EndenDragon

Besides the towing capability, I am trying to justify not needing to purchase AAA. I wonder if MB roadside assistant change a flat tire without any cost as well.
I have Extended Life Warranty for 7 years, and my '24 GLE already have a spare tire in the back.

Elvisfan0108

I have AAA only because I have always had it. You can go online and see exactly what MB roadside assistance covers. It does include towing. You probably don’t need AAA.

EndenDragon

Towing is the only big difference justification for me it seems like. MB roadside assistance towing is only to the nearest MB stealership while AAA can tow 100 or 200 miles to anywhere.
Though I also wonder what people's experience with MB roadside assistance with changing a flat tire. Hopefully they don't upsell me of towing to dealer when all I need is to change to spare tire if that was the problem.

Elvisfan0108

You’re overthinking it. If it’s a warranty issue, wouldn’t you want it towed to a MB dealer? I would think that if you have a spare, they would change it. If you’re worried about roadside assistance, adding it to your insurance may be cheaper.

mikapen

Both the MB Roadside and my auto insurance (bundled with homeowners) only tow to the nearest "service center." Since the car is under warranty, both interpret it as an MB Dealer.

I pay extra to go 60 miles past the nearest MB shop because that's my choice. Cost about $100.
I've had to be towed twice, once with my insurance, and once with MB. MB charged at the end on the ticket, and I paid the driver for the insured towing.

MB will change a flat, I think for free. They'll sell you a tire, fill your gas, etc., and charge for it. (Tire - if in stock - good luck.)

SW20S

I still have AAA.

Here are the reasons:

1. The discounts on lodging pay for it many times over. Basically 10% off any hotel room.

2. AAA is often faster than MB Roadside (or any other roadside)

3. MB Roadside will only tow to an MB dealer. I had a flat in my S560 with so spare and had to be towed, I didn't want to be towed to MB and pay $500 for a runflat tire when I could go to my tire shop and get the tires I want. MB refused, so I called AAA.

petee1997

Roadside assistance does change a tire if you have a spare. I have had the experience. CAA is the Canadian AAA and they are the company used by MB in Ontario for roadside assistance.

EndenDragon

When you say 10% off any hotel room, how does this work? Say if I randomly go on a vacation to somewhere, does AAA reimburse me ten percent? Or is it only for accidents situations?

Benzman33

You have a 24 GLE if it breaks it best be, being towed to the dealer.

AAA is for cars out of warranty. I have a few beaters and that's why I keep AAA.

Benzman33

AAA is not quick in my area it's always a 2 hour wait, and I live in NY. When my Porsche broke it was a 3 hour wait because they couldn't find anyone who wanted to tow a high end car.

SW20S

When you book the room AAA rates are typically an available room rate class, you just get the 10% discount right upfront. Its the same as say the AARP discount.

I doubt MB Roadside would be faster...they just call the same people AAA does. In any event though, if you have both you can see who will be faster.

mikapen

My insurance company allows me to call around for a towing company, which they'll hire even though it's not in their list of vendors.

Mercedes also uses outside vendors, and I'll bet they also will allow you to shop around.
I had a pretty long conversation with the call handler, after I pushed the SOS button. In that case, I didn't need a tow, but it sounded like she had flexibility to contact outside resources.

I'm pretty sure either one would pick up a tire if it's available and you found one.

I'm not very good at waiting for a dispatcher.

bancroftdg

For the price of a few good cups of coffee a month, AAA is well worth it imho.

mikemdd

I have a 2022 GLE AMG 63 S that got a hole in the radiator in between Billings and Missoula, MT. Only 2 Mercedes dealers in MT.... Missoula and Billings. They said they would tow it to the dealer in Billings. However, I was headed for our Lakehouse in Idaho and said I wanted it towed to the dealership in Missoula. They agreed if I paid for the extra mileage. I think it was around $100 extra. The tow was 225 miles and 3.5 hours. I don't think AAA would have done that as they are mileage limited. Anyway, hope to not have to go through the same thing again.

stktyz33

For the MB roadside assistance, sometimes, it's the dealers themselves that participate in the program and will tow you to their service place. So, it's not always the same people as AAA, depending on your region and participating dealers. Additionally, for in-warranty repairs on inoperable vehicles, MB roadside assistance provides way more than "10% discount on lodging":

Trip Interruption

Trip Interruption keeps you ready for the unexpected. A Mercedes-Benz dealer will reimburse you up to $300 per nightDisclaimer[5] for lodging, food and related travel expenses if your vehicle breaks down under these conditions:
•You’re more than 100 miles from home
•Your vehicle is inoperable and covered via warranty
•Your vehicle must remain overnight for repairs

mikemdd

I agree that using the Mercedes Roadside assistance is preferable to AAA, especially if you do a lot of traveling in remote areas. The one thing to remember is that towing may be included but some of the other benefits work only if it is "warranty" related. In my case, where a rock went through one of the radiators, it was not a warranty issue so the other benefits were not covered.

whitewagon

My AAA membership is for any vehicle I own or am a passenger in...

A few years ago I was riding in a friend's BMW that broke down. Based on my AAA gold card, they towed the car 96 miles to the BMW dealership closest to my friends house.

Don't drive from home without it...!

SW20S

It depends on what AAA membership you have. The Premier will tow you 200 miles, and then its $7 a mile over that.