- Seven roadside services: jump start, fuel delivery, lockout, flat tire change, tire repair, mobile tire service and air up.
- Most calls are fixed on the spot, so the car stays with you.
- Tell us the symptom, not the fix, and we send the right truck.
- If a fix will not hold, we switch to a tow on the same call.
- Open 8am to 9pm, every day. The price comes first.
Which roadside assistance service fits your problem?
Start with what the car is doing, not what you think it needs. A car that clicks and won't crank is usually a battery, so a jump start is the first try. A car that cranks but won't catch after the fuel light has been on for a while points to fuel delivery. Keys on the seat and doors locked is a lockout service call, and nothing else.
Tires have four services because tire trouble comes in four shapes. The table below is the quick version we use on the phone when someone in East Cambie describes what happened.
| What you see | Service | What usually happens |
|---|---|---|
| Clicking, dim dash lights, no crank | Jump start | Boost on the spot, then you drive away |
| Cranks but will not start, tank near empty | Fuel delivery | Enough fuel to reach a station |
| Keys locked inside | Lockout service | Door opened without damage |
| Tire flat, good spare in the trunk | Flat tire change | Spare fitted, flat stowed |
| Nail or screw in the tread | Tire repair | Puncture plugged if it is repairable |
| No spare, or tire needs fitting where you are | Mobile tire service | Tire work done at the curb or in the driveway |
| Tire soft or warning light on | Air up tire service | Inflated to the right pressure |
Roadside assistance for dead batteries and empty tanks
Batteries are the most common roadside assistance call we get in East Cambie, and the pattern is predictable. A car that sits all week in a townhouse stall in Bargen, or one parked for hours at a weekend game, is the one that won't turn over. We connect, check that it holds, and tell you honestly if the battery looks done. A jump start gets you to a shop, but it won't fix a battery that has failed.
Running dry happens more on the bigger roads. Highway 91 and No. 5 Road have long stretches where pulling into a station is not an option, and a car that coasts to the shoulder there needs fuel brought to it. Our fuel delivery brings enough to get you to the pumps. Tell us whether the car takes gas or diesel when you call.
If the car still won't start after a boost or fuel, something else is wrong, and pushing it is not worth the risk. We switch to light duty towing and take it to the shop you choose, with the price confirmed first.
Roadside assistance for flats, low tires and tire damage
A soft tire is often a slow leak, and the fix depends on what caused it. Transport Canada's guide to inflating your tires says the right pressure is on the tire information label, usually on the edge of the driver's door, the door post, the glove box or the fuel door, and that tires should be checked cold, spare included, at least once a month. That is the number our air up tire service inflates to, not the one moulded on the sidewall.
A nail in the tread is a different job. If the puncture sits in the repairable area, tire repair can plug it so you can drive on. A torn sidewall or a tire driven flat for a long way can't be repaired, and then a flat tire change to your spare is the safe move.
No spare, a locked wheel nut with no key, or a vehicle that needs the tire work done where it sits, such as a work van at a Crestwood dock, is a mobile tire service call. For trucks and vans in the industrial estate, see our Crestwood light duty towing page too.
Roadside assistance for lockouts around East Cambie
Lockouts cluster where people park, step out and get busy. The lot at Cambie Community Centre on Cambie Road, the fields and diamonds at King George Park, and school pickup on Jacombs Road near Cambie Secondary are the spots we hear about most. Keys get dropped on a seat while a child is buckled in or a bag is unloaded, and the doors lock behind them.
Our lockout service opens the door without breaking glass or bending the frame. Tell us the make, model and year so we bring the right tools, and say right away if a child or a pet is inside, so we treat it as the first call in the queue. If that is the case and anyone is in distress, call 911 first.
Keyless cars can lock with the fob inside, and some cars won't start once the fob battery is flat. If the doors open but the car still won't start, tell us, because that can be a jump start problem rather than a lock problem.
Staying safe while you wait for roadside assistance
Where you stop matters more than what broke. On Highway 91 or a busy stretch of No. 5 Road, get as far onto the shoulder as you can, turn on your hazards and stay out of the live lane. BC's slow down, move over rule covers tow trucks with flashing lights: passing drivers must drop to 70 km/h in a zone of 80 km/h or more, or 40 km/h in a slower zone, and move over a lane if they safely can. Even so, stand well back from traffic while we work.
On side streets in California Pointe or around Bargen Drive, park clear of driveways and hydrants if the car still rolls, and send us a cross street. In a parkade, tell us the level and the stall, because a car that needs more than a boost down there may need underground towing gear.
Some calls end as tows, and that is fine. A car in a ditch needs winch out recovery, and a car that won't run after the fix needs a hook. You can send the form any time, or read more about everything we do on our East Cambie towing homepage.