07 Dec What Do You Do If You Don’t Have Roadside Assistance?
It’s one of the worst fears of the everyday driver- having to pull off the road when something goes wrong with your car. Some call a roadside assistance company, but you need a membership with those companies before they can offer to help you. So, what do you do if you don’t have roadside assistance and don’t want to spend a fortune on a membership you might only use once?
The answer: use Mach1 Services. Mach 1 Services comprises qualified and insured service providers that can assist you with a flat tire, tow truck, dead battery, empty fuel, mobile mechanics, lockouts, trip inspection, and non-emergency situations. The kicker, they provide these services without requiring a subscription or membership.
Learn what Mach 1 Services can do for you and what situations constitute needing roadside assistance. You can also read on for typical service fees and response time, so you know you’re getting the help you need in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
Can You Get Roadside Assistance Without Being a Member?
Mach 1 Services prides itself on providing on-demand and automated assistance to the everyday person without the use of subscriptions and membership fees. So, it’s the only roadside assistance number you’ll ever need.
Through the use of their mobile app, individuals that require assistance can find professionals near them willing to provide their services as needed. You don’t even need to have previously downloaded the app to get assistance. If your car has just broken down, all you need is a functioning mobile device to start the process of creating a Mach 1 account.
The service providers offered by Mach 1 Services are vetted using a seven-point candidate check to ensure they are qualified to help you. Whether they are self-employed or part of a larger company, these individuals are insured and have the credentials to service your vehicle.
If you are uncertain, you can check the credentials of the suggested service member near you before you accept them for roadside assistance. Once you have contacted and accepted one of Mach 1’s providers, any potential fees will be charged by them rather than Mach 1 Services.
As a result of this system, you pay solely for the cost of direct assistance from the service provider. Mach 1 Services does not charge users any fees relating to call center dispatch costs, provider management costs, accounting costs to pay the service network or any additional hidden fees many competitors might charge.
Do You Really Need Roadside Assistance?
The initial shock and potential fear that comes with having car problems might lead you to think you need immediate roadside assistance. However, with simple tools and basic automobile knowledge, you’d be surprised how many issues you could solve yourself.
There’s nothing like the sense of accomplishment that comes with solving an issue on your own and saving money in the process. Here are a series of common car problems that you might be able to solve without a professional.
| Car Issue | Potential Solution | Do you need assistance? |
|---|---|---|
| Dead Battery | Typically caused by leaving a car light on too long, dead car batteries can be easily fixed with a charge. A jump pack will often solve this problem or, if you don't have a jump pack, but you have jumper cables, ask a friend or stranger if you could use their car to charge your battery. To jump your car with jumper cables, make sure that both cars are parked close to each other and in Park or Neutral with both ignitions off. With the red cable, attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal of the dead battery (it should say POS or +), then connect the other red clip to the positive terminal of the other car battery. With the black cable, attach one clip to the negative terminal of the other (functioning) car battery, then attach the other clip to an unpainted metal surface (such as the hood rod). Turn the functioning car on, let it run for a few minutes, then turn the dead car on. If it works, let it run/charge for maybe 10 minutes. If not, check all your connections, try again, and if it still fails, call for help. | No, if you have the mentioned equipment. |
| Flat Tire | Hopefully, this is caused by a puncture in your tire rather than the tire bursting altogether, but regardless, you can fix this issue yourself if you have A.) a spare tire (if the original is beyond repair), B.) a car jack, and a lug wrench (to swap out tires), or C.) tire sealant (if the tire you have is merely leaking from a small puncture). The process to swap tires is fairly simple, and most cars have a spare stored somewhere on the vehicle. However, if the tire is merely leaking air, tire sealant will seal the puncture and inflate the tire long enough for you to get it promptly to a mechanic or purchase a replacement. If you need to replace the tire, pull over safely, turn your hazards on and apply the parking brake. Once you have all your materials out, apply wheel wedges or something similar if you have them. Then, remove any hubcap or wheel covers from the tire, loosen the lug nuts, jack up your car, fully remove the lug nuts, swap out the tires, tightly replace the lug nuts and, finally, let your car down and remove other materials. | No, if you have the mentioned equipment |
| Lock Out | Luckily, most modern cars simply don't allow you to lock yourself out if your key is in the vehicle. However, if you've lost your key or you have an older vehicle, there are some simple tactics to unlocking the car yourself. First, you need to pry open a small space in the door by wedging something sturdy into the top crease of the door. Once you have a few inches, wedge a long-hooked rod (usually a coat hanger) into the car to try to pull the lock open or push the unlock button if it is by the car handle. If the lock is a peg by the window, insert a sturdy loop (like a belt) to try and loop around the peg and pull it up. We highly suggest you attempt these before calling for help and especially before smashing your windows to get in. The cost of replacing a window far outweighs the fees to get help. | No, if you have resourceful materials, you can use them to pull or push the lock. |
| Car Won't Start | There could be a series of reasons why your car won't start. Although there are some options you can try yourself, such as cycling the key, tapping on battery terminals, swapping relays, or unflooding a flooded engine, most of these require some moderate knowledge of cars in order to be safe and successful. Therefore, if you have limited to no understanding of car parts, it might be best to call for help. Unfortunately, it is possible that after trying all the options, your car still won't start, and you will need to give in and call for a tow. | No, with a moderate understanding of cars |
If at any point you are truly concerned for your safety or ability to handle the situation posed by your car, don’t hesitate to call for help. Mach 1 Services provides professionals that are trained to deal with these situations for you to limit any potential danger or unnecessary stress.How Much is Roadside Assistance Out of Pocket?
Now, you might be thinking that without a membership, receiving immediate help from services on Mach 1 must cost a fortune. You’d be wrong. At Mach 1, their motto is “People Helping People,” and they ensure this personable and fair service carries over into ultimate cost.
The Mach 1 app is free to download, so even if you have never used the app before, you won’t have to pay to download it the second you’re having problems. Once the app is downloaded, and you have selected the assistance you need. Mach 1 will find the closest provider, and your transaction will enter a “pay as you go” format.
Prices for services are based on region to ensure you are charged the average price for assistance in your location. This means that service providers will accept that Mach 1 price listed rather than haggling or adding extra fees.
Before the service provider is sent to your location, an estimated price will be listed on the app for your approval. Once the provider has arrived and fulfills your needs, you will sign-off on the transaction with its final price and pay for their services on the app using a debit or credit card.
Because every location and situation is different, the prices for services might vary widely. For instance, a non-emergency service where Mach 1 connects you to local police without calling 911 is likely to be less than the cost for a tow-truck service.
But rest assured, the prices you will pay will be fair and almost certainly cheaper than paying for an emergency membership with a roadside assistance company on top of their services.
How Soon Can I Use my Roadside Assistance with Mach 1 After Signing Up?
Because Mach 1 strives to be accessible, you are permitted to use its services directly after downloading the Mach 1 mobile app.
As the first on-demand app to digitize roadside assistance, Mach 1 is highly efficient by connecting you with service providers in your vicinity automatically, which eliminates any call or hold times found with competitors.
Once you have downloaded the app, they will ask you for basic information to set up your account. This required information includes your location, your Mach 1 service area, your name, and contact information, and your preferred form of payment. From here, you can provide details of your situation, and Mach 1 will connect you with the most suitable service professional in your vicinity. The whole process is easy and typically takes less than 10 minutes before help is on the way.
Final Thoughts
From the best roadside assistance services, Mach 1 Services revolutionizes roadside assistance for the everyday driver. All you need is your phone and a credit card in order to take advantage of their automated system that connects you with qualified professionals.
Not only can you skip the membership fees, but you can also limit wait times on the phone that you would find with competitors while they searched for a service member to help you. Additionally, with Mach 1, you don’t have to wait 30 minutes in a random parking lot until your service professional arrives since they connect you with professionals that are already in your vicinity.
Experiencing car difficulties is stressful enough, so relieve that stress by downloading the Mach 1 app today or the next time you are stranded and need help. Their services are guaranteed to get you off the streets and resolve any issue quickly and efficiently. Once You have reached out Mach1 now you can relax wait for their team to get you help mean while you can enjoy Roadside Assistance Memes to refresh mood a bit.