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BMW Motorrad USA Roadside Assistance kaput !

ka5ysy

2011 R1200RT
I received a letter from Cross Country Motor Club yesterday. It says:

"Thank you for participating in the BMW Motorrad USA Roadside Assistance Plan, a BMW authorized service that has been provided to you by Cross Country Motor Club, one of the most respected motor clubs in the country.

We regret to inform you that the plan will no longer be offered. But you can be assured that your contract to receive roadside assistance will be honored through the end of your current plan coverage.

All your features and benefits will remain available until your BMW Motorrad USA Roadside Assistance Plan coverage expires 10/27/10/

We appreciate your enthusiasm for BMW motorcycles, and hope you've enjoyed the peace of mind the service offers.

Thank you for participating in the plan.

Sincerely,
s/ D.M. Campo
Manager, Member Services."





:dunno
 
BMW Roadside Assistance - Alternative

I received the same letter.

Here is an alternative for BMWMOA members:

PLATINUM CYCLE CLUB MOTORCYCLE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE will reimburse you for each of the following 24-hour emergency services: Towing (up to 100 miles), Delivery of Essential Fluids & Supplies, Flat Tire Assistance, and Battery Service. You will also receive up to $500 for emergency trip interruption. Other benefits are Trip Routing, RV Rentals and Rental Car Discounts as well as Lost Key & Lockout Service. All supporting towing companies use flatbed trucks with straps or a cycle carrier - no hooks! The cost to a MOA member is only $26.00 per year and covers up to three motorcycles. Coverage is available throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Call the BMW MOA office at (636)-394-7277 to sign up.

That is what I have. It is a bargain for an additional $26 a year on your membership.

Bill
 
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Just switched to Progressive from Markle.

They offer exactly the same Roadside Assistance coverage for $10 per year, and included comprehensive & 3K in accessory coverage also for the same price as Markle per year.

Might be worth checking on.

460
 
I paid the extra $7 to add it to my insurance plan as well. There are a LOT of options out there from an insurance add-on which will probably provide the bare minimum to the AAA RV Platinum which is expensive but apparently the best of the best.
 
Runs me $10 a year to have excellent Roadside Assistance thru PROGRESSIVE. :thumb

Along with 'diminishing deductibles' and $3k for 'after market add-ons,' I feel well covered!
 
I rec'd the same letter and find this very odd, considering it isn't six months since BMW released an iPhone app for its Motorrad service. Seems to me, BMW is just finding another carrier, but Cross Country just wanted out.
 
It's confusing, but "BMW Motorrad USA Roadside Assistance Plan" is NOT kaput; BMW Motorrad simply changed roadside assistance contractors at the end of CY 2008.

Thru 2008, the BMW Motorrad roadside assistance contractor was Cross Country.
That means that any of us who purchased a new BMW thru CY 2008 were--and still are--covered during the original three-year bike warranty period by Cross Country.
As those 3 yr bike warranties expire--like ka5ysy on 10/27/10--so does the (old) Cross Country roadside assistance coverage.

Beginning CY 2009, BMW Motorrad changed its roadside assistance contractor from Cross Country to "Signature Motor Club". Signature is the same Illinois-based company that services Allstate Motor Club, AARP Motor Club, and several other customer or group/ club roadside assistance plans.
Any of us who purchased a new BMW starting CY 2009 are now covered during the original three-year bike warranty period by Signature Motor Club.

Doubly confusing 'cause the direct customer service 800 number for BMW Motorrad Roadside Assistance has remained the same, even though the contractor changed from Cross Country to Signature.

After anybody's original 3-year warranty BMW Motorrad Roadside Assistance coverage ends (regardless of original contractor), there are lots of options out there, as others have already noted, to get continuing roadside assistance.

Haven't done any recent price/ benefit comparison on after-market roadside asssistance, but at one time "Allstate RV"/ Signature was "best" only because it includes unlimited mileage towing. Most aftermarket plans, including MOA's, and many insurance companies' roadside assist, are limited to 100 miles towing. Like all these options, depends on what you want, and what you want to pay.

You gotta shop 'round, and YMMV--literally (so to speak) :brow

And regardless of what roadside assist plan you choose, actual side-of-the-road assistance performance will depend on local towing company sub-contractors.
 
Runs me $10 a year to have excellent Roadside Assistance thru PROGRESSIVE. :thumb

just don't call them on Labor Day weekend. :ha (they left me stranded with my RV because they couldn't find someone to come get me. I was 30 miles north of *Atlanta* with a flat on the inside wheel of the dualie rear axle)

the AMA has decent coverage as part of your membership. it covers your bikes, cars and RVs. Haven't had the opportunity to check it out, though.

I personally rely on AAA, but as Court mentions above, there are limits to the towing distance.

ian
 
One other comment (didn't see it listed..) If you allow the AMA to do automatic membership renewal via a credit-card - their roadside assistance is free. No cost. Zilch. A bargain at twice the price!
 
I personally rely on AAA, but as Court mentions above, there are limits to the towing distance.

Mine is 120 miles through the CAA which also covers motorcycles.

Its the first time I've ever joined an auto club in my 35 years of vehicle ownership. I mainly got it because of an out-of-town car purchase, but at $115 per year, the CAA is dreaming if they think I am renewing. The ADAC (German auto club) in comparison offers vastly more service for about the same price.
 
Just checked the AMA's website... they have towing up to 35 miles...

Their membership is $39 a year, with a magazine and discounts on gear and services.
 
You're still a lot better off with any towing plan than just calling a towing company cold.

When the emergency service rep gets your call, they contact a towing company closest to your location, at a negotiated rate that is typically half of the "cold" rate, or even less.

Here's the good part: even if the tow is farther than the covered mileage, the tow company will typically give you the same rate for any added miles as the emergency service contract. So, even though you might have to pay for extra mileage, you're getting a much reduced rate.

pmdave
 
Saw this little gem in hunting for more info:

A tow could boost your car insurance premium

Using an insurance company’s roadside assistance or towing benefits too often could affect your rates (and not in a nice way) or even your eligibility for coverage. Some auto insurers consider your calls for roadside assistance to be negatives, just like accident claims. State Farm, the nation’s largest insurer, says the use of roadside assistance is a very small factor in calculating rates or considering a driver’s insurability. Some insurers report roadside assistance calls made under their policies to ChoicePoint, an Alpharetta, Ga., company that compiles claims information for the insurance industry. Nationwide Insurance and Geico say they report the information but don’t use it in their policy decisions. Allstate says it doesn’t report usage by members of the Allstate Motor Club, but it does report towing claims made under its insurance policies.

EDIT: More info in a very enlightening article... looks like Progressive insurance again distances itself from the pack.

Progressive, on the other hand, neither reports roadside calls to CLUE nor references the data when setting rates, said spokeswoman Kathy Bell.
 
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Saw this little gem in hunting for more info:



EDIT: More info in a very enlightening article... looks like Progressive insurance again distances itself from the pack.

I'll say it again.

Progressive mailed me a check within 48 hrs. of viewing the damage to my R1200RT, courtesey of a hit & run driver in CO, have 'diminished' my deductible over time (assuming no 'at-fault' claims) from $250 to now less than $80, and I pay a premium that no one has yet to beat (though admittedly, rates are often geographical). :wave
 
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I have been using Coach-net. It's primarily for RV's but covers my other vehicles and It's fairly expensive. Normally I'm a self rescue kinda guy but when I used them it worked out great. There is a lot more that they do along with the road service, I figured the time I used them made the next 4 years free with what I had towed. www.coach-net.com Gary
 
Ok... since this gone all over the place, i'll tell my story.

a year or so ago when i laid my bike down on the highway, the highway patrolman was working my wife hard that i shouldn't ride the bike home. I said fine call the number on the key chain, which was BMW's roadside assistance. They told my wife that they couldn't tow because of a wreck, but if i was broken down they could. I just checked on google maps, and i wrecked 3.4 miles from the dealership. I guess i could have lied... I said screw it and rode home with busted ribs.

I've kinda lost faith, and most of what i have heard about them has not been positive.

Pedro in OKC,OK
 
Ok... since this gone all over the place, i'll tell my story.

a year or so ago when i laid my bike down on the highway, the highway patrolman was working my wife hard that i shouldn't ride the bike home. I said fine call the number on the key chain, which was BMW's roadside assistance. They told my wife that they couldn't tow because of a wreck, but if i was broken down they could. I just checked on google maps, and i wrecked 3.4 miles from the dealership. I guess i could have lied... I said screw it and rode home with busted ribs.

I've kinda lost faith, and most of what i have heard about them has not been positive.

Pedro in OKC,OK

Pedro - definitely not a good ending to that story - hope the ribs have healed.

What company were you contracting with at the time? :deal
 
Wow! I purchased my RT in sept 08 and crashed when a woman, driving a van, late for work on her first day clipped my left handlebar. This was only two weeks after purchase. I called Roadside Assist, they came out in about an hour offered to drive me home (30 miles) to the dealer, ( <5 miles) or to my friends house (12 blocks). I wasn't hurt thanks to atgatt. The driver was great. He wouldn't even accept a tip. I never even got an invoice.$ 9000 of cosmetic damage to the bike. Even replaced the final drive because it was scratched. So far it still rides like new.
 
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