Road Side Assistance from SmartUSA

JasonCar · 08-25-2008, 07:49 PM

I got a flat tire tonight and realized that the phone number on the driver's visor is for Road Side assistance for everything but tires. They were nice enough to give me the number for the tire warranty people. When I spoke with them they told me that i would have to get my car to an authorized repair facility and then have them call before any repair work could be done. They do not tow the car to the facility, I would have to do this myself. When I called the dealer they suggested using the compressor and sealant that came with the car. This is what I ended up doing, since the repair facilities that were suggested to me were already closed. The phone number is only good between 7am and 7pm CST, which also did not help when i am calling at 830 EST. Has anyone else had this problem? By the way I purchased the tire warranty that Smart offered me when i picked up my car. I think that everything should be under warranty still, since I picked up my car July 24. Sorry for the rambling... hopefully things will be straightened out tomorrow when the dealer opens. Does anyone have any suggestions? By the way I am not impressed with Penske's level of service.

jefferios · 08-25-2008, 07:52 PM

Have you ever thought of getting AAA?

buellwinkle · 08-25-2008, 11:44 PM

Are you telling me that the $345 I paid for 4 years of the Wheel & Tire plan doesn't cover towing the car if it gets a flat? What's the point of it? Can you cancel the plan and get a refund for the unused months? They promised me that it includes towing and it's 24/7. Anyting less is a total waste of time.

Do you have a spare. I'm in the middle of putting my spare tire kit together. I got the wheel/tire from Tirerack, the jack from a a Passat at a salvage yard, the lug wrench from Wallymart and now I'm waiting for the bag from the bag lady.

74AMX304V8 · 08-26-2008, 12:01 AM

what the F...? I was told at the dealer the tire warrantee was "if you have a non repairable flat tire, once you call, a truck with a new tire will be dispatched and reach you within 90 minutes or less." If this is not the case I will be seeking legal action.

JasonCar · 08-31-2008, 08:22 AM

Sorry for the delay in my response... I went to the dealership on Tuesday and it was all straightened out at no cost to me. It seems that the number that Smart roadside assistance has is not the same number as the tire plan i have. The tire was totally covered, and it also has the towing option. I now have the new phone number in my cell phone. I do have to buy the new can of sealant though... that is not covered. All is right with me now though. Sorry to vent like that before.

buellwinkle · 08-31-2008, 11:17 AM

I would be upset if I got runaround. Thanks for getting the scoop for us. Having these numbers on the speed dial is a good tip.

smartHHO · 09-11-2008, 04:37 PM

I have been thinking this whole thing thru. If you recall the old external JEEP CJ7 tire mounted on the back. I was thinking, since the tires are so small, probably could get a special rack made to mount on the back somehow, if you don't have that damn bike rack. Heck, seems like the smart guys could of even used the colapsable tire with air can like the one style of camero had. Took up no room in the trunk, but when you needed it, it was available. They should make something like that. I might just say heck with the extra warranty on tires. Waste of money.

MPrice2984 · 09-12-2008, 06:18 AM

I added the extended towing to my AAA membership. For $50 a year they will tow a car up to 150 miles up to 4 times a year. For most of us this will get us to almost any smart dealership if the car breaks down. As for tires, I'm lucky as I live 40 miles from Tire Racks corporate offices in South Bend.