to acquire the parts you need. Being a member of some auto clubs, such as AAA, also help by giving you a discount at certain auto part stores or dealerships. When dealing with salvage yards, don’t be afraid to haggle over the price. Just remember to check around to get a general idea of how much others are asking for that particular used part. If you do not have an auto repair manual for your vehicle's make, model and year, you might want to consider purchasing one. You can also find some websites that let you download manufacturer manuals for free.

Don’t be intimidated by your mechanic. I don’t know how many times I have gone to an auto repair shop and once I have told them that I will be purchasing my own parts; they have given me ominous warnings about buying the wrong thing or have flat-out told me they do not allow it.


Maintaining your car is unavoidable, being stuck on the side of the highway with an immobile vehicle is avoidable (most of the time!). I am fifty-plus years old and have owned four cars in my lifetime. My fourth car purrs and responds better than my cranky cat. Believe it or not, I still see my first car, which I sold over fifteen years ago, zipping around town now and then. Boy I miss that car!  

Related articles

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Where is There an Honest Auto Mechanic? (straightinfo.wordpress.com)

What Is OBD-II's Basic Knowledge (autotoolsmall.wordpress.com)

What Can Auto Communication Interface (ACI) Scanner Do (autotoolsmall.wordpress.com)

Avoiding Scams When Getting an Extended Auto Warranty (athingforcars.com)

Bella Czar Is Undefinable

Bella Czar Defies Description


Her voice is unmistakable, seductive and haunting. If you close your eyes while you listen to her, you can almost feel her beckoning you through dark passages of some forbidden place.

Her name is Bella Lamora and she's one half of the duo, Bella Czar. Czar Dain, is a bit harder to describe but just as riveting as his counterpart. The two musicians are as intriguing as their music. Their chemistry works well together, lending their music an air of mystery and...dare I say it...the supernatural.

I enjoyed Bella Czar's music and videos. The two songs I enjoyed the most were The End and Enough.

The End by Bella Czar

The Heartbreak and pain of loving someone battling cancer.
Bella Czar deserve to be commended for writing the song, The End. It's about loving and being there for someone battling cancer. The video is a tribute to those, as Bella Czar states, "battling the unseen enemy." The lyrics are moving. The surprise of the cancer victim when his/her loved one kisses them right after throwing up is, believe it or not, touching. At the end of the song, she pleads for the cancer victim not to give in. I'm not the weepy sort but that made me shed a few tears as I thought of my father, grandmother and a close friend, taken by cancer.

Enough featuring Bella Lamora

The Torment of a relationship gone wrong.
Enough is a song that takes us to a place a lot of us have been or find yourself in right now...a bad relationship. You want to leave but you want to stay. Yeah, yeah...you've heard it a million times. Probably, but not like this. Bella Lamora's distinctive vocals and Czar Dain's guitar arrangement transcends the normal, setting Enough is a class by itself.

Once you see pictures of Bella Lamora and Czar Dain you have to wonder why they don't cast themselves in motion videos. They are both very striking. I can definitely imagine the beautiful Bella, dressed in something gothic, holding a red rose dripping one drop of blood at a time. A wind blows against Bella's body pulling her in one direction. She defies nature and effortlessly sways in the opposite direction, toward our handsome Czar, as he approaches from out of a mist.

Hey, I'm a writer, not a music critic. I can't help myself!

If you want to experience something original, deep and refreshing, Bella Czar easily fits the bill. Visit them on YouTube or on their website http://bellaczar.us. Bella Czar/Bella Czar Productions is utterly unique.

Want to know more about Bella Czar?  Here are a few links:

Bella Czar's Website
Buy at our Music Store Bella Czar would like to extend its deepest thoughts and prayers to the victims of the horrific earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. If you can help in any way please do.

Bella Czar | Facebook
Bella Czar - This duo comes from all corners of the world forming the new band, Bella Czar - Artists We Also Like: Everyone! - Influences: Tori Amos, Sarah McLaughlin, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Sade and many others. 

Bella Czar's YouTube Channel
Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

Bella Czar is open to collaborations with film producers and sound supervisors.