Auto Roadside Assistance Blog

If your vehicle breaks down, there are many steps you should take to handle the situation:

One: Always have an emergency kit readily available for your use if needed.

Two: Know how to perform basic repairs on your car. Such repairs include oil checks, battery connection, radiator fluid checks, and tire changes.

Three: Do not leave the car if you are in an unfamiliar or remote area and do not know where to go to get help. Someone who sees you’re in trouble is more likely to spot your car than you yourself. This is even truer if there is bad weather.

Four: Make sure to have and conserve water, especially if you are stuck in a desert area. For shade in such areas, you can go beneath your car.

Five: If you are stuck in the cold, and are leaving the car on to stay warm, be sure to clear dirt and snow away from your tailpipe to prevent exhausts from being released in your car.

Six: Be sure your rescuers can see you. To indicate you are in trouble, it may be a good idea to open the hood of your car. If it is snowing, clear snow off of your car. If you are in an extremely remote area and see a plane or helicopter pass above you, use both arms and wave them above your head.

Seven: Be sure stay alert when going to find help or if somebody pulls over to assist you. Not knowing who a person is when it is dark out can put your safety at risk.

Eight: Be sure to keep calm. No matter where you are stranded, a lot of energy can be wasted if you are being frantic, so take your time to calmly and logically think of solutions. Also, keep an optimistic outlook on the situation, to increase your ability to remain calm.

As a side note, to increase your chances of receiving assistance when stuck on the road, it may be a good idea to sign up with a roadside assistance program. Roadside assistance can come to your rescue more reliably and more quickly than waiting and hoping for someone who has good intentions to pull over and help you.

What causes your car battery to die? Well, there are multiple things that can happen to cause the problem:

Leaving your headlights or the lights inside your car on overnight can definitely cause your car battery to die. Also, if the terminals are not clean and dirt has built up on them, the connection between the terminals and the cables will be weakened. The charge from the connection between the terminals and the cables is what cranks the engine, so it is important for the connection to be strong. In addition, cold weather makes it harder for a car battery to get an adequate charge and to keep that charge going. If there are severe low temperatures, the battery unit can freeze causing it not to work. Lastly, not using the car for extended periods of time or leaving it in storage for an extended period of time can cause your battery to not work.

What should you do when your car’s battery dies? There are a couple of solutions to the problem:
First, you can call a friend or family member to come and jump-start your car with jumper cables. If there is no one near by that can help you, calling for roadside assistance is your best solution. Having a good roadside assistance program that can help you if you are stuck is extremely important. With roadside assistance you can receive a bunch of different roadside benefits, including a battery jump-start. Once your car is jump-started, you should drive it for about thirty minutes without turning your car off, this way your alternator will recharge your battery. In case of a dead battery, it is always a smart idea to keep jumper cables in your car.

Did you accidentally lock your keys in your car? Did you know what to do about the situation? Here are some things you can do if you are locked out:

Option One: Get yourself a spare key. You can get one made for you at your local hardware store. It is not expensive to have them made, so it might be a good idea to get more than one just in case.

Option Two: Keep your spare keys in safe places. It is a good idea to keep one in your house or to give one to a family member or trusted friend to hold on to. By doing this, you can have someone drive you home to get your spare, or have the person holding it come to let you in your car.

Option Three: Make a phone call to the police. The police will be able to come and get you into your car using special tools.

Option Four: Sign up with OnStar. If you are locked out and call OnStar for help, they can send a signal to your vehicle and unlock your car for you.

Option Five: Call for a tow truck to assist you. However, this should be used as a final option because it can be pretty costly.

Option Six: Sign up with a good roadside assistance program. Roadside assistance can come and let you in your car. This may be the wisest option because roadside assistance can provide you with a multitude of handy roadside benefits, not just lockout assistance.

If you are stuck on the side of the road, emergency roadside assistance can help you. Make sure to get yourself involved with a roadside assistance program that offers you a large amount of roadside benefits. These are some of the essential benefits you should ensure you are given:

First, be sure you are getting battery assistance. Batteries in a car tend to die for numerous reasons. Usually leaving your lights on causes this to happen. If that is not the issue then it could be an issue with your car’s alternator. Someone can come and jump your car’s battery so that you can drive to safe destination.

Second, be sure you are getting tire assistance. Tires on your car can deflate for a variety of reasons. Whether you ran over an object or your tire is leaking, someone will arrive to change your tire to your spare tire for you.

Third, be sure you are getting lockout assistance. If you locked your keys inside your car, someone can show up in order to get you into your car.

Fourth, be sure you are getting gas service. If you run out of gas while you are out driving on the road, someone can come to fill your tank with enough gas to get you to the nearest gas station to you’re your tank completely.

Lastly, and most importantly, be sure you are getting towing service. Towing can be extremely expensive, but if you have it included in your roadside assistance plan there will not be an additional cost and the tow truck will tow your car to safety.

To avoid being stranded on the side of the road as a result of tire problems follow these tire safety guidelines:

1. Check the tire pressure on your car. This should be done once a month prior to long drives as well as after them. The recommended tire pressure is 30 psi.

2. Rotate the tires on your car. They should be rotated every 6000 to 8000 miles. Every tire wears differently, so be sure to check yours for wear.

3. Inspect the treads on your tires. Be sure to check and make sure your car’s tires have a tread depth between 2/32 inch and 4/32 inch.

4. Check you’re the alignment of your car’s wheels. If your wheels are not aligned correctly, it can cause quick and uneven wear. Wheels that are not aligned the right way can cause steering as well as tracking issues.

5. Make sure the deepest treads are on your back tires. If you have two tires that are newer and two that are older, keep the newer tires on your back wheels because newer wheels have deeper treads. These deep treads can better grab the pavement and channel water. This helps the rear tires avoid hydroplaning and fishtailing.

Keeping up with your tire maintenance, can help keep you off the side of the road. However, if you do end up on the side of the road it is a good idea to have the number to a good roadside assistance program on hand.

Here are some great ways of knowing that it’s time for a new car:

One: If the cost of repairs is more than the car was actually worth, then it is definitely time to start looking at a new car.

Two: If your car won’t even hit the speed limit, it’s time get a new car. This problem usually indicates an issue with the transmission and the cost of repairs to fix this problem can be extremely costly.

Three: If your car is older you are probably getting bad gas mileage, and if you notice that you are spending most of your paycheck on gas, it is time to find a new car that is better on gas.

Four: If you notice that you don’t have enough room to fit your family in the car, you might want to consider purchasing a car that’s big enough for the whole family.

Five: If you travel frequently, if you tend to get lost on a constant basis, or your way of getting directions is a road map or someone in the passenger seat reading you directions, it might be good to consider buying a newer vehicle with built in GPS or with OnStar.

Six: If you have kids, then without question it is time to buy a car with the newest safety features.

Seven: If your car has been damaged as a result of a flood, it’s time for a new car. It’s near impossible to get rid of the smell of standing water out of the upholstery or carpets in the car once the water diminishes. Also the cost to replace flooded parts in the car could cost thousands of dollars.

Eight: If the floor boards are starting to rust or parts of the car seem to be falling off or falling apart and your car has seen the mechanic more than it has seen the road, it is definitely time to get a newer and more dependable car.

Nine: If there is black smoke coming out of the tailpipe or you smell the fumes, this indicates an issue with the exhaust system. Repairs for these problems can cost anywhere between hundreds and thousands of dollars, varying with the age, make, and model of your car. If you have an older car, parts can be hard to get and will cost in the higher amounts to fix.

Overall, if your car is older, spending more time being fixed than driven, or is just falling apart, it is time to buy a new car. Buying a newer and more reliable car will help keep you off the side of the road. In the event that you do get stuck it is smart to have a good roadside assistance program that can help you.

Roadside Assistance is a useful service offered by numerous car and insurance companies. With this service you can call an operator and have a tow truck sent to wherever you are stuck. If you get into an accident, the operator can contact and send the police to you. By having a roadside assistance program, you no longer need to be concerned about getting out of a situation where you are stuck on the side of the road.

Here are some helpful tips to consider when calling your road service program:

First, you must establish the problem. When speaking with an operator, you must inform them what problem you are having with your vehicle, if you know what the problem is. This information will be passed on to the tow truck driver or emergency officials who are coming to assist you. By knowing the problem, they will be able to aid you more quickly and efficiently.

Second, you must describe your location. Inform the operator where you were driving and where you think you are on the road. This allows the operator to call for the nearest tow truck company or emergency services in order to get to you more quickly. If you are comfortable doing so, it is a good idea to turn on your headlights or flashers, or put out reflective triangles behind your car in order to aid the tow truck driver or emergency officials in locating you faster. After describing your location and making your car easier to find, you should wait outside your car placing the car between you and the road. If you are pulled over on a busy highway, it would be best to wait inside you vehicle.

Lastly, it is important to have information on hand. Have multiple copies of your roadside assistance information. One copy should be in your wallet or purse so it is accessible, and the other copy should be kept in the glove box of your car in case you don’t have your wallet or purse with you when you are in need of emergency roadside assistance. This information should consist of the numbers the operator needs in order to gain access to your account, as well as the expiration date and details about what coverage you receive with your road service program.

In case your car is dead it is always a good idea to know how to jump-start your car.  In addition, make sure you have an auto warranty and roadside assistance in case of an emergency.

Jump-starting a car is a pretty easy task, which only calls for a few tools.  The most important thing you will need is a volunteer.  Without a person who will allow you to use their battery, your car will remain dead.  Next, you need to have a set of jumper cables.  This should be kept in your car at all times in case of emergency.  Lastly, it is wise to wear a pair of protective glasses, or at least sunglasses.

To jump-start your car you will need to park the volunteer’s car close to yours.  Open both hoods and find the batteries.  Next, look for the batteries’ terminals.

Now that you have found the necessary parts, it’s time to go ahead and hook up the two cars.  The jumper cables should be hooked positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative.  The red cable should be attached to the positive on both batteries, and the black cable should go to the negative.  Next, start the car that operates.  Let the car run for several minutes to give your battery time to charge.

To finish the process, let the newly charged battery idle for several minutes to ensure a full charge.

Jump-starting your car isn’t difficult, and it can get you off and running.  Of course, if your battery doesn’t charge, you might need the assistance of a professional.  Make sure you have an auto warranty that will save you from costly repairs.

People are often irrational about their vehicles.  They treat them as if they are their babies and shower them with affection.  Some drivers even talk to their vehicles and give them a pat here and there.  But as much as our cars mean to us, we don’t need to waste money on them.  Here are some common ways that you can avoid unnecessary car expenses.

First of all, buying premium fuel over regular isn’t necessary.  Purchase the cheapest gas possible that keeps your engine from knocking.  Octane serves the purpose of preventing knock, so if your car doesn’t knock with regular gasoline you’re fine.

Usually, carmakers recommend that you change your oil every 5,000-7,000 miles.  Many motorists assume that they should get their oil changed every 3,000 miles, however, this should be done only if you put a lot of wear and tear on your car.

Also, having auto repairs done at a dealership will cost you.  Instead, find a reliable independent shop to do the job for less money.  In addition, make sure to have an auto warranty to avoid unnecessary costs down the road.

Following these simple tips can save you lots of money.  Don’t allow other people to talk you into paying unnecessary expenses for your vehicle and purchase used car warranties to protect your wallet.  Also, it is a good idea to sign up for a road service program.

When thinking of the engine, most people don’t consider how important the alternator is.  In fact, the alternator is indispensable because the engine won’t run without it.  The alternator is the source where the power train derives power.

Alternators were created in order to convert mechanical energy into a current that is alternating.  In order to do this the engine belt drives the alternator shaft.  Doing this allows electricity to be produced from the mechanical energy of the machines.  Then, the power becomes channeled.  The electricity produced recharges the battery and powers the electrical system of the vehicle.

If you need to replace your alternator you will discover that some contain more amps and some are definitely more costly. However, an auto warranty will help you out with any vehicle repairs and roadside assistance will provide you with peace of mind.

Whatever car you have, make sure you can see the bolts.  Many times, other parts have to be removed to have access to the bolts.  Before you remove your alternator, take note of the way it’s connected.  Then, mark its location so you know where to connect it.  Afterward, start to unplug the wires that connect to the alternator.  Finally, take off the bolts and remove the alternator.

Without the alternator, the engine can’t function.  If you can’t replace it yourself, find a professional to take care of it.  Whatever you decide, make sure you have an auto warranty to save you from costly repairs.  After all, you never know when you will need to replace a part on your vehicle.