Tips To Reduce The Cost Of Towing Your Broken Down Car
When your car breaks down, you may need to contact a tow truck company. Knowing that your car is stuck somewhere and that you're going to have to pay to have it towed to someone that you'll have to pay to fix it is not always easy. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to reduce the cost of the service. Here, you'll find some of those tips.
Check with Your Auto Insurance Provider
A lot of people have partial towing coverage on their auto insurance policy and they don't even know it. Well, now that you need to get your car towed, it's time to take a minute, call your agent, and find out if you can get any help lowering the cost of towing the car. You may have to cover the cost of the tow initially, but the insurance company will issue a reimbursement check to cover the cost or at least some of the cost.
Change Tow Destinations
You may be able to greatly reduce the cost of the tow by changing the location of drop off. If you can find a shop that is closer to where your car is broken down, you can decrease the number of miles that the car has to be towed and cut the cost substantially.
Sometimes it can be hard to leave a mechanic that's been working on your car for years, but if the distance is much farther than another qualified mechanic, the cost difference in the tow may be the incentive you need to broaden your mechanic horizons.
Hire a Roadside Mechanic
Some small repairs can be made along the roadside by a roadside mechanic. If you have an idea what the problem might be, or want to have the car looked at before paying to have it towed to the shop, contact the roadside mechanic that services that area. You may have to wait some time, but as long as the car is located in a safe place where it's not interrupting the flow of traffic, it should be fine until the mechanic can get there. Just be sure to hang a bag or piece of fabric out the window so the police are aware that it's broken down and waiting for service.
Hopefully, you'll be able to reduce the cost of having your car towed during this break-down. Even saving a little during this time will go a long way toward making the situation easier.