There's nothing like the feeling of being stranded away from home. And if it's in the evening, you're thinking "there goes my night." Getting in my car in the Trader Joe's parking lot downtown, my engine wouldn't turn over. Feeling confident I'd simply left my lights on, I grabbed my "Halo Bolt" device for jump-starting vehicles and tried the ignition. Nothing. This device normally works like magic; either the battery is completely dead or I need a new alternator. Great, it's after-hours and I'm stuck downtown.
Now I remember back to an article from about a year ago where I mentioned the services offered by Mitch's Auto and their affiliate — Jeff's after-hours towing (215-757-2777). If you're in the Philadelphia/South Jersey/Bensalem areas, you can have your vehicle towed to Mitch's, even if it's the middle of the night. The question is, how much of a hassle will this be?
Mitch's tow truck is done at 6:00 pm, and it was 7 by then, so I had no choice but to test the process of getting towed safely to Mitch's shop without the benefit of AAA. Turns out, it was pretty simple.
Jeff's towing came in a little over an hour — no small feat considering traffic, construction and a trip from Bensalem to Center City Philadelphia. I told him I was taking a cab home, and asked if he could drop my vehicle off at Mitch's and place the keys safely into the after-hours key box. No problem. He was as courteous and professional as I expected.
Within minutes, my vehicle was on his truck and on the way to Mitch's, where it was looked at first thing in the morning. The battery was under warranty (I had no idea about this, but mechanics seem to know these things), so I only needed to pay for the tow. I was back on the road in time to get my wife to work. By the way, the cost of doing it this way was about a quarter of the cost of a yearly premium AAA membership. Check out some details here.
I can't stress enough the value of having a mechanic you can trust to take care of you and your vehicle. The best ones turn what could be very stressful situations into small bumps in the road.
Have you contacted Mitch's Auto Service Center yet? It may be time to establish a relationship, and enjoy no longer worrying about anything related to vehicle issues.
215-624-8000.