My elderly parents' car broke down a couple hundred miles away. How can I get them and their car home (or fixed) with a minimum of cost and hassle?

grue@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 114 points –

My parents were driving to the beach for vacation. Their car broke down in a small city just under 100 miles from their destination and about 250 miles from home. It's under warranty, but the nearest dealership is 50 miles away (in a completely different direction than either home or the beach), and of course neither a dealership nor local independent mechanics will be open until Monday. I'm mechanically-inclined but they're not, so trying to diagnose it and do a hotel parking lot repair seems like a no-go. They have roadside assistance that covers a tow to the nearest mechanic, but presumably not 50 miles to a dealer. They were worried about not getting a refund for their prepaid hotel reservation (a couple thousand bucks), but the hotel apparently let them reschedule it to next week.

I think they're trying to get quotes from towing companies now, but my wild guess is that a 90-mile weekend tow would be pretty expensive, let alone a 250-mile one. I really have no idea, though.

It seems to me that our options include:

  • Limp it or have it towed to a local mechanic and be stuck in the city they're in until it's fixed.
  • Have the car towed 50 miles to the nearest dealer and be stuck in that city until it's fixed.
  • Have the car towed 90 miles to the dealer at their destination, move their hotel reservation back to its original date, and have it fixed while they're on vacation.
  • Have the car towed 250 miles to home.
  • Rent a U-haul box truck and an auto trailer and tow it to the dealership at the beach themselves ($194).
  • Rent a U-haul box truck and an auto trailer and tow it home themselves ($369). (They're leaning towards this, but leery because they haven't towed anything in decades.)
  • Have me drive out to meet them, rent the U-haul box truck and trailer, and let me tow it home while they drive my car home.
  • Have me rent a towing-capable pickup truck here, drive out to them, rent an auto trailer there, and have me tow it home. (The trouble with this is that "car rental" places only have light-duty pickups that might not have suitable hitch and/or tow rating, "truck rental" places aren't open until Monday, and Home Depot, which rents F-250s and is open on Sunday, apparently prohibits towing except for equipment rented from them.)

Any advice is welcome!

UPDATE: They picked the "rent a U-haul box truck and an auto trailer and tow it home themselves" option, and have made it home safely. Thanks for all the advice!

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If it’s under warranty, then the manufacture will cover towing to the nearest dealer and if they are outside of the range, to the nearest qualified mechanic. Hard stop, call the warranty company and have them hash it out.

It's a Kia, and it's within the 10-year/100k mile powertrain warranty, but apparently not the 5-year/60k mile roadside assistance plan.

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Definitely this. I can’t speak to every manufacturer but I know with Ford I have their roadside assistance for the length of my warranty.

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I hope you'll find an easier way to do it, but if it was me in your shoes, I'd probably drive out to them. You driving the U-Haul with them driving your car home sounds like a good idea. It's the safest option to make sure they don't run into even MORE trouble.

I'm in Europe where many countries have motorists' clubs that can assist in these situations.

Isn't it called AAA in the states?

AAA is one of those services that I occasionally think I don’t need, and then something like this happens and proves me wrong. It’s definitely worth it when you need it.

I believe AAA will even let you join after the fact for a breakdown like this EXCEPT only at the lowest tier where they cover only short tows to the nearest repair shop

I have a middle tier where I can get tows up to 150 miles, but there was a one year “probation” before they let me pay for the higher tier

If you're going to find a shop for them locally, I would check the ASAs website. Shops who spend the time and effort to become members of the ASA are typicality some of the best shops as far as technical knowledge, fair pricing, and honesty.

https://members.asashop.org/find-a-shop

I'd choose the rent a uhaul and an auto trailer and it to the dealership at the beach for $194 . is it a cost? yes. but it's the most efficient one.

you don't have to spend your day driving there and back. they get to spend their vacation where they planned. they don't have their car while on vacation, but the dealership MIGHT have a vehicle they can borrow while theirs is being worked on.

If your parents have time, they could check if their credit card has any sort of roadside assistance perk or travel insurance.

Did you make sure it wasn't something stupid stopping the car from running? Like does it have gas? Is the battery connected properly? Do some basic checks before you waste time and money getting out there.

See if there's a mobile mechanic in that region that can come look at it. The problem is probably something simple they can diagnose right away.

Then if it's not a simple fix, I would have them tow it with a Penske truck but only if they know what they're doing. You can total a car by towing it wrong.

Did you make sure it wasn’t something stupid stopping the car from running? Like does it have gas? Is the battery connected properly? Do some basic checks before you waste time and money getting out there.

I don't think it's so simple as to be a gas or a battery thing. I tried to get them to cooperate with some troubleshooting, but they're old and don't have the patience for it.

I would have them tow it with a Penske truck but only if they know what they’re doing. You can total a car by towing it wrong.

If they tow it, it'll be with a U-Haul Auto Transport (a trailer that supports all four wheels off the ground).

You should confirm the distance with the insurance, you never really know unless you call or dig through the paperwork. If insurance is eligible/on the hook to cover the cost of repair, they may very well opt to cover a 50 mile tow and have the manufacturer be on the hook for repairs

Edit: They might also be able to cover the cost of tow partially, maybe they'll only cover the first 25 miles and you just pay out of pocket for the remainder

Rent a box truck large enough to hold the car, and a wrecker with a flatbed truck on each end to load and unload.

Might be more expensive than the trailer.