AAA changed their Towing Policy on “conversion Vans”!!!

[Steve Hunt]

Originally Posted by Steve Hunt

....I have my coverage thru AMA American Motorcycle Association as a Life Member and it covers truck/trailer/motos/RVs whether they’re registered to me or not (of course I have to be there). I tested it once and all went well. My buddy was driving his 1 ton Dodge pulling a 20’ enclosed trailer with our road race bikes and gear. His fuel pump went out and they sent a big enough roll back to carry his truck and tow the trailer about 2 hours home. I did exceed the mileage of what’s covered and can’t remember the details but it saved my buddy $400 ish. The real shocking part was when we hit town the driver happily pulled off the bypass, dropped me at a gas station where my wife was waiting then continued to my buddy’s house dropped off his trailer then went on to drop the truck at the Dodge dealership….all on a Sunday!!! You guys should join the AMA, pay for Life membership just to get the $29.99 / yr coverage I got….you’ll probably save money.

OK, well nix my own idea. Just checked the AMA site and a Lifetime Membership is $1500 these days. I paid annually for 20-30 years or whatever it was and was given honorary Lifetime Member status guess that turned out to be be a good deal.

[JWA]

Originally Posted by Steve Hunt

OK, well nix my own idea. Just checked the AMA site and a Lifetime Membership is $1500 these days. I paid annually for 20-30 years or whatever it was and was given honorary Lifetime Member status guess that turned out to be be a good deal.

Good on ya then Mate!

Hindsight is always 20/20!

[joelm]

FWIW, we have Progressive insurance and pay $36/year for tow coverage that seems to cover needs, I think 300 mile limit on distance to "qualified service". We'll see how that discussion goes...

Luckily haven't tested it (yet), but our "check engine" light is on... (O2 sensor so plan to get it fixed when we are home next week.)

[scatter]

Great thread! Sure got my attention.

I have the AAA premier road service. (It was required with my old SMB insurance policy, but not with my new one.)
I called AAA and yup, van not covered and they will not tow or service. Paved roads only anyway.

I'm now insured with GEICO and costs me $245/yr. for my '07.
In checking my policy, I'm covered for emergency road service. It'll pay to tow my van to the nearest place for repairs and up to one hour of mechanical labor. This covers me as long as I'm on a publicly maintained road. I.E. off pavement is fine as long as it is maintained (city, county, state, feds). Can't expect to be yanked out of some of the other places we go....

Bottom line, this is good for me and is more than I was getting from AAA before their new policy.
This will save me $140/yr.
THANKS folks.

[daveb]

I contacted my AAA support team here in California and was told my SMB is covered and there are no changes to my policy concerning my vehicle. I had to confirm the weight is under 14,000lbs, it has living quarters, has an extendible top, is on pavement and is registered as an RV which mine is. Unfortunately they explained that it varies state to state. They looked up a tow I had in 2020 and said there are no changes to date. Other states I'm covered in includes Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Alaska and Montana but I didn't ask about each particular state. They did say if I were towed in a state that California doesn't cover, I could request to be compensated but again it would depend on the stated towed in and compensation could vary in how much AAA would cover/reimburse.



At this point if I travel out of state, depending where I plan to go I might consider a secondary tow insurance such as Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) which I had in the past and used...at least back in 2007.

[BroncoHauler]

Has anyone checked Good Sam RV roadside assistance?


I used to have both Good Sam and AAA RV, but right now I just have AAA RV. I'll have to check restrictions in NM, especially as far as off road (pavement) is concerned.



Her

[Twoxentrix]

As Daveb mentioned in a previous post, I managed to talk to 2 different people with AAA and my Premier policy has not changed. I took the time to explain its a 21ft 12,000lb 4x4 Van registered as as RV (with the RVIA sticker) and would require a large Flat bed truck to tow it (as they have done twice in the past) - Both individuals said our 200 mile towing and Roadside/Trip insurance is still in place with NO changes. They did explain they soon may be limiting the total AAA Expense(s) to $500 for each instance, but that hasn't been formally announced just yet.

***Daveb; Interesting question about traveling through other States...as an RV I would have assumed we would be covered since it stands to reason 'traveling' is what you do with an RV. I'll have to call them back to confirm. Appreciate the heads up on that!

[ucsundog]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

As Daveb mentioned in a previous post, I managed to talk to 2 different people with AAA and my Premier policy has not changed. I took the time to explain its a 21ft 12,000lb 4x4 Van registered as as RV (with the RVIA sticker) and would require a large Flat bed truck to tow it (as they have done twice in the past) - Both individuals said our 200 mile towing and Roadside/Trip insurance is still in place with NO changes. They did explain they soon may be limiting the total AAA Expense(s) to $500 for each instance, but that hasn't been formally announced just yet.

***Daveb; Interesting question about traveling through other States...as an RV I would have assumed we would be covered since it stands to reason 'traveling' is what you do with an RV. I'll have to call them back to confirm. Appreciate the heads up on that!

I’ve talked to 3 different supervisors and a “case manager” and they did not approve my tow and they were pretty dam rude and acted as if they didn’t care which is why I cancelled right then and there. I will look into some of these options here. Good luck everyone!

[BrianW]

I’d do small claims court.

[Orv]

Originally Posted by scatter

I'm now insured with GEICO and costs me $245/yr. for my '07.

All of this stuff can vary based on details and what state you're in. GEICO would not insure my van because it had a "commercial VIN." (It started life as a cargo van, although it's never actually been used commercially.) I ended up with AAA because the other companies I contacted wouldn't insure me, either because it had a commercial VIN or because it was a conversion. RV companies wouldn't insure it because it doesn't have a permanently installed toilet.