What are your opinions of AAA?

[Bright Scouter]

I couldn't tell you what brand mine is, but it was only about $30 when I caught it on a half off sale. It has worked well and it about 4 years old. It also has the 12V outlet on it. I use it camping all the time. I take it with me and use it to charge my cell phone, dig camera, AAA and AA batts, etc. It has lasted me as long as a week. But I added a solar charger to my setup about a year ago and that helps it last quite a bit longer. It's not enough to keep it fully charged when I am using it quite a bit, but it sure helps!

We also have AAA. We go to DisneyWorld each year and the discounts on hotel rooms for one or two nights usually pay for it! As was said earlier, maps, tour books, etc all help make it worth it.

The towing really depends on who you end up getting. I watched one driver lift my Jeep up on the front wheels and drive away with it, without even strapping the tires down in the rack! If he hit a bump,,,, Waht a mess that could have been!

 

[Minjin]

AAA is more than worth it. Use the service (tow, lockout, whatever) once a year and its pretty much paid for itself. You say you are mainly local, but even a tow two miles home (thats assuming that YOU are going to fix your car rather than a garage which is probably futher away) costs nearly as much as a Basic membership. However, I recommend to most people that they pony up and get the Plus membership. Its not that much more and it covers free tows out to 100 miles. If you have Basic and you need to tow 4 miles, you're going to get a bill (unless the driver is nice). I've used my service several times for distances greater than 60 miles. Just doing that once pays for the service for a few years...

Free maps and travel planning. AAA discounts for entertainment facilities, retail shops, hotels, and others. Also keep in mind that unlike many other services, AAA covers YOU so it doesn't matter what you're driving or are a passenger in.

Highly recommend a Plus membership to anyone who drives.

Mark

 

[eluminator]

My "Instant Power" thing is "sparkless" because there is a switch on it. You have to throw the switch to get any power out of it.

 

[chmsam]

I'll say again what Lynx Arc mentioned above -- PLEASE!! Always make the last connection to a ground. A neighbor of mine when I was growing up hooked up his battery terminal to terminal to get a jump start, did it correctly btw, positive to positive and negative to negative, but didn't make that last connection to ground, and... BOOM! Battery acid was sprayed everywhere and would have burned him worse if he had not been wearing glasses (with our hobby, just think about getting blinded!). He couldn't shave for about 10 days or so and had a professional job in the 60's (back then beards were not cool under any circumstances -- talk about adding insult to injury). Add to all that crap the cost of a new battery and the clean up.

I've seen it happen twice more than that. So, yes, it does make sense to be careful.

 

[markdi]

have a regulated 0 to 15 volt adjustable(0 to 18 volts now) 50 amp(continious) fan cooled power supply(250 bucks at parts express - I bought it about 7 years ago)it has 2 analog panel meters for voltage and current.(with bright blue 5mm led's lighting the meters - the red needles in the meters stand out great - they Fluoresce) I replaced the 1 turn potentiometer that adjusts the voltage with a 10 turn potentiometer.
it is well regulated and the voltage can be adjusted in
1/6000 of a volt steps.(using my tektronix tx3 meter in hi rez mode)
My manager at work let me have a heavy duty handle for a
tek tds 8000 oscilloscope and I mounted it in the top of the supply(actualy mounted to the almost 1 kilowatt power transforme with a bracket) - at the balance point - the handle was a big improvement.
It has big binding posts and I made a nice high current cord out of 8 feet of left over 10 gauge ofc copper speaker wire with silicon rubber insulation.
starts cars just fine - works as good or better than a 3 foot tall charger boost thing I used to have.
It can also charge a aaaa nicad - If one exists.

I know this is more than any one wanted to know - oh well.
I wish parts express still sold this model of power supply.
now I need to make a nice output power cord for my 0 to 60 volt 18 amp
sorensen dcr 60-18b power supply
it has course and fine adjustments for voltage and current.

sorry I was bored.

 

[kitelights]

I've got a couple of 12V jumpers that I use as power supplies for DC-AC inverters, so I always have one in my car. I'm partial to the smallers ones because of weight and size. The last one I got was from Sears on sale for about $25. I've used them several times to start other peoples cars and occasionally my own. If I didn't use it for work, I wouldn't carry one. I used to carry cables and I'd go back to them.

I've had AAA for more years than I care to count. I think of it as insurance. I'm glad if I haven't had to use it, but very thankful that I have it when I need it. I do have the extended coverage, mainly for the 100 mile towing feature. One of my motivations is that I keep my daughter on it, so I have piece of mind that she can also get help if she needs it.

She required a tow this year when a brake cylinder broke and last year when she was on vacation at the beach and got stuck in the sand.

AAA's maps are the best and I love the Tour Guides. The discounts are often worthwhile and being AAA helps to not get ripped off at motels/hotels.

I don't recommend their mechandise because it's way overpriced.

 

[yellow1]

with my AAA i get.. gas, unlocking services, towing, maps, and some kind of discount on participating motels.

i've used all of their services at one time or another, and all i can say... is that it's darn convenient! and you can't beat the peace of mind whenever my mom, sister or wife is driving somewhere, and their car breaks down...

 

[Datasaurusrex]

The first time the wife calls and says "honey, I'm at ____ and I locked myself out of the car. Can you run the spare keys over to me?)

And you can just reply "Actually honey, we have AAA now and you can just call the phone number on the card... a towtruck will come right out and unlock the car for you"

You too will think AAA is priceless /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[gyverpete]

I've been a member for about 10 years now and have to say it's a good value. And if someone else in your household has AAA you can get an "associate" membership for less than half price, like I do. If you just need roadside assistance once a year, or use it to get discounted tickets or store discounts it pays for it self, or maybe even many times over.
Sometimes you may have to wait a couple of hours for roadside assistance , other times they're out to you in 15 minutes. They will usually be able to give you a time frame when you call. If you are broken down in a bad location (middle of freeway, etc.) call *77 (state police) first and they will likely expedite AAA service in such an emergency.

I bought an 18 AMP/hr booster pack to keep in the car. It came in handy once or twice. I left it home one day after using it to boost a family member's car. I was at a job and had my XM radio on for several hours, which killed the battery. I only got the ignition to click. In desperation, I hit upon the solution which I use now instead of the bulky booster. I took the 14.4 volt battery pack from my cordless drill, which is always in my car, rigged it up to the car battery with some wire and vice grips, and though I had little hope, it WORKED! Immediately I turned the ignition and it started right up. I've done this twice and the cordless battery seems unaffected. And it was quicker than AAA.