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GLS 450 (2022), EQE SUV 350 (2025). GLS 450 (2007)
MB Roadside Assistance vs AAA
Hi Folks - I'm taking my '22 GLS 450 across the country next week and would like to solicit some advice. My wife and I are 67 and we're not exactly spring chickens, so we're thinking about what kind of roadside assistance is appropriate for us, just in case.
Can anyone outline the differences in scope and coverage of MB Roadside Assistance and a subscription to the America Automobile Association? I've never done AAA before but from what I understand you can use it almost anywhere. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
2025 Maserati Grecale Folgore and 2024 Jaguar F-PACE SVR
AAA is an insurance company now not an automobile club. I cancelled my 30+ year membership and pay Geico a little extra every month for backup roadside assistance. I'm leaving with whoever arrives first. The other guy can spend a couple hours looking around for me.
No matter which service you subscribe to, don't expect 1-hour response as you're traveling through the rural western U.S. If you're confident that changing a tire is beyond your physical ability, practice your forelorn and helpless facial expressions (lol). Do pack water, food, a good book and whatever else you think you'll need to survive a long wait. Hopefully another motorist will offer to help, as the roadside assistance contractors are often several hours away.
I bundle my roadside assistance with my insurance - about $7/mo.
They don't have exclusive contacts with tow companies, so they query local companies to find the closest (quickest) service.
I have also called locally, found a ready service, given it to my Insurance company, and they've hired that one.
About as immediate as can be.
(I have a problem restoration car that predictably quits so I have experience....) (Vanagon - "fully prepared" with one of them requires a chase vehicle.)
In most instances all MB Roadside Assistance does is call AAA. The other issue is they will only tow you to a MB dealer, and they will not make any repairs at the roadside like plugging a tire etc.
I recently had a flat that required my car to be towed. I called MB and they would only take me to an MB dealer where I would have paid a fortune for a tire and I would have been limited to runflats, AAA took me wherever I wanted and had it not been a sidewall tear they would have plugged it for me and sent me on my merry way.
So, I wouldn't rely on MB Roadside personally, use AAA or some other service through your insurance etc. With AAA, use the app don't call. I had two flat tires on our Pacifica last fall in a very rural area and they had a very hard time communicating to the tow company where I was, AAA gave him the entirely wrong place and he looked for me for an hour. I started calling local companies and happened to call who they had called and told him where I actually was. The app uses GPS to communicate exactly where you are.
Get AAA or thru your insurance as they are not beholden to MB dealerships as stated above
What do you do if it is a SUNDAY?
I have USAA, They call it Towing and Labor and charge $19.76 per YEAR per car and you choose which cars you have it on.
Again I must say Thank you Dad for your service and hooking me up with USAA.
Best advice is make sure your service/maintenance is up to date. If you're halfway to an oil change, do it early. Make sure your tires are up to the trip duration, make sure your spare is inflated to pressure spec, and that all your change tools are present and functional so someone else can use them if you can't, and that you know where the tire change information is (lifting points for the jack are not at all obvious on some vehicles). Check all your other fluid levels -- coolant, wiper, brake, etc. Pack a roadside emergency kit -- flashlight, hazard warning sign, etc., and don't park with a flat tire facing moving traffic. Get as far off the highway as you can.
Happy motoring and safe travels!
Bear in mind that all these companies do is call local towing companies. AAA has SOME owned trucks but typically they are just calling a third party company and paying them on your behalf, so response times etc are really very similar.
AAA is an insurance company now not an automobile club. I cancelled my 30+ year membership and pay Geico a little extra every month for backup roadside assistance. I'm leaving with whoever arrives first. The other guy can spend a couple hours looking around for me.
I have Mercedes, Geico and AAA because I'm much older than you are and I'm essentially at the mercy of roadside assistance, so I need to hedge my all my bets. All of them are more or less as good or bad as one another. Thankfully, my only experience is that I had a blowout that tore to shreds my right front tire. I have no spare because I have Burmester 3D and its subwoofer replaces spare in the cargo area. AAA promised fastest response and they came in about an hour. Mercedes was the worst. The tire could not be patched on site and I had no spare or jack, so I needed a tow to leave it at repair shop to order a new tire.
Bear in mind that all these companies do is call local towing companies. AAA has SOME owned trucks but typically they are just calling a third party company and paying them on your behalf, so response times etc are really very similar.
That's true.
My insurance company however, keeps me posted about arrival times, and if I find a towing service that can act quicker, they will hire them even if they're not among those they've contracted with, as long as they have DOT Number and appropriate certifications.
It's worked well for me.
Once, I needed a tow, and about 15 minutes after I called in, they called me back and said the closest one was an hour and a half away - could nominate another service?
I did, it was about a five miles away, they hired that company and I was on my way.
I had a similar experience with a Mercedes call. Of course they only take you to the nearest Mercedes shop, but I refuse to go to that closest one, so the Mercedes service allowed me to negotiate with a local tow company, to haul the extra 60 mi, and I paid $100 out of pocket.
My insurance company however, keeps me posted about arrival times, and if I find a towing service that can act quicker, they will hire them even if they're not among those they've contracted with, as long as they have DOT Number and appropriate certifications.
USAA. I've been with them since 1968, but I no longer recommend them.
They have become inefficient, dropped my 2023 RV total claim several times including losing my title and forgetting to pay after 4 months, then paying the wrong person, which closed my claim! Took two trips to their salvage company to find the title, and another two months after they got "permission" to retrieve the inappropriate payment.
And they hold funds transfer and credits for 2-3 days, earning money on the Float. That seems to be the "Thing" these days, because my Brokerage firm and my mortgage holder do the same.
And I can't get a straight answer from them, about anything, including the breakdown of how my insurance premiums apply to each vehicle. I visited their HQ to iron claim things out, and they said "Go to the Website." Which, of course, I had - which was the reason I drove to the HQ.
<Rant.>
I'm looking to change, but I haven't figured out how to vet their roadside assistance yet or their claims paying records.
USAA used to be The Best, hands down. Now the change - Directly correlated with new management. Their banking arm also went on credit watch last year.
Since I had a favorable experience with MB, I feel I have a backup while I investigate.
(my most recent tows were in 2021.)
Edit: I think one could have the same "keep me posted" result if they ask "respectfully."
USAA. I've been with them since 1968, but I no longer recommend them.
I only recently signed up for USAA. Over the years I've always heard of their stellar customer service and I didn't realize their service has gone down hill until I had to make a claim regarding some damage I caused to a rental vehicle. I had a really difficult time connecting with the claims adjuster to get everything pushed through.
I only recently signed up for USAA. Over the years I've always heard of their stellar customer service and I didn't realize their service has gone down hill until I had to make a claim regarding some damage I caused to a rental vehicle. I had a really difficult time connecting with the claims adjuster to get everything pushed through.
It's sad.
When they opened it up to non military, I think they got an unintentended batch of less trustworthy clients gaming the system.
Then came COVID, and the new C-Suite was not well equipped.
At least that's my guess.
I still think you can negotiate with roadside assistance plans though.
They did pay my roof hail claim immediately. And (double darn) a mailbox bit my right rear quarter, and I had the cash within 2 weeks. Haven't taking it in yet, so I don't know how they might deal with hidden damage.
Make sure you understand the MB Roadside Assistance benefits. They differ depending on the warranty status of the vehicle. All vehicles regardless of warranty status are eligible for complimentary towing to the nearest dealership or another dealership within 20 miles of the nearest dealership. Vehicles under warranty are also eligible for what they call soft services, such as servicing a flat tire, trip interruption etc. The soft services can be purchased for vehicles out of warranty.
Roadside Assistance provides our customers with two types of service:
Soft Services
Towing
Soft Services are complimentary for any vehicle under a Mercedes-Benz Warranty:
New Vehicle Limited Warranty
Extended Limited Warranty
Certified Pre-Owned Warranty include
Soft Services include:
Service a flat tire
Jump Start a dead battery (not applicable for EV vehicles)
Deliver a small amount of fuel, should the vehicle run out (not applicable for EV vehicles)
Lockout service (a pay-per-use service)
If a vehicle is not eligible, Roadside Assistance Services can be purchased.
Towing Services is complementary for all Mercedes-Benz vehicles regardless of warranty status:
Towing to the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership, given that the service/repair is completed at the dealership. If the repair is not performed at the dealership, the dealership has the right to charge the customer for the cost of the towing services
Towing to a surrounding Mercedes-Benz dealership up to 20 miles from the nearest Mercedes-Benz location
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