RV Drivers Can Get Better Roadside Assistance Than AAA For a Better Price

by Gabrielle DeSantis

You’ve probably heard plenty of stories of cars breaking down while on the road and needing to call a company to offer assistance. However, you might not realize that these roadside assistance companies extend their services to help out with RVs. 

With the list of roadside services out there, it’s hard to choose the right one for your situation. According to RVingKnowHow, there are a few good choices out there to consider, besides AAA. Let’s look at which ones they compare.

What options are there for roadside assistance?

RV Camper | Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Skipping out on roadside assistance for your RV could lead to disaster, so it’s good there are a few different companies out there offering it for your camping vehicle. 

One is Allstate Insurance, where you can get RV roadside assistance without having its auto insurance plan. However, you will have to pay a large membership fee. What’s good about the plan is its Pay-Per-Use option. You don’t have to put down a ton of money if you’re only planning one RV vacation trip. The plan gives you emergency fuel service, start assistance, and lockout assistance. 

You can also choose the Paragon Motor Club. This plan will cover you if your RV doesn’t start, runs out of gas, or if you’re locked out of the RV, and even gives you a tire change if one happens to go flat. Its classic membership plan gets you towing for up to 100 miles. The plan even pays for some of your emergency transportation if your RV is stolen within 100 miles of your home. The best part of going with this company is that you don’t have to own the RV for the plan to cover it. That works out great if you use one of those RV-sharing companies where you can rent a camper out for a few days.  

Good Sam Roadside Assistance will tow your RV to the nearest service center. However, it may not be the one you would choose to repair your RV. The plan also offers Just Start service, gas delivery with a minimum of five gallons of fuel, and Emergency Lockout assistance. Plus, it’s good for extra-long trips. 

What does AAA offer for RV roadside assistance?

For RV roadside service, AAA gives you two plans to choose from. You can opt for the Plus, which is $143 a year, or choose the Premier plan for $210. One downside to AAA is that it requires you to purchase auto coverage, and then you can add RV coverage to that. 

The Plus plan only covers RV trailers up to 32 feet in length. For those that are longer, you will need to get the Premier plan instead. If you happen to have a motorcycle that you’re bringing along, the company allows you to cover that as well for only $35 more. For other members of your household, you will need to pay for additional coverage to include them in your plan. 

As for towing, AAA gives drivers four free tows of 100 miles with the Plus plan. With the Premier, you get one free 200-mile tow and three tows of 100 miles. The best part of this company is that they will tow your RV to the place of your choice, even if it isn’t the closest one to you. 

Which company offers the best RV roadside assistance?

Good Sam Roadside Assistance is probably the biggest high-level competitor of AAA roadside service. According to Good Sam’s Roadside website, you can choose from Standard, Platinum, and Platinum Complete plans. Prices for the first year range from $65 to $120, but if you renew it, the rates will go up to $130 to $240. 

While you don’t get to choose where to have your RV towed to, you will get unlimited towing amounts; it will just be to the nearest service center. This goes for drivers in the US and Canada. AAA has a limit of $100 to $150 of services for locksmiths, depending on your plan with them. Good Sam has no limit on the cost of lock assistance. 

With AAA, you get quite a few discounted services for being a member. According to NerdWallet, drivers get 10 percent off at auto body repair shops that AAA approves, 20 percent or more on car and truck rentals, 10 percent off of an oil change, along with discounts to amusement parks, museums, and various other types of entertainment. 

With Good Sam, you can get discounts at Camping World, Gander Mountain, free one-day car rental if your vehicle has to be towed, a 5-cent fuel discount on select Pilot Flying J’s fuel stations, and 10 percent off of the entrance to Good Sam campgrounds and parks. 

While there are plenty of RV roadside assistance companies to choose from, the one that makes the most sense is Good Sam. They have no limits to deal with, plus it has a lot of discounts at a minimum price of $65 for the first year, which is pretty good for an introductory price. 

RELATED: RV Living Disasters to Avoid

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One Massive Sinkhole Stopped Indiana Traffic

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Imagine calling your boss or significant other to explain that you’re about to be late due to a massive sinkhole in the road. It sounds crazy, but it could happen, and it recently did in Indiana, bringing traffic to a stop. 

A sinkhole closed I-465 

Sinkhole on I-465 Indiana | WRTV?Shea Goodpaster

According to WRTV, the exit ramp from Allisonville Road to I-465 Eastbound will be closed while the city works to fix a massive hole. But if I say so myself, this road has an excellent name. Anyway, the hole is to the side of driving lanes on I-465. 

The Indiana Department of Transportation shared that a pipe failed underneath the area of the hole. INDOT workers are shutting down the exit ramp at Allisonville Road for the foreseeable future. 

Their team has been working late into the night to excavate and find out exactly how big of a problem this is. Heavy equipment is being used to determine how deep the hole is. No one has been hurt due to this problem, and they must not be worried about this issue spreading as lanes beside the exit ramp will remain open. 

How do sinkholes form on roads? 

This massive hole isn’t the first to open up on a major interstate. Recently, according to ABC11, a gigantic 8-foot sinkhole opened up on a five-lane road in Fayetteville, North Carolina. NCDOT crews installed a large concrete box to house two pipes that were exposed by the hole. The pipes remain undamaged. Workers also added backfill that includes dirt, rock, and recycled material and four inches of asphalt on top to repair the hole. 

Water seepage from a drainage pipe likely caused the ground beneath the pavement to erode over time. Eventually, this created a sunken depression that buckled the pavement. The road has since reopened. 

This is generally the cause of sinkholes that seemingly come out of nowhere, swallowing everything in their path and creating an apocalyptic look and emergency situation. Some swallow cars, houses, and people. 

When rainwater or drainage seeps into the ground with nowhere to go, it can build up under the surface as it eats away at dirt and rock. The hole gets bigger and bigger until one day, the dirt above it sinks. 

Sinkholes are more common in dissolvable terrains like gypsum, salt, and limestone, which are common in Florida and other parts of the world. Building massive sewer systems and mining can compromise the integrity of the ground. 

How to spot a forming hole 

Traffic driving by a sinkhole on I-465
Traffic driving by a sinkhole on I-465 | WRTV/Shea Goodpaster

The US geological survey tracks areas that could be susceptible to sinkholes, but people never truly know where and when one might open up. But there are a few ways to spot dangerous areas. 

One sign that could mean a sinkhole is forming is the appearance of new cracks on the road’s surface. You should also look for any signs of crumbling or erosion on the shoulders. Roadways above drainage culverts and bridges may be more suitable for sinkholes due to constant flowing water and debris. 

If your car falls in a sinkhole, do not try to reverse. This could worsen the hole and be dangerous for other drivers behind you. Get out of your car immediately. Keeping a glass-breaking tool and gloves in your vehicle can be helpful. If you see signs of a sinkhole, large cracks in the road, or shoulder erosion, you can call your highway department or local law enforcement to check it out. 

RELATED: What Full-Size Truck Has the Most Standard Safety Features?

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Check For Condoms in Your Hertz Rental or a Cleaning Fee Could Bite You

by Gabrielle DeSantis

It sure seems like Hertz is on a roll with the cleaning fees lately. After an LA Times story about a man being charged a $400 cleanup fee for smoking in a rental when he’s a non-smoker, others have contacted the newspaper about their experiences with cleaning fees. The topper is the woman who was charged a cleaning fee when Hertz attendants found a used condom in her rental. Ah, it didn’t belong to her or any of her passengers. 

This Hertz rental starts off bad then gets worse

Rental car agency sign | Quade/ullstein bild via Getty Images

The woman picked up her Hertz rental-a 2019 Toyota Corolla, in Decatur, Georgia. She looked the car over before leaving the facility. The first thing wrong was it didn’t have a full tank of gas as per the rental contract.

Then she saw it hadn’t been vacuumed. However, the contract said it would be “Gold Standard Clean.” This is part of a 15-point cleaning process that supposedly, every rental goes through before it is ready for the next customer.

When she asked for another rental that was clean she was told this was the last rental car the Hertz agency had. She could take it or leave it. “I wasn’t in a position to argue,” she told the LA Times. 

“What’s that plastic thing?”

Hertz rental car pick up
Vehicles sit parked at a Hertz Global Holdings Inc. rental car and sales location in Louisville, Kentucky | Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

That evening the woman took her niece with her to pick up dinner for her family she was staying with. She buckled her niece into the back seat and off she went. Driving along, her niece asks about the “plastic thing” on the floor. 

When they got to the restaurant she let her niece out of the rental and took a look. On the car’s floor, she saw a ripe, used condom. “Horrified” she threw it into a trash can immediately. That should have been preceded by taking a picture, first. 

Calling Hertz about the discovery, the service rep didn’t apologize. Instead, he wanted to know “what I want out of it.” She told him, “A clean car.” Later, a Hertz manager called back to let her know there were no other rentals available. 

Hertz Rental didn’t vacuum the rental because “it rained.”

Hertz Rentals
A vehicle sits parked outside a Hertz Global Holdings Inc. rental car and sales location in Louisville, Kentucky | Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

He also stressed that the car had been cleaned. She reminded him of the notes he took while she had checked the rental out at the agency. With that memory jog, the Hertz rep admitted it had not been vacuumed because it had rained. 

He offered a $100 credit for the rental and that was the end, right? Unfortunately, no. It gets worse. Upon returning the rental she made sure the rep inspected it while she watched. Satisfied the rep saw the cleaning issues she headed toward the terminal.

Just before boarding the plane she saw a revised bill had been emailed to her. A $75 cleaning charge had been added. After numerous calls to reach a Hertz rep, a person finally looked into the charge. It was specifically for large amounts of dog hair she left in the rental.

Hertz tried to charge her for cleaning dog hair when there was no dog

An Avis rental car parking lot is full because there were no customers during the COVID-19 pandemic at JFK Airport
Avis rental car parking lot | Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

The problem was that she didn’t have a dog in the car. Ever. She was then told that without photographic proof of how she left the car she would have to pay the Hertz cleaning fee. When the Times contacted Hertz, a rep told them they would waive the fee “as a one-time gesture.” 

The rep also said, “Our cleanliness standards were not met in this situation.” It makes you wonder what other charges are being levied for reasons only Hertz can answer?

RELATED: 6 Things to Check Before Accepting Your Car Rental

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What Is the Best Year for the GMC Canyon?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The GMC Canyon is a popular truck thanks in no small part to its GMC name. If you’re car shopping and interested in the GMC Canyon, but don’t want a new one, you may be wondering which one you should get. You’ll want to go to the used car lot armed with knowledge. Let’s look at Consumer Reports’ ratings to see what the best year for the GMC Canyon is. 

2020 GMC Canyon | GMC

The 2020 GMC Canyon has the best reliability 

The 2020 GMC Canyon is by far the most reliable of all of the GMC Canyons. Whether that’s because it’s also the newest used pickup remains to be seen. The 2020 Canyon has a 5 out of 5 for its reliability, while the rest (with the exception of the 2016) have an alarmingly low 1. The 2016 has a 3. 

The 2017 GMC Canyon has the worst owner satisfaction, according to Consumer Reports. The 2017 GMC Canyon scored only a 1 for owner satisfaction, while the 2016, 2018, and 2019 each have a 2. The 2020 scored a 3 for owner satisfaction.

Some scores were identical

Acceleration, transmission, and routine and emergency handling are identical in the 2016 to 2020 GMC Canyons. All models scored a 4 for acceleration and transmission, and a 3 for routeine handling. Things were a bit worse for all models in emergency handling, which was only a 2. Still, as the scores are identical, it’s hard to say that one is better (or worse) than another. 

All models also scored a 4 out of 5 for their braking. They were able to stop from 60 mph on dry pavement in 132 feet and wet pavement in 150 feet.

Headlights in all five years weren’t great, scoring just a 3 on Consumer Reports’ metric. The fuel economy in all of the trucks is a 2.

All of the GMC Canyons between 2016 and 2020 received just okay scores for their comfort. Noise, driving position, rear seat comfort all got a 3. The ride and front seat comfort only scored a 2. Front and rear access, interior fit and finish, and the climate system all received a 3. The best score went unsurprisingly to usability, which is a 5 in all models. 

None of the Canyons received good moderate-overlap crash test ratings

All of the GMC Canyons have only a marginal score for their small overlap passenger tests. The small overlap passenger test measures how well a vehicle does when 25% of its total width strikes a barrier on the right-hand side. This test is important because the force from the kind of crash that this simulates isn’t absorbed by the crush zone. Car manufacturers started making the driver side safer after small overlap tests on the driver’s side started being conducted, but didn’t always carry those safety precautions over to the passenger side. In the case of the GMC Canyon, it appears that the passenger side isn’t as safe as the driver’s side, which has a good score for every year except for 2016, when it wasn’t tested.

There isn’t a lot to differentiate between the various used GMC Canyons out there. With all of their identical crash test ratings and comfort, it’s hard to decide between them. Yet looking at the good reliability scores and decent owner satisfaction score, the 2020 seems to be the best choice.

RELATED: The 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Can’t Hold a Candle to the 2021 Dodge Ram

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