AAA Chicago Announces New Battery Assist Service

AURORA, Ill., June 4 -- The "click click click" of an ignition when a car's battery is dead is a sound all motorists dread, but AAA Chicago has a new program to get you on the road again quickly.

AAA regularly receives a large number of calls from motorists with a car that won't start due to a dead battery. As a result, AAA has implemented a Battery Assist Service that will first be available to members in the Chicagoland area.

The club has partnered with two independent contractors -- one is assigned to the southwest side of Chicago and adjoining suburbs and one is assigned to the north side of Chicago and adjoining suburbs. Each will offer members with a car that won't start the opportunity to purchase a new battery on the spot.

When a member calls AAA Chicago's member service center, the operator will ask a series of questions to determine if the vehicle's battery needs replacement. A van equipped with diagnostic equipment and a stock of car batteries will be dispatched to the scene of the disablement. The technician will perform the diagnostic tests on the vehicle, and if it is determined that a faulty or worn out battery is the source of the problem, the technician will print out the diagnostic information and the cost of a new battery. If the member decides to purchase a new battery, the technician will install it on- site and take the old one for disposal.

AAA Chicago offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 45 million members in the United States and Canada.