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Towing and Roadside Assistance Questions Buffalo Drivers Ask, Answered Straight
The short answers to everything Buffalo drivers ask before they call, with the published numbers in each one. The long answers are in the guides and the blog.
Price
How much does a tow cost in Buffalo?
$50 to book, $110 to hook, $7 a loaded mile. $160 before the truck moves, $195 on five miles, $300 on twenty. The pricing page has a calculator.
Is there a cheaper option than a tow?
Often. A dead battery is a jump start, keys inside the car is a lockout, a flat with a spare is a tire change. None involve a hook or a mile. What to do if you cannot afford a tow.
Do you charge more at night?
No. Same formula at any hour, any day, any holiday. What changes at night is how long a truck may take to reach you, and we tell you that honestly.
What do roadside calls cost?
Flat, booking fee included, no hook-up, no mileage: Jump start $129, car lockout $129, flat tire change $169, fuel delivery $129 plus the fuel, battery replacement $199 plus the battery — flat prices, booking fee included, no mileage. Jump start costs and lockout costs explained.
How do I check a quote?
Measure the loaded miles on a map, multiply by $7, add $160. That is the number you should hear. The tow cost guide covers what legitimately moves it.
The Car Will Not Start
Is it the battery or the alternator?
One click and dim lights, or silence: battery. Starts with a jump and dies again ten minutes later: alternator. The full checklist before you pay for either.
Why did my battery die when it was fine last month?
Cranking amps fall as the temperature falls while a cold engine needs more of them. The curves cross on the first hard morning of December. Jump start service is most of what we do that month.
Do you replace batteries?
Yes. Battery replacement is $199 plus the battery, fitted where the car sits, so a dead battery in the driveway does not become a tow. We will tell you honestly whether a jump will hold or the battery is done.
I ran out of gas. How much do you bring?
Enough to reach a station, not a full tank. Fuel delivery is $129 plus the fuel, booking fee included. If it is a diesel, say so, because a diesel run dry may need priming. The out-of-gas guide.
Locked Out
Can you unlock my car?
If the keys are inside it, yes. Lockout service opens the door with a wedge and a long-reach tool, nothing touches the lock or the wiring. We will ask for identification first.
I lost my key. Can you help?
No. A lost key needs an automotive locksmith, and no lockout service can help. Lockout or locksmith explains which trade to call so you do not pay the wrong one.
The keys are in the trunk.
Usually fine. Most cars release the trunk from inside once the door is open. A few deadlock the trunk separately, and we will tell you if yours is one.
Towing
Do I need a flatbed or a wheel-lift?
All-wheel drive, low cars, seized wheels, no key, crash damage: flatbed. Most front-wheel-drive cars: wheel-lift, which also fits tight streets. Same price with us. The comparison.
Where does my car go after an accident?
Where you say, if you decide before it is hooked. Storage at a yard you did not pick starts the next morning. Accident towing with us goes to the address you give. Who decides what.
Do you tow long distance?
Yes, on the same formula with bigger numbers, and the empty trip back shown in the quote. Long distance towing and how the price works.
Do you tow motorcycles?
Yes, with a chock and soft loops on the frame, never a hook and chain, and no surcharge. Motorcycle towing and how a bike should be loaded.
Will you take my junk car?
Yes, with the title. Junk car removal can net out in your favor because a dead car has scrap value. The paperwork to have ready.
Snow and Winter
Can you get my car out of a snowbank?
Yes, on driveways, lots, side streets and town roads, which is most of what winch-out and recovery is from December to March. Not on highways, expressways, parkways or bridges.
What does a winch-out cost?
$199 to book plus $150 an hour from when the driver arrives; how far off the pavement the car sits, what the truck can anchor to and whether the car rolls decide how long it takes. The winch-out guide and the winter guide.
Do you charge more in a storm?
No. The formula is the same. What changes is how long a truck may take to reach you, and we will say so honestly.
Coverage and Calling
Where are you based and where do you go?
415 Rhode Island St on Buffalo's West Side, and we cover all 35 Buffalo neighborhoods and 37 Erie County towns and villages. The areas page has every one, with the streets we have verified.
Is there a tow truck near me right now?
Call or text (716) 277-7012 with your cross streets and what the car is doing. We are open every hour of every day. What to expect when you call.
How long will you take?
We will not give you a number we cannot keep. Where the truck is, how the roads are and how many jobs are stacked change by the hour. We tell you what we honestly think and tell you again if it slips.
Do you do highway recovery?
No. Highways, expressways, parkways and bridges are a different license and a different truck. We will say so rather than take the job.
Should I call or text?
Either. A text with a pin from your phone beats a description of a dark street. The contact page has both, and what to have ready.
Everything above links to the page that goes deeper: the thirteen services, the areas we cover, the guides and the blog. If your question is not here, call or text (716) 277-7012 and ask it.
Stuck right now? Call and get the number before the truck is sent.
$50 to book, $110 to hook, $7 a mile. Jump start $129, lockout $129, flat. No after-hours rate.