Updated · Safety on the road
Start with safety
If you're stopped in a travel lane, anyone is hurt, there's smoke, or a child or pet is locked in the car, hang up and call 911. Otherwise, say whether you're on a highway shoulder, in a parking lot or at home, because that changes how the job is planned.
Your exact location
A street address is ideal. On a highway, give the road, your direction and the nearest exit or cross street. A pin shared from your phone's map removes most of the guesswork.
- Street address or business name
- Highway, direction and nearest exit
- Parking garage level, section and posted height limit
- Gate codes or building numbers at apartments
The car
Give the year, make, model and color. For a battery job, the exact model matters because batteries come in different sizes and types. For a tire, the size printed on the sidewall, a code like 225/65R17, helps match a replacement.
The problem, in plain words
Describe what you see and hear rather than what you think is broken.
Mention anything unusual, too: a lifted truck, oversized wheels, an aftermarket alarm, or a car parked nose-in against a wall, where the hood is hard to reach.
- Won't start: clicking, no sound, or slow cranking? Do the dash lights come on?
- Flat tire: which tire, is the spare usable, and do you have the wheel-lock key?
- Lockout: where are the keys, and is the engine running?
- Nail in a tire: is it holding air, and is the nail in the tread or the sidewall?
Before anyone is sent
Ask for the total, meaning the service plus the one-time trip charge, and confirm the callback number. If something changes while you wait, such as the car starting on its own or a friend showing up with a key, call back so the trip isn't wasted.